No photograph, but wanted to share

Yesterday I started a class with 5 students
called 'Critique and Discussion'. Five students
was the maximum number I thought would
work well. And it did! Very well.

Each person spoke about their background
in art, starting with their childhood endeavors.
It was fascinating to hear how each one had
been affected by their family and environments.
BUT what was even more interesting was that
each one had this nugget of interest in creating
art in place from an early age and it was not
because of anyone else, but was their own
possession, if you will. Their family and
environment affected them, but still, it was
theirs to begin with.

Then we all participated in critiquing the art
they brought for that purpose. The spirit of
help and interest was fabulous. I am looking
forward to next week and more of this high-
level experience!

Maybe I'll even have a photograph for you!

The show!

Here are two shots of the recent show

done together with my sister who

designs and makes jewelry. It was

a good show for us both and we were

happy to see the return of some folks

as well as new people to our show.

Here you have a shot of some of my

sister's display area and then a work

in progress on my easel.

Small painting of beach bunny!

This is my definition of sun-kissed

sweetness! What a darling girl,

daughter of a friend of mine. I was

with them all at the beach and this

is one of my favorite shots of that

lovely week.

Oil painting on panel 5" x 7"

It's in the show coming up!

Small painting of wicker chair

This pretty old wicker chair is in a house on the

grounds of Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania.

Have a seat in the lovely surroundings...its from

a time gone by, but I think it evokes something

quite special and relaxing which perhaps the

viewer will experience when looking at this piece.

5" x 7" oil on panel. "The Wicker Chair"

Small painting of Butterfly #2

I took a lot of photos of my tree hydrangea and so

have a lot of great material to paint. Here is yet

another one. The way I would shoot these photos

is that I would drive into my driveway and be very

close to the flowering branches. They were loaded

with bees and all manner of flying insects and

butterflies. It was a great vantage point to get

the pictures.

By the way, my son tells me that this is an

Eastern tiger swallowtail!

It is also another 5" x 7" on a panel.

All of these small paintings will be in my upcoming

show, but if you are interested in any of them,

contact me. They are $175 plus s & h.

They take 4 - 6 hours to do, plus varnishing and

framing! Frames are included by the way.

Small painting of southwest scene

When I visited Arizona some time ago, I was

delighted with the crispness of shadows that

were so strong they were almost objects in

themselves.

This is another small work I did recently -

5" x 7" on a panel. Oil and alkyd paint.

My sister's jewelry

Just a small sampling of my sister's beautiful

work that she designs and makes.

Small painting of small child!

Thank you all for sending me your

wonderful email comments about

these small paintings. I really appreciate

it very much. Now to get you to comment

ON the blog itself! Please! Help!

This darling child was listening to

music not far from her parents.

It was a lovely setting at Longwood

Gardens on a perfect summer day.

I love her little chubby hand on the

stone wall and her fuzzy fine hair

which her mom had in a sort of up-do!

5" x 7" Oil painting on panel.

Small painting-Butterfly #1

This summer my tree hydrangea was visited by

so many lovely winged creatures. Here is one of

them. I had so much fun painting this I had to

do two more.

5' x 7' alkyd painting on panel.

I hope some of you who have seen these small

works will post your comments as well as sending

me your lovely emails!

Thank you so much for your interest and support

of my artistic endeavors.

Small painting of gate

I'm hoping to dazzle you all with my many small

paintings for my upcoming show at my studio!

I did this subject years ago in watercolor. I recently

looked at the photo and fell in love with it all

over again. It was fun to do it with oil/alkyd paint

and to use a painting knife for some of the effects

on the gate posts. The color subtleties are quite

challenging, but interesting.

(The spelling of 'subtleties' is the same!)

Remember you can click on the image to see the

details!

Again, this is a 5" x 7" panel and I think I have to

call it "Williamsburg gate". Any other ideas?

Small work - Bench and sprinklers

Here's another of my latest paintings. Again, it's

5" x 7" and on a panel. This one is mostly oil paint,

not alkyd. I had started it a while ago, but just

completed it recently doing the water reflection

effects. Fussy work, but I love it. I think this

painting took as long as any of them. Getting that

bench right was a challenge!

