Whoa. That was a sprint. Three new orange oil paintings in a week’s time, begun and completed. It is a privilege to be thought of when local businesses have Art Emergencies; it is a thrill to be able to handle those situations. I’m very happy to be able to help, and particularly happy to help […]
Oranging Along
It’s my blog, I’m 58 and I can make up words if I want to. Any questions? Oh. What does “oranging” mean? It means painting oranges, although I was just painting greens that day. Because this commission job was for 3 oil paintings in 2 weeks, I had to plan the most efficient method of delivering […]
Three Oranges, To Go, Please
Two weeks to paint three oranges, but really, only one because of a planned 2 days off and because of drying time. No problem. . . just get outta my way! They don’t have to be truly identical, because each one will end up in a different home. That sounded weird. If they were all […]
Four Oranges, Please
A yearly customer emailed me to ask for a painting she saw on my website, but she didn’t just want that painting. She wanted four of that painting. Well, oops. My paintings don’t get reproduced by machines; my paintings get reproduced by a paintbrush in my hand. But wait! There’s more! She wanted them in […]
Pencil Drawing Finished?
The pencil drawing commission might be finished. I often run things by my drawing students, telling them to be as “mean” to me as I am to them. It gives them an opportunity to practice the skills of looking very critically, and articulating clearly if they see any weak areas of a drawing. Here it is […]
Drawing Architecture in Pencil
Drawing architecture in pencil is my favorite thing. Since this drawing is gone, I get to redraw it. Second chances, opportunities to improve, do-overs–all good things. This is how it looks after about three short sessions with my pencils. Cabin closing, oil painting, teaching drawing lessons, taking inventory and planning for shows, editing, book design, blogging, […]
As Long As You Are Painting, You Might As Well. . .
I was working on the Sawtooth oil painting. This is the first time I had painted in a few weeks, so I started over with fresh paint on my palette. White, 2 yellows, 2 reds, 2 blues, and a mixture of the darkest blue with the darkest red. All that the Sawtooth oil painting required […]
Do-Over
I get another chance at a do-over! A customer asked to buy three of the original pencil drawings from The Cabins of Wilsonia. One of them is gone, so I offered to redraw it for him. He agreed. The one he wants redrawn isn’t one I felt very proud of. Maybe I got sloppy in the midst of […]
Dessert
First I ate my vegetables of fuzzy faces. I saved dessert for last. What is she talking about? I can hear you thinking. My customer brought me three commissions to draw in pencil. The first 2 were the fuzzy photos of faces with no discernible features. The 3rd was a beautiful building, designed by Julia Morgan, […]
What is That Thing?
Remember Henry and Dora in front of their tent last week? Here, have another look: I showed my drawing students, because it is good to learn from one another. They were kind and complimentary, but honest, as we are with one another. “What is that thing in the tent?” is something I heard a few […]