One Hot Heifer, 6x6, oil on panel

Summer Shed, oil on panel, 6x6

SOLD

Winter Bushes, oil on panel, 6x6

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Summer Reminiscence, oil on panel, 6x6

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Which One Do You Like?

Painted from "real" color

Painted using color from one of the fruitful still lifes below

Which one do you like better? It was fun trying to apply color from another painting of a different subject to this scene. There are things I like better about each of them, and wonder if I combined those in a third painting, would it be the best? What do you think?

Sleepy Cow, oil on panel, 6x6

Bid on this painting

Still Life, oil on panel, 6x6

Still life, oil on panel, 6x6

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Autumn, 8x6, oil on board

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Had a question . . .

I had a question from a reader on Facebook about how I see color. It made me think about my habits. One thing I told her was that I often try to identify color in the landscape when I'm driving. When I'm really into it, I'll try to determine what color mixes might produce that color when painting. It's kind of fun and can make an otherwise boring drive turn into a painting lesson. This works well when you're sitting around also. Just about anytime and anywhere. Very handy.

The little painting that prompted the question.

When I'm painting intentionally - as opposed to mindless therapeutic painting - I often stop to determine and vocalize the color I think I'm seeing. Especially if it's a subject I'm not used to and would have a tendency to jump to color conclusions. For instance if it's an apple, it must be red, right? Not really. It could be lots of colors and I have to thoughtfully observe.

Another aspect of the process is taking into account the surrounding color. If I want a certain spot to pop I may have to subdue some of the surrounding color in the painting. I may have to make it lean more toward the complement of my "pop area", or gray it some so the intensity of the pop comes through.

Using a "color isolator" can be helpful too. I originally heard of this helper when studying Kevin Macpherson's book Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light and Color. There's lots of helpful color info in there. It can be very surprising to hold your little gray card up and look through the holes and find out the color you're looking at is very different from what you were thinking.

Comparing the actual hill color to the paint color.

 So, just a few thoughts on seeing color. I'm sure you have some practices of your own that work well.  I'd be interested in hearing about your color observation practices if you care to share them.

Happy painting!

One More With Grapes, 6x6, oil on panel

One More With Grapes

Oanges X 3, 6x6, oil on panel

Oranges X 3

On to oranges. Not too sure about this one, but it was nice to try something besides peppers. I think I want to do this same set up only use different background and shadow colors. Darker shadows, maybe bluer as well.

There's one more for the week.

Limes and Apple

This is by far my favorite. Might try this background and shadow color with the oranges next week. See, there's always a new idea to try! And, I think I'm learning things that will impact my landscapes when I go back to those.

The whole bunch.

From bottom left to top right (is that backwards from the way we read?), the progression of each day's painting. Left to right, bottom to top. This stretches over a bit more than a week. The first one was done in the previous week. The 2 peppers with red background were done the same day. The rest were done one each day. I see progress!

Yellow Bell #5, 6x6, oil on panel

Yellow Bell #5

Same set up, new day. I like this one better. It's closer to what I was after. This is amazingly fun and no pressure when I only allow myself 1 hour max per day. Now, as Carol said in her article in Professional Artist, I already have ideas of what to try the next time. I've never felt this kind of freedom to experiment and I'm lovin' it!

How about you? Are you in a slump? I hope you aren't but just in case you are, this is really a fun way to snap out of it!  Happy painting!

Yellow Bell #4, 6x6, oil on panel

Today I had to cut my pepper. Tomorrow I think I'll have to eat it.

It's amazing what I can get done when I don't go anywhere. A decent snow has been enough to keep me home.

The set up.

This is the set up I chose. I liked the juxtaposition of the two pieces.

Cropped view through view finder.

It's handy to use a view finder for a close still life as well as a landscape.

Yellow Bell #4

And my painting. I like the green background. Letting the yellow ground show through keeps things vibrant.

I'm so glad to be painting again! How about you?

