December 22 - Holiday Lights

"Holiday Lights" On our way home from dinner with aikido and horsey friends, my husband and I saw this lighted tree on the lawn of a house in our neighborhood. I commented that I wish I had my camera, as the lights were so interesting with their illumination of the wall of the house and the lawn. I don't think I've seen one of these stick trees lit up this way. So I looked long and hard at it as we drove by, and then carried the memory of it to this 6 x 4 canvas. What I think I was trying to capture was the light of the season, the light of human activity, against the solstice of winter, knowing that the days become longer, and the lights will be put away for another year. Acrylic, $80

December 21 - Madonna and Child Commission Finished

I spent a goodly number of hours working on this 24 x 18 oil commission, bringing it up to a state where I'd not be shy about showing it to the general public. I really enjoy looking at this painting now. It has a feeling of reverence with the suggestion of gold in the upper right (but no halos!), and the sweet cleanliness of the small, helpless baby caressed in its mother's arm. Her peaceful smile completes the image. There may be a little more work on it, but I would call it 90 percent finished at this after-midnight hour!

May all your times spent with loved ones be as peaceful as this scene. I LOVE doing commissions! I have to tell you, that if he doesn't want it, I'm keeping it for myself, to enjoy and have on the web site. In searching for similar portraits, I've not found one that is in any way similar. So I kinda like it. A lot. Do you?

JUST SOLD to the collection of Kimo Kockelman of Honolulu, Hawaii.

December 20 - The Commission of the Mother and Child Continues

My goodness, I'm having a profoundly enjoyable time with the progress of this commission! It must be the proximity of the season's day approaching, as this one is just flowing off my brushes. The source material is clipped on the right, so you can get a peek at the (ack!) flash photograph from which I'm working. I went on line and started looking at all the art from the middle ages dealing with the Madonna and Child, and found that they, too, must have used flash photography, because all of the features are flattened, just like a flash photo! Ya think? What fun to paint as if I were in the Middle Ages. But women (except for Artemisia Gentileschi) weren't much for painting back then. (Now there's one to google!)
Following the suggested color scheme, keeping the feel of the painting less of a portrait and more of an experience, I'm bringing this along with oils. Yes, oils, because I love the ease of correction, and the ... wait. Acrylics do that, too! Hmmm, maybe it is just the Middle Ages thing. They didn't have acrylics. Or flash photography.

December 19 - Painting Another with Similar Subject

I'm not sure if it was a senior moment, a mischievous cat, a moving box problem, or just general disorganization, but I lost a painting. I lost one that had sold, and I distinctly remember removing it from the shelves, and saying to myself, "This needs a varnish before I ship it out." Then it somehow ran away--went missing--for lack of a better explanation. I have turned the studio inside out, and it isn't here. Perhaps it went a-missing in a shipping box to some lucky person who received an extra. Maybe it slipped down behind the bookcases. Or perhaps I toted it outside to get a shovel and set it up on a shelf in the tool shed. Yeah, that's possible around here, too. Who knows, but it is gone. So what to do? Well, ethically I need to provide the buyer a painting, but cannot duplicate the same thing in the same size, because that compromises the originality for the second or subsequent one. Many artists have done paintings of similar imagery, and have called them a series, or painted them different sizes. Since the buyer loved the scene, it was the choice to make a larger painting and hope for a gracious positive reply to my email revealing the foibles of having so much going on, and having drunk a large glass of senior stupid.
So out came the brushes, and I painted the second image, which I attach for your perusal. This is an 8 x 10 acrylic, and is called "Pasture Light #2". Back to the portrait tomorrow.

December 18 - Commission, and a Lesson Painting Begins

This commission (one of three on my plate this month) is of a lovely woman and child who live in Hawaii. It is a larger painting, measuring 24 x 18 inches, and is to be stylized to be a strong suggestion of the two, but not an exact likeness. I like this idea! Here is the earliest phase of the painting, with the underpainting of the warm burnt orange and the drawing placement of the heads done loosely the way I normally do. I haven't decided if this will be finished in oil or acrylics, but at this stage, I'm working in acrylic. I spritzed the wet orange paint with alcohol to create additional texture. Although most of this will be gone in the final layers, it is always intriguing to having this on the "ground floor", so to speak.

Isn't it appropriate to be doing a portrait of a mother and baby just before Christmas? Life moves in funny and profound ways....

