Girl at Beach

4x8 on canvas panel - $50
Purchase this painting on eBay

This week's DSFDF challenge was a photo of a beach family. Originally I had intended to include more of the figures in my painting, but since I'm pushing the deadline for an entry I decided to focus on just one. You probably know that I don't approach figures often at all in my paintings, so this was a good challenge for me.

Giveaway Winner

Thanks once more to everyone that entered this month's painting giveaway! Random.org declared entry #61 the winner:

Dirt. said...

oh and i'm following your blog now too!

Lori

Thanks Lori, I'm emailing you and your painting will be on its way soon. Also, if you didn't win this time, come back next month for the next giveaway!

Passion for Painting

I've been tagged by fellow artist Tom Pohlman (check out his blog, you won't be disappointed!) with the Passion for Painting Award. I'm to list 7 things I love and 7 artists I enjoy. It's been a while since I've done one of these so why not! My list of 7 loves:

1. Happy customers - When I can find the perfect home for a painting and the buyer is excited enough to contact me afterward and tell me how much they like the painting, it makes all the frustrations and defeats that come with painting melt away and inspires me to create more.

2. Sweets - I've got a demanding sweet tooth and have been on a pastry kick lately. But I can only take chocolate in small doses.

3. Fast paced games - I'm not big into board or video games most of the time, but when I do play I like to play games with short rounds that keep me occupied the whole time and keep me from overthinking things.

4. New art supplies - I thought of this one because I just got some new brushes today and I just love getting to start a painting with a fresh paintbrush.

5. Sleeping in - It takes a long time for my mind to shut off at night, so I like to make up for it by sleeping in as long as I can.

6. Calm environments - My art tends towards restive, meditative landscapes because I'm always trying to tap that sense of calm within myself, and I hope to be able to pull others into my paintings for that purpose as well.

7. My subscribers - Thanks to everyone that takes the time to read my blog and view my work; it means a lot to me!


And here are seven artists that inspire me:

1. Douglas Hoover
2. Julie Beck
3. R. Garriott
4. Karen Schmidt
5. Carol Nelson
6. Steven Walker
7. Carrie Griesemer

Dunes at Fort Macon

6x12 on stretched canvas
SOLD

A view of the ocean peeking out from behind the dunes at Fort Macon beach.

Poppies Revisited

6x12

My mom wanted a larger version of the poppy painting I did recently, so this is a larger imagining of that scene.

WIP - Life Underpainting II

OK, I finished the underpainting for my large Game of Life painting and will let it dry before moving on to some actual color!

Evergreen Mountain

4x4 on canvas panel
SOLD

My family's been planning a little reunion in the mountains a few months down the line so I've been thinking about the Blue Ridge area lately. I miss living there!

Bluebonnet Field

20x20 on stretched canvas
SOLD

I tried going without an underpainting on this one and I think I was able to get the colors to be much more vivid than usual. I'm usually intimidated by a big white canvas but it's starting to scare me less.

Blue Ridge Barn

4x4 on canvas panel
SOLD

Just a small reminder of the mountains.

March Free Painting Giveaway!

4x6 oil painting on canvas panel
Enter to Win!

It's time for my March free painting giveaway! This month I have a sweet little 4"x6" oil painting on canvas panel of a tree at dusk from my collection, pictured above. I've decided to change the entry rules this time around to try something new. This time, to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this blog entry with a link or description of your favorite painting from my eBay store or Etsy store OR leave a comment telling me what subjects you'd like to see me paint in the future, along with your email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. If I can't find a way to contact you through your post, it will be deleted, so be sure to include a method of contact! - REQUIRED


Extra entries are available this time! You can get additional entries by doing any or all of the steps below and leaving separate comments:

2. Follow my blog by scrolling down to the right side and pressing the Follow button! Just leave a separate comment stating that you are now following or are already a follower of my blog.

3. Twitter about this month's giveaway and post a separate comment with a link to your Twitter!

4. Blog about this month's giveaway, and post a separate comment with a link to your blog post!

This month's giveaway ends on March 28th at 11:59 PM EST. I'll use random.org to select a winner, and will contact the winner for their mailing address afterward. If I don't hear back from the winner within 48 hours, I'll choose another.

And if this month's painting isn't your style, check back next month for a new painting and another chance to win!

