Untitled #1 and #2

2 panels, each measuring 20"x11"

Oil on 1.5" cradled board

$300 each plus s/h

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I am getting ready for a show in June and these two paintings are the first of 5 I am doing that are focusing on the figure, keeping a plain background that will unify them all and that will hang together.  I've been wanting to try this for awhile.  I did a drawing awhile back , "Walk" pictured below, that increased my interest in isolating the figure and not including the background.  I want to see what this looks like!  I want to just zero in on the person and ask the viewer to do the same.  In my mind's eye, I see a series of these paintings hanging together--I'd love it if I end up having time to do more than five for the show!  I haven't figured out a title yet. I'm searching for a word or phrase that describes the idea.

"Walk"  graphite on bristol board, $225 plus s/h, click here to ask about purchasing this drawing through Paypal

"Study For Three Graces" (sold)

8"x6" unframed, 14"x12" framed

Oil on Panel

These 3 little girls are playing in a fountain at Portland (Oregon's) Waterfront Park.  I am getting ready to do a 30"x22" painting of them so decided to try it small first!  What fun to paint!  What a subject!

Painting in Process--"At the Riverside Market"

16"x20"

Oil on Panel

$1350 framed, plus shipping

Available after May 6th

This painting (which is almost finished!) is for a specific juried show sponsored by the Arts Beauty and Culture Commission here in Bend, Oregon.  The process of preparing to do it and the actual painting of it has really been great.  The theme of the show (Place 12:  City Walls at City Hall) was to explore how the past in our town influences the present and future.  I was asked to create a painting that would also tie in with our town's Vision 2030 of what a "strong community" means.  At first I was feeling like this might end up being like doing an illustration job, but after a great conversation with the representatives of Vision 2030, the word "community" took on a much more personal meaning for me--a gathering place where people feel comfortable, get to know each other, where lives intersect in a meaningful way. 

One person suggested the Riverside Market as a place that fit that description for them.  It's a little neighborhood market/cafe that has served a part of Bend since 1935, beginning as a gas station.  I visited it and found it to be a perfect subject.  It is definitely the kind of place that has a homey feel--the people that own it and that I've met there are so welcoming.  It is a place where people from the neighborhood hang out, getting coffee in the morning and/or enjoying happy hour later in the day and it's definitely kid and pet friendly.  The words from the "Cheers" song "where everybody knows your name" kept coming to mind as I'd sit and sketch and take my reference photos.  They are really active in doing things that encourage improvements in the neighborhood and Bend--like fundraising for the development of a new park close by.   The setting of the little painting with Amber that I posted a few days ago is also here.  I loved painting this and I know a big part of the reason was the interactions I've had with the people in the painting. 

"Beverly" Commission/sold

20"x16"

oil on canvas

sold

I finished this portrait for a gentleman yesterday.  It is his late wife.  Painting it has been a thoughtful experience!  First of all, I am definitely not used to painting nearly life-size faces, smiling at that!  Obviously, he brought me photos to work from and she was smiling in all of them.  A lovely lady!  I may ask for more reference material for her hair--he really likes it as it is, though, so maybe not!  It was kind of an awesome experience to watch the painting come to life and see that it looks just like her!

"Amber Clearing Tables at the Riverside Market"

6"x6"

Oil on panel

$140 plus $10 domestic s/h

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The Riverside Market is a great little spot here that I've been spending alot of time at lately.  I was one of 13 artists selected to create a painting for a show that celebrates this town we live in, Bend, OR.  To keep it short, my task was to find a way to interpret the idea of a strong community and I chose the Riverside Market for a number of reasons.  It's old, it's been a neighborhood staple since 1935 whether in the form of a gas station or a market or a coffee shop or all three.  I'll be doing a larger painting about the place, but this was a little warm-up for me of Amber working--she is also an artist and her watercolors fill the walls. 

"First One Here--Happy Hour at Gregg's Grill"

8"x6"

Oil on Panel

$140 plus $10 domestic s/h

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I was drawn by the repetition of the light reflecting off the chairs and tables and by the expectant and kind of day-dreamy look of the woman waiting for her friend.  I chose to use a limited palette of alizaron yellow, alizaron crimson permanent and ultramarine blue, along with radiant white. I am always amazed at the subtleties and quiet colors you can get from mixing just those few.

"On the Boardwalk at Santa Monica Pier"

11"x14"

Oil on Panel

$425 plus s/h

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What a busy time!  Can't believe I haven't posted anything for over a week! This has been a very fun and challenging subject to work with.  The scene is late afternoon on the Santa Monica Pier on an early November day, probably the last really beautiful day before the winter rains arrived.  People were everywhere!  It seemed like there was a big rush to get to the end of the walk to watch the sunset.  It was such a treat to be there having driven from a cold and snowy Oregon!

painting in process

24"x18"

Oil on Cradled Panel

unfinished!

I began this painting over a year ago and decided it was time to get to work on it so that is what I've been doing the past couple of days.  I had painted an 8x10 version of this and looked forward to doing a larger one, but  I'm not sure where this will go!  I don't have the vision for it that I did when I painted the first one.  I really enjoyed the smaller format, too.  There was a freshness of brushstrokes I really liked and a spontaneity that I find more difficult to achieve in this larger size.  We shall see! 

"Diesel, the Boxer"

6"x6"

Oil on Panel

$125 plus $10 domestic s/h

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I met this guy yesterday at the dog park.  He was so handsome!  I was impressed by the dignified and noble way he carried himself.  Animals seem to be able to carry that off so well without being self-conscious about it!!!

"Little Upstart!" (sold)

6"x8"

Oil on Cradled Panel (see photo below)

I call this painting "upstart" because it is of Molly (on the right) who has been an "only dog" for close to a couple of years before the puppy, Huck (on the left),  invaded her perfect life this winter.  The good news is that now BOTH dogs have a perfect life!  Like yesterday's post, these are a couple of regulars at the dog park we often visit.

The painting is on a cradled panel as shown below and does not need framing, though it can be framed.