Category Archives: Painting

Online Studio Sale: Day 5 & 6

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This daily online studio sale is harder than it looks; I forgot to put up yesterday’s painting, so today, you get two!

"Scarlet Maccaw" - 2011

“Green Wing Macaw” – 2011
approximately 12″x16″ on 140lb Arches
$50

This Green Wing Macaw was actually a part of a class project. I really liked how it turned out; each time I see it I’m reminded how much small color changes can make a difference.

“Flamingo” was done at approximately the same time and was inspired by a trip to the San Diego zoo. When viewing real flamingos, I was amazed how little “pink” really had to do with their color.

"Flamingo" - 2011

“Flamingo” – 2011
approximately 12″x16″ on 140lb Arches
$50

Each of this is unframed, but matted to fit a standard 16″x20″ frame. I will offer them at a 20% discount at $40 each.

Oregon Championships & Online Studio Sale: Day 4

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On a cold, clear, blistery day I headed out to Portland Meadows for Oregon Championship Day.

A friend invited me up to join her at the Turf Club buffet and also told me about a special backstretch tour, which I was lucky enough to join!

This was the first time I had watched the racing anywhere except the rail, and it was nice just to sit back in a comfortable chair and watch the show on TV. I’ll have to do this again!

I got fewer photos than normal (only 1390), but I think there are some good ones here. Of course… I need to get to work! I realized the other day it was only seven months until the Emerald Downs Equine Art Show!

In the meantime, I looked through my paintings and realized that this painting was still loitering around the studio. [image removed]

This painting was painted from a reference photo at the 2012 Longacres Mile as Taylor Said (red and white) passes favorite Winning Machine (blue) at Emerald Downs. While there are many things Iove about this paintings, there are a few technical flaws that I have been unable to figure out how to correct.

It is currently framed; if you take it in the frame, I can offer it at $80 (20% studio sale discount); if you want it with just the mat, I can offer it at $40. I hope you’ll contact me and give this painting a good home!

Online Studio Sale: Day 3 – “Gambouge Iris”

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"Gabouge Iris" - 2011

“Gabouge Iris” – 2011
approximately 11″x14″ on 140lb Arches
$50

Irises are my favorite flower. In addition to this site (and two other painting sites) I manage the websites for local Japanese iris hybridizer Mt. Pleasant Iris Farm and the Greater Portland Iris Society. In my yard I have over 50 varieties of iris, and know more about them than I really should. Maybe if I knew a little less I’d do a better job keeping my beds weeded…

While I love to go out and paint en plein air at various iris farms around the area, this piece was created in my studio while I was experimenting with a new color (“Gambouge”), thus the title.

Like the other paintings so far in this online studio sale, this piece is matted, but not framed. It will fit into a standard 12″x16″ frame (easy to find) and always gets compliments when people see it at my shows. I’ll offering it at a 20% discount, so that would make it $40. It would make a great gift for the iris lover in YOUR life. Contact me if you are interested in adding it to your home.

 

Online Studio Sale: Day 2 – “Steens Mustang”

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In 2003, before I started painting (at least this time around) my family took a trip over the Steens Mountains.

My goal for this trip had one item–to see mustangs. And we were very lucky. We actually saw two different herds. We saw a band (from a distance) of the Kiger mustangs and then later we ran across a band of the South Steens herd (sometimes called the Hollywood pack because of how often they are photographed.)

We saw the Kiger herd briefly when we were driving up to Kiger Gorge lookout. It was early in the morning and we were the first cars on the road. The horses had come down for some early grazing, but the minute we entered the area, they were up and over the top of the next hill.

kiger2kiger1As you can see, the experience was brief and somewhat disappointing.

But later in the day we came across the South Steens herd, finding some shade under a tree.

When we stopped, I jumped out of the car and walked across the field to get a better shot. When I got closer, two of the horses separated from the herd and spent some time warning me off. I wasn’t interested in disturbing the herd, so I left when it was clear the herd wasn’t going to settle down again.

herd4

When I picked up the paintbrush in 2008, it wasn’t long before I tried my hand at a horse, and the memory of this trip is what I tried to capture. [image removed]

This painting always gets comments when I have it in my booth, and is one of my first attempts at capturing a memory and a subject at the same time. Like yesterday’s offering, I am offering it at 20% off ($40). It comes with a mat, but no frame; the mat will fit into a standard 12″x16″ frame that should be easy to find. Contact me if you are interested.

Online Studio Sale: Day 1 – “Between Classes”

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As promised, I’m starting my online studio sale today. This piece, “Between Classes” is a relatively recent painting. It was inspired by a snapshot taken at the Sound Equine Options “Ride to Provide” show this last spring. [image removed]

This piece comes with a mat that will fit into a standard size frame, but I have not framed it. I’ve been offering it for sale at $50, but I’ll over it now at a 20% discount or $40. I’m adding it to my pages at a regular price of $50; if it doesn’t sell by December 25, it will enjoy another tour of next year’s art shows!

