Rose Duo

Rose Duo

detail 

oil on canvas

Artist Note.

This is a detail from a painting

in the M Phillips Gallery.

I am in the middle of moving my 

gallery/studio and into a new space.

Lots of planning, etc.

And I am also working on a 

couple of paintings

but they are not completed. 

Trying to stay stress free.

Presently I have a retail space

right on Main Street, downtown
Las Cruces.

Great location - except they close 

down Main Street without notice

causing a lot of aggravation.

I am still going to be in a building
on Main Street,

but in the next block.
It is an office space with parking 

right behind it.
Nice and clean but a few things
had to be done.
You can see a partition wall was
removed so the two rooms
became one large room.

Then a neutral grey paint painted
on  all the walls. A guild member
is doing all the painting and he has
done a great job.
Thank YOU, Rich!

Here you see the start of
space planning.
My easel in blue,
and white tape for
shelf placement.
File cabinet footprint.

There is a lovely curved wall
in an area I will have for a table
to each lunches at.
I will also have a another
workstation
 along the wall or me
to do demos etc for the classes

I have until the middle of April
to do everything and many
members of the guild
are offering to help.
It will be FUN!

Daffodils and Hyacinths - Watercolor

Daffs and Hyacinths

6x6in aquabord watercolor SOLD

Artist Note
Spring and all the beauty it brings.
The Quail have had their first babies.
Nests are being used all over the place.
The daffodils are up -
blossoms are on the trees
and the
March winds have been
a'blowing!

This painting is on aquabord.
I quite like the way the colors absorb
into its dimpled surface,
creating a different appearance
than on paper.

The best part of course is
that no glass is required.
I prefer to wax for protection,
but a couple of layers
with a light spray of varnish
is also perfect.

Peacock Feathers With Roses

Peacock Feathers With Roses

7x5in oil on canvas panel  SOLD

Artist Note

The beauty of the rose always astounds me,

but place it next to a peacock feather and real

competition for the top spot happens.

The real dilemma for the artist is deciding

which one wins.

Rose or Peacock Feather?

This is a pick-up from an older post.
Still swamped!

Hydrangeas and Coffee Bean Plant

Hydrangeas and Coffee Bean Plant

8x6in  oil on canvas panel SOLD

Hydrangeas with sprigs of coffee bean plant.

These  hydrangeas have a lot of a creamy color in the center

with pale blue edges to the petals. I got them at Trader Joes

in Albuquerque at weekend. They are not perky!

Artist Note.

This is a repeat of a favorite post.

This was a demo done in class today.

I had a lovely set up using the the reds of the strawberries from

yesterday to move the eyes around from the coffee bean buds.

I blocked it in like this.

Then I realized I would not be able to fit it all 

in during the time I had time.

So  - out go the strawberries!

Next I used the fracturing technique

and came back.

reworking every area.

Had family visiting this week

so not much painting accomplished 

after classes.

The Old Red Chevy

The Old Red Chevy  (1948)

6x8in oil on canvas panel SOLD

Artist Note

The inspiration for this one comes from

the Lets Paint New Mexico group.

February 14th Challenge

see here 

The original photo was of a 

rusty blue truck -

 beautifully rusty - but as the theme 

this month at the Artists Guild 

was on painting

RED 
I thought I would demo

red in the sun and shade.

In my opinion,

Red is one of the hardest 

colors to paint in the light

without going chalky or 
losing its local color and turning
pink
due to adding 
too much white.

 These are the colors I used
for the truck.
Permanent Alizarin
(with a whisper of green
from all the trees around)
to darken into shadow.
Permanent Red and Grumbacher Red
as base colors
then I
added orange with a touch
of Naples Yellow  Light
to make it
even lighter.

The basic principle involved
when painting a dark value like red
is that it cannot possibly go as light
as a middle or light value can. 

The exception being highlights 
or reflective light on shiny surface.

I really admire this painting by Sargent
using all the values of red.
The background is rich, dark red.

Dr. Pozzi At Home
 Hammer Museum, CA
An amazing, life sized portrait.

notice how dark a value

the red in the light is

below

The one below is by Gauguin.

Women of Tahiti, on The Beach
Musee d'Orsay, Paris.

It  is perfect for
showing red in light and shadow 
plus
pink in light and shadow.
Pink can go lighter due to it already
being a lighter
value to start with.

Easy to write about, but not as easy for me to do.

I am always intrigued how the principles
are followed by the masters in every style.

I have certainly picked
the pursuit of lifelong learning.
Does anyone else love the fact
that we  artists can keep
getting better at our craft...forever?

Avian Symbols - Alcohol Ink.

Avian Symbols

6x12inches Alcohol Ink on copper plate.  

Framed 500.

Purchase HERE

Avian Sanctuary

6x12inches Alcohol Ink on copper plate. 

Framed 500.

contact artist

Artist Note.

I loved painting these two companion pieces.

I was experimenting with the alcohol inks

and using more control in layering and line.

It is hard to get an accurate color 

as the copper reflects thru the inks.

Framing.

I floated/glued them on a sheet of tin 

with a neat dark frame.

I really like the combination of metals.

Spring Run-off

Spring Runoff
6x8 inches oil on panel $140.
Purchase HERE

Artist Note
I am really drawn to the sound
of a bubbling stream and
singing birds.
Rejuvenation!

Computer Issue follow up.

Thank heavens
the solution was found for 

my computer woes!!

I have to thank fellow artist and blogger

Lauren.

She emailed privately and so 

I will not put her last name  but 

we have followed each other's

work for a few years now and 

she has helped me before.

The solution was to enable 

third party cookies in Settings.

Simple eh?

Bless YOU, dear Lauren.