December 17 - From the Back of a Horse

From the back of a horse, I tend to find perspective in a lot of things. Today I was on the back of a horse for about four hours (on Raindance), singing Christmas carols on the streets of Norco with a bunch of friends from my riding club. The horses were decked out in garlands, bells and tree skirts made into rump blankets, and we were all dressed in red and green. My camera's still out in the trailer, so I don't know if there are any good pictures for you. But riding the horse seems to keep me sane. There's always a lot on one's plate during the holidays, and so I find it quite easy to combine the horse experience with escaping, and that's the reason for this painting. A rider with a pack horse, heading off through the high aspen country, in the middle of summer, sounds like a good escape to me. I'm waiting for a few decisions on commission work, so that's why painting something as nice as this little 5 x 7 acrylic is a true escape! $100 from the dailypaintings.com web site for this date

I've been formulating a design for a designer creating images for a hotel in Costa Rica. Different from my thick, painterly style, these "sketches" are done in acrylics, and are more linear in design and execution. They wanted a lighter touch for the hotel on the ocean. I show you only one tonight because the triptych is 27" wide--hard to put in an email! This is the leftmost of a trio of three. Makes me want to go there---the rain is coming down tonight! It measures 5" tall by 9.25" wide. We'll have to see what the designer says tomorrow...

The paper is Stonehenge, and works really well for smooth paint application. And the stuff wears like iron!

December 15 - Revisiting an older landscape with new knowledge

How I love revisiting some quickly-done painting from "long ago and far away" (heh heh...) This one never made it in its original form to my Santa Rosa Plateau paintings page . Now this 8 x 10 oil is much better in design and value, and pleases me because of the fresh brushwork and interesting feel of evening distance. Something good is happening as I continue to paint every darned day--figuring out what's important is getting a bit easier, and I have no hesitation in revisiting older work with a certainty that hasn't been part of me prior to this regime of every-day working.
Holiday plans are crimping my planning time for some commission work coming my way, but I'll get to them by Sunday and all next week. My beloved siblings and a few friends are coming over tomorrow for dinner, so I'm chasing dust bunnies as I wish you a good day! $125 from my Daily Paintings web site via PayPal.

December 14 - Painting on Location, Riverside Mission Inn

Anyone who has been to Riverside has probably passed by the Mission Inn, famous for a thousand different things, not the least of which are the holiday light displays. I met up with another painting friend (Hi, Joan!) this afternoon for a quick session before the light disappeared. However I didn't capture the holiday lights on the building, as they clicked on two minutes after I left (and it was too dark to see my palette!) The palm tree on the right is actually much darker--the lights tonight washed out that upper right corner.
So this 10 x 8 acrylic came to a quick stage of almost finished while the sun set and the lights of the town blinked on. I like it because of the warm sunshine colors and the more somber colors found in the shadows. Fun to paint on location with the pill box setup, and using acrylics. They are still in the car, and I rest assured that they won't dry overnight, unlike the painting, which is completely dry! $200

December 13 - The Cat in the Snow, Acrylic, 8 x 10

Hmmm, texture again, and Bats the Studio Cat! Of course, Bats has never seen snow, but he will always model for me, and I can then have a wonderfully fun time making the snow and shadows behind him in this fanciful landscape, comvered in rime and icicles. Entitled, "Will You Feed Me?" Bats might play the role of a feral cat looking for a handout. I've entered this one in a national show on animals in art. Original acrylic, 8 x 10 inches $175 from the Daily Paintings web site for December 13.

December 12 - Deer in the Forest, Acrylic, 16 x 20

More snow! One of the bigger canvases! Egad... (I hear the rest of the big canvases shuffling in the racks like the owls asleep at Hogwarts--I wonder whether they are shuffling away from me, or making movement to be chosen next?) This is a 16 x 20 inch canvas, with handmade papers under the paint, completely sealed for archival quality. The acrylics make a ton of texture, and the details are always easy to pick out--a branch here, a pile of snow there, a deer... wait?!! Look what walked into an otherwise interesting textured woodland! Yes, the eye goes directly to whatever has a heartbeat. Note that the deer is in the "Golden Mean" and not poking around in a corner somewhere. Good design can be simple or complex, but it ought to follow the rules of good design! And the common blue/orange complementary color scheme is pleasant, too.
Now in the collection of Fay Bohlayer of Dawsonville, Georgia.

December 11 - Snow Country, 12 x 24 Oil

"Snow Country" Today's painting is a major change for an earlier daily painting. You can see the earlier version of this 10 x 20 inch oil on the dailypaintings.com web site, under the date of June 30 of this year. When I first painted it, the temperature outside was 90 degrees! Tonight I bring it to a different finished state, and change it tremendously--from summer to winter! Why do artists go after work they've done and change it so drastically? One reason is growth of the artist's knowledge. We learn something new, and we want to practice the new knowledge because we see what we didn't know manifest in our earlier work. Another reason is a deep dissatisfaction with the work as it stood before, and a great desire to take on the challenge to see if it is possible to produce an evolution of sorts. And then there's just my reason--having run out of small canvases, I'm painting over bigger ones! (The order is in, they'll be here any day now.)