This is a bench in front of the DeYoung Museum

in San Francisco. Quite a fantastic building.

Small painting of fuschia

This is yet another of my recent small works.

I keep photographs of many things I see in life and

on such occasions as painting a whole series of small

works, I get them out and go for it!

I enjoy the use of complementary colors such as

the orange-blue combination you see here.

This is 5" x 7" on a panel and is an alkyd painting.

Now thatI am down to the wire on time, I

incorporate the use of alkyd paint. It dries much

faster than oil because of the medium used to

make the paint. But in all other respects it is the

same as oil paint.

Small painting of crystal glass

I have been trying for days to find the

photos I took of my small paintings!

Today I did and here is one of them.

This is a 5 x 7 inch oil painting.

The middle background section is

actually silver oil paint which I use

now and then very sparingly.

For those of you who

may think silver or gold paint is what

you use to show reflections, it isn't!

The top part of the background is

actually really black, though it is

hard to photograph it to look that

way because of light that bounces

off the surface.

I think I'll call it 'Crystal Beauty'.

What do you think?

Never showed you this one

While I am working away at my small pieces and trying to

get them to post to this blog (issues with my program to

upload them), I am showing this commissioned piece.

This is a work in acrylic. It is 3 feet by 5 feet. I had so much

fun with it. I did it on unstretched canvas so I could roll it up

and ship it to Texas where it now resides. It was stapled on

a strip of wood that hung on a few nails. This was important

because some of what I did to it needed to be done on the

floor. And some of what I did to it was done on the wall.

With that system that I devised, I could easily take it off and

put it back on the wall as I worked on it back and forth.

I look forward to your comments!

Where have I been?

Hello everyone,

I have been painting so much since my last post that I haven't shown up here to show you what I am doing. Soon however, you will see. I finally got my latest small works and my camera together. Twenty one in all with eight of the last of them in various stages of completion.

It is a joyous thing, painting is.

I paint subjects and images that make me happy to see. And then to paint them gives me the pleasure all over again! See?

I choose to focus on what I love about Life and to depict it for others to enjoy as well. Hopefully they are inspired to do their own looking for Life's beauties and pleasures.

Small paintings continued

I am on a tear to get as many done as I

can for my upcoming show. This is my

fabulous hanging system developed by a

former studio assistant. These strips of

wood can be hung from the molding. They

have velcro on them and then I have put

a bit of velcro on the back of each painting

and voila!

If you click on the image, you can see the

paintings bigger!

My target is to get 30 new ones done. I

have 24 done or in progress, so I'm good!

These are 5" x 7" on panels and are done

in alkyd paint which dries overnight. I leave

them to dry longer and then apply varnish.

The two photos are of the same thing, the

first one with a flash and the next one without!

Small paintings underway again

Apparently my last post was not working to show the photo, so

now you get two to look at!

I'm doing these 5" x 7" panel paintings in a group, working on one

for a while and then the next and the next. I have about a dozen

of them going now and it is really fun.

I tape the gessoed boards to a matboard a little larger than the

panel and that pretty much keeps my fingers out of the paint!

I draw the images on with a Papermate Sharpwriter. It keeps

the lines very nice and thin. Then I spray with fixative so I can

still see the image under the early thin coats of oil paint.

There'll be more, so stay tuned!

Guitarist with background re-done

I decided to put a setting around him, but you

can see from the first 'real' background, that this

one is invented, using elements from the actual

background in which he was performing. It's

called artistic license! And I am much happier

with this. It still isn't done, but is much closer

to a final product than it was. How do you like

the flames showing? I put them there to express

the sense of warmth and affinity he has in his

playing. The guitar still needs work as you see!

No strings!

Background change for guitarist painting

I decided to get rid of the previous background

which is where he was actually playing. I didn't

think it contributed anything to what I was trying

to convey. Here he is fully IN his music and out

of the physical world he was playing in.

Let me know what you think.

Soon he will come to see it and bring his gorgeous

guitar so I can see the elements of it fully. One

cannot paint without understanding.

