Monday, June 28, 2010

Blue Hydrangeas - SOLD

"The Hydrangea Corner"

5"x 7" Oil on oil primed linen panel.
sold
Click on image to enlarge.

These are my favorite flowers - the blue is what wins me over. Can they be real? God is good!

While cleaning Charlene's home she had these beauties set up in her dining room corner with the sun beaming through the windows. I carry a camera most days when going to our client's homes and steal a shot of various subjects to paint. I was glad to have had the camera that day.....

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Chick Egg Timer and Eggs - SOLD

"Your Time is Up"

8"x 8" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

sold

I painted this in my head all day yesterday, planning the distortion and color. I pictured it with really thick and juicy paint with lots of texture. The high key color palette and the distortion were a success but I'll have to work on that really thick textured paint later. Maybe the paint goes down thicker on linen than board or maybe I need to add something to the paint. My experimentation has never led me to being able to put the paint down really thick without using a palette knife. I'll try again on linen and see if I can achieve that textured look.
I think the problem is that I'm just stingy with my paint!

My usual palette is darker and more intense color using high contrast. I wanted to force myself to paint a high key painting with more subtle contrast, so I really pushed those things far from the appearance of my still life set up. I wanted to see if the distortion would add some sort of dialogue between objects as well as interest and movement. I could have carried it much farther, but baby steps are ok too. I didn't want to be too crazy!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Yellow Roses with Red Tips

"Pint Size Roses"

7"x 5" Oil on linen panel.

The roses are yellow with random splashes of pinkish red tips and spots. The rose bush grows at my friend's home and they are the most fragrant and beautiful roses I know of. I wish we knew what they were! My painting doesn't begin to do them justice. Oh well. The rose painting practice continues. The pint size milk bottle I found on a recent trip to the mountains while antique shopping - perfect little vase.

For purchase info please email me at marilynmking@yahoo.com

Monday, June 21, 2010

Pet Portrait

"Handsome Boy Shad-O"

6"x 6" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard. nfs

This is our good seven year old Shad-O. The painting was my husband's Father's Day gift, for the boy is the closest being to a son we've ever had. He is the smartest, sweetest, and best looking doggie in the whole world, don't you think?

I hope you Dad's out there had a great and blessed day!

Friday, June 18, 2010

The Shell Seeker - SOLD

"The Shell Seeker"

7"x 5" Oil on oil primed linen panel.

This "study" turned into a labor of love. I wiped and repainted many parts but stuck with it and in the end I'm quite pleased with it. This image is from another pic I took on my recent beach vacation. The kid shots are my favorite with their joy and playful movements.

Click images to enlarge.
View Ebay listings here.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Cup of Tea and Clementine

"Cup of Tea and Clementine"

6"x 6" Oil on Ampersand Board

I'd had a full day and thought I'd do an easy simple subject. Easy subject it is but difficult painting it was. I painted the background over many times and made corrections over and over again. After my in-studio critic (husband Kenn) said it looked forced, it was out with the brushes yet again and another new background created to remove all the texture. I'm done.....time for tea.

For purchasing info go to the ebay listing here.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Plate of Strawberries- SOLD

"Berry Sweet"

5"x 7" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

Going bold with my colors seems to be making me happy! I feel freeeeeeee - kind of wild and crazy too. In fact after I painted this one I noticed that the background reminds me of Van Gogh. He was a little crazy too if I remember......


Monday, June 14, 2010

Tea Cup and Pink Roses

"Pretty in Pink"

8"x 6" Oil on oil primed linen.
Sold

I thought that while I'm loosened up a bit I'd try roses again. They have always stumped me and this time I think I'm getting closer than ever to achieving the look I'm after. I couldn't resist the detail in the cup. It may be inconsistent with the rest of the painting but I like it anyway. It's back to simpler subjects next. I was compelled to paint these roses from our yard.

Over and out from Hotlanta! It's hot!!!!!!!!!!

Available for $100. This painting is not mounted yet. If you are interested email me at marilynmking@yahoo.com.



Sunday, June 13, 2010

Peaches With Leaves - SOLD

"Peach Fuzz"

6"x 8" Oil on gessoed hard panel

This painting is still following the new direction I seem to be going. I'm forcing myself to work quicker and go on my instincts rather than think too much. I really enjoy painting this way, but I don't think I could have done this kind of painting before now even though I have been trying to achieve it. It feels like someone came into my house and opened a door that I had never opened before and found a whole new room. Don't you love those aha moments?

I think as I continue exploring this quicker and looser way of painting I need to make sure I don't fall into gimmicks. I love the swishy brush strokes to soften edges, but I want to make sure I don't overdo it. Mainly I just want to put down the larger shapes of color in a quicker and more direct way. Adding life and movement is my goal as well as just painting faster. What happened to my retreat to my "comfort zone" only a few days ago? Although this is very new to me, it doesn't feel uncomfortable.



Saturday, June 12, 2010

Three Hot Peppers - SOLD

"Three Hot Ones"

5"x 7" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

I was hot on this one! It sure was fun to just let loose and plop down globs of paint. I think I'll do another.

sold

Friday, June 11, 2010

Peaches and Silver Cup - SOLD

"Peaches and Silver Cup"

5"x 7" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

I feel the need to go back to my comfort zone for a few paintings. Still lifes are where my strengths are best realized and gessoboard my favorite surface, so here I go.....

Georgia peaches are being harvested and they are the best! Yummm.
sold

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Goat Island on Murrell's Inlet

"Goat House on Murrell's Inlet"

6"x 8" oil on gessoed linen panel.

I'm painting again from my recent beach trip photos. We were staying near Murrell's Inlet where all the seafood restaurants and the night life was hap'nin. Behind Drunken Jack's is an small island where goats and peacocks are raised. It's fun to walk along the marina pier and watch the entire goat herd run from one end of the island to the other and stir up the many birds roosting there. Good memories.

I feel like a dummy. I recently read on someone's blog about coating one's canvas with a clear medium mixture of turps and lindseed oil in preparation for painting. Or you can mix white oil paint in with this same mixture and use a white medium to coat your canvas. It was explained that this would help in painting skys and distant landscape elements.

The reason I feel like a dummy is because I ask myself - where have I been? I never knew about this. Being self taught so far, I just missed this valuable step. Maybe lots of artists do this and maybe not, I just don't know. On this painting I was using one of my older linen panels that is coated with a clear gesso. I have in the past added another two coats of white gesso and still disliked the surface. I took one of these linen panels (already coated with the white gesso) and painted on a light coat of a mixture of half turps and half stand oil. I loved how the paint just glides on much like when painting on the oil primed linen. Again, where have I been! So this is how to paint on canvas!

By the way, linseed oil is supposed to dry faster and cure harder. I'll have to purchase some, but the stand oil seemed to work fine. You still have to think about the fat over lean principle while building your painting, so I didn't thin my paint with turpentine for the bit of under-painting I put down. I'll definitely do some experimenting with this. Please anyone jump in a make comments about your experience using a medium to coat your canvas! This was an alla prima painting completed in about three hours.