Lavender Rose

14" x 14" oil
sold

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALISON

Slainte!

Still Life Class #3

Here's the set up.  COMPLICATED!  

First task is to do a dark and light map.  I did it and Nancy corrected me, teaching me to look for what's in "shadow", not what is "dark".  And, what's in the light.  We had a couple of extra unwanted light sources so I was confused but ready to plunge in.

Here's the corrected "shadow/dark" outline:

I know, it looks a little scary.  But with enough squinting and correcting, I began to stop seeing "dark" colors and concentrate on what was in shadow.  I then started having way too much fun and forgot to look at my map and ended up with a painting that had everything in the light.  I   lost the volume in the flowers at the top.   And we won't talk about what happened to those flowers in the lower left of the painting.   Oh well, there's always next class.

9x12

Bon Ami

"Bon Ami", 5x5, oil

$75

I'm at the grocery store today and the walls are stacked with boxes of multicolored Peeps.  Does anyone ever eat them?  Or are they recycled year and year?  I'm sure they never expire-sorta like nuclear waste.  Lots of artists like to paint peeps or make dioramas with them.  So I bought a box.  And then discovered my favorite cleanser, Bon Ami, has new packaging looking quite peepy.  So that's where this still life came from.  But first, I did a disciplined black and white sketch to make sure I knew where the darks and lights were.  

Then I ate the Peep.  Yechhhh.

One more thing-this was done on an ampersand gesso board.  Makes for slippery painting.  I prefer a toothy canvas but new surfaces need to be explored.
One more thing-I painted this sitting down because I had already walked 10,000+ steps today so I used my Karin Jurick easel.  Very awesome device.  You can get one here: http://karinjurick.blogspot.com/

Koi Thermos

"Koi Thermos"

oil, 6"x8"
starting bid $100

Koi can symbolize good luck and courage.  I wish both for all the people who suffered from the earthquake and tsunami.  I bought this thermos at an import store and use it for flowers.  I'll submit this painting to the DPW Help Japan Challenge where they have raised almost $18,000 from selling art!

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/dailypaintings

Music to Paint By

Itunes has released a benefit album of 38 songs- proceeds going to the Japanese Red Cross.  Good music, good cause.

Still Life Class #2

Back to another day of work at http://www.eastonstudioandschool.com/.  Today's lesson was the organization of lights and darks or seeing your light and dark pattern clearly.  This gives you an "outline" or idea of where you are going before you start a painting...hopefully.  Nancy did a demo first

and here is the set up and demo together

Jane set up a still life for us which was a good bit harder than the demo.  Can you see the clear vase behind the pansies?

and this was my "light and dark"attempt  (I've always had trouble staying in the lines)

Where is the light hitting, where are the shadows?  Sadly,   I cannot post my painting because when I got to my car after class, it slipped off the top of my easel and into a large mulch pile.  However, I might try to recreate it tomorrow.

Yokosuka

"Yokosuka"

oil painting, 6"x8"
starting bid:  $100

Welcome to my new blog.   My first painting is of my home when I lived in Yokosuka, Japan.  I'm posting this to The DPW Painting Challenge,  http://www.dailypaintworks.com/dailypaintings.  If you would like to purchase this painting, please go to the DPW link above and then to the  Help Japan Challenge.   The proceeds from my painting will go to Japanese Aid for Bed which I learned about from Carol Marine.  Seems like the most immediate help.