Yellow Bell #3, 6x6, oil on panel

Yellow Bell #3

Painting different views and angles keeps things challenging and interesting. This was fun!

Yellow Bell #2

 Happy Valentine's Day! I guess I should've been painting a red pepper!

Yellow Bell #2, 6x6, oil on panel

Here's my second "keeper" of the Peppers. It too is the second attempt of the day. My first attempt (I should've taken a pic) had the color I wanted but too many details in the pepper. I took another look at Carol Marine's tutorial to make some comparisons. Right away I saw my "mistakes". I corrected them, which was a great learning tool and then wiped it off. I repainted it as you see it, keeping in mind the things I had done to the previous one to correct it.

The pepper with only light from the window and overhead.

This is my set up. As you can see, I waited a bit long - this pepper is starting to get shriveled! Oops.

The pepper with the direct bright light on it.

The artificial light really changes the color of things, but casts a nice shadow.

The uncropped image.

As you can see, I toned the board with an orange color that's in the pepper. It makes it easier to get that glow.

All in all, I think I learned something with this one. I hope I can apply it on my next pepper. I think it's time to cut this yellow bell open and try an "interior". How do you handle simple still lifes?

Happy painting!

Yellow Bell #1, 6x6, oil on gessoed panel

How interesting life is! I don't know about you, but I'm a person who gets very intent on one idea for a long time and then I wake up one morning with a totally different direction.  I often get myself burned out on the current idea because of my intensity. Perhaps all artists are like this.

I knew when I started one-1-five I would find myself screaming in protest one of these days and salivating to paint again. I'm trying really hard to prevent that and ease back into painting and strike some sort of balance between the two.

Following in the daily painting tradition (I guess it's a tradition, or at least a trend) I'm attempting to paint a small painting almost every day. I'm not going to be rigid about it. It's not a rule. More of a survival mechanism. Just for fun. Just to experiment. Just to play around and just to learn some more about color, design, form, drawing and all the rest. . . Ooops, now I'm starting to sound too intense.

Yellow Bell #1

I'm sure you're all familiar with Carol Marine and her wonderful work. This is my attempt at doing something similar.  There will be more to follow. Different angles, cropping, modelling. And if you're interested in doing the same, she has some tutorials on her blog you might want to check out.

An interesting thing I've noticed about myself and others. There can be a certain awkwardness when one has been used to painting a particular subject and then making a switch to another. I found that to be the case when I painted this pepper. If it was a landscape I would have felt no intimidation. But I was very intimidated by this pepper! This is my second attempt at it. I got the first one done-ish and wiped it off. Started over. Wanted to wipe this one off too, but my buddies encouraged me to keep it for comparison. We'll see . . .

In the meantime I'm headed over to Carol Marine's blog to check out those tutorials. Happy painting!

Wyoming Two Track

16x20 oil on canvas

It's been awhile. You may have wondered where I've been or what I've been up to. It's a bit of a long story, but I'll keep it short.

I've been working on another endeavor. It began in August. Have you ever wondered what on earth you were going to make for supper? That question hung over my head for years! I would work at home all day only to step into the kitchen about 4:30 and remember we had to eat and it was my job to figure it all out. Everyone I know faces this. So I decided to do something about it.

I launched a meal planning service called one-1-five. Let me explain. One-1-five stands for one short list, one quick trip, five stress free dinners. In a nutshell it's a service you subscribe to by visiting the website and signing up. Or you can download a one week sample for free.

The idea is to be able to make stress free dinners because it's all planned out for you. A subscriber gets a weekly email newsletter containing descriptions and photos of the meals and a link to a downloadable set of recipes and the short shopping list (24 items) to make them. No hard to find ingredients (I shop at Walmart), no fake food in a box (it's fresh), no stressing about what to have for dinner anymore. I call it "The answer to 'What's for dinner?'.

