"Buncha Slices" --- SOLD

I'm going to blame this unimaginative title on the fact that my head is pounding - sinus headache. And I'm going to blame the fact that I'm getting sick on day care. And now I'm going to bed.

"Orange on a Plate" --- SOLD

I actually did this painting yesterday. And you can probably tell that I cut up my orange some more into these tiny bits, and discarded the rest. : ) Today I did another big painting, as it was my son's second day of day care and I had all day to paint. We are both recovering from the trauma of day care. I expect since he's never been before that it'll take him a while to adjust. Right now he hates it. Argh.

"Mandarin on the Side" --- SOLD

I got really frustrated trying to arrange this one. I started with a whole mandarin on the plate. Then I cut it in two - still on the plate. That wasn't working. So I took them off the plate. No go. So I cut a half in two - back on the plate. Nope. I tell you I tried so many combinations I thought I wouldn't have any time left to paint. And then suddenly I came upon this arrangement and it was as if it had been waiting to happen the whole time. Ahhhh. I love it when that happens. Too bad it took so darn long.

"Pears in Formation" --- SOLD

I have to be honest - I overworked this one. And -gasp- I think I went TOO light with the pears. As with any painting I'm happy with some parts, but not all of it. I can get down on myself about it or I can console myself with the fact that I can't paint a winner every day! So I am starting the bidding on this at $50, in case someone else sees only the good bits.

I've Been Tagged

Bear with me. I've been asked to expose some "things" about myself. Frank Gardner tagged me - thanks a lot Frank! ; )

Here are the rules: 1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog. 2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. 3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as wellas links to their blogs. 4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here goes. 1. I grew up in a dome house with no indoor toilet - just an outhouse. 2. I graduated from HS in a class of 18 - not a private school, just small. 3. My husband, David, was adopted from Germany. 4. My son, Jacob, was adopted here in Austin, TX. 5. I'm a felon. : )

I'm tagging you: Bernard Garcia, Sharman Owings, Brendy Vaughn, Jennifer Bellinger, and Kim Edge. Have fun!

'Maroon Flowers" --- SOLD

I tend to focus very much on HOW I paint, and spend less attention on WHAT I paint. I suppose the how is what draws me more. Perhaps as I get better at the how I'll spend more time on the what. I'm just glad I never have trouble with the why. : )

"Three's a Crowd" --- SOLD

I really enjoyed painting the reflections so I thought I'd do it again. That and the goose. And of course, an apple. Ok, actually I did this yesterday right after I did the first one, and did a big one today. I've decided to finally post some larger ones here that I've been working on, but not the most recent. The one below I did a couple of months ago. I recently got some fancy new lights and have just this evening photographed a whole bunch of paintings, including this one, which will go to the gallery soon (15"x15").

"Light Reflections" --- SOLD

To set this up I took a sheet of glass and put it over a white piece of paper. I really like the reflections I get, but it sure gets complicated when you add the shadows into that. : )

"Just an Apple" --- SOLD

So, I've been working lately on value - specifically on getting the lights light enough. To really experiment I did a few with very little color. Now I'm getting back to full color, here especially. I doughted myself about halfway through this one and almost wiped it off, but in the end I finished it and feel so much more confident about value.

"Goose" --- SOLD

My mother gave me this goose last time I saw her. She's always looking out for things I might want to paint. I'm not sure if it's ceramic or stone, but it's really cool. And green.

I mentioned my still life box yesterday and got a lot of questions about it. Here's a picture of my box. My husband made it out of pvc pipe (so it's light) and mounted it on top of a sturdy tripod. I cover it first with a white cloth, and then a black one. The white lightens up the shadows of my setup just a little, and the black keeps my painting light mostly out of it. I'm really happy with it, though someday I'd like to have some way that's easier to raise and lower it - like a foot pedal or a crank.

"Double Row" --- SOLD

This setup was a bit of an accident, but perhaps my favorite apple painting yet. I have a box that I set everything up in to paint. Sometimes while I'm arranging, I'll push a bunch of things to the back as a kind of staging area. These apples were there lined up in about this order and they looked so nice with all the various colors together. So I pushed everything else away, put them in exactly the order I wanted, and proceeded to paint. One thing I really like about it is that with the background a gray, the eye really focuses on the mix of color.

"Golden Apples" --- SOLD

I got a comment today from someone asking to see these larger paintings I've been mentioning. I swear I'll post them soon. They're a bit different than the larger paintings I've done in the past, so I guess I'm worried no one will like them. : ) But I'll get over it. You'll see them here soon. Meanwhile I'm off for a date with my husband. Toodles.

"Apple Journey" --- SOLD

I've got a bunch of extra apples on hand at the moment (did you notice?) because of a larger apple painting I did recently. I've got a variety of colors and am having a good time arranging and rearranging them with various colored fabrics. And every time I think I've come up with every possible arrangement, something new occurs to me and then I've got a whole new avenue to pursue.

