Productive Week

"Century Plant 2" 8x6 oil on board click here

"Rustic Setting" 6x6 oil on board click here

This has been an interesting week. Starting with Sunday at the West Austin Studio Tour where I sold the painting "Century Plant" as I was still working on it. Monday I decided to try to repaint it from a photo in order to participate in this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge which was to paint the same thing in two different sizes and/or perspectives. My second painting was successful also, but it brought home the difference between painting from life and from a photo. I believe my first version had more "life" in it and it certainly had more light. I then went on to paint "Rustic Setting" which was a redo of the painting I did the last day in the John Cosby workshop. This one worked a bit better, I believe.

"State Cemetery Entrance" 8x8 oil SOLD

"Seaholm Sunrise" 6x6 oil click here

On Thursday I painted with PAA members Susan Andersen and Gordon Fowler at the Texas State Cemetery. It's a beautiful, peaceful place with a gorgeous pond and waterfall. This painting looks up the waterfall towards the visitors center entrance. This painting sold right off the easel to the lady who runs the visitor's center. She is buying Susan's painting too.

On Friday I painted from a photo I took in the winter from the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge early in the morning as the sun was coming up to the East. This was looking out towards the old Seaholm Power Plant which is about to be come a new downtown development.
Tonight I painted from a photo taken in Salida Colorado last trip through of a bicycle parked in front of a brick wall.

"Red Cruiser" 6x6 oil on board click here to bid

West Austin Studio Tour

"Century Plant" 6x6 oil on board SOLD

This past weekend was the inaugural West Austin Studio Tour. What a wonderful event! This was run by Big Medium and based on the very successful East Austin Studio Tour which they created and have run for years in November over two weekends. This tour was just the one weekend but with a bulging catalog and over 100 studios all West of IH 35 participating, I believe was a huge success. My generous friend Nancy Germond (a fabulous potter - www.germonddesigns.com) invited me to come show my work at her home/studio on West 39th St. I was only able to be there on Sunday so her sister- in-law showed her mosaics on Saturday in the same space. Unfortunately for me Sunday was much slower traffic than Saturday. Nancy said they had well over 100 visitors on Saturday and I would guess we had fewer than 25 on Sunday (most of them Nancy's friends). Regardless I thoroughly enjoyed the event and sold several pieces including the one I painted while waiting for visitors of her neighbor's front yard with a huge century plant about to bloom. I am learning so much from setting up at different venues. For this event I used my 10x10 tent which I bought last year for the Jonestown Street Festival and used for East Austin Studio Tour. Every time I use it I am so glad I bought it. I was so afraid it was something I would never use again, but it is just perfect for so many events. With trial and error I have found that the best way for me to show as many paintings as possible is for me to put out bins of my small oil paintings on masonite on tables so people can flip through them. I am always surprised at which sell and which don't. Some of the ones I consider my all time best have been totally passed over while some I almost didn't put out have sold. Just proves that everyone's taste is different and I should not judge my own work too harshly.

Latest Work

As usual I have a ton of work to post in order to catch up, even though I have missed several days in the past month, so I can no longer brag that I have painted every day this year - it just isn't so any more. I can however say I have painted most days and that's no mean feat.

"Main Street, Bastrop" 6x6 oil on board

In addition to painting, I have participated in the Bastrop Art Walk. I was hosted by a lovely decor and gift shop named Liberty Glenn on Main Street in Bastrop. I got to display my art for sale in the area right inside the front doors of the store, so no one could miss me. The event was the first Friday in May and they invited me back on Saturday as well. I was fortunate to sell 6 small paintings during the event and on Saturday I stood outside the store and painted a street scene as well.

I am putting together my work to participate in the West Austin Studio Tour. My friend, Nancy Germond (an amazing potter), has her home and studio on West 39th Street and she is stop #102 on the tour. She invited me to show my work at her home during the tour. I will set up my tent in her driveway on Sunday May 20 from 11-6.

