Working...

I'm on a painting marathon these days, working on new pieces for a dual show in early December with the artist Ken Auster - taking place at the Morris & Whiteside Gallery on Hilton Head Island. I'm very excited about it.  Hope to do a few small pieces in between.  See you soon.

"Foot Rest"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

It is a happy painting day when I can balance the loose with the tight.   A woman resting her feet on a park bench around Charleston, South Carolina.

"Alongside Highway 30"

8 x 10"

oil on panel
sold

Occasionally, I finish a painting and don't quite like - so I rest it nearby my easel and obsess about it in between working on other pieces.   Then I continue to tinker with it from time to time.  This is one of those tinkered paintings.

The first time I 'completed' it, I was irritated with how tight it was - it looks too much like a photo and not really an oil painting.  I like more brushwork, I like moving oil paint around.  I must have tinkered over five different times during August and in the end, something you probably can't detect in the image above, is the texture - which I'm happy with.  A little palette knife action, dry-brushing on top of dry paint is what turned it into more of an oil painting and that's the ticket.

This scene was from middle America, alongside Hwy 30, the Lincoln Highway, in Brule, Nebraska.

"Bay Watch"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

A splendid day for a bird looking towards the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

"Met Fatigue"

16 x 4"

oil on panel
sold

A special offering from my own collection, visitors resting in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

"Hip"

12 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

A special offering from my collection, a woman standing firm in front of Mark Rothko's 'No. 7', which hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

"Outer Sunset"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

When I was in San Francisco this past spring, to teach a workshop, our home base was a rental in the Outer Sunset district - about 15 blocks from the Pacific Ocean.  I loved staying in that neighborhood.  This view was a drive down Judah Street, heading straight to the sea at dusk.  It is that squinty light that caused my photo to turn out somewhat monochromatic - which I loved, so I gave it a shot with paint, which I love.

I also wanted to remind folks that the opening reception for my show Here Comes The Sun is next Friday night, from 5-8 at the 16 Patton Gallery in Asheville.  I'll be there and would greatly appreciate you stopping by to say hello and look at my new work.  A fellow artist, Mark Henry, will have his new paintings showing the same night.

"Little Buddha"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

Meet 'Little Buddha' - a pug we met on our visit to San Francisco.

"Cooling Her Heels"

4 x 12"

oil on masonite
sold

I'm noticeably having fun with the blues and turquoises of the ocean and painted this loose one today.  From the ocean at Hilton Head Island.

"Keeper of the Lures"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

A loose, painterly study of a woman keeping watch over the tackle box - from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

"Figure 1"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

I absolutely love figure drawing and miss going to sessions with models - it's been years.  There are a couple of websites that provide figures in multitudes of poses, with clothes and without - it's a great means to practicing painting or drawing the human body.   Charley Parker has a good article about this on Lines & Colors if you're interested.  This study was done from one of the poses on this site - which is free for artists and survives on donations.  It's good exercise, I'd highly recommend it.

I don't have a clever title, I thought I'd do more in the future, starting with this new piece. 

"Pro Tractor"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

What I was dazzled with out west was the expansive views - seeing forever - noticing how color and tones define distance.  It's a whole other learning curve for me.   I tell you, if I lived in California, I'd be taking long drives all the time - out to nowheresville and back with my camera.  It's inspiring.  

This new painting is from southern California where the berry farms make the landscape look like patterned fabric.  I felt a little Van Gogh-ish with the brush, lots of pleasure doing this piece.

"Happy Little Clouds in Iowa"

4 x 4"

oil on panel

sold

After a long day of painting something a bit tighter,  I took a cue from the beloved Bob Ross and painted happy, little clouds in Iowa.

And now, for your moment of Zen....

 

(it's not what you expect and don't forget to turn up the volume)

"Pigeon Point"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold 

I might have sworn never to paint a lighthouse, but it's silly to vow I'll never paint any subject because I'll eventually come around to it.  It does make for a sweet, little painting.

