Today's Painting: Chickadee

5 x 7, oil on panel

This is a commissioned painting in the private collection of Linda Neice.

Update on all thing Art

By the way if I see one more painting of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I might lose all hope...

I started a new large 30 x 40 painting today. The main subject is a buck deer. Something relating to memories or remembering....

That white glare has been covered with an acrylic mix and beginning with one eye ball I have advanced mapping the head today. I can't get a photo due to the awful weather day. This is also why I have had such a ridiculous time getting a photo of "Diamond" up on the website.

Submitted another proposal yesterday and learning to spend more effort on the ugly "m" word,....I can hardly bring myself to say it. The Smartist Telesummit starts Thursday, so hopefully this will help.

Anyway, in the meantime, there are plenty of small paintings up on Ebay for those interested and also note cards on Etsy.

Today's Painting: Diamond....on and on he goes

My time at the easel today consisted in major problem solving and a few intense impulses to paint over many hours of work. I am still on the fence. With such a strong and noble subject as Diamond, the balance of the remainder of the work is a challenge. Though I do not want his "perch" to take away from his greatness, I do feel a king deserves a throne.

Still having much difficulty photographing this painting, but here it is at as of today. This perch is made a tower of shed antlers which has been swallowed by some creeping and unstoppable vine. It is much greener than conveyed, yet dark....with tiny lavender flowers.

Today's painting: Goldfish

oil on panel, 5 x 7, $90 includes shipping, purchase here

I struggled with Diamond this morning. On to something less complicated in the afternoon .What a lovely experience to render a translucent creature....

Update

I actually made a list sunday night of the things I would like to accomplish this week. I am not nomally a list person, but I am beginning to believe in the magic of making one. All those tasks floating around in one's head in some ethereal manner often go undone.

Re-entry of all those lost contacts is ongoing. I am sending out a yearly letter from now on, so I need the database up and going. This year's letter in written.

On the non-boring side, I continue to struggle with "Diamond." Pushing and pulling paint, half way to painting over some elements, and weighing heavily on my God-given gift to tapping into my memory to create something out of nothing. This is my task today. I will try to get a photo up. It is nearly impossible to get s good photo with the weather on top of such a dark painting.

Back to work......

Two New Paintings, Four New Frames

"Three Chicks" - oil on panel, 5" x 7" , purchase here


"Magpie" - oil on panel 5" x 7", purchase here

I am having a lot of trouble with my neck and shoulders over the last few months. I have only been able to paint for a few hours a day if at all. I have a plan now, though and hope to be back up to par soon. The regimen of ice and Advil are only covering the problem, so on to a real solution. "Diamond, Ringleader of the Spring Revolt" is staring at me daily along with the Harpy painting having only a shadow of a face with two black holes for eyeballs and now two more strong ideas are invading my mind, so I am anxious to be able to really focus on painting again rather than the discomfort I am in while painting.

I bought four beautiful frames from Jerry's this week. They arrived yesterday and I am going to put the canvases in after a trip to the hardware store. If you need frames, Jerry's is the place to get them. You do have to buy four of the same size at one time, but that is why the price is so great.

Artist takes a few days off....

I took a few days off last week to run some errands and have coffee with a friend. I did paint three painting by Wednesday, so I didn't feel too bad. I had to go to Michael's, which is bad enough when it isn't Christmas time because they usually have one register open. At least they had another open. It is their busiest time of the year, so it was packed. Somehow, I always pick the wrong line to get in with my giant canvases. I have a knack for picking the line where the lady in front of me is returning all manner of imitation greenery and doo-dads. Always. By the time I got to Michael's I was already a bit roughed up by having to go to the post office on the way. No need to say what the post office is like this time of year. There I was surrounded by people with stacks of packages, little slip of paper in hand to pickup a missed package.
Then when I got home I had two rejection letters in the mail. One on a proposal and one for a juried show. I really can honestly say that this was not as annoying as the line thing....

I am finding it difficult to get into the swing today. We are in the process of buying a house, and everything we looked at over the weekend was awful. We came away quite disappointed yet enlightened and now must reassess what is realistic for us, but it means the loss of some things I had in mind and heart. I am a little down, I guess and for me that usually means apathy.