Halved Avacado III

9"x12"

sold

Wow, I think I'm in love with this avacado.

Seriously, back to my usual still life situation, but this background is so much better! I used the fluid retarder like I did with that sky a little while back, and really tried to work the values of it so they wouldn't interfere with the avacadoe itself, all that wonderful color...

#992

Peach on White II

6"x6"

click here for purchase information

.... and the computer is being retarded again, making the "enter" key double-space everything, and I have no idea why! Gr.

Ah, well. I think yesterday's pic inspired me to try the same subject again, playing with really subdued colors. Yes, I LOVE bright and sparkly colors, but what if I allowed neutrals to permeate an essentially bright subject, how would it "feel"?

#991

Peach Against the Sky

6"x8"

click here for purchase information

Experimenting with color, I guess.... usually I'm pretty literal about it, I guess because I usually stick to lighting conditions that allow red to be red, yellow to be yellow, that sort of thing, but I really admire artists that can pull off something looking exactly like itself despite being in an unusual situation, visually... just trying to grow, I guess :)

#990

Note in Red

9"x12"

sold

This one was a lot of fun to paint, and it came together into something pretty striking, I think. You know what my favorite part is? The reflection of the cut part of the apple half in the side of the whole apple, that little streak of paler color. Too cool, something I never would've noticed if I hadn't been painting it :)

#989

Study in Blue and Green

8"x10"

click here for purchase information

That same beautiful float from "Ocean Glass", but all by itself this time, and bigger.... I love it. Especially the shadow.

A lady at Lazy Daze told me that my work was abstract, because the objects and people in my paintings seem to be so much more themselves. That got me thinking, especially about the whole magical realism idea, and I think this painting really embodies that, you know? Without throwing anything really obvious in there, but there's the history and the imperfections in the glass, and the amazing light that's in it and shining through it, and then there's my whole studio, really, coming through with the just hints of reflections. Happy.

#988

Evening Rising

8"x10"

available

Took a cue from yesterday's piece and used a lot of retarding medium or whatever it's called, trying to get some really smooth wonderful transitions, and then going back and layering some colors, the weird light on the land and the glow around the stars, and it's like I'm not sure if it worked, because glare is such an issue, apparently, with nocturnes. I mean, it looks gorgeous in person, but have you ever tried to photograph something like this? Augh!

No, seriously, have you? Because tips would be much appreciated :)

#987

Cloud Study X

6"x8"

click here for purchase information

Wow. Maybe landscapes are something I ought to try more often?
#986

Farmland

6"x8"

click here for purchase information

Ok, you know that landscapes are not really something I'm comfortable with, definitely not something that I feel I'm naturally gifted with.... but after our little excursion into Virginia recently, I've got some images in my head that I can't get rid of, insisting on being painted. So I'm giving it a shot :)

#985

Tomato VI

6"x6"

click here for purchase information

I don't know why tomatos keep cropping up in my dailies.... probably something simple, like how pretty and bright red they are :) and how good they taste! And how summery they are, which I guess means they'll be cycling out of my paintings for the winter all to soon.

#984

The Red Cushion

6"x6"

sold

There's not many things more peaceful that a sleeping kitty cat...
#983

Ocean Glass

12"x12" acrylic on cradled hardboard panel

available

I wouldn't have ever thought that an empty tequila bottle, a blown glass float, and a dragonfly could come together so well... I think the float thing is my new favorite still life subject, though. I have several of them, and they're just beautiful! Now I'm wondering if maybe one of them has a hole in it, I could fill it half full of water and that would change the way the light comes through... ok, off to check :)
#982

Naomi Sleeping

14"x14" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

click here to see more on my portraits

This is a portrait of my beautiful, perfect ten month old daughter Naomi :) The skin tones came out amazing on this one- I discovered how wonderful Quinacridone Red and Transparent Yellow Iron Oxide can be together- and the painting just glows! Also, I'm just in love with the way her little mouth smooshes up when she sleeps, and this caught that just perfect... and the light plays up her little bitty nose and the way the light reflects on her left cheek....

#981

Pomegranate IV

6"x6"

click here to purchase

... and the other one. My understanding of this fruit is that it forms kind of like a rose hip, right? With the fruity part being around each little bitty seed, and maybe that's why the flowery end still has obvious flowery parts attached, little stamens peeking out of the end of a fully formed fruit.... but the most appealing part, for me, is that wonderful color and the way it's played up by the almost leathery exterior. I don't mean like tough leathery, but like slightly shiny and softly textured leathery...