Other paintings I have done since I last posted all my daily paintings include:

"Bull Creek Rocks" 8x10 oil on canvas on board

"Hillside Color" 6x6 oil on board SOLD

"Harbinger of Spring" 6x6 oil on board

"Spot of Color" 6x6 oil on board

"Bull Creek Pool" 8x10 oil on canvas on board

"CK Close Up" 6x6 oil on board

"Playing Hooky" 6x6 oil on board

"B & B Crop Challenge" 6x6 oil on board

"Starring Lemon Yellow" 6x6 oil on board

"Lago Vista" 8x10 oil on canvas on board

"Dappled Aspens" 6x6 oil on board

"Gray Day" 6x6 oil on board

Learning and Growing

The John Cosby workshop was fabulous. I felt like I learned a lot and it was very productive. The way he works involves premixing the four main value colors on his palette before making a mark on the canvas. He then tones the canvas quickly with a little paint and a lot of turpentine (he recommends Gamsol as less toxic than most). Then with a dark value he starts sketching in his composition. He likes to make sure that there are lots of elements which lead in to the main subject (focal point). I just loved watching him paint - it was magical. In fact I loved it so much that I twisted my husband's arm into buying me the demo painting I fell in love with for our upcoming 30th anniversary. Who needs another piece of jewelry when you can have art? During the workshop I painted quite a few paintings and was happy with all but the last 2. I suspect it was a combination of being tired after 5 days of painting all day (actually a half day watching John paint and a half day painting each day), the dreary weather that day, and being bummed that the workshop was almost over. Here are the paintings I did at the workshop. One of them already sold on DPW.

"Bull Creek Falls" 11x14 oil on canvas on board

"Bull Creek Chute" 9x12 oil on canvas on board

"Twin Track" 9x12 oil on canvas on board SOLD

"Wildflower Field" 9x12 oil on canvas on board

"Old Indian" 9x12 oil on canvas on board

"Writer's Cabin" 9x12 oil on canvas on board

 

 

I feel that these last two are really unfinished and they both need a lot of work. Perhaps one day I will feel like going back to them and trying to finish them properly. They were both rushed as we tried to beat a rainstorm in the morning and time just ran out in the afternoon.

Upcoming Workshop

I'm very excited. Today I signed up for the John Cosby Plein Air Workshop to be held next week in Austin. I've been looking at his work online and am so impressed by his colors and his style. I'm hoping I will be able to learn how he manages to render landscapes so beautifully and perhaps some of it will rub off on me.

"Texas Blues" 6x6 oil on board

"Fence Post" 6x6 oil on board

"Bluebonnet Hill" 8x8 oil on board

 Last Thursday I painted at the most beautiful park filled with wildflowers in every direction. I have a series of paintings started at this lovely place called Turkey Bend. Expect to see more as I use up the photos I took there. I don't believe I've ever seen more wildflowers in one place before.

"Easter Challenge" 6x6 oil on board

"Wildflower Hydrant" 6x6 oil on board

I love doing the painting challenges on Daily Paintworks. This week I did their Easter Challenge. They posted a photo of some plastic Easter Eggs opened with some M&Ms spilling out of them. The challenge was to paint this photo or any other Easter related subject matter. I didn't realize till I started that it would be so hard. When I finally finished and posted it, I was shocked to see that I was the only one out of over 70 participants to use that photo. Anyway I was gratified to get a very sweet comment and a bid on the auction for it.

I went for  a walk in my neighborhood and found a fire hydrant overgrown with wildflowers. I snapped a photo and used it to create my "Bluebonnet Hydrant".

Other paintings in the past few weeks include:

"Mayan Coast" 6x6 oil on board

"Bird of Paradise" 6x6 oil on board

"Thank You Flowers" 8x6 oil on board

"Polk Mill" 8x10 oil on board

"Mom's Lady Banksia" 6x6 oil on board

"Wildflower Buffet" 8x6 oil on board

"Spring Greens" 8x8 oil on board SOLD

" Pot Quartet" 6x6 oil on board

"Spring Flora" 6x6 oil on board

"Morning Glory" 6x6 oil on board

"Juicy 2" 6x6 oil on board

"Drive-By Impressions 1" 6x6 oil on board

"Sunset on the Live Oaks" 6x6 oil on board

"We Need A New Rope" 6x6 oil on board

Two more weeks...

