Morgan and Picasso

Morgan, almost 8 / oil on linen board, 12 x 12

Morgan is the very beautiful and accomplished 8 year old granddaughter of my cousin Audre. I painted this casual portrait of her as a surprise  Christmas gift. Morgans parents were very happy and rewarded  me with this photo of the painting nestled atop their mantle on Christmas day.

Generally speaking (and after seeing numerous cubist paintings at various museums), I am not a big fan of cubism but I am a big fan of Picasso's early work - he was such a talented and unique painter even then. Recently, after watching the Genius  television series on the life of Picasso, I purchased a used copy of the 1980 catalogue from the Picasso retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. It is a very comprehensive chronology of his work and I have spent many long hours pouring through it and learning from him. Many of the photos are in black and white but there are some fascinating color plates as well.

Pablo Picasso A Retrospective 1980

Child Holding a Dove 1901 and Self Portrait 1901

Woman in Blue 1901

Trying my hand at a Picasso and attempting to understand and emulate his fearless brushwork, I painted this little copy of a vibrant portrait he did in Paris in 1901

Portrait of Bibi la Puree after Picasso / oil on cardboard 12 x 9

This and That

Portrait Sketch / 10x8 / oil linen panel

First portrait of the new year - done from a photo.

Untitled / 24x20 / oil canvas panel

 And a larger oil done last year. I am still struggling for a an appropriate title for this one! A close up of her face gives an indication of her demeanor and hints at a good title. I just have not discovered it yet!

The Reinert Gallery was kind enough to frame the paintings I sent to them and send me these two photos - you can see that they are safely guarded by the ferocious gallery guard dog!

My husband and I spent Christmas in Las Vegas in December as neither of our children could make it home for the holidays. It was very cold and even snowed a little bit on one frigid, windy day! But we braved the chill and drove to Red Rock Canyon, which is only about 20 miles outside of the city. It was so unique and so beautiful! Here are some photos:

 

Hope everyone is having a great beginning to this New Year and that it is proving to be filled with creativity and accomplishment!

Life Portrait

Warren Ronsheimer / oil on canvas / 14x11

Another Wednesday morning life session - this portrait has it all - big glasses, a well trimmed beard, a colorful jacket, good light and shadow! I was a happy camper!

Shonnard Family

Shonnard Family / oil on canvas 16x20 

Something about the start of this triple portrait called to me as I viewed it on my easel and so I decided to bring it to completion using a reference photograph that I took during the session last Wednesday morning. I generally don't go back to portraits I do from life for several reasons - one is that I consider my oil sketches done there to be a learning experience and to stand alone as such and, secondly, photographs never have the same color, intensity of shadow or nuances of expression that are apparent when painting from life. And many of my previous attempts to complete life portraits in the studio have resulted in pure disaster. My Wednesday morning goals are usually to try to capture a likeness, depict something of the character of the model and to bring what I have learned back to my studio work. That being said, I decided to go ahead and finish this work and I am happy with that decision. I would be very interested to hear what you think! Here are a few close ups:

Detail 1

Detail 2

 And a quick still life (it has been ages and ages since I painted a still life) as I just love the color and vitality of this arrangement.

Exuberance of Appearance / oil on Masonite / 14x18

Addendum:
I just found out that two of my Christmas paintings are being featured on a website that originates out of New York called Cricket's Crush as Holiday Gift Ideas for The Art Collector. Here is a link for those who might want to check it out - Cricket's Crush
Pretty exciting stuff!

Renoir as an Old Man

Renoir as an Old Man / 20x1 / oil on artboard

Experimenting with a new support from Canson called Artboard and I like it very much. Renoir was painted from an old black and white photo showinghim seated in his studio. I was fascinated with his hands which were completely crippled and distorted as a result of severe arthritis. I just could not bring myself to paint them however. I read recently that he actually tied brushes to his hands in order to paint when he could no longer hold a brush.

Roux & Cyr Gallery Grand Opening and Art Mash 8

Having just returned from a trip to California to help my daughter move into her new apartment in San Mateo, I was delighted to find so many nice comments on my previous post. Thank you to all who follow my blog and for so many generous and encouraging comments - they help keep me going for sure!

Today is a very exciting day for me as it is the grand opening of the new gallery in Portland, Maine. Susan Roux and her business partner Paul Cyr have worked so hard to make this venture a success and I have no doubt that it will exceed their expectations! All are invited to the opening festivities - please do stop by if you are in the area!

Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery / 48 Free Street / Portland, ME 04101

The gallery was recently featured in a wonderful blog post on the Portland Old Port blog site: http://www.portlandoldport.com/france-texas-roux-cyr-finds-fine-art-portland/

Lissa / oil on linen panel  / 18 x 14

This portrait of Lissa was painted from life last Sunday during open studio at the art museum. The model was Lissa who was costumed as a fairy with a garland of ribbons and pearls in her hair. During the sitting, she was reading a book about fairies so her eyes were downcast. I had great fun painting her brilliant red hair and all those white ribbons!

Granddaughters of Marc Chagall

 

Oooohhhh - I am so done with this. I believe I painted the second face 4 times before I was satisfied. Finally, finally, finally I think I have a good likeness. In this photograph, the values appear different in the two faces because the paint is wet on one and dry on the other. Once the painting dries competely, I generally buff the surface with a thin coat of Winsor and Newton Liquin. It brings out the depths of the darks beautifully and dries to a low sheen finish.  I will try to to remember to take another photo when I do that. This painting is 14x18 oil on linen board - my favorite support.

Here is the close up of the second portrait. I must admit, this project exhausted me!

Gustav Klimt - Portrait Practise

Oil on canvas 14x11. Done from a black and white photo reference. I recently bought a tube of Winsor and Newton Permanent Green and needed to try it out!

Place Holder

The new house is still undergoing renovation - cherry hardwoodflooring being installed in the art studio as we speak. I am so eager to get back to painting.  This older piece caught my eye as I was packing to move - please consider it a place holder until I can get back to the easel and show some new work. I have a feeling I may be very rusty at first! 12x16 Woman with Water Bottle - oil on canvas panel.