St. Paddy's Blooms

I'm a little late for St. Paddy's day, but I did have this still life set up around that time, with the green backround, and I painted it but wasn't happy with it. There wasn't enough color with just the yellow tulips and the green. So even tho the flowers are long gone, I went in and added the cherry, which I think gives it a nice little pop of color, to contrast all the green. I basically ended up repainting most of it because its weird to just add one element that is a totally different color. Somehow it changes the game and I had revise most of the the colors so everything played nicely together. Its much better to get the still life elements right to begin with rather than recreate the wheel colorwise after the fact. Next time I'll slow down and analyze my setup better before jumping into the paint.

St. Paddy's Blooms

6x6" oil on canvas

Apple Slices

I taught an all day painting workshop yesterday at Pelham Art Center. There were 10 students, who ranged from very advanced to total beginner ( in other words, students who had never painted or drawn before). That is a typical mix and its challenging to teach so much in so little time. I am often very pleasantly surprised when working with the total beginners, their approach is so fresh. I hesitate to say "childlike" because that sounds derogatory, which is not the intention. But there is a pureness to the way they bravely apply paint to canvas - so direct, so uninhibited, such interesting color choices.

My painting demonstration took about 45 minutes. I talk the whole time I'm painting in order to explain everything from how to hold the brush to how to apply the paint, how to mix the colors, how to find and stay with the correct values, how to match colors to values, etc.

The workshop is called "How to paint Fast, Loose and Bold". After the demo its time for a lunch break and then time for the students to paint. My goal is to have them complete 3 paintings in about 4 hours, the first painting is done in 45 minutes, the second in 1/2 hr and the last one in 15 minutes. Its challenging! But I was very impressed with the outcome of the work, and took a picture of their paintings (not all the work is shown). Three paintings down, many more to go... Bravo, everyone!

Apple Slices

8x10" Acrylic on Canvas

Red Macs (Sold)

I'm in the process of writing a book about acrylic painting techniques, and my publisher has decreed a "drop dead" date of May 15 for completion of all text and images. Until then, daily painting/blogging will be taking a back seat. It's becoming clear why the deadline is described in those terms. Besides all the writing, I am creating about 50 paintings to illustrate the many unique and beautiful effects made possible through working with, and incorporating acrylic materials like gels, pastes, mediums and special grounds into your artwork. If you have ever been in an art supply store and seen that imposing wall of acrylic products and thought 'what do you do with that stuff?', you will soon know - assuming I survive the rapidly approaching drop dead date.

Red Macs (Sold)

9x12" Acrylic on Canvas

Pink Brigade (SOLD)

Pink Brigade (SOLD)

6x6 Oil on Gessoboard

Pretty Party

I finally had a little while to get into the studio yesterday. Since I have not had a chance to paint (traditionally) in several days, I noticed an interesting phenomenon, one that I'm quite familiar with. There is an apprehension that wells up when starting a new painting, if I have not been painting everyday. It goes something like this - 'how do you do this again?,' 'can I paint that?', 'it's so detailed, I'll never get those color/value/shapes to read right', 'i bet this one will be a flop', 'where do i begin?' and on and on.... Just putting that first stroke on the canvas is actually a feat of courage, knowing that all color relationships depend on whats around them, and there is nothing yet to judge by. It's very much like putting the first piece of a 1000 piece puzzle right smack in the middle without any point of reference and knowing that the journey ahead is somewhat daunting.

Does this mental rambling sound familiar? Come to think of it, everytime I do something new in life, in general, some form of this fear raises its ugly head. The good thing about getting older is that it doesn't stop me in my tracks anymore. My favorite saying is "feel the fear and do it anyways" which is also the title of a book I read in the early 90's, which forever changed my relationship to fear. The big revelation from reading the book was ... drum roll... the fear never goes away. (Damn! Thats not what I was hoping) The other revelation was, since the fear never goes away, get comfortable with being uncomfortable - which means you are growing - which is why we are here (in my humble opinion). For me, the best way to deal with fear is to just dive in, head first. Starting a drawing, starting a painting, starting anything that requires you do dig inside and make hundreds of decisions and think on your feet, IS daunting. It is uncomfortable do a painting or drawing that turns out poorly. But the alternative, not doing anything for fear it won't turn out well - is stagnating (for me). So what if its a flop, so what if its hard, so what if I make hundreds of wrong decisions? No doubt I will learn something from the endeavor, but best of all I'll show my old pal fear, who's boss - again.

