"Flesher's Place" (sold)

12"x12"

Oil on Canvas

Same goal as yesterday--trying to take what I like from the small version of this subject and do it larger. One thing I've surprised myself by is that I actually think I prefer working on the board rather than the canvas.

"Lone Pine Road"

12"x12"

Oil on Canvas

I'm trying to take what I like with the small paintings and see if I can carry it over into larger ones. I've got to say that it seems to be alot harder to do than it seems that it ought to be! For one thing, it's hard for me to go at something for the second time with a fresh eye and not just wanting to copy what I did before. And, too, I see that you can't make "happy accidents" happen! It's interesting to me that this painting has more the feel of the neutral/bland landscape that is characteristic of this area, but I prefer the color in the previous version--I like the reds in it.

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"The Old Flesher Farm"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

Again, I wanted to work with more paint and looseness. I noticed yesterday how doing this makes me put a different focus on the painting. If I am being tighter with my strokes, I find myself paying attention to the objects themselves primarily and the whole is secondary. When I am using broader strokes, the opposite happens. It's like the tighter the painting, the more specific everything is and the looser the painting is, the more "general"--if that makes sense! I find it very hard to give up the urge to "correct" something in order to make it look more realistic. It's almost like a need to prove that I can achieve realism! Stopping short of that more realistic portrayal (as I try to let the painting be more about the brushstrokes, composition and color than it is about the specifics presented) is, for me, a good exercise in letting go, allowing a little slack in the reins. . .Having said all that, the subject is a precious one for me: it is down the road a half mile from the farm I grew up on which is still about my favorite place ever.

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"Which Way Now?"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 includes domestic s/h

I was looking at H. Malott's blog the other day--I've admired her work, among others, for a long time. Her paintings from Italy inspired me to try this and to keep it loose. She's so good at letting the brushstroke suggest what's happening rather than having to "get all the details just right". I find that it's almost harder for me to let it be than to have to define everything. This might not seem all that loose, but if you could see the painting of the same subject I did 6 months ago, you'd see a huge difference! I like this much better. . .

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NEW SITE ON MY "Take a Look" LIST:

I found Jeffrey Boron's work from his comments on mine and really enjoy it! His landscapes glow with the way he uses color. They remind me of the Canadian artist, Tommy Thompson. Jeffrey is as good at depicting the clear cold light-filled air as Thompson was. His paintings make me feel that atmosphere. I hope you will click on his name and visit his website!

"Storm From the North"

7"x7"

Oil on Cradled Masonite

$110 includes domestic s/h

This is another painting from my day out in the country last weekend. The sun was glistening off the stubble as the dark clouds were moving in. I am teaching on Wednesday mornings for a while so I actually painted this yesterday knowing I wouldn't be able to get to the studio today. It was one of those afternoons where nothing was going right and by the time I got to this painting I was in no mood to worry much about what came out! I just decided to use as thick a paint as I could get and try not to use little brushes much. In the years past, I have always painted quite thin--blending and blending so you'd never see a stroke and there would never be any texture on the surface. I've secretly wanted to see some juicy paint for awhile, I think!

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These are shots from the class I am teaching. It's on using the color pencil. It's a great group of talented people. As you can see, they don't always have to work in the dark. . .

"Honk If You Like Grain"

6"x8"

Oil on Board

$100 includes domestic s/h

Ok, corny title. . .but it does have a kernal of truth! (sorry) These geese were fun to watch. Such personalities! And more fun to paint--it makes me want to do a larger painting along these lines.

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"Road Out of Lone Pine"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

This past weekend I took a day to drive around and find some inspiration for paintings. The colors here in the winter tend to go towards greys, golds and lots of neutrals so I wasn't really sure if I'd find anything I wanted to work with. What I did find was alot of beauty in the starkness of the landscape and the muted colors and a challenge to work with what is rather than what I think it ought to be. This little painting is just what the title says, a road coming out of (or going to) Lone Pine. However, I really never did find anything that looked like a town! Lots of ranches, though. The light area at the top edge of the road is smoke from burning that was being done.

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"Cup Full of Cherries" (sold)

6"x6"

Oil on Board

I don't really have much to say about this painting--it was fun, a good exercise, and I like some of the passages in it. Too, after such a dark-hued painting yesterday, it felt good to paint something with a lightness to it!

