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.

Competing with Cheddar

Click Here to Bid

After we released ArtBytes on Wednesday I took a couple of days to do something completely different. Still creative, but a different avenue. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and look forward to doing more in the future. Click here to see pictures.

Swiss and Gouda

I've been browsing the fancy cheese section at the grocery store recently. I now judge swiss based on how big the holes are. I get a lot of funny looks, but it's worth it.

Grape Fixation

Click Here to Bid

I felt it was appropriate, in my second cheese stack painting, for there to be a pig involved. And while he fell in love with the grape I fell in love with the reflection of the cheese back on him.

A Balanced Breakfast

Click Here to Bid

I've been wanting to paint a little rock stack for a while. I've got dozens of them - stacks that is. I thought this one went perfectly with this new cup I found recently at Goodwill. There's something quite peaceful about it all.

Wading to the Waist

Click Here to Bid

I know this one might seem a little silly at first glance, but, well, it represents some very important stuff. Like ... social inequality and ... misguided expectations and ... internal peace. Yeah, like that.

Sitting Still

Click Here to Bid

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.

Rising Roses

Click Here to Bid

These two were tough to compose with. I went around and around with different containers, different angles, and different colored backgrounds. Oh and did I mention other objects in there with them? Some wise person once told me - if there is something in the composition that isn't actively helping the composition, take it out. So more often than not I end up with rather simple scenes. Like this one.

Race to the Top

Click Here to Bid

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.

Pink Reflections

Click Here to Bid

I am so happy to have finally found cherries at the grocery store! Small, red and shiny - endlessly useful to the likes of this still life artist.

Disco Cherry

Click Here to Bid

I found this cute little hippo at a thrift store near the coast. He's actually a toothpick holder - got a big hole in his back. But I thought he was perfect paired with this single cherry. They're on a date - doin' a little disco dancing while the hippo contemplates his next move.

Orange Sensation

Click Here to Bid

I found these lovely oranges (with leaves still attached) at our Market of Choice. I've never been able to find nice ones like these before and was super excited when I did. I envisioned them like a little band, up on their bottles to perform, with their leaves like fancy capes. You know, because all bands have ... capes ...

Troglodytic Tomato

Click Here to Bid

This is a new size for me - 5x7in. I saw a student recently painting something horizontal and I thought - why on earth have I been doing squares, exclusively for so long?! Duh.

And regarding the title, sometimes I look up words in the thesaurus so both words start with the same letter. Silly, I know. Troglodytic means someone who lives a secluded life, who is unaquainted with affairs of the world. Maybe the tomato wants to live that way, but it sure looks lonely.

Angelic Slices

Click Here to Bid

I found this ceramic angel at the thrift store recently. I had to start over twice to get the proportion right, but once I did it was a blast to paint!

Hide Behind Stacks

Click Here to Bid

Someone asked how I get the reflections at the bottom. I have a big piece of glass - just regular glass - that I put in the bottom of my shadow box. I tape the front edge and only handle it from that end so I don't cut myself. I generally put down my cloth or paper first so I have some color or something underneath. In this case I had a gray yellow behind and white underneath.

A Jarring Accident

Click Here to Bid

We spent most of the day painting ... the house. The living room is now a lovely yellow, and the kitchen terra cotta red. Is it a coincidence the colors are exactly the same as in the last house? Then this evening we had some friends over for dinner. This is my excuse for not having added any links yet to my blog roll. I am going to add a few tonight and more tomorrow.

Just One Volunteer?

Click Here to Bid

Some of you may have already heard I'm writing an instructional book! If not, I am. I had hoped to get it out at the end of this year, but the fire pushed things back a bit. I am shooting now for next summer, but will be happy with the end of next year. I was keeping it under wraps until I was at least halfway through, which I now am.

Dramatic Stacks

I went to a figure session tonight and lo and behold there was a naked tomato! It was shy so it undressed behind stacks of cups and refused to come out into the light. Ok, really, our model tonight was a good-looking African American guy, not shy at all. After the first break he didn't quite make it back into the same pose. I tried to change my composition accordingly, but I just ended up making a mess. So I wiped it off and called it lesson learned.

Over-enthusiastic

Click Here to Bid

These guys jumped in the glass before they were properly juiced. Whazup?

Check out our new couch and a little snow.

Reflecting Love

Click Here to Bid

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.