30 Minute Start

10 minutes

30 minutes


Final
10x12 oil on panel

I frequently post work in progress on my Facebook page, but haven't done so here in awhile. I am working on paintings for my "First Impressions" show which will be at Tidewater Gallery opening June 15th.

I still work with my kitchen timer as a way to get that initial impression sketched down as quickly as possible. Once I have the big shapes massed in, I can work as long as I like modifying those shapes and working them into smaller divisions. I like the looseness and variety of brushwork that I get during the quick block in phase, its all about the energy and excitement of inspiration. I get my idea down before any external distractions can pull me away and before I analyze and question the idea to death.

I don't spend a lot of time after the timer goes off. For small works, I often stop there and love the results. But with larger works, I will go into the focal area and make more sense of things and get some nice hard or soft edges and modify colors and shapes. You can see the difference in the figure above... when the timer went off, I had the big shapes there, but spent some time bringing that figure out of the dark. In the background, I only added a few suggestions of the door, the door frame and the lamp - the rest was left alone after the first mad rush.
I'm not sure I explain this well... but it works so well for me. I find if I don't stop and paint what first inspires me, and if I spend too long composing, drawing, analyzing, etc. then I lose the "vision." The only preparation I make is to draw an X across the board and use a viewfinder with 2 strings likewise, or draw those lines across my photo reference to give me a way to measure quickly. I recently got the MVP viewfinder (scroll down on her page) from the fabulous Peggi Kroll Roberts and its pretty neat - but a whole gird is more time consuming. Maybe a few dots could mark those lines... will give that a try perhaps tomorrow.

On the Prowl - Cat

8x6 oil on panel
$150 + s/h - sold

"Sherbet" was one of Sonny Moss's fun little studio cats. He ran all over Mud Creek pottery studio chasing a little laser light V was playing with. He was quite the character. I sketched him quite a bit as I posed for V's students. He wasn't still long and it was good practice for capturing moving subjects for Saturday night's gala painting.
Check out Sonny's pottery - he is quite talented.

Here are a couple pages from my book.

Blue Dancer

10x10 oil on panel

I am going to do another triptych of ballet dancers and began to work out ideas today. This will be available once I've decided on the larger work. Making blue flesh is crazy fun. Always good to push aside "what should be" and paint what is in my mind.

I'm off for Calvert now to enjoy their historic weekend events and to meet some artist friends whom I've known only in email. Saturday will be a full day. My traveling companion, V....Vaughan will be teaching an early workshop and I am sure she'll goad me into rising before dawn to paint with her.
Later in the day we will be at the Victorian Tea (V painting, me drinking heavily) and then Saturday night I'll be painting the gala event. I'm picturing "Moulin Rouge."
Our works from the tea and ball will be auctioned at the ball midway through the evening. Exciting stuff!

Watching and Waiting - Surfer Girl

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + $6.50 s/h - sold

More from the sunny coast of Florida. We're still enjoying temps in the 90s here. I use the term "enjoying" loosely. I could use a little fall weather. :-)

Wedding Reception - The Parador, Houston

I made good progress on this one I think. I do not have much touch up to do in the studio. Though my start was slow! The Parador was a lovely venue. The gardens were particularly nice. Inside, once the band got going, and the guests filtered in for dinner, I got into the swing of things.
Its such a neat experience. Its kind of terrifying as well. lol

Up and Over Sketch

7x7 oil on paper
PURCHASE

Tune in tomorrow for our monthly challenge postings! It was a huge challenge for me.

Docent Tour

20x20 oil on linen

I am not sure this painting is "right" so I thought I'd share it and get some feedback. Please give me your honest critique!

I am having such doubts of late. But thank you all for your wonderful comments and support. There is nothing like a support group to let me know my doubts are natural and expected. And given that my day was spent in research, talking to insurance advisers and taking my husband for more blood work, I have not had much time to think in the right brain.
The main thing I love about this painting is Mary Cassatt's painting "Little Girl in a Blue Armchair" and I will no doubt put it in a few more paintings in the future. Her relaxed pose makes me feel more relaxed.

