Alstroemerias {Bountiful Observations no. 1}

Alstroemerias

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

For Sale in my Esty Shop

Framed painting: $300.00 + S&H

Hello,

Here is the first painting of many to come in the Bountiful Observations series. I am so excited about starting this project. I am anticipating that having the goal of posting a new painting each week will help me establish a regular routine this year, helping me balance being both an artist and a mother.

This painting was completed from life over a number of days. Alstroemerias keep for a long time if you keep the water full and refreshed, so I was able to focus on each bloom and utilize some glazes to capture some of the soft pinks in the petals. I also soften all the edges of the flowers that were more in the background, thus heightening the focus on the flowers that were centered and forward.

Every painting in this series is available for sale framed.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horiticultural Society.

Oriental Lilies {a new painting}

Oriental Lilies
{18" x 14" (45.7 x 35.6 cm) - Oil on Linen}

After several weeks of contemplating and working on this painting I think it is completed...

When I think I have finished a painting I will hang it on my living room wall and observe it over a few days or week to see if there is anything that needs immediate attention. So far this painting has passed the test, in that I have not taken if off the wall to paint on it some more.... so it is ready for its debut as a finished piece.

Here are the work in progress posts about this painting, here and here

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During this past week I have been working on another painting and will presently share it with you and there is not update for my NGA copy because I was unable to attend on Monday due to being very tired and the pregnancy keeping me from getting down to the museum. Everything is going well, some days slow me down some and it is easier to work/paint from home.

Have a wonderful evening.

Liz

Three Tulips {a new painting}

Three Tulips - SOLD
{6" x6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

The new year has been full of inspiration. Every time I am at the grocery store I am tempted to purchase some flowers and then come home and paint them. Maybe it is because I am so looking forward to the Spring and Summer, planting new seeds and seeing them grow...

This year I will post more small paintings along side larger format pieces, thus increasing the number of paintings created and embodying one of the year's goals, to practice more!

Have a wonderful day, Liz

PS. We are thawing out from an ice storm from last night

Tulip {a new painting} & 2011 Resolutions

Tulip - SOLD
{8" x 6" (20.3 x 15.2 cm) – oil canvas panel}

In April 2010 I attended the Portrait Society of America annual conference in Reston, VA, which was a stimulating four days learning from established artists of all ages. Rose Frantzen won the Face-Off portrait event and on Saturday morning when she gave her presentation she shared with the audience that she had completed (12) 1-1/2 hour practice sessions to get ready for the conference. This impressed me and made me realize that no matter how established or accomplished you may be in your profession, practicing is a good way to prepare and prosper in most situations.

With this experience in mind, and the positive results of having "words" embody my 2010 professional goals, I have decided to select two new words for 2011.

They are: PRACTICE and INVESTIGATE

Maintaining a consistent level of my craft while also striving for a greater depth of understanding of the techniques and ideas I encounter in my art career is my goal and why I chose these two words.

This first painting of the year is an example of both these words, in that I am interested in growing as an artist by beginning to apply the skills I've been gaining from copying Jan Davidsz de Heem's Vase of Flowers at the NGA. It is my intent to begin applying the experience learned from this to my own compositions.

Allied Artist of America Annual Exhibition

{Still Life with Bird Nest and Bottle}
14" x 11" (35.6 x 28 cm) - Oil on Linen}

This year, I am participating in the Allied Artists of America 97th Annual Juried Exhibition. My painting, Still Life with Bird Nest and Bottle, will be part of this exhibit, on display from November 12th through November 30th at the National Arts Club.

Please stop in to show your support for this historic art institution, and for the talented artists chosen for this year's event. The National Arts Club is located at 15 Gramercy Park South in Manhattan, and is open M, W-F 10-12pm & 3-5pm, Tues 2-5pm. Hope to see you there.

