A Blessed Thanksgiving

"As We All Clasp Hands"
36x36 in.
Oil on Canvas
$550

I hope all of you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as I did. I have always loved Thanksgiving, because it is all about family (and eating). Not to mention that we always celebrate my birthday afterwords! In honor of the holiday, I have decided to re-post one of my favorite paintings from my "Where I Came From" series. The little boy on the left side of the painting is my dad. This and many other paintings are on display and for sale in the studio. And, in honor of my 30th birthday, all original oil paintings are 30% off during this weekend's Winter Art Market at Art Crossing. Visit the WAM blog for more details!

Riverplace Fountains at Night

Hello friends! Sorry for my sudden absence all last week. It was a week where inspiration and motivation were in short supply. I did manage to get this piece finished, however. Some of you may remember a while back I did a commission of these steps and fountains. Well, I decided to revisit the subject for an upcoming show called Greenville Scene, being put on by MAC and the Greenville Museum of Art. I under painted the whole piece in blue, which I think made the lights and water of the fountains really pop out.

Vintage Squared

All the 12"x 12" pieces from Oil and Rouge are now posted on my website. But here is a look at all of them in one place! Happy Friday everyone!

In Celebration

If you have been in the studio at all the last few months, you have seen this piece in progress. I waited to post it now so that I wouldn't ruin the surprise. The husband commissioned this piece for his wife for their one year anniversary. It pictures places they have been and things that are important to them. If you would like to commission a painting for your loved ones, just email me the photo(s) you are considering and we will discuss size and pricing options.

Progress Made

If you came in to Open Studios this weekend (many thanks to you), you saw the bit of progress I made on my green piece. Here is another glimpse of the progress I have made so far. I love that through the additional layers of color you can still see hints of the green underneath. Still a bit of work to do, but I like the way it is headed!

The Same, but Different

11"x 14"
Oil on Masonite
$245

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

Some of you may recognize the subject matter of this piece. I used the same photo of my grandmother and her sister for a painting a little over a year ago. That piece is currently at The Little Art Gallery in Raleigh, NC. I came across the photo again yesterday and wanted to revisit it. In many ways, I like this version better than the original. I also just love the subject matter. I want to know where they were going in their beautiful contrasting coats, and my grandmother in her quirky, fabulous hat. The photo looks like a beautiful, sunny day up in the mountains, and I imagine it is a little cold. My grandmother looks like she was saying something as the shutter was clicked, and I love the way my great aunt has her head tilted towards her sister as she squints in the bright sunlight. I have to say this is one of my favorite photos, as well as one of my favorite paintings!

Starting with green

This piece is very much in progress, but I thought I would post the first step so that you can see how much it changes. I have mentioned over on my vintage blog that for some reason, I love laundromats. So, for some of my newest paintings, I am combining some of my vintage ladies with laundromat scenes. This piece is not going to stay all green like this. I typically paint a solid layer of color on the canvas before I start so that I do not have to deal with a totally white canvas. This time, though, I decided to under paint the entire scene in various shades of green. Some of the green will remain, but in most areas it will just peek through, creating (I hope) a very cool layered feel. Want to see it in person and to check out the progress I have made? Stop by Open Studios this weekend and I will have it on the easel!

A Day Out

16"x 16"
Oil and Paper on Canvas
$250

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I've been busy getting ready for Open Studios, but still finding time to paint. This piece is from a photo of my Grandmother, my dad, and my aunt. My favorite part is that he was flapping his arms in the picture, so his right hand is just a blur. I tried to capture that in this piece!

Open Studios 2009 at Emily Clarke Studio!

For more information about Open Studios, and to see a list of other participating artists and their locations, please visit http://www.greenvillearts.com.