Short stocks, go long...peppers!

Painting usually takes my mind off such things, but I awoke like Rip Van Winkle last week to a much diminished stock market...very stressful. Well, we might not have as much money, but we can still enjoy a bottle of wine, some bread, and Italian peppers. Could be worse!

Weir Farm Apple Tree - Plein Air Study

I got alot out of today's workshop with Connecticut artist Alain Picard -- I focused on finding big shapes, using a range of values, unifying colors, and working out a composition that helps the eye move through the painting and defines a foreground/middle and background. There is so much information in an outdoor scene, it helped to have someone talk about how to simplify and make sense of it.
I don't know if it was due to the workshop or if I was just having a better day-- but there is a big difference between today's effort and last week's attempt at Tilly Foster Farm.

Plein Air - Tilly Foster Farm - 9" x 12" Pastel

This was done at a paint out sponsored by the Putnam County Arts Council. The weather was overcast all morning, then started to rain. Plein air is not my strong suit, although I'd like to get better at it. The good news is that I am taking a plein air workshop tomorrow...hopefully I'll learn something useful for my next outing.

Ablaze - Fall Leaves - 10.5" x 15.5" Pastel

Today I went for color and lots of it, which felt great! Just for fun I did a watercolor underpainting, then put pastel over it in places. It was a fun technique.

Mo - Great Pyrenees Pastel Pet Portrait - SOLD

A Great Pyrenees is the closest a dog comes to resembling a polar bear -- they are gentle giants, truly wonderful dogs. In my photo reference, Mo is in shadow, but I tried to create a light pattern to make him more interesting. Also, sometimes it is difficult to paint an all white or all black dog using interesting color without getting garish. In real life he is more creamy in color, but this still looks like Mo.

Scottie - 18" x 24" Pastel

Usually I think this size lends itself to more of a head and shoulders portrait. Doing the whole body in this format means the head is quite small. But this painting was about the cute pose and light falling on the figure, anyway. This is my son Scott years ago; he is now 14.

Lana No. 2 - Viszla - 9.5" x 12.5" Pastel - SOLD

Another painting of my friend's beautiful viszla, Lana. I took a bunch of pictures of her back in June, and this one in particular really showed her stunning coppery coat when lit by the sun.

No. 48 - WIP (Portrait of Scott)

Doing portraits of people as a business freaks me out a little, because getting a likeness with a person is a lot more challenging than nailing it with a dog or cat. In this case, I did get a good likeness -- what remains is to work a bit more on the face, the clothes, and the dreaded hand.

Summer Memories - Pastel 16" x 20"

I worked on this forever!!! I started it back in January, and it sat for a long time; with a recent purchase inquiry, I resolved to finish it. Believe it or not, I redid the foreground and background three or four times -- it almost got to the point where I thought I might have to scrap it, but I prevailed in the end.

A Fun Project

My niece Marisa is getting married next summer at the New York Botanical Gardens in Bronx, N.Y.  I did this little project for her.

Working in watercolors made it a special challenge. I never used that medium before ... gives me lots of respect for watercolor artists!

Now that I look at it, I wish I had made the cloud on the right less stark. Oh well, they love it and that's all that counts.

Gone Fishin" - NFS

I have been missing in action for six weeks, which makes this an apt painting for my return. Except I wasn't fishing. More like end of summer madness, with a new college freshman to move to school, a husband and a dog who needed surgery, etc. etc. Well, I'm back at my easel, and that's what counts.

Girlfriends - 14" x 19" Pastel

Posting an older painting as I work on completing some long overdue projects. The subject is my daughter and her friend from middle school. I have always liked the charming architectural details of this particular school building (Bell Middle School, Chappaqua NY)
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The Old City (Jerusalem, Israel)

An older painting that I did using a reference photo from the Wet Canvas image library. I have never been to Israel, but I found this photo intriguing and enjoyed painting it.