And the reason Wyoming Two Track is the first thing I've painted since August? I've spent that time developing enough recipes and menus that a subscriber won't be repeating a meal for 3 months, unless they like some of them so much they have to make them again. And then I'm always adding new recipes as I find them.

So, now when I do paint - like last week when I painted the above commission - and I walk into the kitchen and remember my husband will be home soon and supper needs to get started . . . I just get out my one-1-five recipes! In 30 minutes supper is on the table. Stress free. And yummy!

The mission? To restore joy to the dinner table one stress free meal at a time.

How bout you? Do you struggle with this very practical aspect of life as an artist or otherwise?

Sunny Autumn, 9x12, oil

I'll be teaching a workshop tomorrow - and just in time it sounds like. Looking at the weather forecast, it appears we could be getting some snow this week!

A Unique Opportunity - The Paisley Porch Gallery

Are you, or have you ever been, involved in a co-op gallery? I've heard good and not so good stories about co-ops. I've been involved in two. One is defunct and the other, The Paisley Porch Gallery, is in it's 7th year.

 The Paisley Porch Gallery is decidedly different in many ways, but reapeatbale, if you can find the right combination of people and place.

The Paisley Porch Gallery is tucked away in the historic Hotel Higgins, also home of the Paisley Shawl Restaurant

Housed in the historic Hotel Higgins (circa 1900's), home of the Paisley Shawl Restaurant (a 4 star eatery) and the Highlander Pub, in the small town of Glenrock, Wyoming, you'll find The Paisley Porch Gallery. There's centuries old charm everywhere and the establishment is run by a community minded couple who embraced the idea of an art gallery. We, the artists, converted a small glassed in porch at the front of the hotel into our gallery.

It's small, but cozy.

You can see a bit of the porch window on the left.

There are 5-7 artists showing work in the gallery and restaurant. We rarely have meetings, being somewhat independent. A mutual respect for each other and a spirit of small town co-operation prevails. The patrons are a mix of local folks and tourists, and sometimes workers who stay for a few months at a time, working on nearby wind farms or the power plant.

The owners, Mike and Judy Colling, handle all the sales for us and don't take a commission, by their own insistence. We're certainly willing to pay, they just aren't willing to take. (We try to find other ways to show our appreciation). Annual Christmas shows and sales have taken place most of the years since the gallery's inception, with a percentage being donated to a local charity.

Artwork hangs in the foyer.

More artwork hanging in the dining room.

The Paisley Porch Gallery has been a great venue for all concerned, adding interest and local culture to the town and hotel. During the seven years of the gallery's existence the amount of sales for the artists has always surprised me. Who would have thought a little co-op gallery tucked away in a tiny town would do so well?  Perhaps you're living in a small town where you could house a similar local co-op gallery.

By the way, the hotel is for sale. If you've ever dreamed of running such an establishment in a quiet little town, you might check it out.

Autumn Road, 9x12, oil on canvas

Autumn Road

I just got back from a trip to NH to visit my brothers. It was a great trip. The leaves were just barely beginning to turn there, which reminded me of our leaves that mostly turn yellow. But what a wonderful yellow - or gold, I guess. It won't be long now till we're seeing this color everywhere. I can hardly wait!

Color Charts - Really?

Study of Greens

 I can't wait to do some color charts with this new palette. I've painted a few paintings with it now but I haven't sat down and explored the possibilities. I want to see what kind of blues - particularly toward cerulean and what kind of purples - toward periwinkle (is that a technical artist term?)

The very idea of color charts used to elicit immediate yawns and mind wanderings from me. But I've discovered that color charts are a good means of exploring combinations of paint I don't naturally tend to. So far I've found that grey and lemon make a wonderful green, and grey and red make some sort of purpley red. But there are oh so many more possibilities!

I used to disdain color charts. I thought they were a flat waste of time, until an instructor "made" me do them, barring me from my go-to mixes for green and purple. That would be Ultramarine Blue with Cad Yellow Pale and then Ultramarine Blue with Alizarin Crimson. Much to my surprise, and delight, many richer colors were discovered by avoiding these 2 mixes.

