Neighbor's Bounty - SOLD

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6"x 6" Oil on pre-prepared hardboard (The artist PANEL)

If you wonder why I’m still painting tomatoes, the reason is twofold: 1) my neighbors are still sharing the bounty from their gardens and 2) ebay'rs are requesting add’l tomato paintings.

After putting more than the usual number of hours in this piece, I’ve decided to put it aside to sell perhaps in another venue. I’m sure I will still paint more tomatoes but I do need a break from them.

Awhile ago I purchased one new panel to try–"The Artist PANEL". I bought it because of the 3/8" profile and the slot in the back for hanging and I liked the idea that no framing was necessary. Then I discovered that the panel is made by Ampersand and a part of their "value" series.

The other panel that I am using–their "museum series"–unfortunately doesn’t come in the thicker size panel. The surface was similar and I could see very little difference in how it took the paint. The cost is more for the thicker panel but could be a strong selling point. I felt it was perfect for this piece because of the illusion of the panel itself being somewhat like a cutting board.

Have a great Labor Day!

Peaches and Cherries - SOLD

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5"x 7" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

I know that the name for this one is boring. I thought the classy name " Peaches and

Cherries on French Linen" would sound appealing, but a more truthful name would have been "Peaches and Cherries on a old pillow case". Oh well, so much for the wishful allusion of having painted this in an old French farmhouse.....

The Tumbler - SOLD

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6"x 6" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

I needed a break from produce paintings and so enjoyed painting these hydrangeas.

I've been wanting to paint this for a while and finally got my 6x6 panels from Jerry's. I'm loving this board by Ampersand and wonder if I'll every go back to canvas. This is another piece that I coated the board with black gesso to begin and I think the piece has a bit more depth as a result. In case you wonder, the black that you see in the painting is not the black gesso, but oil paint and is never black alone. Recently I put black back in my palette, but I never use it straight as it is always mixed with other colors. I am careful not to over use it, but after reading about some of my favorite artist's using black, I felt non-guilty using it again. Why do we feel that we have to follow other's rules in painting!

Linens N' Things - SOLD

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5"x 7" Oil on gessoed panel.

I now wear a beret to paint. Can you tell? Not really, but these last few studies have such a traditional feel and subject that I must be in a French Bohemian studio somewhere! I've never painted grapes or fabric folds in a still life painting for that matter. If one truly wants to do still life "studies", I suspect they do well to learn some basics. I don't know about that for sure, but I now feel closer to my preceding artist brethren. Next, maybe I'll be using the oval palette with the thumb hole!

"Let's Roll" - SOLD

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5"x 7" Oil on gessoed board.

I'm on a roll here with the still life paintings. I guess if one sticks with something for awhile they might get good at it, so I'm stuck for a while. I once again painted on the Ampersand Gessoboard and this time gave it a coat of the black gesso as a base color.
The actual painting is a bit warmer than I could achieve in photoshop , especially the background green and the table top. Oh how we all have our whoes with the photography!

Blue Plate Special - SOLD

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5"x 7" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

I worked on the real "gessoboard" this time and found it very easy to work on. It was a bit of a surprised that the surface has some texture rather than the extra smooth surface I get when I gesso my own board. I don't know if I like it better for every application, but it's really great working on it. The texture is much smoother than any canvas, but not as slick as just gesso on board (when lightly sanded). The texture is very much like a very fine "pebble board" if anyone knows what that is. If not, then I'd say a texture like you might get from a paint roller, but of course much finer. It was a very unique experience and I'm so glad I tried it.

I really like painting sliced tomatoes- who would have thought that would be so enjoyable! Hum...what fruit or vegetable is next?.. cucumber, eggplant, more peaches, grapes, clementines...........

Summer Heat - SOLD

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5"x 7" Oil on gessoed Ampersand board.

These beautiful peppers where found in my local Kroger grocery store and purchased for painting props. I thought they were so lovely with their shiny, waxy surface and rich colors. I was so pleased that they still had their stems attached! I don't expect to cook with them due to my hubby, Kenn, not able to eat "hot" foods. Such a waste, I'll just have to do several paintings of these hot beauties.

I'm continuing to paint on the Ampersand board and this one with two coats of black gesso. When asked what the advantage to painting on black is, after posting my recent tomato painting, I didn't have a good answer. Upon completing this my second "on-black" painting I think I have a better answer.

For one- I found myself paying attention to the negative space with more interest, two- dark areas are built quicker and deeper, three- my color seems to "pop"more, four- for me it is FUN for a change. I think that I will choose the black base for paintings or subjects that are prominently medium to dark values because the black does show through in spots (which is nice for the darker paintings).

Oil paint seems to dry faster on the gessoed board than on canvas for me. I'm not sure if it is the smooth surface or that I may be applying the paint in a thinner application. Because of this faster drying, I'm able to build up layers of the lighter colors to achieve more opaque light colors and whites over this black base. I use a "fast drying titanium zinc white" by LeFranc which also speeds the drying time for the lighter colors since this white is mixed with all the light colors.

I hope sharing observations on my experience with this smooth board and black gesso will be helpful to those artist's wishing to give it a try. Happy painting!

Peach Party

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7"x 5" Oil on gessoed board.

I'm still painting on the Ampersand Clayboard ( I bought a pack of three) with a violet- grey background this time. I knew that the soft color palette of this painting would be hard to accomplish on the black gesso ground, so I mixed some acrylic paint and white gesso to cover the clayboard. I'll try the Ampersand Gessoboard on my next purchase because the clayboard is very absorbent and requires two coats of gesso to prepare for the oil paint. On my first painting I only coated with one coat of gesso and had many dull spots occur as the painting dried. Some spray varnish brought it all back to a shine but I don't really recommend this surface for oils.

I'm liking my new approach to these last two paintings. It seems that I'm starting to feel a direction to pursue. I've been trying to "loosen up" for so long that all my focus has been on changing my brushstrokes. This has been a very valuable exercise, but I've lost some of "me" in the process. The ability to view so many artists online has been very inspiring and I've been learning so much by studying other's work, but I've had a real problem with "falling in love" with an artist-of-the-day 's style and thinking "I want to paint like that!". I've been a bit fickle, searching for that style that is going to be "me". These last two paintings I've just painted in a way that is a combination of how I used to paint as an illustrator, bits of influence from other's work, and the improved skills of using oil paint that has come from a year of practice. Maybe it is all beginning to gel into a style for me. Oh, I don't know, it's 1:15 AM and my brain is asleep already.

On The Chopping Block - SOLD

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5"x 7" Oil on Ampersand Clayboard.

Painting this was more enjoyable than any recent work I've done. I think it must have been the new board that I really took to, although I purchased the "wrong" product by Ampersand. I meant to buy their gesso board which is very similar so, before opening the package, I went to the Ampersand site to make sure I could use this board for oils. The suggestion for use with oils was to give the board a coat of gesso.

So I experimented with another new product (for me) and found a wonderful way of painting! I used an undercoat of black gesso for the primer. I got the idea from the artist Karin Jurick who almost exclusively uses black to paint on. This painting looks like it took for ever and looks so detailed, but the painting just flowed off my brush and felt so natural to me. At first I wasn't sure that I was going to like it, but discovered that the paint dries faster on this surface. You can work back over areas that are semi wet in a very short period of time and really control the paint well. Thanks to Karin for her blog and inspiration.

Apple Debut

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5"x 7" Oil on stretched canvas.

I had fun doing this little painting and am happy with the translucent quality of the red plate. The photo doesn't really do it justice. The colors appear much cleaner and the apple has several more shades of red than the camera was able to pick up.