Poetry of the Moment

Poetry of the Moment / 12 x 16 / oil on canvas

Focused with Uncanny Authority

Focused With Uncanny Authority / oil on canvas panel / 18x24

Harmonic Resolution

Harmonic Resolution / 16 x 20 / oil on linen panel

Finished this afternoon. I am intrigued by the blue background and greenish sky. I may try that combination again in another painting.

The Return

18x24 oil on linen

Its been quite some time since I posted a new painting in my blog. This past month has been one of struggle and introspection. I would like to begin painting and posting regularly and hope this painting marks the beginning of a new and productive phase for me.

One of my clients was kind enough to send me a photo of a painting that she recently purchased and framed. I think her attention to framing the piece so beautifully has really made this little painting sing.  As I always have a bit of separation anxiety when a painting is sold, it helps immeasurable to know that it has found a good home and is highly valued by its new owner. Thank you, Dana, for cherishing this painting.

Equine #7  14x18 oil on linen, framed

Steeplechase

22x28 oil on linen - so gigantic for me! I am emotionally exhausted after this one. The title is pending....

The Magic of Accelerated Motion

Painting this composition was thoroughly enjoyable as I was challenged by the extreme  foreshortening. Its so interesting trying to create from paint on a flat surface a three dimensional living breathing subject flying forward in time and space! Hope I somewhat succeeded! This is 20x16 oil on linen.

And the start of Ballerina #22 seems like there is chaos at the Quantum Jump School of Ballet!

Thank you all for visiting my blog and taking an interest in my painting endeavors.

Ballerinas are Taking a Break-Back to Steeplechase

 Weeks and weeks of struggle have gone by where I have wiped off untold numbers of painting attempts. This has happened to me before but perhaps not so profoundly as this time. The only way I can describe it is to say that the paint feels alien to me and I no longer have any rapport with it. I am hoping that I have emerged and can regain some confidence again. I am pleased with the painting of the steeplechase mishap above - and relieved to have experienced a sense of familiarity with my brushes, paint and canvas when painting it.  It is 20x24 oil on linen board.

This is a quick oil study done on heavy brown paper as an attempt to force myself out of my painting slump.

Through all of my struggles,  I  continued to attend life drawing whenever possible. It has really kept me going and given me the strength to survive the painting slump. The drawing above was a wonderful opportunity  at foreshortening and I had fun with the white charcoal pencil on the next two drawings of Tom.

A Vagary of Happenstance - finished

A few final tweaks and highlights and I will call this done. The color in this piece is somewhat unusual and was foremost in my mind once I captured the gesture of horse and rider in my initial oil sketch and then connected them to their spot in the landscape. I wanted the painting to be mostly high key and developed a palette of soft warm whites surrounding the cool, crisper whites of the horse. The orange and lavenders in the landscape and the lowering blue of the sky suggested themselves as I moved forward. Thank you to Susan Roux http://susanroux.blogspot.com/ for her comment in the previous post concerning color - I do love color and am constantly fascinated how color, value, form all play their role in translating the artistist vision in the mind to the final observable rendition. I think oil paint is a purely magical medium that allows me to place on canvas a glimpse into otherwise unobservable realities. Art and creativity is such a joy!

Work in Progress

Untitled so far - 18x24 oil on linen.

Thinking Big - 30 x 30

A new start today and a glimpse into another corner of my new studio.  My next project is to get some kind of lighting system. I have wonderful consistent northern light all day but need to be able to paint after the sun goes down!