Violas (ii)

Violas (ii)
Oil on Canvas Panel
4x8" Signed Original

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I'm having a really hard time getting the violet colour to look convincing - it's such a vibrant hue, especially with the light coming through the thin petals...oh well, keep trying! I like the rhythms which are coming out of these studies though - it seems the faster I paint the better they are!

Violas (i)

Violas (i)
Oil on Canvas Panel
5x6" Signed Original

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Yesterday we went to a nursery in Gardnerville to buy potting soil, and came away with flowers and a plant pot with a Buddha on it...couldn't resist! Turns out I was jumping the gun weatherwise a bit - it was 78 degrees yesterday, so I was feeling all optimistic about planting outdoors - today we have 50 mph winds. So these little Violas have to stay inside for a while, which is OK because I can paint them now!

Conch Shell

Conch Shell
Oil on Canvas Panel
5x6" Signed Original

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This is inspired by a really beautiful seashell I have in the studio. My mother-in-law Cindy loves shells, and has an impressive collection adorning her home in Pennsylvannia. Taylor brought this one back for me last Christmas, and I've had it sitting amongst my white 'props' in the studio for a while. I really like the spiny form, and once I placed it on white paper and shone a spotlight on it...wow.

I did a series of seashells for my first 'painting a day' works - which began as an idea for a Christmas present for Cindy - and then evolved into the daily painting practice I have now. I've never been particularly motivated to work at a small scale, my natural scale is much, much bigger. What I was trying to do for Cindy was create something she'd relate to, at a size that I could either easily ship or carry on whilst flying. After I'd done a few of these as test pieces, I found some other artists on the internet doing a 'painting a day'. I read about their motivations, careers, and practices - and it seemed like a challenge which would help structure my painting time. I'm so glad I started now, I really feel like it's helped me learn a lot about painting.

Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic

Balsamic Vinegar & Garlic
Oil on Canvas Panel
12x6" Signed Original.

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Here is today's 'Painting a Day', an Italian theme! I love garlic, and use it in copious amounts in my cooking. I liked the juxtaposition of shapes in this composition, and enjoyed the challenge of differentiating between the textures of the glass bottle and the garlic cloves.

More Tangerines!

Tangerine Bowl (ii)
10x7" Oil on Gesso Panel, Signed Original.

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This is today's painting a day - yes more tangerines! I'm just really attracted to the orange colour. I'm playing with loosening up my brushstrokes, so I wanted a subject with simple forms and bold colours. The shadows really were those colours too - reflected from the fruit!

New Website!

This is why I didn't post a painting yesterday...I was busy finishing off my new website, and frankly after too many hours staring at a computer screen I never feel like painting. It just kills my creativity. 'Tis done now, thank god, and hopefully I won't have to fix it or anything - but I'm open to suggestions (keep it clean!) for improvements. I've added prices for the first time, since I've signed up with Google checkout, and PayPal so I can accept credit cards now. Sigh. Off to the studio now, no more typing!

Tangerine Bowl

Tangerine Bowl
Oil on Panel
5x5"

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Back to observational work from life today, I felt like I needed the challenge, and the reminder of real light and colour. I've been working from photographs for the past few days - for climbing work it's the only way to back up sketches with enough color information and detail to make them feasable. I don't mind but after a while I feel like I need a refresher - and what better subject than juicy tangerines bursting with goodness?