WIP - Life Underpainting

WIP - 24x24

For the longest time I've wanted to do a larger, more complex painting that would be completely out of the norm of my usual subjects. My favorite game as a kid was The Game of Life, and I thought it would be fun to do a larger piece based on a closeup of the board. This was a quick indoor photo with flash (so excuse the glare and grain) I just took of the underpainting in progress; I want to make sure I've got the values all lined up before I move on to adding color. I don't know how long this painting is going to take but it'll be fun to try something different.

Marsh

4x4 on canvas panel
SOLD

Sadly, the doughnut painting I was working on kicked the bucket today; I just couldn't make it work. Next time I attempt it I'll try a more dramatic light source than the one I chose this time around. So, after I left it for dead, I was in the mood to go back to a small landscape.

Cloudy Skies

6x6 on canvas panel
SOLD

Since Spring is around the corner I've been thinking about those fresh, bright greens that come at the beginning of the season. Mid 70s, clouds rolling by...it's the perfect time of the year.

Canvas Panels vs Stretched Canvas

I tried my best to finish a painting to post today, but it wasn't to be. I'm currently working on three pieces: A 6x6 of a jelly doughnut, a 6x6 cloudy sky landscape, and an 18x24 of Cape Lookout Lighthouse. They're all coming along slowly but surely, so hopefully I'll have something to share tomorrow.

I'm curious as to what surface other artists prefer for their smaller pieces. I know many use hardboard panels, and it's something I tried for about half a year before I got frustrated with them. I just don't think they're for me, but I guess that anyone that uses hardboard panels will have the same issues I face with canvas panels, which I usually prefer to work with over small stretched canvases.

I've had customers complain about the panels because it's hard to find frames for nonstandard sizes, so I try to provide paintings on stretched canvas when I can so it won't be an issue. I also attach a plastic hanger to the back of each panel so it can still be hung on the wall without a frame. I personally have a hard time finding the sizes I like to work with in smaller stretched canvas; I'm partial to 4x4, 5x7, 4x8 and 6x6, and while I can usually find the square sizes the others are hard to track down reliably. Panels are also easier to store and I prefer not only the feel of having a hard backing while working but also not having to extend a painting around the sides, since on a small piece doing so can really alter a carefully planned composition.

Right now I offer a mix of stretched and panels, and I don't know if I should continue that way or if I should just pick one option and stick with it.

Golden Fields

10x10 on stretched canvas
SOLD

Lately I've been trying to use more yellows, oranges, and reds in my landscapes since my natural preference usually leans towards blues.

Backlit Glass Bottle

4x6 on canvas panel
SOLD

I have all these little glass bottles I collected as a teenager and realized they would be great for getting in practice painting clear and colored glass. Generally I'm not a big collector of random stuff or knick knacks so getting inspiration from objects around my home can be difficult for me, especially since I tend to overlook things I've already seen a billion times. When I first started painting still lifes I saw inspiration everywhere, so I know I just need to retrain my creative eye.

Poppy Gathering

4x4 on canvas panel
SOLD

While I was sick and dreaming of warmer days I decided to paint a happy scene of red poppies in bloom. It's not as good as the real thing but it's always a nice mental escape.

Paintbrush

4x6 on canvas panel
SOLD

This was one of those paintings I mentioned that took a lot of passes and patience before I was happy with the result. It's such a simple subject, but I knew the metal ferrule would be a challenge for me. (And it was!)

Gray Day Boat

20x20 on stretched canvas
SOLD

I once painted a miniature version of this boat on a very overcast day. Lately I was eying the reference again and decided I was ready to approach it on a bigger scale. All those subtle grays were exactly what I needed! Plus, if you're like me you sometimes want to go back to a specific subject to see how your style has progressed over time.

Now that I'm feeling better I'm working on several small paintings, trying to take my time with them and let them rest between layers. Patience is the next skill I need to learn to tackle, as I often find myself avoiding more difficult subjects because they would take so long to complete. I'm starting to learn how to approach each painting in more methodical steps, even when I want to slap some paint on the canvas and call it done. Taking my time with each painting is becoming my biggest goal this year.

Free Painting Giveaway Winner for February

Once again, thanks to everyone that entered my February painting giveaway! I had over 200 entries this time. I used random.org to choose a random entry for the winner and it came out to entry #36, Sharon in Scappoose, Oregon. Congratulations Sharon! I hope everyone will check back in near the end of March for a chance to win another small painting. It happens every month!