We Saw the Light - SOLD

Hello from sunny, dry Arizona! Please note I won't be able to ship paintings until I get home, June 5th. I apologize for this inconvenience!

Chaperoned

See, the flower and the apple are in love, but they can't be trusted alone, so the brown bottle is chaperoning. And what's the fork there for you ask? Uhhhh...

Nothing To See Here

What are these sneaky flowers doing with this innocent apple? The flowers look sweet but their showiness is suspicious to me. Why are they making so much noise, I wonder. And what does the plate have to do with it all? Hmmm....

You're So Transparent - SOLD

The whole title for this painting is: "'You're So Transparent,' Said the Apple". My husband really came through for me tonight. I knew there was something obvious to name it, but the naming center in my brain is currently overloaded and malfunctioning.

Tomorrow my fam is flying to Sedona for 3 days of r&r before my workshop starts on Monday. As usual I painted ahead so will post whenever there's time and internet.

Also, if you haven't seen it yet, we just put up a critique section on the Daily Paintworks website. If you have a painting that you need some advice on or ideas for, and/or if you have some opinions for other people, please take a look.

What's the Secret? - SOLD

Sometimes it is such a relief to return to something familiar. For me that's apples. Someday I'll actually count how many I've painted, but for now lets just say - lots! So when something else isn't working out and I'm feeling frustrated, I give myself a little confidence boost by painting something I know well.

Odd Company - SOLD

I've been saving this very cool green bottle for the perfect moment. It was a gift from a student, and I am very grateful to add it to my collection. Thank you!

Value Study - SOLD

This is my example painting for this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge! It's a value study and I've arranged it so I have a dominant value (value that takes up the most room in the painting), a secondary value, and a smidge value (smallest amount). Dominant = mid value, Secondary = light, and Smidge = dark. See the value challenge to learn more.

Upon Closer Inspection - SOLD

Somehow we made it through the mid-week slumps - ok, so I had to threaten time-outs a few times - but we made it. And I saw some real breakthroughs, which for a teacher is the best feedback I could receive.

DAILYPAINTWORKS update: We will be opening the site up for general membership (on the all artists & today's art pages, & your own gallery/store page (see mine), for $9.95/mo) with access to auctions (free up to 4th re-listing, then 50 cents & 3% of winning bid) on June 14th. Read more about it.

Design Meeting

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This is the painting I did for my apple demo ArtByte. I picked apples because I am most comfortable with them, and they seemed like a good subject to start with. I envision doing quite a few more, all on a different subjects: grapes, orange slices, glass, roses, white cups, etc ... even silly faces.

Speaking of ArtBytes, thank you all for the great comments and reviews you've left. I was so nervous about putting them out there, and I don't think I could have gotten a better reception. Thank you thank you!!!

Silly Sunburn

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This is the kind of thing I get a real kick out of painting. Lots of color - apples - a funny kind of ... spork. It really floats my boat.

In other news, I have just discovered the joys of Pinterest! It's like an online bulletin board. I was busy last night and this morning pinning all kinds of art that I love. Check them out. Once you get going it's pretty addictive.

Cinderella

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This red pitcher is a friend from my past. I found it at an antique store years ago and they wanted more than I was willing to pay. I struck a deal with my friend Jen who went halfsies with me. I painted it a couple of times and then she kept it at her house until she recently loaned it back. But the star of this painting is good ol' Cinderella who just walked in. But where's the prince?

Guided Tour

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WORKSHOP - I just posted a new workshop to my list for 2013. It will be in Feb, 2013, in Southern California. If you're interested sign up quick - they tend to fill fast. Here are the details. Email Debra to register, or call 949.723.6171.

I bet you didn't know it but at night our apples take guided tours of our cabinets. Yep.

Will Perform for Alcohol

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In my workshops I stress using a viewfinder to set up a still life. Some of my kids complain that they aren't able to hold the viewfinder steady enough or can't find the same view each time after they draw a little. If you have this problem I recommend this nifty device below, or something like it. You can clamp one end to something near you (like your easel or shadowbox) and use the other clamp to hold the viewfinder. After that the only challenge is to get your head back in the same place every time. : )

One Brave Soul

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Today I started a workshop here on Whidbey Island, which, if you've never been, is a real treat to visit! Not only is the scenery to die for, the town itself is incredibly cute. My kids seem nice so far, but they always do at first. We'll see how they shape up as the week progresses. Today I painted apples for my demo, but this one is actually from last week and available. I envisioned them as young swimmers on the first day of the year it might actually be warm enough to swim ... but still chilly. And the one in front has been told to dive.

Distorting the Edge

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Tomorrow I am off to Seattle. I lived there for a year when I was 15/16, with some very nice folks who agreed to take me in (a teenager ... what were they thinking?!) and tomorrow I will visit them and generally apologize for the rotten kid I was. Then I am off to Whidbey Island for a 5-day workshop. I will post when I can. Please note the shipping of paintings will be delayed until I am back.

Cozy Rosies

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I'm heading out early tomorrow for Texas! I've got a workshop in San Antonio next week and I'm spending some extra time seeing my family. I'm very much looking forward to it.

Stacked Nearby

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You've probably noticed I've been into stacking apples lately. Here I've added a rose to complexify things.

After my post yesterday my friend James said the table he mentioned is suddenly out of stock, so he looked up 3 others and posted links at the bottom of his post.

Race to the Top

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My buddy James Coulter posted today about a still life stand he got recently that is much cheaper than my tripod. He says he spent $80 on it. So if you're looking for a cheaper alternative to what I posted the other night, this could be it. I'll post a link on my other blog too.

Apple Accumulation

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This is daily painting number 1500. It kind of snuck up on me otherwise I would have done something to celebrate. We did go out to dinner tonight, coincidentally. And I had a big steak. I guess that works.

I was a humbug in my last post about the new year. I was just kidding. I meant to say - 2011 was quite an adventure - here's hoping 2012 is bit LESS exciting. : )

Flipped Out

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I did this painting for this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge - Change the Color. The idea is if you keep all the values accurate, you can really make the colors anything you want. I don't normally recommend changing colors - it is surprising how many things each color will affect - but it was a fun exercise, and I am surprisingly happy with the result. Here are a few process photos.