Tea, Prints, and Zinnias {a new still life painting}

{Tea, Prints, and Zinnias - 24" x 30" (61 x 76.2 cm) - Oil on Canvas}

A new painting completed this month. Everything was painted from life, including the zinnias... so the bouquet evolved over the several weeks.

This painting was a labor of love, I started blocking it in in early August, working on it occasionally for a few hours here and there, changing the composition a quarter of the way through and revising the vision of the painting. Then in September the drive to complete it took over and I worked on it for two weeks straight, 7-10 hours each day, sometimes going to sleep only to wake in the morning and paint some more.

When it was almost finished, I stopped for a few days, hung it in my living room to figure out what needed to be refined and how best to go about completing it. I find living with a painting for a few days helps crystalize the painting and guides my last decisions.

Because all of my energies were going into this painting, household chores were not getting done, or the minimal to exist were completed. Now that it is finished, it is good to step back and re-engage in the regular aspects of life. Like deciding what to make for dinner and spend some time with friends, maybe watch a movie on TV.

Do you ever find yourself so consumed with a project that all else fades into the non-descript background?

I wonder if this is one of the aspects of creative drive?

What do you think?

Liz

Happy Friday and Some Good News!

Daffodils and Pears – 24" x 18" (61 x 45.7 cm) – Oil on Canvas

Happy Friday! This weekend is the long awaited 20th Year High School Reunion for S. I am really looking forward to meeting so many of his former high school friends, and I anticipate the weekend will be busy.

And going into the weekend I received great news from the Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club that the painting above was accepted into the 114th Annual Open Juried Exhibition that will take place in October in New York City! I had shown a work in progress image previously however I never got around to sharing the completed painting with you.

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for reading,

Liz

PS. Slim has been helping me write this blog post, really she has been hindering me as she insists on sitting on my arms.

Peaches, Bowl, & Bottle {a new still life painting}

Still Life with Peaches, Bowl, and Bottle – 8" x 10" (20.3 x 25 cm) – Oil on Canvas

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

Hello Friends,

Now that I am back from NYC my focus is on completing several 8x10 inch still life paintings for an upcoming show in Suffolk, VA. This is the first one I am happy with. I had already completed three paintings, only to re-assess them late last week and concluding that I needed to start over.

The time away from the studio and seeing great art in NYC helped give me a sense of direction for this upcoming show. August is going to be a busy month!

Thanks for stopping by and reading :) Liz

Fresh Peaches {a new still life painting}

Fresh Peaches – 18" x 24" (45.7 x 61 cm) – Oil on Linen

This is the second painting completed while studio sitting a few weeks ago. It was the first painting where I applied a technique recommended by Danni where you work on a specific area, say 6 inches square where you refine everything at once, instead of just painting in specific objects as solitary items. This enables you to work out edge qualities of how everything interacts. This way does seem to make the painting go faster on larger pieces as you can get an idea of how the effect of the painting is coming together at an earlier stage. After the entire canvas is covered in this manner, you go back over the painting again, picking out specific areas that will require the greatest level of refinement, and then going back again and again.

I am really enjoying using this method as it makes painting anything larger than an 8" x 10" (20.3 x 25 cm) rewarding as you see pretty soon if the composition and idea are working out. With smaller pieces it all comes together so quickly you know right away if the painting is going in the desired direction immediately.

Have a wonderful evening,

Liz

PS. I loved learning about this Dutch still life artist and being introduced to his work by this post and this post. Thank you Matthew D. Innis for introducing him to me :)

Danni's Treasures {now finished}

Danni’s Treasures – 12" x 16" (30.5 x 40.6 cm) – oil on linen

Last week I was lucky enough to finish this painting. It was completed in Danni Dawson’s studio in Arlington, where she gave me access to her studio and home while she was away teaching in Italy. Working in Danni’s studio was amazing, the quality of light is magnificent, she has a large northern window to provide the overall ambient light then there are smaller windows on the east and south wall, which allows for subtle light quality differences. This painting was set up near the east window, so the light was best in the mid to late afternoon, eastern light is also a little warmer in temperature than true northern light.