Pretty Party

6x6" Oil on Gessoboard

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Fashion Gal with Cool Pooch

My posting has been less than daily lately... I have been working diligently on commercial assignments. Since January I have been writing a book about Acrylic paints and painting techniques, to be published and distributed in stores in October 2011. It's a very time consuming endeavor - but quite enjoyable as well. Truth be known, I am a bit behind schedule, so the daily painting takes a hit till I get caught up.

I'm also producing a line of posters and prints for a large art publisher / distributor to mass market retail stores like Bed Bath Beyond, Target, Pier 1, etc. One of the series we are working on is "Pet Fashion". This is a digital illustration I completed yesterday, an entirely different style than the Fast, Loose, Bold style I normally paint in. It's art, and it's done daily - so I'm posting it! All in all, there are about 25 paintings, mostly acrylics, a few digital, included in the collection. To see the line of prints and posters, check your local "big box" store this summer...

Fashion Gal with Cool Pooch

Digital Illustration

Green Flash

These little tubes, jars and bottles of bright colors make such fun subjects to paint. We gals can end up with quite a wild and zany stock pile of purchases made on a whim. I love this iridescent green nail polish - but somehow it just doesn't look so appealing on my nails. Glad I never threw it out - somewhere along the line I knew I'd find the perfect use for it.

Green Flash

6x6" acrylic on Gessoboard

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More Tulips (SOLD)

The nice thing about painting this tulip is that there are no angles where it's more lovely than other angles. Every position I turn it is a painting waiting to happen. One can see why artists sometimes take one subject and paint it the rest of their lives - to depict it in all its splendor, from every viewpoint. I could go that route. But... I've already got a new subject in mind for tomorrow's painting!

Pink Tulip in a Glass Bottle - 3

6x6" oil on gessoboard

Pink Tulip in Glass Bottle -2

Pink tulips are my all time favorite flower, I could paint them forever. There is something about that hot fuschia pink contrasting with the vibrant yellow- green of the stems. Those stems - so beautiful in their simple, graceful tubular way. It sure works for me.

Pink Tulip in a Glass Bottle - 2

6x6" Oil on Gessoboard
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Pink Tulip in a Glass Bottle

This has been a long, snowy winter, and suddenly it feels like spring is in the air, or is that just wishful thinking? The snow has melted, for the most part, time will tell if another barrage is in store for us northerners. Me and my tulip are willing the spring ...we're ready!

Pink Tulip in Glass Bottle

6x6 Oil on Gessoboarad

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Studio Bottles

A partial collection of bottles and jars in my studio...

Studio Bottles

Oil on Canvas 9x12"

Jazz n' Sketch

As some of you may know, my husband is a jazz musician, (acoustic and electric bass) so going to his gigs is a perfect way to practice fast sketching. I'm going to be putting together a "Jazz 'n Sketch" night on Wednesday nights - starting March 2, tomorrow - at a local tavern where the best musicians in NYC come together to jam. Click here for details if you or anyone you know wants to join us. Fabulous music, great atmo, hip people - what's not to love?

Jazz Cats

Pen/pencil on paper

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Saint Patrick's Cathedral

I love to sketch, which is a whole different ballgame than painting, but drawing skills are the foundation for (representational) painting, so its very related. This is a sketch of Saint Patrick's Cathedral in NYC. I showed up with a 18x24" pad of paper and some charcoal. My initial thought was that the enormous space did not lend itself to fitting on any pad of paper, no matter how large. But, eventually it all came together. Drawing that ceiling - all those beautiful sweeping arches - the scale of the room, the exquisite architectural details, the grandeur of it all - inspiring and intimidating all at once. This is not for the faint of heart. But what a great exercise - try it! You will leave feeling like you're walking on air - or water!

Saint Patrick's Cathedral

18x24 Charcoal on Paper

Plant Spritzer

I've been eyeing this little plant spritzer every time my husband sprays the Hibiscus. I fear I'm falling into a dimension where everything in life is cleverly disguised as a painting prop. I've never heard anyone describe that but for the severely obsessed painter, it surely must be a well traveled route? I can only hope I'm not alone in this...

