Blue Ballerina

 

                                                            Oil on canvas panel / 30 x 15

 

And as a work in progress:

 

Thoughts and comments are always a joy to my heart. Thank you.

 

A Sold Painting and Toulouse Lautrec

Ballerina  #43 recently sold from the Roux and Cyr Gallery in Portland, Maine. Thank you so much, Susan Roux - you are the best! This painting went to the same collector that bought my crab with lemons painting last year. It's so nice  and an honor to have clients  come back to purchase a second piece and I am thrilled.

Here is #43 (and I can hardly believe that I painted this many ballerinas)!

Ballerina #43 /oil on linen panel / 16 x 12

Kathryn Ragan,  a wonderful watercolor artist and one of my long time blog followers, commented to me that my first ballerina at the circus painting reminded her of Toulouse Lautrec's circus themed drawings. So of course, I immediately went to Amazon and found a book originally published in 1953. The book  has very little text but each page showcases in beautiful color one of his 39 circus drawings. The reproductions are high quality and it is a a pure delight to leaf through, each drawing showing his deft and incredible draftsmanship.

The cover

And a peek inside.

Fraught With Possibiity

Fraught With Possibility /Oil on linen panel / 24 x 18 / 

Close up of upper body (the color turned out strange in this shot for some reason).

She fits on the canvas!

Fitting her on the canvas using my sketch as a reference

In this painting, doing a preliminary sketch helped me to decide what size canvas I needed and also helped to place the figure on the canvas. Unfortunately, my back went out in the middle of this endeavor. I powered through it but think I will take a few days rest now. :(

A Matter of Degree

A Matter of Degree / oil on linen / 12 x 9

Her enthusiasm is showing although she may pay for it with a backache later tonight!

Rekindling Enthusiasm

Rekindling Enthusiasm / oil on linen sheet / 16 x  12

A return of one of my ballerinas. She emerged from my brush when I stood in front of a white canvas wondering what to paint.

T Minus 2!

And counting! I started packing today and think I am just about ready for our European odyssey. I even have Euros in my wallet!

Here is what is hot off the easel just before I leave:

Ballerina # 42 / oil on linen panel / 16 x 12

Ballerina #43 / oil on linen panel / 16 x 12

Work in progress - portrait study / oil on cardboard / 12 x 16

Next stop Amsterdam! Happy creating everyone - I look forward to seeing all your new work once I get back home!

Ballerina #42

Ballerina #42 / oil on artboard / 20 x 16

Why paint large ballerinas you may ask. Several years ago a friend of mine confided to me that she often thought of herself as the ballerina she thought she wanted to be when she was a little girl. I found that to be a fascinating remark and set out to paint mature, accomplished women as they are but also living out a childhood dream. The ballerinas took on a life of their own and I discovered perhaps there is some humanity, elegance and truth in their large forms. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I have enjoyed painting them.

A Distinct Sense of Self or Ballerina #38 et al.

A Distinct Sense of Self / oil on linen panel / 12 x 12

 And trying my at hand a a few tiny pieces - a wee 5x7 nches! They are quite a challenge and require smaller brushes than I generally use.

A Potpourri of Possibilities / oil on canvas / 7x5

Hidden Variables / oil on canvas / 5x7

A Big Thank You to Michael Perchard and to Susan Roux!

Ballerina #16 / oil on linen panel / 18x14 / available at the Roux and Cyr Gallery

One of my most enthusiastic blog follower/ art buddy friends Michael Perchard and his wife took the time and effort to attend the Boston International Fine Art Show earlier this month where Ballerina #16 was displayed. Susan Roux of the Roux and Cyr International Fine Art Gallery in Portland, Maine included it in her exhibit booth.  Michael was able to meet Susan while he was there and was kind enough to write all about it on his blog.

Michael at Boston Show in front of my work and the work of fellow blogger Martine Alison!

Michael is a wonderful artist whose joy of life comes through in every brushstroke that he places on canvas - an amazing quality! You can find his work here: Art by Michael Perchard. I am so grateful to Michael for going to the show and sharing his photos and his thoughts with me. Thank you, Michael! And  I am grateful to Susan Roux at the Roux & Cyr International Fine Art Gallery for representing me and for providing me with the opportunity to participate in this event. Thank you, Susan (and Paul Cyr), and I am looking forward to the Small Works Show in December and to my solo (or semi solo) show in February. You are wonderful!

One of the paintings that I have shipped off to Maine for the December show is this one that I am so happy with and had a hard time parting with:

The White Pony / 12x9 / oil on Arches oil paper

Ballerina #37

Ballerina #37 / oil on canvas / 18x14

A chilly, windy, rainy day - perfect for painting!

