"Frank"

20"x13"

Watercolor and India Ink on Yupo

$175 includes domestic s/h

click here to ask to purchase this painting through Paypal

Frank walked into the gallery the other evening when I was working. I didn't recognize him! He is a Bend institution who we are used to seeing with a beard and mustache, long hair, old Carhart jacket and pants sitting on a street corner with his dog(s) and cats playing his guitar for money. I've met him before, but Thursday was the first time I ever really talked to him much. He's been going through a big change--hence the clean-shaven look, bright feminine clothing and so much more jewelry than I could indicate in this study! He graciously allowed me to take his photo so that I might paint him, and was particularly concerned that his Michael Jackson t-shirt be in the picture. Hopefully I'll be painting him more.

"Babe in Arms"

18"x12"

Oil on Board

for purchase information contact River Bend Fine Art Gallery

Well, I do believe this is finished. It has been a great subject to work with and I've really enjoyed the size. It just feels very different to be able to scrub around with a brush more than I do with the little paintings. I love the calligraphic quality of brushstrokes and it was great to be able to explore that a little (and I think it was "just a little"!). After I finished the painting I took my dog for a walk. It's been a snowy/rainy day, very gray. What struck me, though, is that the colors in this high-desert landscape today were the same as what is in this painting. Hmmm. . . .

Painting in Process #2--"Babe in Arms"

18"x12"

Oil on Board

Unfinished

I was able to spend some more time on this today. There's really not much to say about it except that what you see today may be different tomorrow! One thing I'm thinking is that mom's face may have to fade out somewhat--the painting really is about the little guy. Mom is holding a cell phone. I want to keep it, but also want to make sure it's "readable". It doesn't look as much like the actual people as it did when I started. I'm not sure if I'm going to worry about that or not. I may just go ahead and let it be more of an "interpretive portrait". I like the freedom of that, but have a huge strain of "get it right" running through my veins!

"Mo"

18"x11"

graphite on bristol board

sold

Let me introduce you to my good friend, Mo! She is going to model for a figure drawing class I am teaching next month and she was kind enough to sit for me today. I am inspired by watching the documentary about Alice Neel (I think I mentioned that awhile back). Her portraits show the spirit of the sitter, truly amazing. There really is a magical quality about portraiture. I worked about 40 minutes on this drawing, but for much of it I was thinking that I just wasn't going to get a likeness. And then it happens--suddenly something comes together and the person shows themselves on the paper. Truly a gift. Not an "Alice Neel", but I can keep on working!

"Helping With the Ribbon" #3 (sold)

8"x6"

Oil on Board

$115 plus $10 domestic s/h

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Here's a smaller version of the same painting I did a few weeks ago. It's funny to me how there are some images I could paint over and over--and also some challenges I feel compelled to try again--like painting the whites. This little painting was also a challenge because of the size. I think after doing it larger that I expected the same detail, etc. It was nice to see that it could be its own painting, not necessarily a copy of the other.

"Girl on a Horse" (sold)

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 plus $10 domestic s/h

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This little painting is of a rider at last summer's High Desert Classic. There actually were other horses/riders around, but her body language was so introspective to me that the rest of them disappeared!

Illustration work for "Luna the Tuna"

7"x7"

Watercolor and Ink

sold

Well, much of my time has been spent the past couple of days on illustrations for this little book, so that's all I have to post for today. They are a joy to do. I'm loving the lightheartedness of the project and just having fun with them after the intensity of the last oil I did. This illustration shows Luna showing her best friend, Twyla, what her name really means. . . and that she is meant to live on the moon because of that.

"Morning Warm-Up"

24"x24"

Oil on Cradled Board

for purchase information contact River Bend Fine Art Gallery

Well, I believe this is finished and it feels great! I am so used to painting the little pieces, that it is hard not to finish things in a day or so. However, it takes as long as it takes. . . I think that most of the challenges I faced with this painting were mainly because of it being larger than what I'm accustomed to--it was hard not to be all over the painting at the same time like you can be (almost) with a little piece. And then parts of it would be nearly dry when I'd go back to them after a day or so and it sometimes felt like beginning all over again. One thing that was helpful here for me, was using a limited palette. It wasn't hard to remix colors and to find the harmonies since I had just a few colors forming the foundation of the painting.

"On Her White Horse"

8"x6"

Oil on Board

for purchase information contact www.tumaloartco.com

I got to work on the larger painting I've been posting recently, but just not quite ready to call it finished. And, too, I got to go out to a local barn to observe, draw and photograph lessons in riding and jumping today. Really a treat! I learned alot just listening to the instructor and the other people watching. I'm new to this world! Anyway, I decided to repost a painting from last fall that describes what I saw today. I like the feel of the light in it alot.