Deep Thoughts

On Friday, when I cleaned up my brushes and stood back from my easel, I like what I painted, but I had this sensation that it was just "fluff."
It was a museum scene and I like it, and its well painted, but I began to have doubts that it was "art." Doubts perhaps that I am not "pushing" myself.
Those doubts rather increased through the afternoon and I think some of that had to do with the fact that I spent a couple of hours with my husband at the neurologist again. His troubles seem to be increasing and there are doubts now about the toxin diagnosis. Things certainly get put into perspective fast when your loved ones are ill or unhappy. He is in for more tests early next week.

So I think I began to feel like my painting was a nice outlet, and healthy for my mental state, but is it all so important? NOW... before I start sounding like I'm having a big pity party let me go on to say that I've been reading this nice little book simply called The Impressionists (Art in Detail, by Diana Newall) and I began to reflect on the work the impressionists did. Most notably they documented scenes of ordinary life and people. They were perhaps groundbreaking at the time, but they were not trying to set the world on fire. They simply wanted to paint what they knew, what they experienced and understood first-hand.

And that made me feel so much better. I, too, like to paint what is familiar to me. And the reasons are that it is comforting. I paint the places I like to be, the things I like to experience and share. So in times of worry and doubt, I love nothing more than to sit in a quiet corner of a coffee shop, or browse for a good book, or to get together with friends for a nice dinner - to be part of the world, to be "out there." But then to work at home alone in my studio and recreate those moments of relaxation and togetherness is a gift. And its that which makes me want to paint these common scenes, and that which I hope carries forward to those who buy my work and want to look at it everyday in their homes. There is comfort in the familiar.

Mademoiselle et Messieurs

8x12 oil on panel

This man was viewing French impressionist portraits in the National Gallery of Art in Washington. I could spend 20 mins. online looking for the exact paintings, but do not have that much time. I can just say that I am really pleased with this little painting. I did it two weeks ago now maybe, and today I wish I could paint like this again! Its nice to have some of your own work to look to for inspiration though.
I still haven't been able to get back to my routine. And I wish there was some way to shake of the stresses, the aches and pains, the dullness, and just create. But, I have to leave soon and apparently need perfect alignment of my world in order to work. I tend to obsess and stress - like my father. When I have something I need to plan or figure out, I can't stop thinking about it. At the moment I have about 10 things I am obsessing about. I won't bore you with my problems however, and will get to the good stuff.

One to do item is to ship this painting to join the others I sent earlier this week to another new gallery! I was recently contacted by the beautiful Polonaise Art Gallery in Woodstock, Vermont and asked to join their fine group of artists. Having many collectors in the north east, I hope that my work will be well received there. I'm very excited about my artistic growth (despite the set backs) and expanding representation. And... its raining in Austin! This is a very good thing.

A Corner of the National Gallery

17x12 oil on cardboard

This is very much in the style of Toulouse-Lautrec. If you hadn't yet guessed, he is one of my favorites. I had this cardboard - something called museum board actually - laying around my studio and I wanted to try to paint on it directly like Henri did so long ago. Its a very thin cardboard, and somewhat brittle. It will crack easily. But it was a fun experiment with - I left a lot of the board showing through the paint, using it almost entirely to represent the floor of the gallery.
The painting the art lovers are looking at is "A Corner of the Moulin de la Galette" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

PS - I want to send a huge thank you to all my friends out there who had such high praise for yesterday's piece. You really made my day! Its so nice to have feedback and to be part of this new-age artist's community.

Lessons from the Masters

24x18 oil on linen - sold

I'm not sure this is the best photo but I sure enjoyed painting this scene and I'm very pleased with my work. The artist is copying Berthe Morisot's painting, "The Mother & Sister of the Artist." I did another painting of a similar view a month ago. And you will probably see more. I've been painting a series from the National Gallery of Art. Its a great deal of fun to paint the architectural space and all the people interacting with the art.

Dancer - 30 Minute Study

12x6 oil on paper - sold

This is a study I did before painting the triptych shown on Friday's post. As you can see, I actually reversed her for the larger painting.
I love these little quick studies done in oils. And in the coming days, it might be all I can do with the holidays ramping up! Yesterday, I went and bought some good sketching materials to do some more pencil sketches and washes.
I love the simplicity of such work. I am an admirer of "brevity." The artwork that I admire the most leaves a lot to the imagination. A bold gesture, no details, and broken line - the "less is more" approach.