It is fun to change the colors so drastically, and enjoy the finished result. Oh, I could work more on it if I was of a mind to, but for now, this one still remains in a new finished state! $375

December 10 - Commission Finished!

"Sara Finished" Sometimes a painting just won't rest until it pesters you to work on it. I knew even though I had signed the painting yesterday, it wasn't going to rest until I'd come in and fixed all those "little things" that kept coming into my head since leaving the studio. So if you'll take the time to look at yesterday's work, you'll see what just wouldn't sit down and keep quiet.

I like it now, and feel far better about the light and the lift in the horse. So let's put a fork in it, because it's done!

The rainy weather kept me indoors for most of the day, and I worked on the cat tower exit to the "safe zone" for the kitties outside. I'll take a picture of it tomorrow when it's light. This is in the student area/gallery, where I'll finally be able to re-open my studio for artists one day a week, planned for January. I can hardly wait, because when artists come up to the studio, I also learn a great deal. I paint with them, we share stories and hints, and it is one of the rewarding moments in my week. I hope to see returning students/artists, and add new ones in this locale.

Now in the collection of Paula Worstell of Carlsbad, California.

December 9 - Not quite finished, but getting there, Commissioned Portrait

"Sara on Her Way" I've started to put in the details, but have decided that I'm going to go back in and fix some things that don't sit right with me, so please hang on to your comments until after tomorrow. This has gone on for more days than I wanted, just because I'm sorting out a lot of "stuff" outside the studio. Tomorrow promises some much needed rain (it is beginning right now as I type this, close to midnight) and I will be able to get studio time dedicated in a large swath during the day tomorrow.

I've heard from the originator who has kindly provided me with a head study without helmet so I can bring a more relaxed pose on the rider.

Although not finished yet, I have made some good progress on it, with the embelliishment of the larger areas of color to make them more interesting.

December 8 - The Horse and Rider Commission (and Art Lesson) Continues...

"Lesson on Sara" Wow, what a change! I've spent the time painting the background and wokring more on the anatomy of the mare at this point, bringing and reinforcing where I want your eye to go (the head of the horse). The rider is secondary to the message of this work, so I will downplay all but her jacket/covering.

Again, at this point I am not overly concerned with the exact outline of the horse, but rather am taking care of the "rest of the story"--the background, the values and the forward motion. Most of you know I don't do those special details until the entire canvas is covered--well, here it is almost 97% covered. Now I can "kick back" and start picking out the details, making corrections, embellishing the larger shapes. Will you be patient until tomorrow? And yes, this painting is still in the "uglies".

December 7 - Commission and Lesson Continues

"Lesson on Sara" Now this is going about as expected, but I haven't had a lot of time to put in on it. So what you see today is not as major a change as might be, however there are important things going on that need to be explored/explained. Yesterday I focused on the position of the horse, and today, I filled in the horse and rider with the major color notes and major value to set them apart (on the darker side) from the middle ground of the background. Here's where the head takes over what is visually there: choosing to keep the horse and rider backlit, and then make the rest of the painting in the middle value range, I can assure that the subject will "pop" when I add the highlights and backlit warms on the final pass. Horse = dark, background area = middle values, leg wraps and shirt and shine on the horse = highest value notes. Ka-POW.
As I work through this stage, I am correcting the horse and rider as I fill in these areas. Rest assured that they will undergo even more "tweaking" as I search for the correct pose and action.

I am planning the background with a few light brush marks as well, note that none of the to-be-dark trees will be directly behind the horse's head. We want that to be the major area of focus, so having similar values in that area would negate that goal.

December 6 - Lesson Painting, Commission of Horse and Rider

"Lesson on Sara" Time to do another lesson painting! This time a commission, and I'll share with you the photographs that were provided by the individual. This one will really be pulling out all my reserves as I work from material that isn't exactly what the client wants. I have to "cut and paste" and rely on core knowledge to depict the horse effectively. "Sara" is now an aged mare, and the owner is wanting me to paint her in her prime. She's also jet black, always a challenge, since you don't have a wide range of values between shadow and reflected light to play with. But like Jack Nicklaus, I envision the successful painting before I begin, so have in place the necessary confidence to begin. Attached is the position wanted for this painting. Hold on to it to see how it changes!
As you may know, I first prime the canvas with a color to get rid of the white. This comes from the "old days" of drawing when we were told to work on value 5 gray paper, and use black and white Conte crayons to discover your values above and below this midpoint. It is always a good exercise! Having a mid-value ground on which to start keeps me sane when I am also considering color, shape, line, mass, and texture. Wouldn't you at least want one thing easier?
The initial drawing is not detailed at all, but merely finding edges, placement of the form, and leaving enough room for the horse to move into. Her forward direction makes it essential to have "space" for her to move. The reference photo doesn't have this, and although a nice square composition, it becomes quite static. My drawing is just suggestions at this point. To do details here would be paying too much attention too soon while ignoring the entire painting, edge-to-edge. Corrections to the anatomy and thrust will be made later. Oh, this is a 9 x 12 oil.