Plant Spritzer

6x6" Acrylic on Gessoboard

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Lighter Darker

Lighter/Darker  Acrylic 8x10"  Click to Buy

This painting was part of a weekly painting "challenge" I do just for fun, that I mentioned in an earlier post (Blue Imperial). The requirement this week was to paint a Zippo lighter in two colors only - Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Sienna (a reddish-brown color) plus white. It was not something that I would normally do - I love color, so this 2 color limitation felt a bit dry from the get go. But what the heck - try something new, right? Here is a link to the painting challenge site, where you can see the photo we all worked from, and the other artists' entries. I don't normally use Burnt Sienna on my palette, so I tried to create it by mixing Cadmium Red Medium (didn't have Cad red light, either) plus black. Not exactly the real Burnt Sienna, but whatever... sometimes you have to make do.

Lighter, Darker

8x10 Acrylic on Canvas

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Jazz Drummer

Letting the paint flow freely is the same whether its acrylics or oils. I like allowing the paint dance on its own, without my controlling it too much. I find that it does much more beautiful things by itself - with just a little "guidance" from me, than if I force too much control on it. In otherwords, let it groove out freely - kinda like this guy!

Jazz Drummer

16x16 Oil on Canvas

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Bold Brush Painting Contest Finalist

(again:-) I'm really starting to like this "Bold Brush Painting Contest". Notification just arrived that I won the "Outstanding Acrylic" award for the second month in a row. What makes it particularly special is the high quality of work that was entered by other painters - all 696 of them. Ditto comments from last month : love being in the same circle of winners as some of my favorite West Coast painters, I'm impressed with the high quality of work overall in this contest, and the prize money is ...always sweet.

This is one of my favorite pieces, sold recently by my gallery in Provincetown, Simie Maryles Gallery, called "Into the Light". Right about now I'm feeling very motivated to dive "Into the Acrylics".

Into the Light (SOLD)

12x12 Acrylic on Canvas

Our First Egg (SOLD)

I have heard that if you have a professional blog, you're not supposed to be posting pictures of grandchildren, family vacations, etc. But this is one of those times where I'm dying to make an exception. I happen to be "mom" to 3 spectacular polish chickens. They arrived by UPS, unexpectedly, one morning about 6 months ago. You can't make this stuff up. I didn't even know polish chickens existed, much less desire to own one - or three. If you have never seen a polish chicken, I urge you to google it - you are in for a visual field day. Fast forward, one of "our girls" apparently laid her first egg. We were starting to give up on free omlettes but - voila! Yesterday morning, a perfect, sleek, svelte white egg sat proudly on a mound of sawdust. It was stunning in its elegant simplicity. So much so that... you guessed it, this painter had to immortalize it before it turned into breakfast.

I'm always telling my students - if you are painting a white egg on a white foreground with a white background, put out ALL your colors on your palette. You will see some many shades of lovely greys your head will spin. Just LOOK for them, they are there. Now it was my turn to practice what I preach.

Our First Egg

Oil on Canvas 6x6"

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PS - Gotta break the rules on this one...meet "the Gals"

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Cherry Reflections (SOLD)

I'm playing with oils again... I'm so not used to being able to change my mind - but with oils you can change things endlessly. Talk about safety nets - if I do something I don't like, brush right over it and it magically goes away till I get it right. Acrylics does not offer that luxury unless I'm working with the new GOLDEN "Open" Acrylics, that don't dry fast. They offer lots of flexibility as well, and I'm experimenting with them too. Its clear to me that my style of painting changes a bit with the type of materials I use - and I'm working a bit slower with oils. As I get more familiar with them I'm sure I'll speed up. But for now, its a good learning experience. One of the most difficult parts of the entire painting was signing my name - since I use large brushes, plus the oily surface is wet and slippery - I couldn't get any delicate brushstroke or "traction". Nothing was working. So I had to chop down one of my brushes to get it small enough to get a tiny signature. I was ready to leave it unsigned ...but stuck with it and finally got my name painted ... I'll get it figured out sooner or later.

Cherry Reflections

6x6" oil on canvasboard

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Jon's House

This is a house painting commission I did from a photograph the client gave me. Many house paintings I see look like they came off an architectural drafting table - or a CAD software program. I wanted to give the house some real personality - like real people with colorful lives live there. I found out they had a cat, so I added that. Then I thought, why not put in a halloween pumpkin to go with the black cat. It added a nice spot of color to go with the fall leaves.

Jon's House

16x20 Acrylic on Canvas NFS

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