Next stage of the guitarist

So now I've got some background in place, though

I'm not sure it really helps the painting all that

much. I may paint it out and just let the man

and his music 'stand' alone! This painting is on

an 18" x 24" panel. I've used Mars Violet in the

background. It is an interesting rosy brown that

seems to harmonize with the colors he is wearing.

I really like the blue of his shirt in contrast to

the other colors.

Let me know what you think of it. I always

appreciate people posting their comments here.

Getting started

This is how I generally work from a photograph

I've taken. I take the print to Kinko's and blow it

up and crop it if necessary. Then I have two prints

made. I make a grid on one, and have the other for

reference without any lines from gridding on it. It

is the top photo that I folded and made grid lines on.

You can see the folds in it if you click on this image

and see it larger.

When I am doing a portrait, I never worry about

likeness in the sketch stage. Just general proportions

of the face. I then work it out on the painting surface.

This sketch is on newsprint. I will transfer it by putting

charcoal on the back of the drawing and then going over

the drawing while it is taped to the panel I'm going to

paint on (or canvas).

This painting is going to be 18 x 24 and in oil on a panel.

Al fresco

This is a 5 x 7 painting I did last summer. I am

always amazed at how much depth one can get

in a small painting. I didn't have this one very long.

One of my students bought it who lives here and

knows this pretty place.

Maybe you'll laugh

This is what I did with two cat statues from

the studio. I wanted to shoot the angle that

the cats were sitting on the oriental carpet

in order to get the angle and therefore the

perspective of the carpet, the photo of the

carpet that is!

The lengths that artists will go to for our

work!

I couldn't resist-100 degrees here today

Right now, this would feel really good! Is there no

happy medium between 100 degree heat and

over 2 feet of snow?

Now and earlier in the process!

I thought you might like to see the

drawing that preceded the painting.

The painting is nearing completion,

but isn't there yet. Also, the photo

of the painting doesn't quite get the

entire shadow in, and it is definitely

there in reality!

You can see that I have changed the

background behind their heads. What

is actually there are the planks in a

deck and that just doesn't do it for me!

Cats painting in progress

This shot is slightly fuzzy, but I wanted to

show this stage of the painting before I

put in the shadow. I will glaze it after the

carpet details are in place. In the previous

post you can see the outline of the shadow.

In this shot you can barely see it, but I left

just enough so I could put it in without having

to do it over again and so I could see where what

flowers and design parts fall in the shadow area.

Working it out

So what are you looking at here? The laying out

of what will become an oriental carpet in my painting

commission. What you see at the top are the tails of

two cats who were close buddies. And if you look

closely you will see the outline of their shadows.

This is an intriguing assignment and I will soon post

the latest version. I have done a lot since this photo

was taken, but there is still quite a ways to go. It

is challenging to do the layers of work to get the

carpet perspective, then the carpet painted, then

the shadow done over all.....to say nothing of the cats

themselves!

The other cat commission all done!

If you scroll down to a May 3rd posting, you will see the sketch

for these two buddies. Originally it was to have been 11" x 14"

but it worked out to be better at 9" x 12". I loved doing the fur

on the tiger stripped cat, and the paw and pink pads of the

other snuggle bunny (kitty!).

Let me know what you think. And maybe you'll have me

paint one of your beloved companions!

Next commission

This painting is going to be on a 16 x 20 panel.

This is the beginning sketch to work out the

position. I want those shadow shapes just right!

The flower pot may or may not be in the final

version. Have to work out what looks right.

The other big part of this is that they will be on

an oriental carpet instead of the rag rug in the

photo. A challenge!

Lilacs in their final version

Here is the final painting. See if you can see the things done

to it that differ from the last post of it about halfway done!

I am loving this painting. Did it all in one afternoon because

the flowers were drooping fast! Tried to take breaks so I

would be sure to see it 'freshly' during the painting process.

It is so easy to lose one's objectivity if you paint on one painting

too long. One of my teachers told me that 2 hours is about

the maximum time you should work on a piece without stopping.

I have adhered to that and it does make a difference.

