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.

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.

Cherries Contained

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This is the last of the series and my personal favorite. Many thanks to Sarah for lending me the green bottle, which has complemented the cherries so well. And to my parents for giving me the confidence to pursue art in the first place ... wait, sorry I lapsed into my acceptance speech daydream. Heh heh ...

Coy Cherries

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For my second in this series I decided to play around with stacking and a cozy, little grouping. It may look simple but I tried about 30 minutes worth of different combinations with the bottles in different positions and stacks, etc. Oh man. Often the simplest compositions are the most difficult to come up with.

Radiating Reflections

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I think reflections of colorful things inside a metal bowl are super cool.

Reflecting Persimmons

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My buddy Sarah gave me these lovely persimmons right before I left last week for Illinois ... which is where I met my latest batch of troublemakers. We were a bit cozy in the space, which worked out since it was especially cold outside. Here they are acting like good little artists:

And below is my entire group of kids. Can you tell which one gave me the most trouble? But really, it was a great group! We had a lot of fun, despite Kristen's antics. : )

Fall Dishes

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I've been doing so many paintings with white in them lately, I decided to see if I could make it work with ALL color! I don't think I've ever done this particular combination of colors before, and I'm diggin' it.

Picky Pig

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I borrowed this very cool pig from my little friend Ellie. Ellie is 2, and honestly I'm not sure she understood why I was taking her piggy bank, or if she even noticed. Do you suppose that is terribly ethical of me? Would it make things any better if I add a few coins to the bank before I give it back? Or does that just add insult to injury?! Thank you, Ellie!

One Helluva Party & Red Sweater

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Last night I went to another figure session with Sarah. Our model had some mega dreadlocks, and a fuzzy red sweater. About an hour into the 3-hour pose I started over. I decided on the second try to experiment with wilder colors in shadows. The part I'm happiest with is the suggestion of a hand. I find I spend about 2/3 of the time on the face and 1/3 on the rest (ha! - just read that was Sarah's experience as well)!

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And below is the belated group photo of last week's Sedona kids. It was a really fun group!

Reflecting Love

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Thank you all so incredibly much for your kind comments!! As usual I am overwhelmed by the love, support and virtual hugs. You all have wrapped me in a giant, cozy blanket and it is just what I needed.

Now I am off to Florida to teach all next week. One thing I didn't think about when we moved to Oregon was how many time zones I was away from the East coast, and how many hours it would take to get there! Oh man. So while I lurch across the country tomorrow, please enjoy my second to last before the fire painting. I'll post more faces soon.

Reflecting On Orange

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First of all, the style of my blog has completely changed and I have no idea why. I'll fix it when I get home. Second, a quick update on my class here in Massachussets. They got a little testy these last few days since it's been fairly hot in our studio (that and the push-ups didn't help), but it should be better now that it's cooled off. I can't complain too much about them though because they've been very gentle with me and my new ... "homeless condition", they even laugh at my fire jokes (because I told them they had to so I didn't feel so pathatic). So all-in-all they are a good, supportive bunch. I will post photos soon.

Lastly, I want to unveil my new idea and get some feedback, and hopefully help. I've been wanting to paint people for a while. I've done a few figures, and some small portraits, but I have this hankering to do a whole series of small, silly faces. I figured it would be perfect for the time being since all my props were lost, and I don't have a shadow box, light, studio, etc. I want them to be cropped close and silly, kinda like my self-portrait below (reposting this in case you missed it the first time). So, if you would like to help, please send me photos of yourself, your kids, your grandkids, your friends, anyone, making a silly face. It would be best with no flash. Natural light is good, so go outside. Stick out your tongue. Get silly. Then email me the file. Thank you so much!!!

I Ain't Afraid'a You!

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I'm giving this cow creamer another shot. It's a tough one, but I think I finally captured it's personality. Come to find out it's a bit skittery. Imagine - being scared of an apple!

BUILD A BLOG CLASS - Taught by my good friend Jennifer, this weekend. If you want to get a blog up but are intimidated by the idea, this may be for you. Find out more ...

Bowl of Ribbon - SOLD

After my fun with the tissue paper (did I say crepe? ... heh heh) I decided to have a go with ribbon. And because it just wasn't complicated enough already, I put it inside a metal bowl. And then just to make it at least a bit of a challenge I put the whole thing on glass. Easy as pie.