Debbie's Garden - 18" x 26" Pastel

An older painting from a friend's beautiful garden. She studied and became a master gardener, and all her efforts were spent perfecting the landscape around her grand estate. Her hard work resulted in a gorgeous landscape, with lovely views at every turn.
This was the first time I painted a landscape on a deep red paper; I like how it shows through and contrasts with the greens.

The Shore - 18" x 24" Pastel

Today I'm posting an older painting, while I work on my niece's wedding project. This was one of my first "landscape" paintings, done on Sabertooth paper -- a paper so rough that I haven't used it since. Looking back, I see lots of things I would do differently; but this painting reminds me of one of my favorite beaches, and for that reason, I still like it.

By the way, the photo isn't as dark in real life.

Three Labs (Louie, Brownie and Tiger) - 16" x 20" Pastel - SOLD

Done... I hope their owner likes it!

Three Labs (Louie, Brownie and Tiger) - WIP

Almost done...will look at it tomorrow with fresh eyes.

Three Labs (Louie, Brownie, and Tiger) - WIP

Going slowly, as I try to keep the long,late afternoon shadows and warm light on each of these labs, and also try to get a likeness on each one...to be continued

Dana - 15" x 18" Pastel

I enjoyed painting this, and while I still see some things I might have done differently, I am going to leave it as is.

Dana - WIP

I have painted people many times, but after umpteen dogs I am trying my hand at portraiture again; it isn't as easy as I had remembered. I decided to paint my daughter. She's 18 now; tempis fugit!

Curiosity (Vizsla and Butterfly) - 13" x 18" Pastel

OK, I could see how some people would think this is a bit too sweet. But I had fun doing it anyway.

Since the initial layout, I moved the foliage and the rocks around to come up with a more pleasing composition, and rubbed the pastel into the paper (with a styrofoam packing peanut, which is a good tool for this), for a less textured look.

Curiosity (Vizsla and Butterfly) - WIP

Started this today purely for fun. Had an idea in my head and had to get it on paper. After I sketched it out, I realized that it reminded me of a painting my dad did roughly 45 years ago -- purely a coincidence, I think.
I did this on a leftover piece of Art Spectrum Colorfix, and I forgot how textured and grainy it is. As I work on finishing this piece, I will rub some of the color into the paper in certain areas, to reduce the spots of paper showing through, which I think is a little distracting.

German Shorthaired Pointer - 11" x 14" Pastel - SOLD

This commission was harder than I thought! The challenge was to paint a GSP with a solid brown head and ticked body -- And while I needed to add highlights to give the head dimension, I needed to do that without making the head look "ticked" (spotted). Also painted a different style of background than my usual. The client loved it.

"Boy", a German Shepherd - 12" x 16" Pastel - SOLD

I was given this photo of a beloved German Shepherd to paint. According to his owner, Boy was big and strong, but deceptively gentle. Folks would be frightened by his looks, and he in turn was terrified of lightening.
This project presented a challenge. This was the only picture of Boy that I had as reference, and because of the indoor lighting and flash, it was less than ideal. Still, you could see his features and coloring pretty well, so I did my best--and upon seeing it, the owner remarked, "that looks just like Boy!".

"Boy", a German Shepherd (In Memory)

Here's the photo that I am working from:

Lana the Viszla - 13" x 16" Pastel Pet Portrait - SOLD

Worked to finish this today. Happy Father's Day, Dan!

Lana the Viszla - WIP

Viszla's...I never really knew this breed, but it turns out that they are the national hunting dog of Hungary. This viszla, Lana, is an incredibly energetic, smart, lovable and loyal dog. All that, and good looks,too! I got a good start on this painting today, hope to finish tomorrow.

Distant Shore - WIP - 18" x 24"

I'm not sure whether this painting is a lost cause. I muted the distant shore and cooled down the colors to show distance/atmosphere, but I don't like it as much as I did before. I added a foreground, and am still playing with the shapes of the grasses that I added, but I still like it better without. I'm confused about what my focal point is --if it is the distant shore in the background, does that mean that the higher contrast and stronger colors from yesterday work better? At this point, the values and colors in all the areas are all too much the same, and I'm not sure where to go with this. I don't have any reference to use for the foreground, so I'm just winging it, without much success. I'll put it away for now, and when I have more time will try to resolve it.