"Orange Stripes" --- SOLD

I picked up some cool new fabrics this weekend when I was out visiting my folks. There is a cool craft store nearby with remnants in the back. Remnants are just relatively small pieces of fabric, and they are always different and usually interesting. And with these blue stripes I thought these orange bits would be perfect.

"Golden Blue" --- SOLD

So I thought - if I can make a light painting as light as it needs to be (see previous posts), can I do the same with a dark painting? And this is how I came to tackle these glowing yellow apples. I'm happy with them. I especially like the little bit of teal at the bottom right. This is the kind of thing that just happens. I can sometimes spend an hour fiddling with a still life and never get a nice moment like this, and sometimes, like today, it just happens and I go with it. It's magic, and so far I haven't figured out how to make it happen every day.

"Tumbled" --- SOLD

This is another one that just fell off my brushes. I LIVE for these. I was still going for lighter lights here (see previous few posts). I even added white to the lit part of the apples - something I usually don't do except for the highlight. I suppose if it needs it, it needs it. Duh.

"Lightbulb" --- SOLD

Peter Yesis recommended that I paint something white on white, so I tried this lightbulb. I actually really like how it turned out. Pretty much every stroke required some mix of white, which was tough for me (by the way I used no black). I tend to leave out white until I absolutely can't do without it. It's something I'm really questioning. That said, I think a lot of beginner painters DO rely too heavily on white to lighten. But, this is me proving it's just as easy to go in the other direction. As with most things, I'm finding that moderation is the key. : )

"Pale Comparison" --- SOLD

I'm still trying to go lighter here (see previous post). My husband asked me yesterday why I'm resistant to this. I said I had a professor in college who said I used too much white. My husband was flabbergasted that a teacher I didn't even like could have such a profound effect on my painting all these years later. So, I am getting over my fear of white. I am finding it is very useful. I suddenly see that I was focusing so much on shadows and colors I forgot to really pay attention to the light side of things. I'm really enjoying this excercise.

"After Lunch" --- SOLD

I was REALLY trying to pay attention to the values here. I was going for accuracy of value, with sketchy strokes. I've said this, but I think I have a problem with not getting light enough on the light parts. So the next few paintings I will be specifically addressing that issue. I think what's happening is I start with the darkest parts, then I relate all the lighter bits to the dark bits. But I never get quite light enough. So this time I put in some dark bits - and then I put in some light bits - and then I put in the bits inbetween. :)

"Pear in a Cup" --- SOLD

I've seen a couple still lives recenly in magazines with polka-dot vases. I love how sketchy and suggested the polka-dots can be and still be recognizable. I think these are my most successfully sketchy dots yet. The trick was getting the cup totally painted without them, and then putting the dots in last.

Someone asked today in a comment about my medium. For those of you who haven't read it or heard it in my workshop, here's my recipe: 2 parts linseed oil, 1 part stand oil and 1 part turp/mineral spirits. I use Gamsol mineral spirits because it is my understanding that it is currently the safest choice because it's 100% pure. This medium works really well for me in extending my paint for more coverage. I like my paint a little thinner than straight out of the tube. Also, I like the slight gloss I get, even when it dries. In order to get an even gloss, I've got to use medium pretty regularly with every bit of paint I put down.

"Blue Daisy" --- n/a

Sometimes I don't notice an over-all cast to a painting. For instance, this painting is a bit blue. Did you notice? : ) I'm pretty sure this is what it looked like, but probably I exaggerated the blue a bit. Lately I've been struggling with my paintings being too dark in general. For some reason I am afraid to get too light. I have no idea why. I'm working on it.

"Happy Bell" --- SOLD

I didn't see it, but my husband took one look and couldn't NOT see a big smiley face. The seeds are the teeth. Now I can't not see it either.

"Bell Pepper" --- SOLD

I got these dark purple - almost black - bell peppers at the grocery store recently for a larger painting. I decided to cut them up and paint the inside, and then couldn't resist the purple/green combination. I actually did another one that's similar while I was at it that I will post tomorrow.

"Up or Down" --- SOLD

This was a fun one. Pears and glass - two of my favorites. I actually spent most of today working on a large painting. 20x28 ... the largest in a while. I'll be spending next week working on my website - catching up and reformatting a bit. After that the plan is to put Jacob in day care 2 days a week so I can do more large work, and in January I'll be shopping for more gallery representation. I've participated in several discussions lately about the whole gallery vs. online sales dilemna (can we do both?), and still don't know exactly what to make of it. I'd love to hear some opinions ...

"Yellow in Pink" --- SOLD

I have a friend who paints with mostly dull colors except for one or two splashes of color. It really tends to focus the eye. That's what I was going for here. And while I'm happy with the result, I have to admit the background was really boring to paint. I enjoy working with lots of color.

"Lost Shadow" --- SOLD

Please check out Vicki Shuck's blog. She took my workshop in Santa Fe and has been doing art in one form or another her whole life. She just started her blog and I think her work shows a true passion for art!

I went through my ebay store today and lowered some prices, so check 'em out.