Lighthouse

12x12 oil on panel

Ask Castle Gallery about this painting

This is based on a small work I did a few months ago. Again, I used a Hopper exhibit as the setting. Again, I stayed loose and gestural capturing the setting in an impressionistic, almost expressive way, rather than getting tight and detailed. Such details as the hard edges of the frames and walls often cause me to tighten up and paint objects... when I keep seeing just shapes of color and move my brush around a lot, like a conductor, I can ignore the boundaries.

Jack - 30 Minute Study

12x9 oil on paper
nfs

This is Karin Jurick's Jack. I painted it to participate in her new painter's challenge Different Strokes from Different Folks. I love this concept. She posts a photo and anyone can work from it and it will be posted to the blog. Its fun to see all the varied interpretations and I look forward to doing more. Its so good for artists to do exercises and I am always looking for new ideas.

This was my jump start back to painting. What a long break I've taken. Remember when I said I was going to do something daily no matter what? I'm still laughing at that. Never put things in writing. ;-)

It was very hard going back to work, so that is another reason I am grateful to Karin for starting this. It at least gave me something to do. Otherwise, I'd be floundering with too many possibilities and feeling overwhelmed.

Scribbling

10x8 oil on panel

Accepted in the Small Works North America show at the Greenwich Workshop Gallery.

Too tired to write much about this. This week has been insane. My daughter's been at camp every afternoon and its down at Zilker park, so I've been in the car a lot. My dog had surgery yesterday and has been needing babying. Husband works insane hours. So much for my painting/posting daily. Well - I did sketch yesterday, literally on napkins in Starbucks, but was interrupted by the vet's call detailing all the trauma they were going to put my pup through.

Sunday Best - 40 Minute Study

12x12 oil on paper
nfs

This is my daughter relaxing in the backyard in her Easter dress. I made her get gussied up and pose for me one day last spring. This was so much fun to sketch. I felt so free. I am hoping some of this is carrying over into my gallery work, but today I rather struggled when I got out real canvas. Is it the idea that its more permanent the issue, or the actual texture?

Chillin' - 30 Minute Study

oil on paper canvas

On Friday, I read Harley Brown's article in International Artist regarding working inconsistently, and it really struck home.

"Although I alluded to this before, I'm jotting down the subtleties that are really the underpinning of an artist with EVER DEVELOPING skills who draws and paints continuously. The confidence factor from working each day makes THE difference. I've talked with dancers and writers and musicians who say the same thing about how the previous day's work is important to each ensuing day. So goes the rhythm of confident strokes."

There pretty much is the philosophy behind the painting a day movement. And my "journal" here. I think that after one takes a break, there is this learning curve to starting again and a real loss of confidence. I've been so inconsistent this summer that when I do have time, I freeze up. So I decided I have to keep the paint brush wet, no matter how small or brief a work I do. It is my goal to post here daily, be it a pencil sketch on a napkin, a study, a small painting to sell or a gallery work. I hope you enjoy the journey along with me.

Meditative Mood

12x16 oil on panel

This is the "larger piece" I mentioned doing yesterday. I seriously thought it was going to be very bad but I just kept smearing paint on and pushing myself to continue and in the end, I really like the look of it. Its colorful but balanced, the brushwork looks spontaneous and fresh and I managed to capture the mood and tell a story too.

Collector's Corner

18x24 oil on canvas
purchase info to come

I worked on this over several days. I prefer to paint alla prima, but sometimes its just not possible. And once I had the figures painted, the rest was like, well, painting several small paintings. Some of them unknown and were from the gallery photos, some are from magazines, featuring some contemporary artists whom I admire. I hope if they recognize their work, they will appreciate it in the spirit it is intended.

Being an artist, I sometimes get access to those back rooms where art is stored and its a pretty neat place to visit! If you go to Austin Galleries though, there is no mystery. Its ALL out. But it could take you weeks to go through all the work. Its an amazing gallery.

Study of a Woman Standing

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + $12 s/h

I really just felt like doing the figure as I began this painting and then I didn't even want to add a background. Sometimes I just love messing with the skin tones and fabrics, and seeing how little I can do to capture the impression. Sometimes just a few strokes are enough and it feels so empowering when the right shape and gesture emerge. It often amazes me that its just paint, but laid down the right way, it creates something beautiful. Its so simple, but can be so complex.