Set up for lilac painting

This gives you an idea of how I set up small still life work

in order to paint it. Light differences on the set up make it

look much darker than it is in fact. My painting table is on

my right and you can see some of my brushes there, as well

as the handle of one sticking out of the thinner bottle which

sits in a drawer beneath the table top with my palette on it.

Lilac painting in next stage

I am considering this about halfway done. It is

more developed overall. It is my approach to

work steadily around the painting so that no area

gets over-developed. It is easy for this to happen

when you get very interested in something such

as the flower mass in front and all its intricacies!

Painting of Lilacs on Linen

A while back I bought two linen wrapped canvases

that have clear gesso coatings. I had never seen

this before so made the purchase. I am just now

painting on the first one and LOVE IT!

First, I really love the color and texture of linen.

Second, this subject matter and its colors seem the

perfect combination to use on a linen canvas.

It is a wrapped canvas, 16 x 20.

Stay tuned for the results!

Starting a cat commission!

This is my initial rough sketch for a portrait commission

I am doing. These two feline companions snuggled

up together often and their owner took lots of photos

of them in this type of position. But when you are

doing a painting, BOTH cats have to be visible and

in many of the photos, you could see one of them,

but not the other! So this has now become the chosen

pose.

What you see here is what I've done to work out

the pose to fit properly on the panel I will be painting.

It is 11 x 14 and it will be in oil.

Beachy Keen - completed

Here you have the final painting. Even got a few

sailboats out there... It was a tedious matter to

paint the stripes on that umbrella, but also kind of

enjoyable because that is the focal point area.

Let me know what you think. This is Rehobeth

in Delaware, by the way.

It is 20" x 20".

$600.

Oil and alkyd.

Beach scene - getting started

I rearranged things in the original photograph I

took some years ago in order to come up with

this composition. It is square...20 x 20. A wrapped

canvas as well. You will find I change this composition

even more before finishing it. It has been fun to

tilt the umbrella stakes this way and that in order

to get the central focus on the group of chairs.

A lady and her jewelry!

Here she is, not quite completed,

but the essentials are in place.

I never saw her face that day but

from the back, she is certainly one

beautiful woman. She stood for just

a moment like this, and I caught the

shot. This is a 12 x 24 painting and

I named it "Dreaming and Desire".

I will post the final painting soon.

$800.

Double Vision!

Here I am in front of the place of which

I did this painting!

Those eyes!

Here you see the two photos my friend sent to help

me get Miss Jetta's eyes as close as possible to what

they are! Quite the trio, huh?

Cat commissions in progress

This little ol' miss is Jetta. She is owned

by a dear friend of mine who has asked me

to paint Jetta's portrait as well as her other

beloved kitty who has now moved on to

catnip heaven. This painting is mostly done

except for needing more precise information

about the color of her eyes. I will be receiving

some photos in the mail and then I will do

better by Jetta whose eyes are a bit stuck on

a stare and without proper shading.

This is a small piece, 5" x 7. It is on an Ampersand

gesso panel. Very smooth to paint on, and so you

can get more detail without the weave of canvas.

The Morning After the BIG Snow!

This is the sight that greeted me out my window on the morning

after the major snow storm in the Washington DC area. This

has nothing to do with my artist's life in a direct way, and yet it

does! Students had to cancel lessons, and I had about as much

interest in painting as in paying taxes! Watching this mega-storm

was the "art" of the last few days.

More 2010 Affirmation Cards

Here are the next four cards. If you click on them

you can see them bigger! Be sure you look at the

previous post for the first four cards I did.

I had fun decorating them to match what I wrote.

Let's see how they can work for me!

I actually use the word 'postulate' instead of

affirmation. But it's the same thing. You put it

out there, you "post" what you want and then it

comes to you IF YOU DON'T COUNTER IT!

That is the hardest part to learn. Don't put out

counter postulates on what you want. See?!!!

Some of my 2010 Affirmation Cards

These are four out of the eleven cards I made

for my Blast Off Course I am doing with about

80 other artists through Alyson Stanfield at

www.artbizcoach.com. I have them on my desk

here and I go through them each day. It makes

me happy to read them because they are all

things of importance and pleasure to my life.