"Paintings have a life of their own that derives from the painter's soul." Vincent Van Gogh

Thursday, September 30, 2010

My Father



I have 3 sisters and I have always maintained that I am my father's favorite daughter - of course, all of my sisters feel exactly the same way. Perhaps that says something about the man who made each one of us feel so special.  He has always been interested in my paintings and occassionally sends me clippings from the Wall Street Journal regarding the state of art in the world today. He thinks I charge way too little for my work and  constantly encourages me to raise my prices several 100%. There is nothing more delightful than to have a supporter like that to lend encouragement. He is so dear to me and I do remain convinced that, secretly, I am his favorite daughter!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Tiger Gourd and Mozart

This little gourd caught my eye. Its called a Tiger Gourd and it was love at first sight. A few sycamore leaves from my backyard completed the still life set up. As I painted today, I filled my studio with the violin of  Isaac Stern playing Mozart: Violin Concertos. The CD is 70 minutes long and I placed the last brush stroke as the final note faded away - as it turned out, in this painting, I think of each stroke of paint as being equivalent to a musical note. That makes me happy.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

American Impressionist Society 11th National Exhibition

Shipped my painting After the Race off to the American Impressionist Society Show in  Nashville, TN. I am so delighted to be included in a show that is billed as "a collection of some of the finest American Impressionists of our time". I love that! The hosting gallery is Richland Fine Art and the judge is CW Mundy. I can only imagine how exciting this show is going to be!
I wish I could go as I would love to see the show, attend the events and participate in one of the workshops that are offered to AIS members but life responsibilities here in San Diego prevent me from doing so. I am hoping there will be another time.

Friday, September 17, 2010

American Art Collector Magazine


Be sure to check out page 95 in the October issue of American Art Collector magazine. My painting  group 10 Everyday Painters  has a beautiful full page ad! I am so thrilled to be part of this wonderful group. Here is the link to our web page in case you missed it: http://teneverydaypainters.com/

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Running With Horses

Sometimes I dream of running with horses. 20 x 16 oil on canvas panel.

Copy of Gauguin and Degas Portraits

I learn a lot from copying the masters - it gives me an insight into what their processes might have been, it allows me to see color through their eyes and I almost always have one or two "Ah ha!" moments - and those moments make it very worth the time and effort.
This is a 16 x12 copy of the self portrait that Gauguin did to exchange with Van Gogh when they lived in the Yellow House and painted together in Arles for a short time. The use of color in this portrait is astounding . Here is a link where you can see the original http://www.artcyclopedia.com/Gauguin-LesMiserables.html.
 I also recently copied Edgar Degas portrait of his brother in law Albert Melida. I did this one from a photo reproduction in a book - the original is in Paris, I believe in the Musee d'Orsey.  The color in this portrait also fascinated me.

Friday, September 10, 2010

StrongBox for Shipping to the American Impressionist Society Show

I am getting ready to ship my painting "After the Race" to Nashville for the American Impressionist Society Show at the Richland Fine Art Gallery. The prospectus encourages use of the  AirFloat Strong Box for packing and shipping. It's a special cardboard box made expressly for shipping framed artwork. I first became familiar with this box last month when I helped repack and ship back some of the art work from the Women Artists of the West show. This box opens up like a book and the framed piece is gently nestled amongst layers of cushiony foam. The box is taped shut and the packing is done. It seems like a good investment as the box can be used over and over again. The link to the site is http://airfloatsys.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1 and I have attached a photo of the box. My box arrived today. It came shrink wrapped in plastic which made sense and was easily cut away. I measured the dimensions of my framed painting and popped out the corrugated foam area. The painting slipped in perfectly and I can't imagine it being more safe for its journey to the east coast. You can get puncture proof panels on the inside of the box for extra protection as well. My box does not have those in the interest of keeping the cost down. I purchased a box bigger than what I need for this 24 x 12 piece so that I can use it for larger paintings in the future. How is that for positive thinking!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Circus

Trying something a little different - I like how the spectators appear in silouette with backlighting in the foreground.  I dont know how the horses became so green but here they are and I must admit I am charmed by them!  24 x 18 oil on canvas panel.