Empty Pool - SOLD

The pool I've been lazing around this afternoon was, thankfully, NOT empty. But there were stripes on the towels. : ) Tomorrow is the first day of my workshop here in Sedona. Updates soon ...

Egg-centric - SOLD

This workshop (in Atlanta) had the complete opposite space issue than the one previous to it - we had more than enough. So much I had to whistle sometimes to get their attention. In the photo below you can see the space I used for demos in front, and all my kids ranged throughout the room.

Below are my demos from class, including one where they took bets to see how few strokes I could use to paint a pinky/red knockout rose. I think the total was 47 (for those in the know, please correct me if I'm wrong).

Here are of my few kids looking awfully serious. This was during the 5-minute value exercise, so they were concentrating, understandably.

And here is the whole, silly group! I told the one hiding I wouldn't call her out on it, so I won't. And I'm not one to break a promise. Nope, not a peep from me. I won't even mention it.

It was a great 3 days!!

Eggless

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I LOVE painting eggshells. I could do it all day. I saved these from my breakfast. My husband said, "It's kind of weird that you have eggshells on a plate. And sugar?" But they go together so well, don't they? "Yes, they do. And I guess that's all that matters." Good husband.

After Breakfast Blues

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You know how when you have a really great breakfast, and you eat it all, and then you're sitting there looking at your plate, wishing you could eat it all over again because it was so good?!

Perfect Pastry

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I found this giant, utterly perfect croissant at our local market. It was just sitting there BEGGING to be painted. And eaten of course. Too bad it wasn't by me. Wheat does horrible things to me. But my son (oh so gleefully) obliged.

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?

Tomato Tea

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I have to admit I did a little happy dance when I found this green teapot at the thrift store recently. I did NOT do a happy dance last night when I attended a figure session and had to wipe my painting after 3 hours. I think it is so easy for a figure painting to get ... awkward, and that's what happened to mine. But not to worry, I was doing a sort of sloppy, happy dance after drowning my sorrows in wine with my friend Sarah, whose painting DID turn out (though she hasn't posted it yet).

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. : )

Sitting Still

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Right after I finished this one, as I was taking it off my easel, I managed to drop it on the floor - you got it - paint down! (sigh) What I have learned from past experience is - resist the temptation to get all the grit off while it's still wet!! If you wait until the paint is dry all the little bits come right off and usually the paint is just fine, as it was in this case.

Veggie Royalty

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My husband just came out with a new widget for my blog. You can see it over on the right here. It cycles through my latest 20 paintings from my DPW gallery, with the title, whether it's sold or not, and a link to buy or bid. He will soon have versions for all Daily Paintworks members. It is super cool!

Strawberries and Milk

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I did some work last year for Chinet, the paper plate company. I wasn't able to say much about it at the time, but I put the 4 paintings I did for them down below. I painted food, on paper plates (they added the edges of the plates around the food in photoshop). It was interesting. One of the things I painted was a fruit salad. We went around and around before hand about how it should look, and I finally cut the strawberries and they looked so cool! Anyway ... so I cut them for this painting and ... that's why? heh heh

Into Blue Shadows

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Several of you asked what it was I wiped after 6 hours. I was recently looking through some old photos from Germany and picked out a market scene I particularly liked. It was busy but I figured I could simplify it and make it work. Not.

Breakfast Eggcetera

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This is the last of the eggs for a while. What I liked especially about this one was the egg white pooling in the bottom of both shells. It's such a challenge to capture, but so satisfying when it works.

Eggstra Full

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This one has a similar theme to one I posted a few days ago, but with the added square-ish element in the background. Thank you all, by the way, for the comments the other day about eggsistentialism. I kind of get it now. : ) One person sent me a great joke:

A philosophy professorwalks in to give his class their final. Placing his chair on his desk theprofessor instructs the class, "Using every applicable thing you'velearned in this course, prove to me that this chair DOES NOT EXIST."

So, pencils are writing and erasers are erasing, students are preparing toembark on novels proving that this chair doesn't exist, except for one student.He spends thirty seconds writing his answer, then turns his final in to theastonishment of his peers.

Time goes by, and the day comes when all the students get their finalgrades...and to the amazment of the class, the student who wrote for thirtyseconds gets the highest grade in the class.

His answer to the question: "What chair?"

Eggsistentialism

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I have to admit, my dad came up with today and yesterday's titles. I am not that clever. In googling how I might spell today's, I tried to refresh my memory (from college) about the meaning of existentialism. Apparently, perhaps due to paint fumes, I've actually gotten dumber since then. I couldn't make heads or tails from the few definitions I read. Anyone have a simple synopsis?

Climbing Out

So, my mother looked at this and said "what are they?" I didn't even consider that the eggs might not be recognizable as such. But now that I think about it, I can see how it's much clearer when they're cracked open.

Here are some photos of my kids last week in San Antonio. The space was great, and besides keeping me out too late every night, my kids were pretty great too. : )

Here they mostly all are (1 left early). We laughed, we cried, we learned a lot and generally had a lot of fun!! I am still catching up on email from the last week and a half, so if you've written me, I thank you for your patience!

Egg on the Edge

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I am visiting my family for a few days while I'm here in Texas, before heading back to Oregon. I was busy all day today so I'll have to post about last week's workshop tomorrow. Meanwhile, here's an egg I painted while I was still at home. I was on a little egg kick, so expect more.

Power Breakfast

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This is my example painting for this week's Daily Paintworks challenge: the Paint Your Breakfast Challenge! I fibbed a little since I don't eat bread ... or fruit, actually. But I do eat plenty of eggs. In fact I wish I could have painted this morning's breakfast. It was called something like Phil's Cheeseburger Attack Omelet. Only in Texas. : )

Balancing Act

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We got our new silverware from IKEA, and the side benefit is they make great props! They have lovely shapes, even from the end. As for my other props, I find myself getting mostly the same basic stuff again. I already have 7 different white cups and several little white plates. I had this exact glass pourer before, and of course you've already seen a few of my new bottles and jars. I have my eye out for different stuff, of course, but I seem to be able to endlessly compose with cups, plates, fruit and silverware.

Tomato Quarantine

I just got the test copy of my new book - a collection of 100 paintings from 2011 - and if I do say so myself, it turned out great! It had a couple of typos so I fixed those and now it's ready to go. Check it out!

preview/order