Funny Fish

Click Here to Purchase for $55 - 6x5in. - collage on illustration board

This was a fun one to make. A combination of my silly little drawings, and papers I made with acrylic paint, all collaged together.

Hook Line Sinker

Click Here to Buy for $60 - 6x6in. - collage on illustration board

It's fun coming up with little stories for my drawings. I've been experimenting with the order of things. Sometimes I come up with drawings first, sometimes in the middle of the collage, and sometimes after all the color goes down. For this one I did the fish first, then glued down some colors, then drew the plants, and the hook went in at the end. A little bit of everything.

Fish Dreams

Click Here to Buy for $35 - 4x4in. - collage on illustration board

Since I was little I have been doodling little things like this. I even had a brief cartoon strip in the school paper. But while I am silly, I am not funny. Now I think I have finally discovered the perfect venue for my silliness. : )

Collections

 

Click Here to Buy for $200 - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Everywhere I go I keep my eyes peeled for things to paint. I have a pretty big collection by now. Here are just a few of my favorites that I think make a nice team.

Whatchu Lookin' At?

 

Click Here to Bid (6x6in. - starts at $100)

Here is another acrylic. Just a fun, little goldfish. But wait until you see the crowded reference photo! -> So I opened it first in Infinite Painter on my ipad, completely erased the background, and then tried out a whole bunch of alternatives on a layer under the fish layer (I had to try at least 10 before I liked one!), and then painted it.

Hey You!

 

Click Here to Bid (3x5in. - GOUACHE - starts at $75)

Here's another gouache fish. I think he's part of the underwater mob.

Sad Fish, Mad Fish

 

sold. ("Sad Fish" - 4x4in. - GOUACHE - starts at $75)

I think you'll understand quickly why I HAD to post these two paintings together. Sad fish and mad fish. Could it be any more perfect?

Click Here to Bid ("Mad Fish" - 3x5in. - GOUACHE - starts at $75)

Just Keep Swimming

sold. (3x5in. - GOUACHE on 24-ply illustration board, starts at $75)

Painting these animals with gouache really helps me loosen up with color! I'm learning so much. I think it's a really good idea to try subjects with more than one medium. I've been hearing that from great artists for a long time. How did it take me this long to actually do it?!

Passing By

Click Here to Bid (4x5in. - GOUACHE on 24-ply illustration board - bidding starts at $75)

I end up using some artistic license with these fish, but mostly with the space around them. The photos are almost never perfect, and often I end up changing the background in order to help keep the fish as the center of attention. Also, if you squint at this particular reference photo, you'll see that the values (and colors) at the bottom of the photo are very similar to those of the fish. Your eye can separate these in the photo, but it's harder to make that clear in paint. So I left out the sea floor. That's easy with water - tougher when the background needs to make sense, and you've got to make it up. That's where choosing the photo carefully is important. 

I See You

 

Click Here to Bid (4x4in. - GOUACHE on 24-ply illustration board - bidding starts at $75)

In my playing during the past month or so, I did a small fish painting in oil. The next day I decided to try it again, in gouache, and ended up liking the second version a lot better! One thing I noticed in particular was that the gouache was lighter and brighter. This realization has really helped me with my oil painting. It also inspired me to do lots more gouache animals, which is what I'll be posting for now.

Fish in the Sea

 

Click Here to Bid (3x5in. - GOUACHE on 24-ply illustration board - bidding starts at $75)

I started painting and posting (almost) daily 14 years ago, and it has been wonderful for my career, in so many ways. Painting daily improved my skills quickly and ... a lot. Getting my work out there regularly boosted sales and prompted others to invite me to teach and write books. Etc. I recommend it to ANY aspiring artist!

But I've learned that the creative spirit (mine, anyway) is a delicate one, and must be handled with care. I am not a machine who can crank out endless ... well, anything. In order for me to remain sane and happy, I must follow what is in my heart, which is always evolving. Unfortunately this does not always coincide with making money. So art is a tough career choice if you want to be happy and rich!! Also, posting daily and being in the public eye - it can be tough to make changes, even little ones, because people will tell you what they think, and it does not often align with what's in the heart. And for sensitive people (like me), the pressure from that can be ... quite uncomfortable.