#980

Pomegranante III

6"x6"

click here to purchase

The other day I was wandering through Whole Foods and the pomegranates just looked delectable... not to mention that I'd gotten a request for pomegranate paintings at Lazy Daze :) This is one result, and I've got to say they are an awful lot of fun to paint, though I'm still too scared to attempt and interior shot...

#979

Plum Suspension

4.5"x9"

sold

This is a commissioned piece, to go with a strawberry I did a little while back, and it came out beautifully! I do love the suspensions thing, though I never would have thought of using a plum except for this commission...
#978

Little Green Apple

6"x6"

click here to purchase

The colors came out just wonderful with this little guy... that's part of the reason to do daily paintings, I guess, to discover little things like this that you want to use in larger works :)

#977

Constellation

16"x20" acrylic on stretched canvas

sold

Another one with my beloved marbles- I swear these things just keep getting more and more interesting! I wonder what the next step in their evolution will be...
#976

Cow Skull with Red Thread

16"x20" acrylic on stretched canvas

sold

I am so loving this skull!!! The red thread was something to brighten up the composition.... it was inspired by Vermeer's Lacemaker, but my friend Amna very accurately pointed out the blood symbolism. I just think it was so, so much fun to paint, to really make real.... this is exactly life sized, too. Which is funny, 'cause it feels bigger.

#975

Dolly

6"x6"

click here to purchase

Another installment in the series of overwhelming cutenesses that are Naomi's toys :)

#974

Lazy Daze Sketch V

nfs

Yay, all caught up! Friday and Saturday were perfectly crazy, and then Nugget and I came down with one very unpleasent cold- not fun :( Just doing some acrylic sketches on cardstock now that we're feeling mostly better.
Hold on, she's insisting on typing : ]vccccccccccccccccbvggggg byuhy
Hope you guys are having a wonderful week!
#973

Lazy Daze Sketch IV

nfs

#972

Lazy Daze Sketch III

nfs

#971

Lazy Daze Sketch II

nfs

#970

Lazy Daze Sketch I

nfs

#969

Bluebird

6"x6"

available

This is a beautiful little blue glass bird I recently found.... right now it's set up in my still life area with some amazing milkweed pods I brought home from the Museum of Life and Science where I found them outside of the butterfly building yesterday... I'm not sure it'll work, but I love the idea :)

And now I've got to go- Naomi just took off with my phone, and I'm sure she'll call Timbuktu here in a minute!

#968

Moo Cow

8"x10" acrylic on stretched canvas

sold

Also not a daily.... but I love it! It's based on this adorable toy of Naomi's by Anamalz, and I actually went out to Maorgan Imports today to get some more similar reference material :)

Choo Choo

9"x12" acrylic on strecthed canvas

available

Ok, obviously not a daily.... but something that I really love and wanted to share. It's available for sale or for rent, of course, but I dunno, I think it's one of those turning point pictures. A serious painting about a loved and not at all serious subject, and a different approach to the background, and even more of a focus on the tactility of the subject...

#966

Sunshine Straight Up

6"x6"

sold

Just a little bit of summer for you, in a highball glass. I love that the water feels so liquid-ey because of the thin glaze of phthalocyanine blue on it, and how the yellow of the sunflower itself ran into that wash creating a glow.

Toy Cow

6"x6"

available

Sorry about yesterday's post being a day late- I went to a wedding yesterday, and time just didn't work out quite as I planned. It was a beautiful service, though, and the reception was a lot of fun, seeing great people I hadn't seen in ages and following Naomi around as she explored and generally stayed in the middle of things :) Best wishes again, Lane!

#964

Teddy Bear II

6"x6"

sold

I'm really enjoying the effect of this sketch and then wash/scrumble thing... there's something casual about it, yes, but I dunno... genuine? Yeah, that feels right :)

#963

Cat on the Go

6"x6"

sold

...continuing with the toys thing. This is actually part of a larger toy, a mouse chasing a cat who is chasing a dog, and I just started a painting of the whole thing :D

#962

Little Bug

6"x6"

nfs

Back to the ink drawing and glazing/scrumbling thing.... this is one of Naomi's little shower toys. For some reason I'm atrting to be really attracted to her toys as subjects :)

#961

Marble Egg

6"x8"

sold

I borrowed this little beauty from my Mama :) I guess it's really just another variation on my whole egg 'thing' but this one required a very different approach, paint wise!

