New York City Watertowers

Harlem Watertowers  Acrylic, 14x18"   SOLD

The water towers of New York are such a city icon, I find them an irresistible subject to play with. Lately I've been teaching and learning some cool new techniques for abstraction, and really enjoying it.

Rooster Painting Demonstrations

"Rooster 1"  Acrylic, 12x12"  $250  Click to Buy

"Rooster 2"  Acrylic, 12x12"  $250  Click to Buy

I was invited to do a painting demonstration on Friday night at the National Arts League in New York. The demo was to be from 8-10 pm.  I knew in advance this may be a problem, so I came prepared.  The first demo was finished in about 20 minutes.  I brought out my second canvas and jumped into the next painting, done in about 1/2 hour. Since I teach "how to paint fast, loose and bold" I figured it's a good idea to practice what I preach. There was plenty of time left over for coffee and cookies, Q and A, general chit chat about current museum shows, etc.
The demo was started with a 2 " flat brush and ended with a liner, to put the small highlights on the rooster's red "crown".  Below are some photos taken by Suzie Alvey, which made me realize I have a habit of sticking out my tongue while I paint. I guess there are worse habits, right?

Crossing First Ave.

"Crossing First Ave." NYC  Acrylic 16x22"  $350  Click to Buy

Here is another Tetrad color scheme (four colors), Purple, Red, Blue and Yellow. It started out as a complimentary color scheme but then I decided it needed more color pizazz! Love this guy crossing the street - I actually saw him walking in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and decided that one day I would stick him in a painting. Well here he is, crossing First ave. (even tho he was really walking down 5th ave.) Artistic license, love that too.

Upper West Side Corner  15x15",  Acrylic  $300  Click To Buy

I painted this today as practice for an upcoming workshop I'll be teaching late April, called "Bending Reality" about working with color schemes and color strategies. (I haven't posted the workshop yet, but will do so soon.) For some reason, I've always been intrigued with using chosen colors, when I'm not working with hues I actually see.

This is a "Tetrad" color scheme (4 colors) - purple, blue, yellow and red. I worked from a teeny tiny b/w photo taken years ago. I think the painting has the feeling of the scene - and thats what I was after.

Jazz Musicians

JazzJam  12x16" Acrylic  $300  Click to Buy

I've been painting a lot, but posting not. Sometimes I like to paint the same subject more than once, and try something different each time. I have already painted each of these guys separately, (see my last two posts) but now they are jamming together. I think they make a nice duo!

I will be teaching "Fast, Loose and Bold Painting" on the stunning island of Skopelos in Greece, from September 2 - 13.  If you want to join me, enroll by January 30 and and you'll save $150! Click here for more information.

Tenor Player

"Tenor Player"  Acrylic,  9x11"  

My husband is a jazz musician, I only have 10 million photos of musicians performing. I think it makes sense to paint them ... wonder what took me so long.

Happy Holidays to everyone!

Bass Player

"Bass Player"  Acrylic, 11x14" Info

Jazz Cat

"Jazz Cat" Acrylic  9x12" 

This was fun, hopefully it shows :-)

Colorful Corn

"Indian Corn"  9x12", Acrylic  More Info

Wishing everyone abundance and peace on this day of gratitude. I for one am eternally grateful to be able to see this beautiful world from an artist's eyes, and to have the opportunity of sharing this vision with others. Such a blessing!

Pink Gerbera Painting Demo

"Pink Gerbera"  8x8" Acrylic  (Sold)

Seems like I've been away forever, one workshop after the next - all really fun, then a trade show out west. As always, the best part of workshops is meeting new artists and making new friends.
I am finally home - for one day - then back on the road to see my folks for Thanksgiving. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday.
Posted above is one of the demos from the Carmel Workshop.

Cheries Amour

"Cheries Amour"   11x14"  Acrylic on Paper

I'm getting ready to leave town to teach a 5 day "Loosen up" workshop in Carmel, then a 3 day beginner workshop in San Clemente. Wanted to do some warm up exercises and started with one cherry, then another emerged, then suddenly I had cherries on the brain and couldn't stop painting them. They provide an easy way to observe highlights, form shadows, cast shadows, reflected light, reflections, halftones, etc. When I get to CA I will be buying fruits and vegetables as props for the workshop... Cherries are at the top of my list ... edible, tasty props... love 'em!

New York State of Mind

"New York State of Mind"  Acrylic 8x10"  Click to buy

Ciao Tuscany!

