Chicken for Dinner

This is my entry in this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge - the Raw Meat Challenge. Pretty silly, I know, but I've been wanting to paint a chicken like this for a while. It was really fun.

And speaking of Daily Paintworks, check out my interview on the DPW blog!

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

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)!

Click Here to Bid - 8x10in

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

Protecting the Nest

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Red eggs? Yes, I thought it was funny too. But you don't mess with a nesting chicken.

So my favorite response to: How many artists does it take to change a lightbulb?

Answer: None. We can't afford a new lightbulb. We just paint outside instead. : )

And if you're interested in hearing more about my run yesterday, check out my New Beginning blog.

Following Green

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So I survived the 6 mile race, (whew!) and am here to report (will post about the run tomorrow). My class in Sedona last week went swimmingly. Ok, aside from the force fed wine and dessert. The first day we woke up to snow. This was the view from my hotel balcony:

The snow eventually changed to hail, and everything melted by the end of the day ... except for way up high in the mountains. It was a good day to be inside painting.

I always seem to forget something when I travel, and this time I forgot my camera. So I had to settle for iphone pics. Above are my kids slaving away. And below are some of the paintings produced, including 4 of my demos (sold), one row up from the bottom.

We took a group photo, but it was with a better camera than mine and is being emailed to me - will post later. So I'll end with a very serious question: how many artists does it take to change a lightbulb? My kids and I were brainstorming an answer. Please tell me your ideas and I'll post some good ones tomorrow, including our favorite from last week!

Free the Others

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I am back from Sedona but not quite rested enough yet to do a good recap of my class there. I had to get up at 3:30 this morning to catch my flight. Tomorrow I am scheduled to run in a 6-mile race with my new friend Sarah and I am really hoping my body is up for it. If I am still alive tomorrow night I will post pictures about my most recent gaggle of kids.

Farmers Market Tomatoes

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Today we visited the very cool Saturday Market here in Eugene. It happens EVERY Saturday (yay!) and involves booth after booth of veggies, crafts, clothes, food, etc. It was raining a little and cold, but these Eugenians don't seem phased by weather one bit.

Tomorrow I fly to Sedona for my next workshop. This time I'll remember my computer cord so I can post occasionally while there.

Bowl of Sunshine & Tomato Lover

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UPDATE: Unfortunately the painting below is no longer available - I didn't take any of my larger paintings before the fire...

The painting below is 12x12 inches, on gessoboard. I am putting it in the Daily Paintworks, Help the Children of Africa auction. They say hundreds of thousands of children are starving because of the current drought. I know it's half a world away, but children are children. If you can help by donating or bidding they would be very grateful!