This is the Pigeon Point Lighthouse along Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, between Carmel and San Francisco, California.

"Wine Drive"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I'd say, with all the miles we drove across the country and back, tooling through the wine country was the most Zen driving we experienced.  It was mid-April, early in the growing season, still spectacular.  This was along California 29, between St. Helena and Napa.

"The Hot Seat"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I've been leaning towards nit-picky and needed to loosen up.  From a storefront, on a sunny day, in Charleston, South Carolina.

"200 Faces, No. 111"

4 x 4"

oil on panel
sold

A strong, interesting face to paint - an addition to my ongoing series '100+ Faces BUST-ED'.

"Going Swimmingly"

6 x 3-7/8"

oil on panel
sold

You may think you know how to paint a figure until something like an elevated view or water distorts it - then you're truly forced to paint what you see and not what you know.  I love the wiggly form of her body under water, very challenging and fun to paint.  An ode to swimming pools that help me tolerate the summers in Georgia.  I think I'll go find one now.

The Last of the Hilton Head Gang

Now that I'm finished this fun project, I want to explain, one more time, what the Hilton Head Gang is.  I get emails that prove some are confused.  I taught a workshop in Hilton Head last fall and had 19 women join me as well as Vince Fazio, the arts director from Sedona Arts Center, who assists me and the students during the workshop.

One of our days included my demo painting of a police mugshot - afterwards my students painted one of their own, which always proves to be a good learning experience for all.   On the last day, someone came up with the idea of taking mugshots of each other and painting them when we returned home.  If you notice some had a sad, defensive look about them, that was the idea.  As if we just were arrested and booked.  Like my mug.  Some smiled.  So what.  This was for fun and for a continued exercise.

I've really enjoyed painting these - and especially proud that many have done the whole gang.  Check out our blog and look at the slideshows on the right column of each of us - you'll see a remarkable variety of styles.

Below, the redhead is Sheryl, very fun to paint - Sheryl doesn't have a blog yet.  Below her is Sherrie Hilliard, who does.

Also wanted to mention, this fall's workshop in Hilton Head is full, but putting yourself on a waiting list often does work, so don't hesitate to call Vince and do so.  Contact information is on the right column on this blog.

Now it's time for me to get busy with an upcoming show in September.   More soon....

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

Hilton Head Gang

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

Fellow artist Dawn Hartigan...




4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

... and fellow artist NJ Darling from the Hilton Head Gang.

Two More Hilton Head Gangers

  4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

A true mugshot pose - fellow artist Kit Hefner

  4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

and Cathy Engberg.

On a Roll

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

I'm on a mission to finish up these gals - the Hilton Head Gang.  It has been a well-timed exercise for me, I'm about to bear down and paint a grouping for a show coming up in September.  It's much like stretching and getting into shape before running a marathon.  Not that I'd know anything about that.

You can paint every day and occasionally lose the ability to 'see'.   Paintings become more mechanical, overworked.  I tend to see things in blocks of color, not so much the details - that comes as things progress.  That's what, I think, makes a successful painting in the end.  So these fast, painterly studies put my brain back in place.

Above is Terri Buchholz, below is Judy Elias.

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

Two More in the Hilton Head Gang

 4 x 4"

oil on panel
nfs

Fellow artist Allyson.

 4 x 4"

oil on panel
nfs 

And fellow artist Linda Nickles.

Hilton Head Gang

4 x 4"

oil on panel
nfs

This is fellow artist Betsy Stevenson, a member of our Hilton Head Gang - who I'm proud to say does have a website and blog showing her work.  

I like this one.  It was done fast and furious, I barely looked away - as if my hand had taken over.

Hilton Head Gang

4 x 4"

oil on panel
nfs

Fellow artist Diane H. - a Hilton Head Gang member who doesn't have a blog or website yet.  I'll bug her until she does.