Movin' Mutton

"Movin' Mutton"

12" x 24" oil on gessoed masonite

I'm back to the easel today after over 2 weeks of summer break.  I spent some time with my oldest grand-daughter and did some canning/freezing of produce out of the garden.  This painting was loose and juicy and fun!  A photographer friend, Kathy Simmons, allowed me to use some shots of this border collie competing in a herding dog event.  He looks like he is looking at his trainer awaiting  instructions on where to put these sheep.  We were the lucky owners of a chocolate border collie named Sadie, who was "sheepless"....so she tried to herd our cats!
This painting will be in the Meeker Classic Sheepdog art auction in September in Colorado.

Golden Girls

"Golden Girls"

18.5" x 23.5" oil on birch veneer

I'm afraid the photo of this one just does not do it justice.  The underlying paint is gold and silver metallic acrylic with a bit of white, then the oil sketch was done on top of that. The painting is reflective according to the light source, hence the difficulty in photographing it.

The reference photo was a sepia tone.  I wanted to keep the flavor of the time period intact, but make it something special. My thought was that this was a golden era that our fast, high-tech world has left behind.  That's what gave me the idea of the gold background.  I was very pleased with the results.  

This painting is another of the ones created for the Darien show from member photos... this one coming from Judy Dodd, who is also an artist.

Misty Morning Ruins - WIP#2

I might be through with this one... it's been a real puzzle to me.  I'll have to sleep on it.  It doesn't look like it has changed that much from WIP#1, but I promise you... I have been over every square inch of it several times!  Too much detail... not enough detail...back and forth.  Too much color... not enough color.. push and pull.  There's actually a good bit more color in the darks than show up in the photograph and there's not a drop of black anywhere... Prussian Blue and veridian. 27"x31" oil

WIP- "Misty Morning Ruins"

This started out as morning light coming through pine trees and has evolved into palms trees with old tabby ruins.  Maybe it's because of my recent daytrip to St. Simons Island where I put some work in the show "New Horizons" at the Glynn Art Gallery near the pier. I pulled out some old reference material from vacations there and nearby Jekyll Island.  As I wait for this layer to dry (it's a 27"x31" oil), I've started a 24"x30" oil that I've been itching to get going.  I may post them back & forth as WIP until completions.  That would be interesting... you get to see all my boo-boo's as they happen and take bets on whether or not I fix them!

Beginning of a Love Affair

"Beginning of a Love Affair"

8" x 8" x 1.5" oil on gallery-wrap canvas
Macon Arts Gallery

Are little girls simply born with a love for horses?  This is my granddaughter, Karleen, at age two, totally enamored with her first 'real' horse... one that wasn't softly stuffed.  I've been hooked on horses as long as I can remember and so have my twin daughters.  My son didn't get the horsey gene... he trusted a dirt bike more than a large four-legged animal with a mind of its' own!

Apple Orchard in Spring

"Apple Orchard in Spring"
8" x 10" oil on gessoed masonite

My husband really likes this one. Impressionistic, there's lots of texture in the foreground blending into a soft atmospheric background. It's a romantic little painting.

Yesterday I posted summer... today I'm posting spring. Can you tell that I'm not a fan of cold weather?

All American - "tweaked"

"All American"
24" x 36" oil on gessoed masonite
Xanadu Gallery

You probably can't tell much difference, but I went in and tweaked a few things that were bothering me... you artists will understand. Then, when I was retrieving it from it's 'safe' drying place, I scratched paint off of the lariat on the red guy! Will patch that today. I think this painting just likes to hang around my studio and visit with me!

No cigar!

Very busy last week but 'no cigar"! I actually spent 26 hours of pure painting in front of the easel. I have three incomplete paintings to show (or not show) for it. Also, I couldn't resist going back into the cowboy painting and noodling around on a few details that needed refinement... and fix where I had to wipe off the white paint my 3-yr-old grandchild added to wet paint! After putting the Indian painting away for several days, I saw some changes I want to make before I post it finished. Two more scenes based on reference photos I took at the community ballfield are coming along nicely. All are in oil, which is why I have 3 going at the same time. I don't have that aggravating wait time in acrylics, but oils are so much easier to leave and come back to... and since I never know when I'll be interrupted at the gallery, this is a good thing! Hopefully this week I'll be able to post the finished products and start some new ones.

All American - finished!