December 5 - Persimmons, 6 x 12 Oil

"Persimmons" From life, a gift from the student living in our guest house, these delicious persimmons first found their way to this still life, before being sliced and consumed! Original oil, 6 x 12 inches $250

December 4 - California Landscape, 12 x 12 Oil

"California Ridge" Today I took a break from working in the studio to make a new hiking trail on the mountain behind our place. It was about 3 p.m. and entailed the following steps: I took the machete out and sharpened it on the grinder. I led Vincent van Goat out of the pen and put his pack saddle and red pack bags on, loaded with water and my sweatshirt, and off we went. The mare (who thinks Vincent is her foal) went crazy neighing and running back and forth most of the time we were up on the mountain, creating quite a dust storm as she galloped back and forth in the corral. Using the machete, I cut about three-tenths of a mile of new trail through the brush until the sun was gone and it started to turn cold. Trail cutting is both hard work and euphoric, and I do enjoy it. A new hiking area is opened up, I can let the terrain guide the location and direction of the trail, and working in the company of a friendly white goat is very much in touch with nature.

Of course, since I was looking at those rocks up behind the studio, I needed to switch gears when I returned and paint some! So here's today's painting, a 12 x 12 oil, of rocks and possible trail locations, so very characteristic of California hillsides. One ought to paint the things that are close to your heart, and I was very close to the brush and rocks as the trail opened up due to my effort. $250 from the Daily Paintings site for December 4.

December 3 - Vintage Ornament, Flocked Glass, 5 x 7 Oil

"Vintage Ornament #3, Flocked" The weather has been dry, cold and windy, the only warm spots in sheltered corners of sunshine and the house cats are seeking indoor quadrants of warmth in the morning. The dry air is hard on my sinuses, but I was out with the machete cutting more cactus as I continue to clear out an area for a rock garden with succulents.

And as I think about these ornaments coming to light, I am finally ready to paint this one--It has a special meaning. This one's a tree-shaped flocked glass with those colored bands again, this time they are red and blue. My earliest memory of this one was back in the late 50's when we lived near Washington, D.C. My dad worked in the Pentagon, and I was about six years old. I can remember lying under the natural spruce tree looking up at the lights and this ornament, and pretending I was out west somewhere. Although none of these ornaments are expensive, they are fun to paint and are precious to me. I heard from another list member who suggested that they be put on display on a spring rod in a window, high enough to be out of the range of the cats. It's a good idea! 5 x 7 Oil for $100

December 2 - Golden Globe, Christmas Ornament, 5 x 7 Oil

"Golden Globe" Oh the weather outside is frightful, but inside the fire's delightful...or something like that! Here's another of the vintage ornaments, this one being part of a set that my mother modified with the year, my name and where we were living. I have a handful of these 2" round ones left, this is the gold one. Interesting in doing it, I managed to paint my reflection, too. I like the old fashioned hangers on these as well--fun to paint those shadows! $100 through PayPal on my Daily Paintings site for December 2.

December 1 - Christmas Ornament, 7 x 5 Oil

"Tired of Red and Green?" Today I unpacked the glass ornaments for our small tree, and even though I cannot hang them due to the cats, it was so poignant to see these vintage glass orbs and shapes come to light for this time of year. So instead of putting them away, I brought the box down to the studio. This particular one is from the 50s, used to be on my aunt's tree, and they didn't do red and green, but this one in gold and turquoise. Such fifties colors! It will be tough to paint the ones I inherited from my folks, but I think I will do it. Great exercise for the painter with this subject! Original oil, 7 x 5 inches.
SOLD to the collection of Jeffrey Weisman of East Hampton, New York.

November 30 - Cloisonne Miniature Vase, 6 x 4 Acrylic

"Cloisonne" This tiny (less than 2 inches in any direction) vase made out of cloisonne I've had since I was a kid. I think my aunt may have brought it back from her Asian travels in the forties and fifties--she was a dietician for the U.S. Army, a career Sargeant. My first memory of this little vase was when I stuck a couple flowers in it and entered it in the Ventura County Fair in the Floral Arrangement category. I was probably 13. No, I didn't win any ribbons for it. Today it is a 6 x 4 acrylic. $100

November 29 - Cat "Blue" 6 x 4 acrylic

"Cat Blue" I spent part of this evening putting together a cat tower for the studio, almost 8 feet tall, with cubbie holes and platforms, making a play place for the kitties, who both are on the sheepskin behind me on the floor. Darn cats won't have anything to do with it yet. Catnip coersion is in the plot for tomorrow. So with kitties on my mind, what could be more natural than this 6 x 4 acrylic of a domestic long hair, either a dilute tabby or a silver, your choice, coming off the brushes. The expression is one saying,"You expect me to rush over and act like I like this new thing?" Gotta love those cats! $100 from the Daily Paintings Page for November.