Get in touch if you’d like to take this home!

I’m just working here…

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This weekend is a neat kind of weekend.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I have to make decisions ALL THE TIME.

What to wear, what to eat, what to paint, what to do.

But not this weekend! This weekend, I am merely a warm cog in the machinery of the organizations that I work for.

Saturday Morning

I got up and headed down to the Oregon Society of Artists to enter a couple paintings in the December “Urban & Rural Landscapes” Show.

osaThe great thing about this experience is that when you walk into OSA, you are bossed about: fill out this form, put that there, hang that. It’s great. Bing, bang, boom, and you’re done!

Also, I saw and talked to a bunch of my artist friends, which is always a lot of fun.

Saturday Afternoon

From here I drove across town to the Sound Equine Options barn. Not only was it my scheduled day to clean stalls, it was also “barn cleanup” day.

The horses were out playing in the fields…

theboys1 theboys2

This is Fritz, Nate, Jax and Rufus. Aren’t they lovely? And all up for adoption (just saying…)

For two hours I did as told. I cleaned stalls, swept things, unloaded buckets, and pulled dirt away from walls. When I got done, I said, “What do you want me to do next?” It was bliss.

The barn now looks amazing. I claim no credit, because I was just some short-lived grunt labor.

You probably have to be a horse person familiar with old barns to appreciate this. But trust  me, it’s gorgeous.

Saturday Late Afternoon

My final stop was a few hours serving as greeter and door counter for Three Rivers Artist Guild. I showed up at my appointed time and was given a script and a counter and worked the front door, greeting some of the 375 guests who showed up at our Holiday Show.

I’ll be here tomorrow as well. I have a large portion of my inventory in this show, as well as some extra knitted pieces that were lying around the house. I highly recommend coming down to the Oregon City Pioneer Center between 11-4 and checking it out.

None of these items are mine… but they are ALL awesome. TRAG artists really kick it!

Sunday Afternoon

The fun doesn’t stop with today! Tomorrow afternoon, my church is having an advent festival and I volunteered to help with the kids crafts. Again, I just told the leader I’d do whatever she wanted. I don’t know what that will be, but I’m assured that all I need to do is show up.

Sunday Evening

Finally, I will help with the tear down of the Holiday Show tomorrow evening. I know this will be hard work, but it’s something that I’m not in charge of and I just need to do what I’m told to do.

Awesome, huh?

Another last minute addition

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“If it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.” — Rita Mae Brown

I am working on expanding the pet portrait part of my business. I though a great way to do this, and support a good cause, would be to give a custom pet portrait to the Poker for Ponies auction for Sound Equine Options (happening on Saturday by the way) for their silent auction.

In order to get the maximum price, I thought having an example would be a good thing.

So, I selected a photo…

icelandic… and went to work. In June.

[image removed]

In July.

[image removed]

And then nothing. Nothing. Until three days before the due date.

So tonight I pulled out the stops.

[image removed]

Finally, voila. A (nearly) finished piece.

[image removed]

I may do a little tweaking, but I feel like I can pop this in the frame and not disgrace myself. Hopefully all this work will lead to money for SEO!

Plein Air in the Paddock – Day 4

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So, finally we are caught up and I can report the day as it happened.

This morning I got up determined to actually paint (the last three days have been filled with all sorts of fun things, but not as much painting as I SHOULD be doing.) Because my horse paintings just weren’t going right, I decided to concentrate on landscapes and see if I could insert a horse at some later stage. This turned out to be a great plan because I felt like Cindi, my instructor, and I were finally able to get on the same page and I understood what she was trying to impart. I think you’ll see the improvement in my paintings.

[image removed]

At noon we took a break to go see the Cross Gate Gallery’s Sporting Art Auction, currently hung at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion until auction day. It was incredible! Think of going to a museum hung only with your favorite subject of art (mine is… horses). All my equine artist heroes were there, and we met an incredible gal named Chelsea Dickson who toured us around and let us examine the back of a few of the more valuable pieces. The most expensive piece is a work by N.C. Wyeth entitled “Horse Race.” Seeing it in person, you don’t realize that the top is very prism-like. Chelsea explained that he was influenced by a Russian modernist movement celebrating prisms (wish I could remember the name). It was a cool tour.

For the rest of the afternoon I worked on another piece, before getting distracted by a turf race and then following the horses back into the barns and getting a series of bath shots.

When I got back to the paddock, class had ended and everyone had cleared out to return to their normal lives. I’m sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye, but I did get some photos of the group today to remember them by.

classOther notables included..

I watched the last race, then headed back to my base.

One more day before I get on the plane. Tomorrow I will tour a couple of breeding farms (Darley and Three Chimneys) and try to find the Thoroughbred Center (they have a sculpture there I really want to see.) Then Saturday I’ll pack up and visit Old Friends before getting on that plane and coming home.

Home seems like a good place to be.