Ballerina #32 and Happy Mother's Day

Ballerina #32 / oil on canvas panel / 24 x 18

 A lovely, quiet day spent in the studio today working on Ballerina #32. At one point the sky clouded over, thunder rolled and the next moment it began to snow heavily - on the 10th day of May! What a surprise! It snowed for about 20 minutes then the sun came out and all the snow melted!

My daughter also surprised me by sending this little book as a gift for Mother's Day. I have yet to look through it but I know I am going to be delighted as I was so captivated by his paintings that I recently saw in Washington.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's - may it be filled with love and joy!

Ballerina #31

Ballerina #31 / oil on linen panel / 24 x 18

Last night and into this morning, we experienced wild, torrential rain with wind was so strong that the rain hit the windows vertically as if shot from a fire hose. At times the drop were as big as marbles.  It was loud, exciting and a little bit scary as well but we needed the rain so badly. Even with this extreme delivery, it was welcome. As the winds died down and the sun peeked out, I put the final touches on Ballerina #31. I am going to dress it up in a wide silver leaf plein air frame and call it done.

Accepted!

Ballerina #3 / 16x20 / 

Ballerina #10 / 20x16

After a hiatus of about 2 years of not entering any shows, I decided to throw my hat into the competition ring once more. I am not exactly sure why or what it was that prompted me at this point in time, but I am happy to report that two of my favorite ballerinas were accepted and will be traveling to San Diego, CA this May for the 44th National Exhibit of Women Artists of the West! Oh, happy day!

In Pursuit of Fulfillment

In Pursuit of Fulfillment / 18x24 / oil on canvas board

What can I say?!

2014 Begins with Ballerina #31

Ballerina #31 / oil on canvas panel

So happy to spend the day in my studio today with Ballerina #31 and Sir Colin Davis. I didn't get a chance to listen to the Messiah around the holidays last year so today I played the entire recording by the London Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Sir Colin Davis in 2006. I still think it is the best recording of Handel's Messiah that I have ever heard. I am mesmerized by it and entirely swept away. What a wonderful day it was!

Ballerina #30

Ballerina #30 / oil on linen panel / 18 x 24

Another ballerina takes stage front! This one is 18 x 24, oil on Fredrix linen panel. I love the texture of the Fredrix linen and how it grabs the paint but wish it was a little bit less expensive. Even though I love it, I only buy it when I can splurge once in a while.

Ballerina # 29

Ballerina #29 / oil on linen panel / 24 x 18

I am a little happier with this ballerina than with my other recent attempts even though the color is unusual for me. Thank you for looking and for your thoughts.

Ballerina #28

Ballerina #28 / oil on linen panel /16 x 20

Ballerina #27 as a Work in Progress

Ballerina #27 / oil on linen panel / 20x16

A few final small tweaks and she is finished (highlights on lips and softened edges here and there). As promised here is her work in progress from beginning to end:

Stage 1

Once I have the idea for the painting in mind, I always begin with a rough oil sketch directly on the canvas. Once in a while I will do preparatory drawings but not generally. Once the proportions are correct and the oil sketch has the right amount of energy and motion, I begin adding color thinned with mineral spirits to get an idea of the value structure.

Stage 3

 In this stage, I continue working on values and have refined her face and tutu. At this rough point, I decided on a dark background with lots of intersting things going on.

Stage 4

The back ground was painted with a mixture of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue in just the right amounts to create this gorgeous grey.  I also added some raw sienna here and there to warm the grey.

Stage 5

Refinement of her slippers and clothing, adjustments to the skin tones and continued work on the background elements. This is the photo that I posted yesterday.

Stage 6

 The final painting with softer edges and some additional highlights.  Actually the color is more true to the previous photo but the lighting today was different in my studio and this is the best photo I could get.

And a close up of the face.

 Thank you to everyone for looking and thank you to Sandra Busby for asking to see a wip.
Happy Spring and Happy Easter to everyone!

Ballerina 27 - A Celebration of Spring

 

Ballerina #27 / oil on linen panel / 20 x 16

She was a long time in coming but made it here just in time to celebrate spring! My forsythia is brilliantly blooming and the grass is beginning to green. My pink day lilies are beginning to sprout and the magpies and flickers are busy building nests and starting families. For some reason, all this rebirth and renewal put me in the mood to paint a ballerina.  I have taken a series of photos of her progress along the way and will post them tomorrow as a work in progress for anyone who might be interested. Thank you to Sandra Busby for suggesting I do that. Happy Spring to everyone!