Distant Shore - WIP - 12" x 24"

I'm not sure where I'm going wwith this; I started on a beach scene that was 18" x 24" and included a figure in the foreground. I really didn't like the figure or the foreground, so I decided to crop it as a panoramic view of the distant shore. I am still trying to work out some of the compositional issues, but perhaps I can make it work.

Holly the Beagle - 11" x 14" Pastel - SOLD

Holly the Beagle - WIP

This little beagle is a sweet girl and a bundle of energy. She was so constantly in motion, it's a wonder I was able to take her photo. Today, I did the initial block-in and started to work out the painting; I'm looking forward to finishing it tomorrow.

Lemon Reflections - 18" x 24" Pastel

Enjoyed the intense colors of today's still-life. The reflections were really fun to paint. Not sure how to crop it.

Sophie (Tribute to a Sweet Cat)

I had a cat named Sophie, and unexpectedly, she died.

Sophie was a courageous and independent cat. She would boldly stare down the dog she once found fearful; she would venture outside despite her once timid nature; she would demand your attention when she wanted it, and ignore you fiercely when she didn’t.

She could be really affectionate when she was in the right mood-- she'd rub up against you to be petted. Once she had enough of your hand, she’d saunter off to partake of other comforts…a warm patch of sun, the soft seat of her favorite chair, a windowsill with a nice view and a gentle breeze.

Ten years ago, she came into our lives along with mama cat Mooshie, and they have been together all these years. I imagine Mooshie will miss her the most(do cats miss each other?), but I will miss her too.

Who else will appear out of thin air when I munch on a late night Dorito, demanding I give her a taste? Walk across my desk and nuzzle me for attention when I am deep in thought? Jump up and walk across my pastels mid-painting, and then track colorful pussycat pawprints across my sofa?

Sophie effortlessly became part of our lives. She was a beautiful, soft and constant presence, and then died quietly and suddenly. She didn’t demand much, gave us love, and was one of life’s treasures that you take for granted until they are gone. We will certainly miss her.

The Dancers - 18" x 24" Pastel

I am posting some older and larger paintings as I work on a few commissions. This was a still life of a beautiful statue that my teacher (Rae Smith) set up; I did it all in NuPastels, using a kind of scribbly technique. It came out kind of cool, and I have always loved this painting.

NOTE:  PhotoBucket has held my best images for ransom ... this is a screen grab  that now needs editing.

Diane's Patio (Flowerpots)

I am posting this older painting to remind myself what I like about painting in the first place. If I don't rush, if I take a good photo of a subject that appeals to me, if I paint in the studio without thinking about how I ought to be painting outdoors like the "plein air" folks, if I don't try to do a quick fast painting for the daily painters site, I can actually create something beautiful. Maybe it is time to go back to basics, because I have been all over the place lately.

PS Photobucket, which used to host my images, is now holding them for ransom. This is a screen grab that came out dark and blurry, and now needs editing.

Stone Barns at Blue Hill - Plein Air Pastel Paintings

It was a beautiful day to paint outdoors; I met two fellow painters, and we all painted this scene. I worked really fast, completing two small paintings in about three hours. I tried to quit before "overwork-itis" set in:)

Bamboo (WIP, and Finished!) - 18" x 24" Pastel

I don't quite know why I felt compelled to paint bamboo...but I did and it was actually a really fun subject. The top is the finished painting. I don't imagine this subject will appeal to a lot of people, but I like it and will frame it.

Tools of the Trade (Still Life with Paints and Brushes )

A still life of what was lying around in the studio. I'm not crazy about the larger painting (18" x 24", felt like working large today), but I really like this vignette. I may just have to crop it that way. Incidentally, I have been experimenting with underpainting. You can see the drips and texture in a few places.