DSFDF 2009 Portrait Swap

8"x 10" Oil on linen panel.

This painting has been submitted to the 2009 portrait swap challenge on Karin Jurick's blog. After a year of biweekly challenges Karin gives each participating artist a "mystery" artist to paint for the month of December. That artist is painting our own portrait and at the end of the month we swap our portraits. It is something we all look forward to and I can't wait to see who this lovely artist is. Check out Karin's blog, "Different Strokes for Different Strokes" to see the different portraits posted all month.

I worked on this painting over two days, keeping the painting wet in the freezer overnight to continue to work wet into wet. The total time was about 12 hours. I hope she loves it and it is somewhat of a likeness. The funny thing is that I see myself in this portrait. That scares me a bit. hehe.

San Francisco Hills- SOLD

"Joy Ride"

8"x 6" Oil on Raymar canvas panel.

Note: This is my second try at an accurate photo. I'm not able to get the contrasts correct. The distance is right but the foreground and middle ground are a bit more intense and sharper than appears on the screen.

This was a hard challenge from Karin Jurick's blog, Different Strokes From Different Folks. For me the goal was to simplify the detailed photo and to create a sense of distance and a bright sunny atmosphere. The street scene had electric wires going everywhere! I don't think I simplified much except for those wires. My focus changed into managing my brush strokes, keeping them simplified and painting shapes instead of objects. I have to continue to remind myself to think SHAPES! I'm pleased with the outcome although I still struggle when I paint on canvas at this small size. I think I'm finally getting use to piling on the paint much thicker when painting on canvas as compared to my preferred surface of a gessoed board. Click here to check out the other artist's version of the same scene and to see the photo that was provided.

Veggies - SOLD

Click on image to enlarge.
6"x 9" on stretched canvas.

sold

This is the latest DSFDF challenge on Karin Jurick's blog.

Oh it felt so good to paint again!! This was pure enjoyment and a bit of a departure from the way I usually work in that it is much more casual. I wanted to go lighter and fresher in value and color and working on the canvas was also a change. The whole effect is more contemporary and less realistic- a bit looser for me. Now I really want to paint more food! Time for tomato paintings again.

My studio is now rearranged and much more workable. I haven't thrown away much so I guess that is a long time project. Garage sale still in the works..........

"A Companion of Diana" - WIP Corner

4" Oil on unstr14 1/2"x 8 1/etched gessoed canvas.

Click on images to enlarge.

Stage 1 and 2.

To see close up details go to my other blog -
"Marilyn M King Studio".











The latest in Karin Jurick's DSFDF challenge was a photo's of the marble sculpture of a nymph and her dog titled "The Companion of Diana".

I spent a lot of time visualizing what I wanted the end result to be before I even prepared the canvas. That is not what I usually do, but I wanted to create a background that added movement and free brush strokes that worked with the image in a supportive way. It was similar to an athlete going through the process of visualizing the next pitch or jump and getting his body to follow through with the internal image.
I had painted these background strokes in my head over and over for about three days before painting. This exercise proved to be very helpful. The initial stage seemed to to paint itself. Quite a surprise! As I continued on with the sculpture, I drew with brush and paint with the attitude of a calligrapher, creating stokes with gesture and different pressures. I wanted the painting to have a feeling of spontaneity but worked very slowly. I thought out each stroke before it was place and checked distances constantly, while paying close attention to edges and values. I think I achieved the look of a quick "sketch" but it really took about seven hours to complete. This was done in one day in order to work wet into wet.

I've been working so small for so long that this "larger" size really freed me up to do some bold painting for me. I wasn't too excited about the challenge, but it has turned out to be my favorite so far. I really learned some valuable lessons, some of which will change how I paint from now on. Thanks to Karin for continuing to STRETCH our skills and artistic vision through her challenges. To visit "Different Strokes from Different Strokes" click here.

Girl and her dog at the beach - SOLD

"Come!!"

Click on images to enlarge.

8"x 6" Oil on Raymar canvas

board.

sold

This is the latest DSDF challenge from Karin Jurick's blog. This was a fun challenge in that I rarely paint figures anymore. Karin sure gives us a variety of subjects and keeps us on our toes! Meeting these challenges encourages me to paint subjects that I would not usually be drawn to or not have the opportunity to try. Thanks, Karin for sharing your photos with us!

Sushi and Chop Sticks - SOLD

"Sushi and Chop Sticks"

5"x 7" Oil on board.

sold

detail

detail

It 's another painting for the DSFDF challenge. Many artists paint from the same photo posted twice a month on Karin Jurick's blog. It is always such fun to see the many different interpretations of the same image. Check out her blog to see all the other paintings and the original photo provided.
This still life was just what I love to paint. I've never painted sushi and have only eaten it once, but I've always thought I would choose it as a subject to paint some day. The colors and textures make for a bright and appealing image to have lots of fun with. I've added the chop sticks for additional compositional balance and interest.

Thought for the day: Why are "chop sticks" named that? You can't chop with them and I've never seen anyone eat pork chops with them either!