Purples and greys made with my old palette - and no mix of Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson

Greens - about 144 - without using the mix of Ultramarine Blue and Cad Yellow Pale!

As you can see from the photos of my old color charts, I'm not real fussy and I found a lot of colors I wouldn't have otherwise. I have pulled these out a time or two to find a different mix to add some variety to a painting. I'll post pics of the new color charts when I get them done. It will be interesting to compare them. 

How about you? Have you done some color charts?

Old Sheds

Old Sheds

There's nothing like some old buildings to get my attention. Why is it that old things are so much more interesting in this way than brand new ones?

Cool Water, 6x8, oil

It's been such a long, hot, dry summer around here, that the Game and Fish department has asked ranchers to continue filling their stock tanks and other waterholes for the wildlife. This little bit of cool water is a welcome sight.

My Bad Painting Habits

Do you have bad painting habits? I have many, but I'm beginning to delete them one at a time. I thought I'd just sit down and make a list of them because there's something about fessing up and seeing things in black and white that makes them more tangible. I'm hoping it will help me get rid of them. So, here they are.

• not cleaning my brush often enough as I work - almost overcome
• taking paint from the middle of the pile instead of at the end - getting better
• not putting out enough paint - getting better
• not replacing a pile that's used up - being LAZY remember that sluggard post? - still bad
• haphazard arrangement of paint on my palette - OVERCOMER!
• not wearing gloves
• wanting to change a finished painting, from the season it was painted in, because we are in a new season - hard to resist
• overworking a painting - don't we all?
• mindless painting - almost overcome
• not taking time to do notans - still disciplining myself to do this

This is my current list. As you can see, I'm at different places with different bad habits. The good news is, I have developed some good ones along the way. As the list shows, I've learned to organize my palette the same way every time. I don't have to hunt for a color and I have plenty of mixing space.

I've also learned to have my equipment ready the night before if I'm going out to paint in the morning. I don't know how many times I've arrived to begin setting up only to find I've forgotten something. Most often it's trash bags, paper towels or new solvent. Replenishing supplies at least the night before is a good idea. It would be even better to replenish them right after I get home.

I think my very worst habit is not taking the 10 seconds to replenish a depleted pile of tube paint. Ugh! I am getting better at this one, but sometimes my laziness is ridiculous. It leads to so much trouble in the painting. I end up trying to get by with what I have on my palette and it begins to look dirty on the painting and on and on. Sometimes I've ended up ruining a perfectly good painting by this bad habit.

Early on in my painting, I thought it was crazy to think of cleaning my brush so often - like wiping it after each stroke. How could a person manage that? But, I've found that it's become an unconscious habit. I wasn't even aware I was doing it until another artist watching me commented on it. I was secretly happy to know I was being so careful.

Evening Pines

 I guess my hardest-to-overcome bad habit is the overworking of a painting. How many of us struggle with this one? I think - maybe - the one-stroke-one-color, take-a-look-from-a-few-feet-away to plan your next stroke - might be my only salvation from this fate. Theoretically if I learn to practice that method, I at least won't mindlessly continue on past the point of peak impact.

Speaking of mindlessly going on, mindless painting is one of the things I've almost overcome. It's that thing I do when I'm carried away by something else besides the original intent for the painting. It happens a lot if I'm within earshot of other artists who are painting and talking or just talking. I've learned its best to paint quietly or alone. Maybe that's why my color theory teacher wouldn't allow talking or any music with lyrics to be played in class.

Putting a painting out of sight for awhile is a good way for me to resist changing the season. My worst is wanting to make a spring painting into a summer painting. Doesn't work.

And wearing gloves is an issue of a different kind, but important to me.  I've discovered it's important to take whatever measures I need to in order to make it easier to keep painting.

What bad habits do you share with me? What are your unique bad habits you're overcoming?

Cottonwood