Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Carriage Houses and Backyards

oil on board 7"x5"
purchase

I painted this in about three hours yesterday, from the roof of my studio. I like the sneaky aspect of viewing my town from up there, feeling invisible but having so many suprising views. 

Monday, August 12, 2019

Fairy Tale Eggplant

oil on board 8"x 6"
sold

I'd never heard of Fairy Tale Eggplant before I spotted these at the local farmer's market, and fell in love. At the end of a long day of painting, I sauteed them with garlic, parsley, tomatoes and peppers. They have none of the bitterness of globe eggplant, and cook quickly. Just darling things. 

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Dragon Fruit

oil on board 6"x 8"
purchase

I am developing a new way of working, trying to keep my work looking fresh and inspired but not too slap-dash. I choose a subject the day before, or very early in the day, then spend 6-8 very focused hours trying to capture it. Painting something with ephemeral beauty (or strangeness) helps me to feel that I better get my impression down quickly, as the second day it will have changed too much. I take a black and white photo of the subject at the end of the day. 

Then I turn the painting around and don't look at it for 2-3 days. When I finally check it out, I'm immediately struck by what works and what doesn't, and make a few changes or additions with the use of the photo, working for under an hour. I keep telling myself that the photographic image is not my boss- I'm the boss. 

It's fun, more fun at least than working things to death and losing the original feeling of inspiration. 

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Birthday Flowers

oil on board 8" x 6"
sold

I had a big birthday yesterday, and spent the day doing what I love best- working on a quick (and therefore imperfect) painting. So fun!