San Francisco Victorian - DSFDF

Click on image to enlarge.

5"x 7" oil on Ampersand Gessoboard.

Available

This is another challenge from Karin Jurick's blog "Different Strokes From Different Folks ". Check out all the different interpretations of this subject painted by manyartists from around the world. The photo reference provided by Karin ( a wonderful is and well known artist ) given on her blog for anyone to paint. Come join the fun.

Jefferson Memorial - DSFDF

Publish Post

Click on image to enlarge.

click to bid

6"x 8" Oil on canvas panel.

The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. was the subject of the latest Karin Jurick's “Different Strokes for Different Folks”. The nighttime photo provided a challenge in rendering the luminous lights casting their glow on the architecture.

The sky was originally a clear blue night sky but the moon and clouds were added providing objects for a reflection on the sidewalk in the foreground. The ground was painted wet as if a shower has left puddles on the walk. My hope is that combining the two has achieved a convincing scene and added interest to the composition.

DSFDF Portrait Swap - Christine

Click on image to enlarge.

10"x 8" Oil on Ampersand Gessoboard

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are having a good new year so far! I want to thank all who visited my blog last year and especially all your comments. That feed back helps to keep me going when I get discouraged or when I just need that one positive word to assure me that I'm on the right path. So thanks from the bottom of my heart!

This portrait is the latest challenge from that amazing Atlanta artist Karin Jurick. Her "Different Strokes From Different Folks" blog offers artists a chance to paint from a photo that she provides once a week, and a week later we post our painting on her blog. For the end of the year challenge we were to send in a photo of ourselves and Karin paired us up (randomly) with another artist's photo to paint.

This is my mystery artist and she has painted from my photo. It was fortunate for me that the photo that I was given was excellent. It provided an interesting angle and dramatic lighting that was very challenging. The angle gave me a struggle with the getting the eyes just right. They appear to be different sizes due to the angle and furrowed brow, but I think I finally achieved a convincing likeness. Check out the site to see the 130 artists that participated. The portraits have been posted as they come in and the final ones will be in by Wednesday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Favorite Boots

Click on image to enlarge.

8"x 8" Oil on linen.

$65

This painting was done in a flash. At least a flash for me. It is my third submission to Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes from Different Folks" blog. The reference photo was a shot of her favorite work boots. I wanted to keep it loose and a little ''rough" looking in keeping with the subject matter. A linen canvas board was used to add texture and I kept my color palette to two blues, two browns, white and a touch of yellow ochre.

I stopped before I felt the piece was finished so that I wouldn' t take it too far. Maybe tomorrow I'll see something minor to change and I'll be able to leave the rest alone. It looks so unfinished to me now , more like a study. I'm going to wait a while before posting to Karin's blog until I know if it's done. It's not due until next Wednesday so if you want to add your version of Karin's boots, jump in!

Update: I left it completely alone and sent it to Karin's blog today- Friday the 12th.
I feel totally unsure if it's done, but I'm taking the leap! LOL

Morning Light

Click on image to enlarge.

8"x 10" Oil on canvas.

$100

I once again accepted the weekly challenge on Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes from Different Folks" blog.

The photo that was offered appealed to me because I'm drawn to back lit images, especially natural light. The challenge to capture reflections also rocks my world so this image was a pleasure to paint. You can see the original photo on Karin's site and view many artist's interpretations of the same image.

My approach to this painting was a bit of a departure for me. I wanted to keep it loose and impressionist. I didn't want to "copy" the photo, but capture the morning light and the contrast between the outdoor space and the intimacy of the indoor setting.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and family. Happy December!

Red Heads - SOLD

Click on image to enlarge.

6"x 6" Oil on canvas.

Sold

This is my first participation in Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes from Different Folk's" challenge. I blew it! ( I thought) I had major computer problems and failed to send my image by Wednesday evening. By midnight I gave up and went to bed. Since then, I sent another email to Karin and she graciously posted my painting.

The frustration of not posting on Wednesday cause me to evaluate my motive in participating and if I would try again. Karin had mentioned that she may be interviewed by a magazine in January about the site and encouraged participation as an "opportunity". I didn't have many details but had wanted to submit something to see if it would be fun or advantageous. After creating this painting I found that I really don't get too excited or inspired by other's photos. I'm currently beginning to focus on "emotional responses" to subjects and that is difficult if you weren't there! LOL I think the site is a great idea and a good learning tool, but I'm not sure if it is a good way for me to spend my limited painting time. I'll just have to see how my other painting is coming along and if I'm able to fit in this weekly challenge. Maybe I'll just choose on the basis of the interest I have in the given photo. Come join the challenge!

Just so you know what the challenge was, the image was given upside down and was to be painted that way. After the painting was "completed" you could make some changes after turning right side up. As always you could use any painting or drawing medium and could crop, add or delete elements. This exercise was to get one to see shapes and not be limited to our preconceived ideas about the subject. I cropped the image to a square format, added the dog and made some other minor changes.