#960

Red Flower Blue Vase

6"x6"

nfs

Trying something new here- I sketched the image out with ink, like I did for the watercolorey paintings a little while back, and then I filled it all in using my usual combination of glazing and scrumbling. It's a fun way to do things :)

#959

Egg XX

6"x6"

sold

You know, I liked yesterday's and I loved doing something different with the whole egg thing.... but I love this one. I think it's the way the light reacts with the egg white being all mounded up the way it is, and brown shells are always cool.

#958

Egg XIV

6"x6"

sold

Another egg, just a little bit different, cracked just enough for the light to be totally glowing through it. I really like it this way :)

#957

Cow Skull Sketch II

8.5"x11" graphite on cardstock

nfs

Further exploration. It always amazes me, that period where you have to get used to a new object, the way every little curve and quirk surprises you and how you really have to think about where every single thing happens relative to every other single little thing. This probably isn't making any sense....

#956

Cow Skull Sketch

8.5"x11" graphite on cardstock

nfs

Just getting to know my newest still life thingy.... isn't it awesome?

#955

Indian Yellow

6"x8"

nfs

Named for the dominant color, which is a wonderful one, but it definitely doesn't come across as a one-note painting, you know? I'm always in love with that rounded feeling objects in a painting can have, where you just want to reach out and cup your hand around something...

#954

Stackable Rainbow

6"x8"

sold

Anyone know what this toy is actually called? Naomi and I love playing with it :)

Silver Skull

6"x8"

sold

And here's the skull thing itself! I am really proud of this one.... this painting and yesterday's silver ball both have that effect where you think they're real objects for a second, you kind of do a double take, and with this one it's really because of that wonderful dull gleam on the metal.

It's funny, now I'm wanting to get one of those truly awful fake crystal skulls off of ebay to use as a still life object. I should be able to resist, though- hopefully I'll be getting a real squirel skull, though, and that'll be really cool.

#952

Self Portrait and Skull

6"x8"

available

Two awesome new things in the same painting! I found some more shiny silver balls, these without the rainbow color and much bigger, and this cool little decorative silver skull. I set them up next to each other to paint- you'll see the skull painting tomorrow- and when I saw the reflection in this one, I just decided to roll with it.

Oh, and I'm sitting on the floor by the table, that's why my face is so low in the reflection. Yes, I wanted it at eye level, but honestly, the baby is happier when I'm on the floor with her. And if she's happier I'm happier- and much more productive.

#951

White Tulip

5"x7"

sold

Hard to believe this is post number 950, isn't it? And for today, I've redone this tulip painting. Again. But I think I've finally got that elusive glow! It feels great :)

#950

Reflections

12"x12"
Engle collection

Anybody remember this one? My, how it's changed since the last time it was finished! Went a lot darker, for the sake of some drama and mystery, and once again with the reflections... I think they help the eye "flow" through the painting, or whatever magic it is that really happens...

#949

Origami

12"x12"

available for sale or rent

So very, very, very not a daily painting.... but something I'm proud of and wanted to share. Probably more of the same tomorrow :)

I'm still loving reflections, they can do so much for a composition, but the real beauty here is just the simple white paper- the way the light shines through some areas and on others, the shadows along some of the folds- I love it. I'm thinking of doing something a little more playful with the origami crane idea, maybe something involving an eggplant, but I'm not sure yet.

#948

Teapot Arrangement IV

6"x8"

sold

After midnight again.

Do you ever feel like you're absolutely overwhelmed, losing-your-mind busy, but when you look at it objectively that feeling makes no sense? I hate it when I get like that.... I mean, it always passes, but still. Gr.

#947

Teapot Arrangement III

6"x8"

sold

And back to the red again- I'm really not sure which I like better :) I ought to try a super-bold color like this as the background for one of my larger pieces, even though I do love all the wonderful shades and possibilities of greys...

#946

Teapot Arrangement II

6"x8"

sold

Wow. Love how this one came out!

#945

Teapot Arrangement

6"x8"

sold

This one... I wanted to do something deceptively simple, I think. Overhead light, single white object- a beautiful teapot- and a dramatic background color. I think I'll do something similar tomorrow. Maybe a set of some kind...

#944

Hollyhocks

8"x10"

sold

This one was just for fun :) No attempt at rendering surface texture, no worrying the details to death- just working with a few colors over a base of brilliant, transparent red. Let the sun shine in, you know?

#943