November 28 - Cozy Onions, Acrylic 5 x 7

"Cozy" 5 x 7 Onions, cozying up to keep warm, now that the weather has changed into cold and crisp. Tonight I'm sore from aikido, and yawning to beat the band, but couldn't get upstairs without doing my daily painting! My being tired still makes a decent piece of work, because more of my intuitive processes take over. This is an acrylic, and painted from life on a gallery wrap canvas. $100

My goodness, I can hardly keep my eyes open! G'night! Oh, almost forgot--the decorator came back with, "Incredible! Amazing! Beautiful! What took you so long??????? It is perfect for my mtg tomorrow and maybe will be the final selection." Doesn't get much better than that!

Just sold to Marlene Frechette of Yuma, Arizona and Alberta, Canada

November 27 - New Places, Oil, 9 x 12

"New Places" 9 x 12 Oil on canvas panel. I received an email from the designer who commissioned the six paintings from me last year, asking for a general idea on a landscape painting with yellows and some blues. She mentioned the Hawaii paintings, and this work would be for a job in Costa Rica. I've been to Central America, including Costa Rica, and know of its tropical nature. Today's painting just literally fell off the brushes as I got back in touch with the forests and sunlight, soul and memory. This one isn't for sale right now, unless it is too far away from the concept. I sure like it, though.

November 26 - Little Girl in a Big World, Acrylic 12 x 9

"Choices" 9 x 12 acrylic comes off the brushes this evening, and I particularly like this one, as it reminds me of myself. I grew up on the edge of a lake in northern Virginia, and enjoyed many a summer looking across the water figuring out what I was going to do. It is fun to paint something that is so much who I was as a kid, yet coming through who I am as an artist today. $300 from my Daily Paintings Web Site for this date.

November 25 - Still Life with Roses, Oil

"Flower Joy" Almost square at 15.5 x 16 inches, this is a nice painting full of the joy of flowers in a bouquet, with a pear (oh, those pears!) and some odds and ends. This actually started out as a monochrome painting (one color plus black and white) but I used color to put that final layer on. Very loose handling of paint, too! $300 from my Daily Paintings Web Site for November.

November 24 - Lesson Painting "Morning Fishing" Finished, Acrylic

"Going Fishing" I think I have the painting where I want it now, and again I ask you to compare it to yesterday's unfinished form. It has many more layers of color, and I feel as if the misty feel and the coolness of the weather are in place. The focal point is complete, the two figures, a lady and a man, are loading their gear in the boat for a morning of fishing. This was completely from my head, without any photo reference, so please be kind! I'm off tomorrow to ride and relax, although not going to the desert as planned due to the traffic and so much to do around this house. I'm not disappointed at all, since decorating for the holidays is always a fun time. And my hubby has built some wonderful shelves for frames and canvases, and I need to fill them! $300 from the Daily Paintings web site for November.

November 22 - Lesson Painting, Stage Two, Acrylic

"Second Pass" Ah, the wonders of acrylic paint! Check out the difference between this painting and the one from yesterday. Much has changed, and in my mind's eye, the story is more powerful and the lighting far better as I move toward reaching the goal of telling a story at a particular time of day. Now how did I get that feeling of light so much stronger behind the trees? Contrast. The trees aren't any darker, but the sky became more pure in color. I put cad yellow and cadmium oirange with only a scosch of white to it, and lightened the distant water with the sun's reflection.
And now your eye immediately goes to the two people in the first boat , because it is human nature to look for whatever has a heartbeat in any painting. Before, you'd look over the boats or tree shapes because they repeat with variety. Still more work to do on this one to complete the water and solidify the boats and folks, yet I'm much happier with it now!