Painting Still in Process--Warming Up

24"x24"

Oil on Board

Unfinished

I didn't have alot of painting time today, but made some headway on this. I'm sure I mentioned the last time I posted it that IT'S A CHALLENGE!!! I see all this space that needs work on it and I can only do one thing at a time! Drives me crazy! Oh well. Tomorrow's another day.

illustration work for "Luna the Tuna"

6"x5"

watercolor and ink on illustration board

sold

Today, I've been working on illustrations for a children's book by a woman here in Bend called "Luna the Tuna". It's a very sweet story about Luna who wants to live on the moon and her best friend Twyla, a shark. It's about heart's desires and real friendship. This illustration introduces the readers to Twyla. And, tomorrow, I shall be back to yesterday's "painting in process--warming up".

Painting in Process--Warming Up

24"x24"

Oil on Board

unfinished

I need to be putting my painting time and energy to some larger pieces these days, so won't be posting little ones very often for awhile. I've been working in this one for a couple of days. It's been a challenge! I've painted this subject before as a 12x12 painting and really liked it and have been wanting to try a larger version of the composition. How many times have you heard, when you say you're going to paint larger, "Well, you just use larger brushes, don't you?" And my answer is that it really is NOT that simple! For one, there's the time involved. When I'm used to painting small, it is hard to have the patience to stick with something that takes longer. Too, in my experience, the compositions just don't look quite the same when you enlarge them. They become different paintings than the little ones. And THAT has been a challenge! Anyway, there's been more than once when I felt like just bagging this, but I need to stretch myself and see just how far I can carry it.

Final Version "Caught"

12"x12"

Oil on Board

for purchase information contact River Bend Fine Art Gallery

Thanks to suggestions from some of you, I've made a couple of changes on this painting and I think it works pretty well now. I also had a suggestion for a new title: "Are You Looking at Me?". I just may change it to that as it fits her expression pretty well! Speaking of expressions, we watched a movie about Alice Neel last night and got totally inspired! I have seen reproductions of her work in the books over the last 20 years, but really had no idea about her life and just how amazing she was at capturing the personality of her subject.

OK, this is where my creativity REALLY got expressed

today--in making gluten-free bread for the first time

and cultured veggies. A few years ago, I was having some

really minor health problems and came across some info that en-

couraged me to try the "Body Ecology Diet". My symptoms didn't

really change, but I felt better than I ever have. Over the last year or so, I've gotten back into alot of my old habits again, but am ready to go back to it. I've tried quite a few different gluten-free breads, but never tried to bake it before. I found a recipe at http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/ and it's really pretty tasty. Cultured veggies were a bit of a mystery to me--and will be until they have fermented for a few days or so more! I found a blog http://earthmother-intheraw.blogspot.com/. There was a video by Sandor Katz showing the steps, so I gave it a shot. I'm looking forward to trying them!

"Woman With a Broom"

12"x12"

Oil on Board
$425 includes domestic s/h
click here to ask about purchasing this painting through Paypal

Since I posted this yesterday, I have replaced the original photo of the painting for a better one, though I still can't seem to get rid of the extreme contrast between the black of her shirt and the blue reflections in the window. Not sure what to do about that! Time for the professionals!

Whenever I do a painting that is quite a bit different from the norm for me, I have to sit with it awhile. This is one of those. I ended up using the palette knife much more than I expected to which helped me keep things loose. I like that about it. At one point I thought I would leave out the reflections on the window (I photographed her from the outside), then decided I wanted them to be a part of the painting. I'm curious to know how you think it reads. I thought about calling the painting "Caught" and I may yet! I caught her looking at me as she caught me looking at her!

painting in process--woman with a broom

12"x12"

oil on board

unfinished

I made some headway on this painting today, but didn't have time to finish it. It's such a contrast from doing the ones with the mother/babies! The subject is so hard compared to the others and, too, it's amazing to me to believe that it's the same palette of colors. . . Speaking of colors, I haven't been able to get a good photo of this tonight--but it's not done anyway! I have ended up going into the painting with the palette knife alot. I'm finding that sometimes it just frees me up to do that.

study for woman with broom

8"x8"

watercolor and graphite

$65 includes domestic s/h

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I have worked quite a bit on this image in oil the past two days, but am having a tough time with it, so I decided to do this sketch for a break! The difficult part of the oil painting is actually the lighting. It is inside a convenience store and the light has a green tint to it. I am standing outside, so am also getting the reflections in the window. I like the effect alot, but will just have to keep working on it to see if I can get the painting to a point where I want to share it.

"Morning's First Hug" (sold)

6"x6"

Oil on Board

As to the painting of the whites on yesterday's post, I meant to mention (for the benefit of anyone whose been in my drawing classes and may be reading this) that I ended up making myself a value scale in order to find the correct values in that painting. It was difficult putting together color and value and I found that I really needed the scale. The values make so much difference in a painting coming out the way you want it to. I find that when something doesn't feel right, it can often be corrected by making something lighter or darker.

"Helping With the Ribbon" (sold)

16"x12"

Oil on Board

Whew!! Finished! This is one of those paintings that I was SO excited about because I love the image so much, and, experienced the equivalent anxiety of whether or not I would be able to paint it! I like it. I am very pleased. It was a learning experience as I mentioned in my last post--all those whites!