"Stewy and Friends" (sold)

12"x16"

Oil on Board

Here's the finished version of yesterday's post. In the meantime, I found out that the name of my sister-in-law's rooster is Stuey! This was a fun challenge. At the gallery in Bend I show at, we are having work featuring "critters" for May, so this will be one of my offerings.

Painting in Process--Chickens

12"x16"

Oil on Board

unfinished

I started this painting this morning--sure like these little guys as subjects! I ended up wiping off what I had going in the background as it just wasn't working and ended up with that showing me something new that I hope to build on. I am always amazed at the serendipitous things that happen in the process of painting.

"Proud Fella"

Image: 15"x12"

Graphite on Bristol Board

$75 includes s/h

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I'm getting hooked on these roosters and hens! I'm teaching a drawing class on Thursday nights, so it's got me thinking in terms of drawing technique more than usual--just becoming aware again of marks and curiously watching how I do them. Watching people with less drawing experience has made me pay attention to things like that and wondering about the process of developing one's own "stroke". I draw in different styles depending on the purpose of the drawing, but find that when I am just drawing for myself, my lines are more vigorous and I tend to use the eraser more for texture, too.

Here's a couple of pictures from my Thursday night classes on beginning drawing. We were working on shading using charcoal and white conte crayon on a toned paper.

"Feathered Friends"

8"x6"

Oil on Board

$150includes s/h

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Here's another view of a couple of Tammy's chickens. They are such a great subject--no wonder so many people paint them! I hope to do more myself! I was thinking more about brushstrokes on this on and on keeping the color as rich as I could--sometimes it's really hard to not let the colors lightened with white from getting too flat and chalky. I'm not sure how to avoid that!

"Spring Chicken, er Rooster!"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 includes s/h

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Friday morning, I left Bend and drove with my brother and father to the LA area and was back in southern Oregon by midnight Sunday night--what a whirlwind! It was so worth being there for my nephews' wedding. The weather cooperated nicely and now I'm back in Bend with our traditional cold and snowy spring. . .the last stop I made was at another brother's home, though. He and his wife have horses, cats, dogs and chickens and THIS is their rooster.

Passion for Painting Award!

Nearly 10 days ago, Carolyn Finnell, a wonderful painter, nominated me for this award and I'm just getting the time to respond to it! I thank her for the honor and encourage you to check out her blog with her excellently crafted work!

The ways this works is that I name 7 things I love which are, among many:
1. that my husband is a painter and totally understands the affliction
2. my dog, well, I should say, OUR dog, Tobey and how he keeps me playing
3. being an aunt--7 neices and nephews that I adore and three grand nieces and nephews
4. PAINTING PAINTING PAINTING, art in general!
5. dancing!
6. having grandchildren without having gone through the trauma of raising my own kids
7. did I mention PAINTING (and reading and movies and walking and music and ice cream)?

Next, I list 7 other artists whose work is really great! Please check them out! One thing I am really enjoying about this whole process of blogging is being exposed to these peoples' work:
- Jala Pfaff
-Jennifer Woodburn
-Raymond Logan
-Leslie Saeta
-Tracy Leagjeld
-Sara Winters
-Sandra Galda

IF YOU ARE TAGGED, should you desire to keep this going, you are asked to name and link to 7 others whose work you admire and let them know about it, list 7 things you love and put a link to the person who tagged you.

"Opening Poppy"

5.5"x8.5"

Mixed media drawing

$120 includes s/h

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I had this drawing I did awhile ago using the same technique described in my last post, so thought I'd put it up here just to show another example! Now--on my way to LA for a long weekend.

"lifted from the no of all nothing" (sold)

8"x6"

Mixed Media Drawing on Bristol Board

$120 includes s/h

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In yesterday's post, I explained how this drawing came to be, so today I'll talk about the technique. One of the profs I had in college, Demetrios Jameson, had created beautiful and luminous artwork using charcoal drawings that were glazed with oils on a gessoed watercolor paper. I loved how he was able to add color to his drawings and really keep the feeling of "drawing". He never really told me how he did it and so I tried to figure out a way for myself to add color to my black and white drawings while keeping the drawing intact. The thing I came up with that has worked the best for me was to do my drawing on a smooth surface with a black color pencil, fix it, rub powdered pastel colors onto it, fix that, add another layer of both black and color color pencils and keep layering in this way until I got to the desired finish. I've done alot of drawing this way, but not much since I began painting so regularly the past couple of years! I have to admit that this is NOT my best attempt!

I am going to a wedding in sunny (I hope) southern California tomorrow, so won't be posting for a few days!

Drawing in Process "lifted from the no of all nothing"

8"x6"

black color pencil on bristol board

unfinished

Yesterday morning I started out my day thinking about an image I might put as an Easter greeting, and as the process goes, this is what has come up for me. The poem by ee cummings "i thank you God for most this amazing day" started going through my mind and I got stuck on the line "lifted from the no of all nothing", so that is what this is about. I worked on it today and tomorrow I will finish it by adding color. Stay tuned!

"New to the World"

7"x5"

Oil on Gessoboard

$100 plus $10 s/h

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I didn't get to paint yesterday as I was spending time with this precious little one! It's the new daughter of my niece who was in the paintings I did a couple of weeks ago. This was lots of fun, but--MAN! It's HARD to paint a baby! I've never tried that before. Audrey is much prettier than this. Oh well, I will try again! Too much fun!

"Kiddie's Koaster" (sold)

6"x6"

Oil on Board

$100 plus $10 s/h

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After such muted colors lately, and the fact that we have a day that shouts "SPRING!!!", this seemed like an appropriate subject--at least a reflection of my mood!

"At Townsend's for Tea" (sold)

11"x14" image size

Oil on Board

Finished!! This was so fun to do and I really thank you people who commented on the painting in process--it encouraged me! I used a limited palette on this one, too, though I haven't yet got that alizaron yellow that I used in the first version of it. Sara Winter does beautiful work with a limited paletted and that inspired me to keep trying it. I used alizaron crimson, ultramarine blue, cad lemon and cad yellow light and raw sienna and white. It is so nice the way it keeps the colors working with each other and simplifies the process so much!

STILL in Process!

11"x14"

Oil on Board

Not much more to say than "still in process" except that--isn't painting FUN?!!

Painting in Process

11"x14"

Oil on Board

I really liked the little painting I dd of this subject last week, so decided to do a larger one. Lots going on today, so this is as far as I could get!

"Sunlit" (sold)

6"x6"

Oil on Board

This is another painting from my visit to Chow restaurant the other day. Meghan, the waitress here, was stocking up for the rush to come.