November 21 - Lesson Painting, Lake and Boats

"First Pass" I didn't get the first lay-in on this 24 x 30 acrylic, it went so fast, I forgot to take a picture! This is another water painting in acrylics, and will have two fishermen getting into the first boat on the left when it gets further along. They'll have their gear and rods, too. I know what I want to say with this painting, and that's the story of two early risers going out for a morning of fishing on a pine-rimmed lake. A far cry from the dry, warm weather we've been having here, and not at all the desert coming up this weekend. Tomorrow is the American holiday of Thanksgiving, and my beloved spouse and I will spend it quietly together without guests. This is a far cry from the last couple of years, when we went to see my Mom in her assisted living place, where she arranged to have a cadre of her resident friends come together for a table to create a "family". Some of the residents there didn't have close relatives, and were alone. We enjoyed going over, bringing laughter and stories to the holiday table. Tomorrow will be reflection and love right here. I hope yours will also have closeness and sharing.

This first lay in is done COMPLETELY with the cool palette, lots of thinned glazes of alizarin and ultramarine blue and burnt umber. Very loose and yes with enough realism to keep you knowing what is coming. I'll move to the warm palette to add the final sky, the figures and the water reflections...but that's tomorrow!

November 21 - By the Lake, Acrylic

"By the Lake" This painting is also known as "New Front Brakes" because I painted it while waiting for my truck to be serviced before the desert trip on Friday. Turns out more was needed than just an oil change (sigh), Good thing I took my acrylics with me, as I was able to do this 8 x 10 and even prepare four other 8 x 10 surfaces. Never sit around with a magazine if you can paint! My setup was the same as the one I showed you in Hawaii last month, without the tripod. I just put it on a table and painted away. Now if you choose to do this, be sure to take your MP3 player, or iPod, so people won't disturb you. I got all the way through a Stephanie Plum audio mystery!
JUST SOLD to Elyse Hasznos of Parker, Colorado.

November 20 - Desert Light (Palms)

"Desert Light" I will be heading for the desert for a couple of days after Thanksgiving on Thursday, taking the horse, and my camper, and my dog. I've got my mind on the desert landscape, and painted this to set myself up for the fun of going and painting for a few days. I hope to be able to post the daily paintings while I'm there--going out to a coffee shop--but if I cannot do it, I want you all to know I will be busily painting and sending all of them on Sunday.
This 8 x 10 oil is done with Dorland Art Wax, a jar of which I found in the move and set out to use. Dorland's is a great medium to add to paint to create stiffer texture and to increase drying time. It looks and behaves like Crisco, without the melting issue. I bought mine from ASWExpress.com many years ago, yet it is still as good as new. This is a nice little painting--looking over the other desert pieces I've done, it has the best color. $125 from the Daily Paintings Web site for the 20th of November.

November 19 - Single Pear

"One Left" Yes, two of the three from yesterday's painting are gone. How satisfying it is to have a still life setup serve a dual purpose! Feed the muse and feed the artist. This forlorn little pear in its 6 x 6 inch gallery wrap canvas (oil) is the sole survivor of the feeding frenzy after last night's session...ha!

You see some flashes of blue in the upper left side, they weren't in the painting when I photographed it, but I like them so well, I've gone back and added in the color excitement. Sometimes working in several different media can give that ol' artist muse a kick in the tushie. Works for me! $100
SOLD to Jenna Nober of Chevy Chase, Maryland.

November 18 - Three Pears (SOLD)

Nothing like a day trip to a couple of museums to fire up your artistic juices! Today was my bi-annual "Instructor-Led Field Trip" for my online college students. They meet up with me at museum locations, and we tour the exhibits together. Doing smaller museums allowed me to take in two--the first being the Palm Springs Art Museum. I was totally impressed with the building and the artwork contained therein, and thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits, especially the desert landscapes and Masters of the West wings! Thomas Hart Benton, Clyde Aspevig, Carl Runigus, Charles Russell and Frederick Remington were all well represented! If you have a local art museum, promise yourself to go visit, because there is NOTHING quite like seeing art in person to affect your senses.  
 The second museum was the Riverside Art Museum, and I was not impressed by the contemporary balloon exhibit, and there was only one other exhibit showcasing Hispanic Heritage. Even though there were works by artists I know, I was disappointed that there wasn't more information about the work and artists, since they didn't have docents. 

Today's painting is from life, three pears on a purple plate, and my intent in doing this 6 x 12 study on gallery wrap canvas was to play up the complimentary colors and create dramatic chiaroscuro (grand value contrast) for an old world look. Can't stop with the brushwork, though!  Hope you enjoy it.
SOLD to Nancy Merrill of Salt Lake City, Utah.

November 17 - Mogo the Dachshund Finished!

Here's the commission painting, finished. You can see that I've done major revision to the dog, adding details and making corrections to the left ear, and added the collar. Mogo is a small dog, so I tried to enhance the feel of his smallness by alterin the proportions from the source material to push the feel. I added interesting details to the background as well, and coordinated the color of the shadow to the dog. I hope you enjoy the finished product, while I'm awaiting the verdict from the owner. (She loves it!)

