"Some Brighter News"

8 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

A new painting - a woman enjoying a summer day with her newspaper.

Please click here for a larger view.

"The Day's News"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

There is a place I like to go to fuel up before I hit the Art Institute of Chicago, just a few blocks from the front steps.  And it's always a great people-watching spot.

"Behind The News"

8 x 10"

oil on panel

A new painting included in my 'Met Life' grouping - a woman reading the New York Times in the Sculpture Gallery at the Met.  I've painted her several times, several ways including black and white and always excluded the dense ferns above the marble bench.  In this new piece, I think I finally got what I've been reaching for - with appreciation for the cool/warm marble and the greenery above her.  You can't see it clearly, but there's a touch of palette knife that gave me that yummy aqua and the warm light on the floor.  I like it.

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Just a quick note - the Morris & Whiteside Gallery will be hosting a Holiday Open House, Friday the 7th, to welcome visitors and the new paintings will be up if you're able to stop by.

"Lamp Post"

6 x 12"
oil on masonite

A gentleman I spotted in a hotel lobby in Charleston. And despite a lot of bustle going on all around him, he find a nice, lit spot to ignore it all and quietly read his newspaper.

detail

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"Embedded"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

From the lobby of the Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC - a guest embedded in the morning news.

"The News in Black & White"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

Reporting in, from an unintended absence - I did take about a week off from painting, went on a road trip to visit family and oddly enough, I didn't go off with my camera. I just enjoyed the time with my favorite people. Haven't done that in a l-o-n-g time.

When I got home, I jumped right back into the studio ready to work. I painted a new piece, which has been set aside for the Charleston Art Auction in November, then proceeded to paint two failures. I worked them over and over, liked them, hated them again and put my brushes away and sulked. Yes, it happens to me too.

So...... I did paperwork, worked on the details for my November workshop, cleaned my house, did my laundry and all those other mundane chores until I was ready to paint again. And I failed. Again. Yes, it happens to me too. I could blame it on the heat index for frying my brain - although it's just plain normal to go through these times.

What I do know is, when you hit a plateau, change it up. So I worked with a more desaturated, value study if you will - using thick paint, palette knives and brushes and just went at it. Tomorrow I'll face it again.

On a more positive note, I was interviewed by Southwest Art Magazine, for a featured article coming up in their October issue. I'm so excited. I am clearly not a southwest-themed painter, they do include events and artists east of the Mississippi. How cool is that?

This new painting is a scene from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, an elegant woman relaxing with the daily newspaper in the sculpture gallery.

"News Anchor"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I've done several new paintings that will be sent to the Howard/Mandville Gallery in the next few weeks, this one included - a painterly piece of a woman relaxing with the newspaper in the sculpture garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Please click here for a larger view.

and....... please know I am so grateful for your comments on the paintings. It really drives me and I appreciate it.

"Peaceful Read"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite

A quiet, peaceful read in my local public library.

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"Breaking News"

6-3/4 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

As I was updating my website, I realized I had not posted several new paintings on this blog. Including the above piece done for the May show at Howard/Mandville. It is a personal favorite of mine - perhaps for its handsomeness, the warm greys and browns, the rare image of someone reading a real newspaper.... I am very fond of this painting.

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"Bay Breeze"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I suspect the Ferry Building and the weekend market is a ritual for a lot of people who live in San Francisco. You couldn't pick a nicer spot to read the paper, sip a cup of coffee and take in the breeze from the bay. In the distance is the Oakland Bay Bridge, please correct me if I'm wrong.

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Unwrapped

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
nfs

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
nfs

Now that they're unwrapped, here are a couple of personal gifts given to my extended family.

"Sun Times"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

Walk through Millennium Park in Chicago - and I'll bet you'll not be bored. On a bright, sunny day - people are everywhere - and in my eyes, I see many possibilities for paintings. Simple settings, with light and color giving me what I desire.


also....... Week 2's challenge is wrapping up tonight for my Different Strokes From Different Folks blog with 68 different versions of a photograph I post for reference. I am thrilled with the response and all of the unique, personal interpretations. Thanks to all the artists who took on this week's project - let's do it again with this photo for Week 3.

"Corner Bakery"

11 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

A cup of hot coffee and the morning paper being enjoyed at the Corner Bakery, around State Street & Adams, in Chicago.

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"Lounge Act"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Today's my dad's birthday. I lost him years ago - truly the greatest man I had the pleasure of knowing, especially as his daughter. He died before I got my first Mac, he never knew the internet nor a digital camera - and he was an electronic wizard. A trained engineer. He'd absolutely flip out. So would my mom. She sold her paintings the old way - setting up a display in a show, sitting for hours and days. Wow. They would both just freak out. Happy Birthday Johnny.

This simple moment was taken from the lounge area of a Chicago hotel - as I passed by this gentleman, reading his newspaper while waiting on his ride - I instantly saw a painting in my head. Strong light, strong, rich colors - a composition so naturally ready for me to do that very thing.

"Mellow Yellow"

10 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I was walking up to the door at a Starbucks, in Seattle, when I spotted this gentleman. I could best describe my surroundings as grey - the sky, the sidewalk, the wall - and bam - this yellow coat. That does good things to your brain, seeing color when there isn't much.

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"Newspaper"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Moving on with the alphabet series....... only fitting for N to be Newspaper, because I'm a junkie. I can't start a day without coffee and pouring over several newspapers - not counting more online. And I've always favored painting people engrossed in their paper.

This woman was inside the Seattle Central Library, a fabulous building outside and inside. The window grids made for an almost-abstract surrounding to the figure. I got halfway through this painting and wondered what I was thinking. It was a hard one. The newspaper too. And keeping it just loose enough is always the toughest.

"New York Times"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

I did finally see the article in American Art Collector magazine - thanks for sending it to me. This painting is one of several featured - I wish you could see it in person. I had painted this woman before - this time changing the format, adding a bit more detail - I love this image.

I normally stay away from the blue/red/yellow dominating a scene, all I think of is primary colors. Yet, when those three are warmed up, toned down - tweaked - it pleases me.

This moment was taken from the lobby of a Manhattan hotel. For a larger view, please click here.

"What Happens Next"

12 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

You may recognize this man reading the paper - I had painted a small, daily piece of this scene. Going larger, I included more of the surroundings, which makes us wonder what happens next? Either it's turning the page or perhaps the two strike up a conversation.

This new painting will be included in the February show at the Howard/Mandville Gallery.

For a larger view, please click here.

"Daily News"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

Continuing on with the alphabet, D is for Daily News - a young man taking a coffee/reading break in a local bookstore.

"Life in Layers"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

At times, when I start a painting like this, I think of how I can avoid the visual confusion of all the layers of activity. Paintings can be too busy especially compressed into a 6" square. Generally I start from the back, like the buildings across the street, and work my way in. I am very pleased with this piece, a little depiction of life in the big city.

Thus began the morning of my first day in San Francisco, fueling up with a Starbucks Mocha Cappacino and muffin to go.