The Pincushion

 The Pincushion

6'"x 8" oil on canvas panel $150.  SOLD

Artist Note

This was a fun guild project.

The pincushion lesson wrapped up 

a busy month of reviewing

Shapes, Values and the Principles of Light.

We started with SEEING the simple 

base shapes in everything  

For a mushroom it would be 

the shape of

half a ball, ellipse, and cylinder stem.

Everything painted from life.

Drawing first on gray paper 

with white and black charcoal pencils.

Finding how the light gives it the 

volume and values.

Next we did the white tulip.

A rectangle or cylinder -

both worked.

The emphasis was also on

the principle of how...

White in the Shadow 

moves into a middle value

AND

Black in the Light 

moves to a middle value.

This was a black container

set on middle value gray paper.

The light hitting the top

was a similar value to the 

middle gray behind it.

(I deliberately made the area between

the bottom handle lighter to show

how light white would go.)

I find this is the hardest principle for

most artists I teach to grasp.

It is very hard for ME

 to get it exactly correct.

I have to " intellectually" do it because 

as 

I am looking... 

my mind says 

black is black!

White is white

LOL. they sure ain't!

Like an apple is not always RED!

Anyway, after having 3 weeks of  that 

it was fun to going into bright color. 

Same simple shapes...ball 

(a bit squished) and cylinder.

plus single light source.

Everyone did a great job and I have 

several of these demos to enjoy finishing.

Enjoy a peaceful time in your studio...

or happy place!

Stacked Lemons

Stacked Lemons

8"x 8" oil on canvas board  SOLD

Artist Note

These lemons were fresh when I started 

and rather shriveled by the time I finished.
Doesn't matter...I still enjoyed time
with the paint!

I remember doing a whole series
with lemons
a few years ago
and some of them were very difficult.
Guess what...they are still not easy.
Interesting how painting is like that.

Enjoy a wonderful week.

The Original Feather Comforter!

Original Down Comforter

24'x24" oil on Gallery Wrap canvas. Sold

Artist Note

This is a painting full of 

painting love, frustration, then

back to love.

It is one of the hardest nests 

I have ever painted

and I have done hundreds.

Did you know that is is the early egg laying

birds who use feathers to

keep the eggs from getting cold?

Mother Nature thought of everything!

Obviously, it was the influence for the title.

An friend's husband came up with it.

(Thank you Carlos.)

My first efforts were fast and painterly.

I liked it.

But it did not describe the nest and 

all the careful work the birds 

had put into it. 

Out of all of that work I had to make some sense of order.

24"x 24" is large for me

 and it has taken a long time to paint.

I did take my time and tried to capture

the different textures and subtle colors.

Not easy for an impressionist

who loves color so there are delightful 

spots of color here and there.

The person who found the nest 

after a huge wind storm gave it to me

but did not know what type of bird made it.

Neither do I, plus it is the first one 

I have seen of its kind.

 The young lady who bought it

had seen it in progress on a visit 

to my studio and it "spoke to her heart."

When I emailed her a pic of the 

finished painting... 

she wanted it.

And that made me very happy....

going to a home where it will be loved.