Santa 2011 • Oil • 12 X 12 (before framing) • $300
Santa 2011
Back in the groove! So here's this year's Santa, almost finished, I think. More colorful than those in the past due to the new color palette. And this one has lots of thick, juicy paint. Hope I'm on the right path...time will tell! Either way, I'm lovin' it! Of course he's for sale. Just have to allow time to dry a little, then he'll go into a beautiful gold frame.
Rock Road Reporter Online
Great blog Steve! In this day & age this is where people come to find news. I wish you well.
And thank you so much for the additional article!
Loosening up with a Portrait
Hi All, Haven't posted in a while. As a matter of fact, I haven't even painted in a few weeks. So yesterday I got back on the horse, with my palette & brush and away I went. Started with a small figure piece. I want back into it today and well, you've heard the saying "One step forward, two steps back". Well, that's what I did. Then, needing to keep going, I decided to play around with something loose, a palette knife portrait. Haven't done an actual portrait in ages so I timidly started to sketch with paint. Well, the paint felt great on the brush and spread like soft butter, so I just kept going. It seems that I've been fighting paint consistency for a while. But I didn't do anything different. It just seened to be more fun tonight. Maybe it was because I didn't expect to finish this but just play around with the paint. So success or not, I enjoyed the process. Here ya go!
Gateway Gallery/Clayton Art Fair | Linda Smith's Artist Blog
I've been busy gearing up for the big art fair weekend with my local artist friends at the Gateway Gallery. My gallery work day is tomorrow but I'm sure most of the partners will drop in to hang new work and freshen up their displays. Hope the weather is great an you can all make it.
Drop by and say "Hi!"
Here's my latest painting. Hope to add
the finishing touches before Friday.
the finishing touches before Friday.
How Everyone Can Afford to Collect Original Art, an article by Denise Rich from Fine Art Views
Art Collecting for Dummies:
by Denise Rich
It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be special to you.by Denise Rich
It's about satisfaction and just plain enjoyment, having things that give you a special feeling when you look at them. Not just an "Oh yes, that matches the couch perfectly" feeling, but an "Oh, that takes my breath away" or "makes me smile every time I look at it" feeling. And it doesn't have to cost a dime!
I can't say it any better than this comment from a client I was conversing with recently about her art collection: "I just gather things that I like, are visually striking (like your cows) or that mean something to me. I framed a drawing of an Easter bunny I did when I was little. People love that one! And a felt purse my mom made years ago. I started buying art when I was at Iowa State in the '70s and still have and display them."
I can't say it any better than this comment from a client I was conversing with recently about her art collection: "I just gather things that I like, are visually striking (like your cows) or that mean something to me. I framed a drawing of an Easter bunny I did when I was little. People love that one! And a felt purse my mom made years ago. I started buying art when I was at Iowa State in the '70s and still have and display them."
I love what she said and thought it deserved sharing, as well as the Easter bunny drawing she mentioned seen below! (Thank you for sending this to me, Diane. It's wonderful, I especially love the flower hat.) She collects art she likes, is visually striking, or that means something to her. She's already gotten over thirty years of enjoyment out of work collected in college and still more out of one of her favorite childhood drawings. It really is that simple.
Where's the Ladies' Room?
Just thought I'd share the latest of my small paintings that I'm still working on. It's called, Where's the Ladies' Room?. This one is from a museum. And you know that feeling... You're in a strange place, a big place, trying to calm the panic and get the information you need at the same time. You just want to scream, "Where in the world is it?!!?" I really don't know what the real story was in this scene. That's just the scenerio that I read into it.
Sometimes I let other people's ideas influence what I think about what's going on in a painting. But no one was around while I did this one. So look where my mind goes, right down in the gutter. But honestly I'm glad I didn't have any input from anyone this time. Because this scenario actually hits pretty close to home for me (at an event this past weekend, I can't even go into it). And I'm hearing all the time, "Paint what you feel, Linda. Paint what you feel!". Well, I guess I did!