"Slow Setting Sun" 5x5 oil on board SOLD

Despite my best intentions days turn into weeks and I seem to fall behind in posting paintings to my blog. As you will see from my Daily Paintworks Gallery, I have not slacked off on painting, just on posting to the blog. I have begun reading Richard Schmid's "Alla Prima, All I Know About Painting" and let me tell you he knows a lot. I had borrowed a friend's copy (being frugal, and knowing it was an expensive book) but a couple of chapters into it I was compelled to order my own copy as I realize I will want to refer back to it often. I am also enjoying the new "ArtBytes" which are mini Carol Marine workshops that are available for purchase on DailyPaintworks.com. They are inexpensive (there's that frugal part of me kicking in again) and yet they are chock full of valuable information and advice. Well worth the $10 price tag,
 there are even a couple of introductory ones that are free to whet your appetite.

These past couple of weeks I did 3 of the DPW challenge paintings, the horse challenge, the tool challenge and the paint what you paint with challenge. I was surprised when the tool challenge painting sold. I had not thought anyone would be particularly interested in the tools I use in my studio for framing, but I guess it struck a chord with someone.

"Green Reflections" 6x6 oil on board SOLD

"Mountain Laurel" 6x6 oil on board

 The mountain laurel in my front yard is almost finished now, but for a while it was pumping out the most beautiful sweet smelling blossoms. The butterflies and the bees were swarming it. I cut a few blooms and used them in a couple of still life set ups.

"Tool Challenge" 6x6 oil on board SOLD

"Horse Challenge" 6x6 oil on board

"Shades of Giverny" 6x6 oil on board

"Cruising in Style" 6s6 oil on board

I used a photo I'd taken in the botanical gardens to come up with my red bridge and water lily composition which reminded me of Monet's gardens at Giverny, hence the title of that painting. The sailboat for "Cruising in Style" was the one that we raced on Lake Travis for about 10 years. We sold it years ago but I still get a longing to sail when I see pictures like this.

"Lake Bluff" 6x6 oil on board

"Spring Pasture" 6x6 oil on board SOLD

 Spring Pasture and Lake Bluff were both imagined landscapes based on so many I've seen.

"Juicy 1" 6x6 oil on board

"Tools of the Trade" 6x6 oil on board

 Juicy 1, is, I hope, the first of many paintings of this pear. I must admit it is a fake pear, since there's no way to keep one fresh for very long. I plan to paint this pear at least 10 and preferably more times in various color combinations, various settings, lighting, backgrounds, etc. This will be very good practice for me.

"Snow on the High Plains" 6x6 oil on board

"Doll and Shrimp Plant" 8x8 oil on board

 I struggled with Snow on the High Plains. The photo made it look so desolate and cold. The snow stretched away in the distance as far as the eye could see. I loved the blue shadows in the foreground. The still life set up using my Belgian doll, a copper tankard filled with shrimp plants and rosemary with an old straw hat for background was a tricky set up. I found the hat almost impossible to capture, but since it was background I didn't agonize over it. I haven't used my doll collection before in paintings, but I may need to get them all out and do a series.

"Sunflower Duo" 5x5 oil on board

"My Pad" 6x6 oil on board

Sunflower Duo was another of my "it's late, I'm tired, what shall I paint?" paintings. I knocked it out after a long day in San Marcos helping a friend, and an evening listening to some great local bluegrass music. I didn't want to fail to post something so I went ahead and did another sunflower - my fave. Today's painting was the waterlily I titled "My Pad". Seemed like a good name since it was painted the same day as the new iPad 3 went on sale.
"Slow Setting Sun" was titled after a song that still sticks in my mind. A good friend wrote and recorded it. It's well worth a listen if you ever get the opportunity to hear The Cosmic Dust Devils.