To date this is my most detail oriented painting, I was constantly trying to balance the detail of the rug pattern in the background and foreground while always making the cup the most important feature of the painting. The cup is a French antique with the most wonderful modulated glaze with the delicate blue pattern.

Working away from home for the past three weeks has been exhilarating in that it was like a mini artist residency, when I would take breaks I would read through various art books and think about what to paint next. Ideas are floating around in my head and I am starting a new project this week.

See you soon! Thanks for stopping by and reading,

Liz

{roses from our garden}

I am excited to share with you that my roses are blooming right now! After copying the Claudio Bravo drawing last month, I got inspired to have my own roses. So that very weekend I planted three different bushes, pruned and fertilized them as recommended. It was heartbreaking to prune back the existing blooms, though I had received the advice to do it from a good authority that said the plants needed the energy to build healthy roots. He also said this would lead to healthier blooms later, and he was right!

It has been a busy week attending a still life workshop taught by Danni Dawson. The painting is still in progress, so here is a sneak peak of a part of it, the other side I am still figuring out the composition... I will work on it more next week.

I am so looking forward to the weekend. Nothing fancy is planned, just a different pace and the opportunity of working in my own studio, something I love doing :)

Have a wonderful weekend, Liz

Hello~ Just a drive by post today before heading to southern VA to attend the Rawls Museum Arts reception this evening. I wanted to share with you the final stage of the portrait from class {here is an earlier stage} It is in the most complete form it shall ever be... If it was a true portrait I would work further to refine the rest of the painting, as it is worked on in class I feel you never have enough time to get to everything...

{detail of the face}

Leslie - 24 x 18 inches - oil on canvas

Class Work

{detail of Leslie ~ 24 x 18 inches}

Here is a portrait work in progress from Thursday's class. It is a five session portrait sitting and this is as far as I got during the first class. The arms are pretty psychodelic because I have been experimenting more with bright underpaintings. This really helps the skin glow from a distance, the face also started out this bright, with an orange on the light side and a deep pink/red on the shadow side. I then worked wet in wet to develop the actual fleshtones. Leslie's eyelid got a little too blue, something I will tackle later in the process, today's goal with this painting is to get the other parts to an equal footing.

Below is a 1-1/2 hour color study sketch from Tuesday's class. It also started out with the bright underpainting, and some of it continues to shine through because of it being a quick exercise.

{Figure Sketch - 8x10 inches - Oil on Canvas Panel}

Current Painting on the Easel

{detail of my current still life}

Hello~

There will be more to share this weekend, I just thought you may like to see what has been keeping me busy this week.

Good night, Liz

New Portrait & a Drawing

{portrait study}

Phillip – 24" x 18" (61 x 45.7 cm) – Oil on Canvas

The above painting was completed in Danni’s portrait class over three periods. On Thursday I totally re-worked the face to get the color and facial structure more accurate. There was a point where I thought it was just not going to work out and that I should wipe it out, then all the sudden it came together. Funny how things work out…

Below is a drawing completed last month in Robert Liberace’s drawing class. This technique uses sanguine and black verithin colored pencils and a white pastel pencil and it is drawn on prepared paper that has been coated with shellac thinned in alcohol. In class it is called trois crayon, however I have come to feel that is a bit pretentious as it does not use the traditional chalks historically used for drawings labeled “trois crayon”. When describing its medium in juried show applications I tend to call it mixed media as it requires three very specific and different mediums. This drawing was accepted into the Art League's May show

Marie – 12” x 19” – Mixed Media

River Farm {Plein Air Painting}

River Farm – 12" x 16" (30.5 x 40.6 cm) – Oil Canvas Panel

Wednesdays are my days to go out and paint en plein air. This schedule was started a few weeks ago, where I go out with an artist friend who has lots of experience painting outside. I am still learning about how best to paint landscapes while also dealing with the elements.