November 16 - Mogo the Dachshund, Stage Two Lesson

I spent my painting time today putting in the major color areas of the background, developing the body of the dachshund with broad brush strokes and refining the outer shape of the dog. Note that I haven't spent any time on the eyes, which will be the focal point. I do this, because avoiding the focal point means you'll spend time thinking on what's important and what isn't important in the rest of the painting. you see, if I can make the rest of the painting beautiful without the focal point, then I'm 80% on my way to a good painting. The focal point just is the icing on the cake. Note the lack of details and sharp contrasts int he background. That keeps your eye on the dog, yet those lovely colors support and uphold the dog in the composition by their brush direction and hues.

November 15 - Going to the Dogs, Dachshund, Lesson Painting!

"Going to the Dogs" This is an ordered commission started for your enjoyment, as I heard so many nice comments on the last painting that went in several stages. A 9 x 12 oil, the owner of this dog is looking for me to capture the essence and vitality of Mogo's personality. Even at this early stage, I think I'm headed in the right direction. Specifics: I started with a tone to the canvas of Australian Red Gold by Artist Spectrum Oils, to both warm and get that high value white outta there. Then I sketched in the dog with broad brushwork (no preliminary drawing on the canvas) using ultramarine blue and burnt umber with about a #8 filbert. I wiped out to correct major errors on edges, and to lift out the placement of the jaw. The blue is to keep me reminded that his coat has a bunch of sky reflections. The upper right darker area is to counter-balance the weight of the dog's position. I'd need a much longer canvas to get the tail in, too! But if I did that, I'd sacrifice the focus on his head and expression. Note that the shadow shapes on the ground are in at this early stage, too. That's because they are very important to the overall design! Tomorrow, more canvas covering.

November 14 - Artwork for the Bathroom, Roses

This morning I woke up to the task of hanging some art work in our home, including some of my own. Picking the pieces that would share positions of honor (a huge Robert E. Wood watercolor, an Ovanes Beberian oil, a Dan Mieduch western, a Zade Pollack of four sailors, and the Ralph Love desert piece) was an easy task.  Finding work that would fill the rest of the house brought up a really interesting dilemma. Here I have what seems like a bazillion pieces of my own work sitting around, up in the racks and framed, and yet I have to fill spaces in the house that seem to ask for a particular style or color scheme that I just don't have! I did a lot of looking over my work, and decided that a lot of it won't fit to make a cohesive whole for the house. Thus today's painting....for the guest bathroom that is mainly white, pink and gray green with a theme of roses. I thought the painting would be boring, as it is so pre-programmed to be one way, yet the actual painting of it satisfied many of my goals. I like the looseness of it, and how quickly it came off the brushes. Now I have something of my own that just fits that bathroom! Oh my goodness, it doesn't match the sofa however. Hahahahaha!! (12 x 9 oil, Not for sale)

November 13 - Morning Sunrise, Texture in Acrylics

Well, here it is, in all its newly added texture!  After that first pass of yesterday, I went into some of the nifty jars of bottled texture that Golden Paints makes, using both glass beads and resin sand to palette knife up the texture.  Then I started painting the "real" painting on top of this, after it dried, of course. I just love what texture excitement does to the human eye!  So much to look at, and SO unusual for a pastoral, calm scene such as this sunset.  The paint skips over the high points and leaves the valleys in between with the under painting showing through. Like a lace overlay, perhaps. Although it has a strong appeal for me, some folks won't like it. But that's OK, because if we all liked the same things, there'd surely be some really crowded places on this planet! I hope you enjoy the idea that having fun with paint is a wonderful diversion from the serious museum pieces that also come out of the studio. 
  This is a 12 x 12 gallery wrap canvas, with texture all the way around the 1.5" edges, so it is very contemporary. $150 from my Daily Paintings website.

November 12 - When in Doubt, Paint it Out

"When in Doubt, Paint it Out" Someone asked me recently, "Elin, do you paint over old ones?" And I sure do. It is especially fun if you have an old acrylic painting sitting around. I don't varnish with a varnish that would negate the opportunity to revisit the surface, so here is the first pass on a 12 x 12 gallery wrap canvas that used to have a lot of texture on it from the previous painting. What this opportunity gives me is a chance to really texturize the upcoming layers after the early lay-in of the basic color ideas. I'm really going to go nuts on this one! However, I'm baring my soul to show you the first pass, when anyone with half a mind might say, "Elin, all that junk is going to compromise the finished surface!" Please hang in there until tomorrow, when this puppy is going to undergo a MIGHTY change! I put the light on it so you'd really see the texture I might be fighting, but not really!