So I had to take a break. And while I wasn't posting, I was most definitely creating. I have played and experimented with many of the ideas that have popped into my head over the years. I call it "chasing butterflies," in that I have allowed myself to follow any idea, anywhere, until it ran out or I got bored, and then I chase a new butterfly. It has been a wonderful. And a roller-coaster. Most of it no one will ever see. But I got so much out of it!

What have I learned so far? In general, two things:

1. I need variety to keep me interested and challenged. I've always painted a variety of subjects, but going forward I want to avoid only painting things that I think will sell, and I want to experiment with all kinds of mediums and subjects. Even if it never goes anywhere.

2. The unknown is scary but exhilarating. I've always avoided the things that scare me, but lately I've been diving in head first and some amazing things have come from it - things I never could have done on purpose! I want to do lots more of that.

So, while I'll be posting again, whenever I think you might be interested in something, I will continue to chase those butterflies. Because that's what makes me happy. Thank you all for your support!

Stuck in Here

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I wasn't sure how I was going to paint the "gold" of this goldfish, but I'm quite happy with how it turned out. And before you ask, no, I didn't use any gold paint. : )

Pardon?

Click Here to Bid (5x7in. - starts at $100)

And now for something completely different. This is a scene I borrowed from Pixabay (royalty free). I just love how we seem to be interrupting these two. Like they were having a meaningful conversation about the state of the ocean before we arrived. "What are we going to do about this pollution, Frank? It's just got to go."

For Real Polka Dots

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I've painted many polka dots in my days, but this is the first one that came by it naturally. I think if I could have chosen my own skin I would have chosen one like this.

Mr. Complacent

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I love about fish what I love about most of my still life subjects - they're shiny. Or at least this guy is. He looked like nothing special until I gave him highlights.

In Hot Pursuit

sold. (6x6in.)

I'm really proud of the title for this one. I usually don't come up with the title until after I've finished the painting, but I can tell when I've landed on a composition that is going to lend itself to something good. Get it? Hot pursuit? : )

On a Journey

sold. (6x6in.)

I made some new friends here in Eugene recently and they gave me these plums to paint. I knew they'd be perfect in my green fish bowl. Thank you Lisa and Robert!

If you noticed a gap between this and my last post, it's because I was in Colorado, painting with my pal, Penny. The weather didn't completely cooperate, but we did get in a few nice sessions. I'll think about posting some of those paintings.

While I was there, we happened to notice a Richard Schmid retrospective happening at the same time. So we went, and met some pretty awesome artists, including Richard himself! I asked him how often he wipes a canvas and he said, "Once every..." (he paused for a bit here) "7 or 8 years." I said, "Wow! That isn't very many!" And he said, "I never start a painting unless I can see it finished in my head."

There Goes the Neighborhood

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I changed the angle a bit for this one. Instead of looking down, I raised my box up a bit so they have more of a 3-dimensional feel. Don't ya think? I also used a different light - florescent, softer, not so much contrast.

The clouds rolled into Hood River, so I came home a tiny bit early. I'll post the paintings soon!

Mr. Grumpy Face

sold

I found the photo for this in the morguefile, and used it as last week's DPW challenge (in case you'd like to try it for yourself).

We just realized that our son's passport expires 2 days before our trip to Germany (ahhh!), so we're taking a trip before the trip, to Seattle, to try and get a new one. I'll post when I can (still a few ahead).

Sardines and one tomato

sold

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately! I've been busy finishing up a long-term project, and this week I have a good friend from Maine visiting, Brenda Ferguson. Yesterday we were chatting about how we've always wanted to paint fish but are both intimidated by the prospect. We agreed that together we could make it happen. So today we went searching for fish and after one false start and 3 stores we (luckily) found these whole sardines (with sad little tails - not pictured). I won't begin to tell you how much they stunk up my studio!! But it was totally worth it.