"Boat at Lake Trasimeno"  Acrylic 8x10" Sold

The Tuscany trip was a pure delight, made more so by the awesome group of gals who joined me. They were a fearless, inspired bunch, and it was such a pleasure to spend a week with them. The scenery was to die for - the reason Tuscany is a must-paint destination for artists. I did not have much "focused" time to paint, but did manage to squeeze in a few quickies. Here is a demo from the day we went to beautiful Lake Trasimeno. A quick painting from a trip that will last in my heart for many years to come. Here is a picture of all of us - enjoying the many tastes as well as the sights!

 

Using a (very) Limited Palette

"Tuscany Sunflower Field"  10x12"  Acrylic  $300  Click to Buy

The time has come... I'm packing for the Italy trip. In an effort to keep the weight to a minimum, I was experimenting with a limited palette. I used 4 colors in this painting. (Plus white, if you consider that a color.) Purple, green, ochre and alizarin.  Yup, that's all! It's amazing how few colors one can get away with and still represent a scene realistically. Not that I will be bringing only four colors, but it was an interesting exercise. One of the benefits of a limited palette - automatic color harmony. The other - way less schlepping!

Studio Sunflowers

"Studio Sunflowers"  8x10" Acrylic  $250  Buy it Now

What do sunflowers have to do with making lemonade? Maybe nothing, but while I was painting these from my studio window all I could think of was that I was making lemonade from lemons. The flowers are certainly not in their best form, as you can see in the photo (below). The light and shadow were nothing to speak of either.
So why did I choose to paint them when there were probably better subjects with less challenging issues? Well, for the challenge. When painting plein air sometimes your view and subject matter is simply a painting waiting to happen. Other times there are factors that are not exactly working in your favor. Thats the thing - you never know till you get there. Lately, in preparation for my Tuscany workshop, I've been treating myself to some "worst case scenarios" to see what tricks I can pull out of my hat. Which may be totally overkill... I mean really, a bad view or  uninspiring light in Tuscany? It must be the virgo in me over-preparing as usual. Or maybe it was just another excuse to paint sunflowers.

Next to Compton's

"Next to Compton's"  12x12"  Acrylic  Click for Info

Tuscany is known for its huge fields of Sunflowers. I figured this would be good practice for my upcoming workshop. Several people have asked if the workshop is acrylics only - I will be demo-ing in OPEN acrylics (the slow drying paint) but it is for all media - oil, watercolor, pastel too.  Join us if you can!

Tuscany Painting Workshop  September 24 - October 1, 2014

Lavendar Lane

"Lavendar Lane"  12x12" Acrylic  Click for info

This street is in Nyack, NY, looking east towards the Hudson River. I believe this street is First Ave., but I think it should be "Lavendar Lane". I love repainting homes in lively colors, changing street names, trimming trees ... Artistic license, it's the best!

Nyack Houses

"Nyack Houses"  Acrylic 12x12"  Click for info

Yesterday I was sitting in a doctor's office waiting, waiting and...waiting some more.  I was looking out the window and suddenly it hit me. My view was incredible. But more importantly, all I had to do was walk outside and I would be immersed in extreme beauty, like everywhere. Why am I not painting this gorgeous town? It offers everything I love to paint - urban setting, color, charm, structure, flowers, landscapes, etc. Here is the first of hopefully many paintings of Nyack, NY, Edward Hopper's hometown, and mine too.

Tuscany Sunset

"Pink Sunset in Tuscany"  8x10"  Acrylic  Click for Info

In contrast to what I wrote in yesterday's post, there are times when there is absolutely no reason to push or change colors one iota. This scene would be that. In order to maintain some type of color unity, I allowed myself only 3 colors (4 including white):  Quinacridone Magenta, Thalo Blue and Cad. Yellow Light. The good 'ol imited palette concept - a little more mixing but it keeps the harmony, not to mention lot less schlepping!

Green and Greener Pastures

Green Lakes Trail  7x7"  Acrylic  Click for more info

One of the most common issues with painting plein air landscapes is...all that green. Everyone loves lush green landscapes, but we also have a backpack full of colors that we are dying to use. This setting is in a beautiful park in Syracuse, NY, called Green Lakes. Not only is the lake green, but everything else is too. Sometimes when I'm trying to introduce more excitement to a monochromatic scene I either choose a harmonic color scheme to base my interpretation on, or play with temperature relationships, or use the setting as a springboard to design a more interesting composition and modify the shapes accordingly. The one given is a quick value sketch, so I can stay on track no matter which path I choose.  Below is a photo of the landscape. Altho the colors may look dull in the photo, it was actually inspiring, dramatic and colorful, and thats what I hoped to communicate.

There are still a couple of spots left for my workshop in Tuscany in late September - it's sure to be fun!   Here is the info.

Other workshops:
Clemente, CA Nov. 10, 11, 12. Click here for more info.

Carmel, CA Nov. 3-7. Full w/wait list. Click here for more info.

Greenville, NY  May 17-23  Click here for more info