Today we faced windy conditions, one gust tipped my easel over, spilling palette, canvas panel, and all the contents stored in the easel all over the place… I was just lucky that my turp/OMS was not open yet. So from this little adventure I now know attach my easel to something heavy to avoid future times where the wind may catch the a flat canvas panel and change its function from a painting surface to a kite.

It was a fun experience, though I am exhausted from it! It reminds me of Sara Winters blog post from last year about how plein air painting can be challenging. It is and this is why I am going to keep at it, because I like the challenge :) even when the outcome does not quite match what I had in mind.

Have a wonderful evening, and thanks for reading,

Liz

Clementine {a daily painting}

Clementine on the Window Sill – 6" x 5" (15.25 x 12.7 cm)

Hello~

I have been out of commission since last week Thursday because I smashed my middle right finger and then re-injured it again on Saturday {not so bad that a bone is broken but swollen and ugly}. So no typing, no painting, no activity where use of my hands was particularly needed… So I have been reading a lot lately, Carlson’s book on landscape painting and this one on boning up on gardening skills as I am new to having a yard and tending to it.

Last night after dinner I was finally able to put on my nitrile gloves to do a little painting with only minimal annoyance to the swollen finger. The above painting is from a previous painting session as last night’s foray did not produce anything special, except for the heady experience of being in the studio and pushing paint around some. Sometimes these are my favorite times painting, where I am just there to be playing and enjoying the medium, sometimes learning new things, sometimes not.

Have a wonderful evening,

Liz

Lemons {a new still life painting}

Still Life with Lemons, Bowl and Dishcloth
8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – Oil Canvas Panel
SOLD

Hello ~

The week has gone by so fast! How is it already Thursday? Well, never mind… I hope your week has been going well. Mine has been disproportionally filled with yard work, clearing debris caused by the three snow storms we had this winter.

Before starting in on the lawn work, some time was dedicated to painting where I completed this little gem. I love the kitchen dishcloth motif and playing with how stripes give a sense of space in a painting. It was nice revisiting this theme again. It was painted only with natural light, so during the first setting I was racing the clock and ended up painting in such darkness it was almost impossible to see the palette. I kept at it as long as I could because I did not want to lose that initial impression and excitement.

I am going to wish you a great weekend a bit early, as I am headed out of town for a few days on a painting trip with three other artists! So have a wonderful evening and thank you for stopping by and spending time here :)

Liz

PS. Here is an interesting site dedicated to the spaces artists and creative types work in, found via dear ada

Tulip {a daily painting}

Tulip – 8" x 6" (20.3 x 15.25 cm) – Oil on Linen Panel
Available

It is starting to warm up and today while working in the studio the windows were open to let in the fresh air. An added benefit was that noises of spring were filtering in all afternoon, birds chirping and children playing across the street.

Such sounds are making me giddy and excited about the changing season. During the winter months I stopped creating the small “daily paintings” to focus on larger paintings. Though now with the changing season I feel like mixing it up again and incorporating the small format again into my weekly routine. I will probably paint one small format painting once a week to keep things loose.

Thanks for visiting me today. I hope you had a nice weekend,

Liz

Work in Progress...

{detail of new painting}

Hi there,

How are you today? and did you spend your weekend well?

Ours was filled with moments of joy, spending time together and with friends, playing a game of 8 ball, spending time in the studio and sleeping in on Sunday {something we hardly ever do}. It was a luxurious weekend...

The time in the studio was focused primarily on one of three paintings that are in various stages of completion. I have been churning in a particular area of this painting, so I am taking a break from this particular painting today and tomorrow, with the hope that clearing my mind and focusing on another piece will give me an opportunity to get my head around the technical issue that has reared its head... The detail above is the focal point of the painting, daffodils, a true sign that Spring is on its way... So far they are only in the grocery stores, but it can only be a matter of weeks before the parkway has fields of them.

Have a wonderful afternoon, Liz