April 16 - Sharing the Joy, Betty Billups Mural in Progress

In my outer studio (which measures 28 x 22 feet), Betty has set up the mural commission she's doing for Mt. SAC (Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, California), and I thought it would be fun for you to see it at this stage--about sixty to seventy percent finished. The mural measures six feet tall and sixteen feet long. The image only shows about fourteen feet of it--couldn't get the camera to take in the right side! Each panel (from 1x4 feet to 4 x 4 feet) is assembled separately, and the final presentation will be with a 1/2 inch gap between the separate pieces, with charcoal gray in between. Makes transporting them a bit easier!

Betty does these murals as commissions and has given me permission to share with you her web page for these beautiful projects! I'm so tickled to have her stay with us while this unfolds. A great opportunity to see a pro do her stuff. I hope you enjoy it. You can go here for her mural page.

OK, so I didn't send one of mine! I'm working on a commission though, which I'll begin to share with you tomorrow as a lesson painting. Another beloved pet, recently gone over the Rainbow Bridge. (This is a particularly nice version of the poem. Anyone who has lost a pet might enjoy seeing this one.)

March 26 - Still Life with Betty Billups

Dueling Brushes!! Betty Billups and I laughed ourselves silly while we set up and painted these sunflowers tonight, starting at 8:30 tonight and finishing up an hour later. What fun!

We were painting kinda in the dark in the big studio, and both of us did 16 x 12 oils, each in our own style. Here's Betty's painting, full of THICK paint!



Mine will be going up on my ebay store in a couple days, but right now I'm HUNGRY! Painted right through dinner time!

March 22 - Betty's Here

Betty Billups arrived this afternoon, and I had my eye on the skies all day, looking at the clouds. I did this because her mural commission up at Mt. San Antonion College is supposed to be with clouds over the San Gabriel mountains. I guess I got a few of them in my head, because when I came in to paint tonight, this 7 x 5 acrylic just FELL off my brush. We've had a great time talking and going out to dinner, and I'm so looking forward to the next few days.
This little painting is available for $100 from my ebay store listing.

March 21 - Jake Finished, 12 x 16 oil commission

A good day in the studio! I finished up Jake, the Beagle mix for my friend in Georgia, and have received the approval for it. I bet you didn't notice the halo suggested in the space above his mischieveious head, eh? He was truly a character, and it was my hope that I could paint him to life for the viewer.
I'm going to have an artist friend visit me this week, Betty Billups is coming in after driving around the Southwest plein air painting and gallery shopping/visiting. During these colder, snowy months, she comes out of Idaho and either goes on painting trips, or visits the galleries carrying her work. We met during a plein air event in Chico a couple years ago, and have enjoyed a vibrant friendship ever since. This will be her first visit to the new studio, and I can hardly wait to share it with her. BJ is the one who taught me that getting up before the roosters and first light was worthwhile, since you could paint the true dawn on location. She's a signature member of the Plein Air Painters of America and a dedicated artist. We'll have loads of fun painting together this week!