Chillin at LaQuinta
Chillin at LaQuinta • Oil on panel • $100
This is a small (8 X 8 ") painting experiment. Just watched a Karin Jurick video where she painted on a black canvas so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Not that I could ever paint like she does, but what the heck! When I did pastels I painted on all kinds of dark backgrounds but this really seemed to suck in the color. Another reason for the experiment was to decide weather or not I wanted to paint the entire piece larger. This is just a small section of a bigger scene that I was considering. It is from some pics taken at the LaQuinta Art Fair. But now I'm thinking I'm done with this. People I can handle. It was the chairs that were a bitch to paint and there would be tons of them in a larger piece and they would have to be really right. I'm not feeling like being particularly precise these days. I really do like the composition and the pattern of lights so overall I learned some things and it is a successful little painting. But now it's time to move on.... Next!
Cleopatra Hits St. Charles!
Tonight our beautiful and illustrious model, Ale, surprised us as Cleopatra, cat eyes, snake and all. What fun!
When doing these figure sessions, I've noticed that whatever canvas I take, it is never the right proportions for the chosen pose. And so I improvise. Hence the offset cropping of the figure. Not exactly a terrible solution, sometimes working better than others.
Can't wait till next week. I hear it's going to be another something different for us.
Stacy Sketch/Figure Drawing Tonight
Stacy modeled for us tonight. We used an old chair of mine and the lighting was great. It created nice shadows across the figure and on the floor under the chair. I just love it when everything seems right. I only did sketches, no painting, but I think what I have will be the beginning of a nice painting. I'm thinking maybe even a big one. The image attached was the first of the night.
Friday Night Barmaid, Oil, 16" X 20"
I'm really not sure where I want to go with my next piece. I feel like something is stirring in my little brain. Sometimes it just takes a while to form. So while that's perculating in the background, rather than completely waste the evening, I reworked a couple of paintings that had been laying around waiting to be resolved. Below is one of them. This bar scene wasn't working in a design sense. I also thought the background faces were too distinct and that they needed to be simplified using simple light and dark, describing planes and less discription of a certain person.
Waiting Patiently, Oil, 12" X 12"
Some of us tend to spend a lot of time waiting, waiting in waiting rooms. It's a time for me to study people; their body language, expressions, relationships to one another. Some read, some talk on their phones, some doze off, others, more impatient, fidget and squirm. I often wonder what they are going through personally and hope any worries will be relieved soon. This piece is a composite from some sketches I've done. I was drawn to the design created by the dark patterns against light coming in the background windows.
20 Minute Sketches
Well, we had figure drawing tonight but our scheduled model didn't make it. So we, ourselves, took turns modeling. Each person posed for 20 minutes and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Below are my results. It was actually nice to just sketch again. I needed to get back to basics, so I think I'll keep doing this for a while. It's much easier anyway, not to drag all the painting equipment along, set it all up, take it all down & repack. Call me lazy, but there's something to be said for simplicity. Sometimes, less is more. At least tonight it is.
Outdoor Cafe Talk
I've been snowed in a lot recently. My house is really clean but I haven't been getting much painting done. Then overnight it snowed again. So this afternoon, I cranked up the little baseboard heater in my studio, and poured myself a glass of wine. Not knowing where to start, I looked around and found this little piece I had started a month ago. It had some problems but after a little change in composition I think it works. This afternoon my husband shoveled us out and we went out for dinner. When we got home, I finished it up. Snow days are good!
Girl with the Pearl Earring
Palette Knife Figures
Birches Trees
Nude with Green Drape and Vase
Restaurant, Waiter & Cook Painting
An old painting revisited. This one had potential, but again, it was just too tight and detailed.
So I glazed over it with some loose brushwork, dulled the background then brightened
the color in the figures and foreground. I'll reframe it and take it to the
Gateway Gallery to see if anyone notices.
Study Break at Coffee House
Another one finished, I think. It needs to be framed. That will stop me from messing with it. Unfortunately I'm out of the little thingies for framing stretched canvas. I can't stand it when I don't have what I need handy. Be prepared boys & girls. A trip to Framations is in order soon.
Today's work
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