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.

Shopping For Flowers (Garden Center)

I could browse for hours at the garden center, looking at all the beautiful flowers. Another sign of Spring!

Spring! (Magnolias and Forsythia)

I just had to paint the beautiful flowers of Spring before they are gone. This is more of a color study, and more abstract, than my usual style. I guess I got carried away! Incidentally, the colors I am getting with my new digital camera are a bit off. Time to figure out why...I guess I will have to actually read the manual:)

Stone Barns at Blue Hill - 9" x 12" Pastel

My first attempt at plein air this season. The surrounding hills were absolutely beautiful-- but, my gear was so heavy, I ended up staying in the courtyard. I need to figure out how to travel lighter!

Sunday Paper - 18" x 24" Pastel

Spotted this guy relaxing with the paper; loved painting the light. Worked on it all day yesterday; have one or two things to fine tune, and then I will sign it.

Plein Air Season!

OK, my friends Jamie Grossman and Peggy Post have given me the plein air bug. I have dabbled in this before, somewhat unsuccessfully...but this year I plan to get out a lot more and (to quote Tim Gunn) "make it work". To that end I have just bought a new field easel set-up. Stay tuned.

Deep in Thought - 11" x 15" Pastel

I tried to complete but not to overwork this--now that I see them side by side, there are some things I liked better yesterday, but on the whole I am happy.

Deep in Thought - WIP

Only had an hour or so today, to block this in. To be continued...

Patch of Sun - Cat Portrait

A continuation of my post of a few days ago. I will probably continue to noodle with this, but it is for the most part done. I like it.

Orange Slices - 9" x 12" Pastel

Painting with my friend Nancy was so much fun today...we painted a simple still life with some mellow jazz playing, and then Nancy, who is an amazing cook, made homemade minestrone, bread, and flan for lunch. It really doesn't get better than this.

Patch of Sun - Cat (WIP)

A beautiful cat doing what cats do best, finding a patch of sun and enjoying it's cozy warmth. This painting is almost done; I will work on it one more day to finetune it and add some fun details (like whiskers).
The image is from the Wetcanvas reference image library, generously posted by a very talented photographer. Unless you only paint from life, you must either take great pictures, or paint enough so that what the reference lacks, you can intuitively add.

Charlie the Bichon

This was a difficult project. I actually had to do this portrait twice...the first time I used a new paper that turned out to be a disaster with soft pastels (Hannemuele velour), and a second time as shown here, on Wallis paper. I have seen great work on that velour paper, but I think it is designed for much harder pastels. I lost sleep over this one...but in the end, I am happy with it. I hope the owner likes it.

Mooshie the Cat - 16" x 18" Pastel

Older paintings of one of my cats, Mooshie. I haven't painted either cat in a while, and I am thinking about trying a few new cat paintings once some commission work is done.
In fact, I have been thinking about subjects that I have painted lately; when I am not really interested in a subject, I think it really shows. Now, my intent is to only paint things I am visually excited by. Somehow I got offtrack; hopefully adding this discipline to my choice of subject will help.

The Game - 16" x 20" Pastel

Today I began two commissions, which I cannot post on my blog at the moment. Rather than not post at all, here's an older one. A weekly basketball game, where all the guys are at that age where they take 1-2 motrin before they play:) Still, no one loves the game more than they do. This painting was done for my hubby (shooting). A follow-up painting was done as a commission for one of the guys on defense.

Trail to Pine Creek Cookhouse - 18" x 24" Pastel (WIP)

This past winter I visited Aspen Colorado; the only way to eat at the Pine Creek Cookhouse is to snowshoe, cross country ski, or take a horse drawn sleigh. The area is beautiful. Bottom image is the block in, the top image is the finish. My problem is that I sometimes lose the initial nice loose feeling and overwork things. This time was no different:(

Summer Petunias - 9" x 12" Pastel on Board (WIP)

Didn't get to finish this today...hopefully I will over the weekend. I used a photo taken on one of my many neighborhood walks, and tried out a new sanded panel made by Richeson. It takes a lot of layers, and I liked it alot. Oddly enough, I liked the panel better than the paper of the same brand.

Irises on Devoe Road - 12" x 18" Pastel

I am working on a winter landscape, which I did not post today since it still needs a lot of work. This is an older landscape; it is sentimental to me because this field of irises used to bloom in my neighborhood, but blooms no more. The land was sold, and now in its place is an ordinary suburban house. I prefer looking at this and remembering the field in all it's glory:)

Jake at the Beach - 16" x 20" Pastel

A painting of a very lucky Tibetan Terrier named Jake, whose humans bring him to their house at the beach all summer long.