Her Downward Gaze

In the picture I based this one on, she is looking down at the most wide-eyed baby I have ever seen. It is a very sweet moment, but for me the beauty of this piece is the look on her face. And her flawless finger waves are pretty cool too. This piece is 4"x 4", oil on wood panel. The sides are 1" thick and painted blue. Soon to be available here.


ShareThis

A Bit of Poise

The time period on this one is a little further back than I usually go, but it is such a beautiful portrait that I had to paint it. It is another one of my relatives, a great-grandmother I think. I am fascinated by her elaborate hairstyle and huge bow. I wonder what her day to day life was like. This is another one of my new "painting-minis," which will be listed in my Etsy store as soon as I can get some better pictures. It is 4"x 4", oil on wood panel. The sides are 1" thick and painted red.


ShareThis

Sketching and Sunburn

I spent today lying on a sunny patch of grass, sketching, reading, doing business-type stuff, and most likely burning in the hot sun, but it was totally worth it. I don't draw that often, typically because I prefer the fluidity of paint, but sometimes it feels good to just sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper and create something with it. This piece is done on watercolor paper with colored pencil. Thanks to my friend Sara for lending me the photo from her family pics.


ShareThis

Kisses Blown

4"x 4"
Oil on Wood panel
Sides are 1" thick and painted dark red

SOLD

Something a little cheeky for Thursday.



ShareThis

On Being Uninspired

There are days when I would rather do just about anything than paint. And not in a typical, "man, I wish I didn't have to work today" kind of way, but rather in a "the thought of picking up a paintbrush brings me physical pain" kind of way.

I never know when these moments are going to hit. Take today for instance. The sun is shining, there is a nice breeze blowing through the park, it is an all around awesome day. My mood, although not singing-show tunes-in-the-street good, has also been much worse. But, today I find myself looking at the easel, at the several half finished paintings scattered around the studio, and at the half dozen freshly primed canvases begging for an image with a feeling of dread. It starts in my chest, and radiates out towards my fingers and toes.

Despite the title of this post, it is actually not so much about being uninspired. If I waited for inspiration to hit before I started working, I would create a couple of paintings a year, rather than a couple a week. No, there have been many days when, despite not being inspired to paint any specific image, I have sat down at the easel and gotten to work. I have pressed on through the doubts and blocks, sometimes ending up with crap, but other times ending up with something "inspiring." So, what is it that on some days stops even the will to press on, to, as my painting professor at Furman used to say, "shut up and paint?"

I have absolutely no idea.

Perhaps my brain needs a break from the weight of my obsession pressing on it. Maybe my body has some type of internal restart button for when the system gets overloaded. Or perhaps I need to give myself a break, take stock of the huge amount of work that I do on a typical day, and go out and enjoy the sunshine. Maybe it is a day to pay attention to the beauty around me, to count my blessings and start again tomorrow. Or, just maybe, in the immortal words of Olaf Sorensen, it is time to just "shut up and paint."

(totally unrelated note: The photo at the top of this post is my actual paint pallet. Several people recently had commented on it when in the studio, so I thought I would share.)

Two Views of Her Face (or why I hate technology)

Remember my miraculously fixed camera a couple of weeks ago? Well, apparently it was only a temporary fix, because once again my photos are coming out looking like this:

While it's an interesting effect, it's not really helpful when it comes to photographing art. If anyone knows a way to fix this problem, please let me know!


So, once again, I had to shoot my painting on my cell phone. I spent most of Saturday working on this piece, and I am officially in love with it. I have mentioned recently how much I like old photo booth photos, and this is one of my Grandmother from around 1938-1941. The original photo is tiny, but I wanted to paint it really large. I recycled an old canvas from college, back when I couldn't paint anything that was much smaller than wall sized. This one is about 2ft by 4ft. The challenge on the faces was to make them look like two views of the same woman, and not two different women wearing the same outfit. I still need to work on the clothes and background, but I am so happy with the faces that I had to go ahead and share, despite the technological setbacks.

ShareThis

A Sneek Peek

I'm off to two artist receptions tonight, so here is a quick look at what I will be working on for much of the day tomorrow. If you are downtown, come check it out.




ShareThis

More Summer Vacation

Every time I say that I am not sure if I am finished with a piece, I end up staring at it for several days (or weeks) and leaving it just as it is. So, that may be the fate of this piece, because I am not sure if it is finished or not. This is one of those pieces that looks one way when you are far away, and totally different up close. There is something I really like about the loose, sketchy quality of it, though. What do you think?




ShareThis

Cheek to Cheek

Another painting mini today, as well as several other projects. I never seem to be able to focus on just one project at a time. Don't get me wrong, I love my work and I get very excited about many of the pieces, but if I spend to much time on one piece, I start to get bored with it, and that's when I never finish. These little pieces help to break up my day a little bit. This piece is 4"x 4", oil on wood panel. The sides are 1" thick, and painted bright gold. Soon to be available in my Etsy shop, so stay tuned.




ShareThis

Summer Vacation

Since it feels like July instead of the beginning of April, I thought this would be a good piece to post today. It is still in progress, but I am really liking the look so far. This is from another family photo, this one of my grandmother and aunt. I am not sure what beach they are on, but it reminds me of the Outer Banks or Charleston.

If you are in Greenville this weekend, be sure to come by my artist reception at Adam's Bistro on Sunday, April 11 from 5-7:30pm. Adam's Bistro is located at 221 Pelham Rd., and has some of the best food in Greenville. Don't miss it!


ShareThis

Food and Art at Adam's Bistro

I hope you will join me April 11 at the fabulous Adam's Bistro on Pelham Road, for great food, great company, and a look at paintings from my Modern Conveniences and Oil and Rouge series. It promises to be a good time, so please spread the word.

Beneath Her Hat

Somehow this afternoon, my camera, which had been giving every picture a pinkish tint, started working again, at least somewhat better. I am of the school of- if it doesn't work once, keep trying it over and over, just in case. Here is another of my "painting minis", soon to be available in my Etsy store. I am trying to finish a whole group of these before listing them in the shop. It is 4"x 4", oil on wood panel, and the sides are 1" thick, painted red.


ShareThis