"All American"
24" x 36" oil on gessoed masonite

Yippee! I can finally post this as a finished piece. Sometimes larger, more complex pieces like this just take a while... mainly because I get distracted into starting other paintings. I just love to start them, but then when I get 80-90% finished, they say pretty much what I want them to say and I have to talk myself into finishing. I know...I'm just a little bit crazy!

I particularly like the way this high school rodeo instructor turned out. And to think...I actually thought about cutting him out of the composition. Glad I didn't!

What I like best about these guys is the way you can feel the bodies inside the shirts because of the way they are leaning over... and you just got to love those fannies in Wranglers!
There exists a nice visual between this blonde bull and the cream outfit of the instructor and the fact that they are both looking out of the painting in opposite directions. Just a way of reminding the viewer that we are only seeing a slice of the activities that go on at a rodeo.

WIP - "Impressing Her"

This is a 27" x 31" oil on gessoed masonite that I've spent about six hours on... just working out the composition from three references taken at the Ocmulgee Indian Mounds and the patterning of lights and darks to make it flow. This Muskogee maiden has on a lovely pale deerskin dress beaded in blue, which is not your everyday garment. I like the idea that she has dressed up and is quietly watching as the hunter demonstrates his skills with a throwing stick.

Two Pair

"Two Pair"
8" x 10" oil on gessoed masonite

These sun-struck pairs are in a pasture less than a mile from my house and belong to our county's sheriff. I really enjoy seeing the new calves appearing. I've noticed that the farmers in this area have changed the cycle that used to have the calves showing up in early spring. This reference picture was taken as the grass was just really greening up this spring and the calves were already good size. The winters are fairly mild here in Georgia, but the summers can be brutal with drought a real issue lately... that may explain it.

Madison Morning

This is me painting on the square in Madison, GA Saturday, May 2. The weather and setting was absolutely wonderful... and my sister, Pam, was with me! She took these pictures, thank goodness, since I accidentally deleted mine in transferring them from camera to computer.

I had set up to capture the sidewalk tables across the street at O'Hara's, when this guy sitting on the park bench near me caught my eye. It seemed everyone who passed knew him. A car pulled up and the driver gave him a banana, chatted a moment and drove on. By the time he had finished the banana, another car stopped with a sandwich. This is a local character that I really need to capture, I thought. Besides, his profile and body language sitting in the deep shade on that bench were great. I quickly sketched him in and then spent into the afternoon filling in his hometown surroundings. Locals stopping by to see what I was painting would say " Hey, I know him... he's here every morning!" By the time I finished, I knew his name and history!

"Madison Morning"... SOLD
8" x 10" oil on panel

Sorry it's kinda' fuzzy, but it's all I have. This was the first painting bid on at the silent auction that afternoon. It was surprising to see how many people knew exactly who he was! It also garnered me an 'Honorable Mention'.

WIP - "Winning Her Over"

I never seem to be able to get one finished (still working on the cowboys!) before I get excited about a new one... in this case, three new ones! This series of three paintings shows my Dad winning over the cautious adoration of my grandbaby, Brooke. I can read his lips as he sings "Won't You Come Over My House?" just as he did when I was a little girl.

Shirley Stafford, an excellent artist friend of mine, suggested I do an underpainting in yellow on these, so I'm giving it a try. They are in oils and each canvas is 24" x 30" x 1-1/2" gallery wrap.
Still lots and lots to do, but I think I'm going to leave the background very simple with just the hint of the window, focusing all the attention on the relationship of my Daddy to his great granddaughter.

Plein Air in Madison

I am so excited to be spending this Friday and Saturday at the Paint Out in Madison, GA! It's part of their spring Georgia in Bloom 2009 Art Fest. Not only is this a terrific opportunity to fellowship with other artists, I really need this time away from my own "stuff" to concentrate on painting. This time of year I'm not sure I'm an artist who loves gardening or a gardener who loves painting! As I type this, there is dirt under my fingernails from the tomato plants I just stuck in the ground. I started way too many from seed, but I just couldn't resist all the wonderful different varieties that are unavailable as plants in the local stores... like Black Brandywine, Super Sioux, Jetsonic and Sugary Cherry to name a few.
See, I'm off on a tangent... back to the paint out. I've filled my Jullian easel with oils for the first time. I've used acrylics in the past, but it's always a mad dash to work before they dry. Since the temperature is supposed to be in the 80's this weekend and the last few days have been breezy too, I thought the oils would be a more relaxing experience. I think I'll go ahead and wear my paint spattered jeans since I'm a messy painter, though!
Can't wait to report back to you on Sunday!