November 11 - Morning Run (Horse)

Back into acrylics! This is a 4 x 6 (think tiny) painting and it is an exercise in painting with muted color to convey the sky. Just a quick study, I wanted to put a horse in it because of the ride I was on today... Four and a half hours in the saddle and dust, and tonight I'm just beat to my socks. Lots of hills and climbing, and steep inclines to descend--works the muscles, and I'm a tad sore. The mare came through with flying colors, though, and this is kind of a "spirit running" thought. Now I'm going to get some much-needed rest!
SOLD to the collection of Karen Bresenhan of La Grange, Texas.

November 10 - Tangerines - Clementines

"Clemintines" I was so pleasantly surprised to see the fall tangerines in the market tonight, so I came home, ate about four of them, and stopped long enough to paint these two on one of my plates. They are both gone now, too! I realized I hadn't painted fruit for a couple of weeks, so it surely was time. Still life subjects bring me homeward, and remind me of the seasons. I hadn't painted a tangerine since they were in the stores last year! Original oil, 6 x 8 inches on gallery wrap (no framing needed)
Sold to the collection of Nancy Merrill of Salt Lake City, Utah.

November 9 - Western Cowboy Makeover, Extreme?

"Extreme Makeover, Maybe Not" I ended up painting tonight rather late, so instead of beginning a new canvas, I took one of my older ones, and tweaked it--been meaning to do this for some time to this one, because although the initial idea of the painting was strong (it was/is called "The Conversation"), the overall abstract design and color bothered me. Now I like the way it focuses the attention where I want it to be--between the man and horse. I've attached the older version as well, so you can compare the two. I sure hope you prefer this version!

Available for $440 unframed by clicking the button:

November 8 - Lesson Painting Finished! "Memories of the Ride" 12 x 16 Oil

"Finished: Memories of the Ride" Here's the finished painting, with all the changes, details, edges foundn and lost, and the great fun of putting the finishing touches on this 12 x 16 oil. you can see how I "knitted together" the distant shore and the clumps of grasses by the taller verticals, both on the right and left sides. I had a LOT of fun with the water, too, adding the sparkles and the reflections that break the rules. The riders in the foreground have had all the details added without changing the inherent values of the underpainting (squint your eyes at the earlier versions and this one to see how one must honor values throughout painting). The sky had another layer added to make it alightly bluer, since now I know just how much (or how little) blue wad needed. Now, what can you tell me about the working methods you've seen here? What's important to remember, and what doesn't get painted until the last?
Available for $450 unframed from my Daily Paintings Website.

November 7 - Third pass on the painting of horses in the riverbed

"Third Pass: Memories of the Ride" Lots more paint on the canvas now, and you can realy start to see the color develop as I move away from the source material (bland photograph) and start to utilize the color system and add the appropriate intensity of hues where I want color excitement. I am laying in the middle values of the water, knowing that the final pass will have lighter sparkles and darker wave forms added. I consiously made the left-most horse lighter, so he would separate from the nearest rider with the yellow slicker. I put a few areas of pure color on the riders, but may tone down that later as well. Had I painted the sky as blue as the photograph, it would be fighting for attention now. Still more changes to go through--it may get bluer! Oh, what FUN! I love to paint water. Thanks for all your kind comments, too.

November 6 - The Lesson Continues!!

"Second Pass: Memories of the Ride" A considerable change from the underpainting's structure from yesterday. I am doing this because I have been asked many times by learning artists to show the steps in my painting process, and I am happy to do so. I started to paint in the atmosphere of the work, without worrying about the focal point. You see I've put in the grayed sky, and the distant shoreline. Note how little of the photograph's details show up in those areas, and that's because they are not nearly as important as the riders are going to be. At this stage I also want to be sure I have the values correct for the areas of the water, so I'm putting in some areas of color that will represent the major hue and value for those areas. All of this is done with color from the cool family. Notice I don't "draw" my subjects, but rather "find" them by painting around and up to their edges. The perspective on this piece shows the riders are below you, because the distant edge of the river is almost at the horizon (eye-level) line. More tomorrow!

November 5 - LESSON TIME! - First Lay In, 12 x 16 Oil, Horses

"Beginnings: Memories of the Ride" The river ride today was over five hours long, and I'm tired tonight! And the mare is mighty quiet in her corral, too. But I'm not too tired to begin what I hope will really be a spectacular piece--12 x 16 oil on linen, of the riders crossing the river. This is the first pass, showing the strength of the abstract structure of the design. There's a LOT going on here, setting up the feel for the coming paint layers. The color excitement will be in the riders and shadows underneath them, but all the mid and lower value areas around the perimeter will play rols as well. I really love backlit subjects, and this one ought to be sumpin' special when its finished. I've uploaded the source material so you can see what's in my head. As this progresses, scroll back up here to refer to this photo, OK?