"In A Cobalt Bowl"

6"x8"

Oil on Board

$100 includes domestic s/h

This idea was intriguing to me--the cobalt glass bowl, the red plums, the yellow/orangish cloth and the color of the shadows and reflections. Well! I'm not sure at the moment just WHAT to think! I've been experimenting some with using black gesso and I am curious to try this again on a white-gessoed panel that I can tone a different color. It seems that most of the paintings I've tried on the black gesso, I have a hard time getting the color as light as I'd like--but then, again, on one of the paintings, I really like what the black did. On to the next one!

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"Unstrung" (sold)

6"x8"

Oil on Board

These cherries reminded me of a string of beads that had come apart--so "unstrung" is the name! It was a satisfying painting to paint. Also, this piece and yesterday's really brought back the Carol Marine Workshop I attended last fall. Keeping an eye on edges, trying to see all the color, brushstrokes--all that was really important in her workshop and you can see how well she does it if you click on the link! There is definitely something special about painting something that is set up before your eyes compared to working with sketches and photographs. It's so immediate.

"Plum Happy!"

8"x6"

Oil on Board

What can I say--there's nothing like painting with beautiful reds on a winter day! The plums were gorgeous. . .

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Little Pitcher & Pods" (sold)

6"x6"

Oil on Board

I was going to title this "Little Pitcher from Hell". . I was attracted to the way the shadows fell around the light area of the set-up--and I guess that comes across OK. The biggest problem I had with this was in finding the shadow colors. The pot was sitting on and backed by a creamy-colored cloth and everytime I looked at it, I swear the shadows changed colors! Also, the base color of the pot and the cloth were about the same--which I was intrigued by. It was an interesting challenge!

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"Left Foot Forward"

8"x6"

Oil on Board

The Cadillac Cafe in Portland, OR is the site of this painting. It was hard to stop--noodling is one of my favorite things, I guess. Thanks to my best critique-er, my husband and artist Gary (Vincent), I managed not to overdo it!

"The Red Sofa" (sold)

7"x7"

Oil on Cradled Masonite

This painting is from the MU Lounge at Oregon State University. It brings back many memories of "studying" between classes.

"The Canaanite Woman"

5.75"x5"

Prismacolor

This is technically yesterday's artwork--just didn't get to the posting part! The illustration is for an article by Kathy Coffey for St. Anthony Messenger and is copyrighted (as is all the work on this blog). The article is about the story of the woman from Canaan who implores Jesus to heal her daughter even though she isn't of the "right" beliefs or place. He gives her a bit of a hard time but is impressed with her boldness, her faith and her standing up for herself and her daughter. I never cared much for the story because he seemed so unkind in it. Reading the article, though, made me think about how I often need to be challenged to live into my strengths and to be more assertive in claiming what I want in my life. . .and now the story makes more sense to me.

"Sunday Morning Rain" (sold)

6"x8"

Oil on Board

$100 includes domestic s/h

Alot of people assume that Oregon is a "rainy" state and are surprised to find out that nearly have of the state is high desert country. Well, this painting is from the quarter of the state that perpetuates its soggy reputation. Portland is in the lush, green and very beautiful Willamette Valley. This is a subject I've never painted before--the paper boxes on the wet reflective street. I found myself getting lost in the reflections--it was a good exercise for working on seeing color shapes as opposed to objects and I'd like to repeat it!

Also, there is a new artist I've added to the list of daily painters --Terry Rafferty who also was at Carol Marine's workshop. Hope you will check out her work!

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"Breakfast Conversation"

6"x8"

Oil on Board

I experimented with using black gesso in preparing this board for this painting--quite a different process of working! It brought me back to the relief printmaking I've done, thinking in terms of bringing out the light from the dark surface. I've been working on a 16x20 painting of this same subject and whether it's the black background or the size, this feels alot looser and is definitely more interesting to look at!

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"Oranges for Christmas"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 includes domestic s/h

This painting is from our trip to Vancouver, BC over Christmas. I love visiting that city and how there are so many cultures in the space of a short walk!

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"Rhiannon" (sold)

12"x9"

Oil on Board

It's great to be back in the studio! We've been away quite alot over the holidays and I'm so ready to be back to painting!

I've been working on Rhiannon the past couple of days along with a larger (16x20 feels big now!) painting. Sure is a switch from the little pieces!