Recycling

Remains of the Day

24 x 36

As I was painting this piece, this title kept popping up in my mind. Even though I've used it before ( a small painting which sold last year in London), it just seemed right for this piece. So, I'm recycling it!

Sunset Pines

Sunset Pines
11 x 14
Available at Galerie Kornye West, Ft. Worth, TX

This is one of several smaller pieces in the Little Gems holiday show at Galerie Kornye West on December 4. If you are in the Metro area, stop in and see me!

Just 4 spots left in Section II of the Painting the Luminous Landscape online class in January. Info and registration here.

Update: Class is FULL

Blackheath Gallery Christmas Show & New Galleries

Remains of the Day
10 x 10

This painting and a half dozen others are on their way across the Big Pond to the Christmas show at Blackheath Gallery in London. The show opens November 7.

I am very pleased to say that I am now represented by Galerie Kornye in Dallas and Galerie Kornye West in Ft. Worth. I'll have work in the Holiday open house at the Dallas gallery on November 19 and the Miniatures Show in Ft. Worth which opens December 4.

Also very happy to say that Evening Embers sold at the Albuquerque Museum Miniatures & More gala on October 24!

Gone

Sunset Sentinels
20 x 16

The hummingbirds left yesterday...well, most of them. The chubby little rufus who guards two of the feeders is still here and a few of his buddies. And we've had the most spectacular few days of sunsets-each day a new and different color harmony, as if summer is putting on a final show with a few extra curtain calls.

Summer Skies #7

Summer Skies #7
6 x 8

Who can resist a summer sunset?

It may seem I am just drifting along with the clouds this summer, but nothing could be further from the truth. I have a full schedule of shows coming up this fall and holiday season and into the new year (most of which are listed here over on the sidebar). So, I'm in the studio each day for long hours at the easel. But, I still make time to watch the sky every afternoon.

A Busy Week

Sunset Stream
30 x 30 oil on linen
Sold

Finally, after several months of puttering around with this painting, I finished it and shipped it off to Chicago. I'm happy with the final result and the presentation in the frame (although this image is blurry- low light and an unsteady hand). My dealer called to say he had put it in the big front window of the gallery.

In the midst of finishing up a commission and working with my online classes, I received an invitation to exhibit in a show at Blackheath Gallery in London! The catch is that the show opens at the end of April and they want six (thankfully, small) pieces. I am very happy about this opportunity to show my work in the UK. I had somehow managed to run completely out of my favorite linen, but a new roll arrived yesterday so I've prepared my panels and will start to work this weekend on the pieces for the show. The next few weeks will be very hectic!

A Studio Visit

Work in Progress (sorry about the glare)
Sunset Stream 30 x 30

Still working on this piece. Monday I had two studio visitors, so everything came to a halt for a massive clean up of the studio and house. I had this piece on the easel -always makes me nervous for a collector to see work in progress but it gave me a good opportunity to talk with my guests about glazing and how it works. The fact that its a centuries old technique still used by artists today seemed to be genuinely interesting to them (although I can go on about this stuff until people's eyes glaze over ...). Anyway, it reminded me about the great article on the Gamblin web site which explains the science behind the stunning visual effects created by glazing. I think I may have linked to this before, but if you haven't read it and are interested in glazing, here it is.

And now for a commercial break.... some of you know that my husband and I own a small company (very small- just the two of us) called Mountains Edge Frames. Its how we pay the bills (or not) in addition to painting sales. I try not to muck up this blog with that, but like everybody else in the world, we are having a holiday sale, so click on over if you are interested. Also, we have added a new product to our line- birch painting panels- both uncradled and cradled, finished with gesso or not. Earlier this year, I blogged about the Magic Panel, and that quest turned into a new product for us. They are fantastic if I do say so myself. Now, back to regular programming.......

Giving Thanks

Work in Progress

Sunset Stream 30 x30

Here is one of the pieces I am working on now. The under painting was posted here. Now, the sky has been laid in and an initial color glazed over the foreground. Still many painting sessions to go on this one.

Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day writing and sending my holiday studio newsletter. After it went out I received a number of emails and a few phone calls from other artists and collectors. One conversation in particular reminded me of the power of art to connect perfect strangers and made me grateful for my role in that process. I had never spoken with this person-let's call him Bill- before, but he is a regular reader of my blog. He told me a bit about himself and his passion for collecting art. His tastes and his collection cover a wide range - he clearly just loves art.

Its easy in an economy such as this one to let the question "will this sell?", or worse, "what can I paint that will sell?", creep into the studio. Talking with Bill yesterday, I was reminded of this quote from The Writing Life by Annie Dillard:

...the more literary the book-the more purely verbal, crafted sentence by sentence, the more imaginative, reasoned,and deep-the more likely people are to read it. The people who read are the people who like literature, after all...I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than struggling for years to write a book that attempts to appeal to people who do not read in the first place.

And so it is with painting. The more passion for your craft and your subject you put into your work, the more likely it is that people like Bill- people who love art- will find your work. Nothing you do can make someone who does not care about art -or about your kind of art, care about your work. But the people who do, are the ones with whom you have a bond, a shared passion and to whom you owe thanks and the responsibility to make the best work you are capable of. So, thank you Bill.

Waiting for Ike

Backyard Sunset
10 x 12

This painting is also a slightly larger version of a previously posted study. It will also be exhibited at the Albuquerque Museum Miniatures & More exhibition next month.

We are in the path of Hurricane Ike as it heads north through Texas. So, I thought I'd post this before the power goes out!

Piney Woods Sunset

Piney Woods Sunset
8 x 10
Contact me if interested in this piece.

This part of Texas is referred to as the Piney Woods. I love the look of a pond through these tall pines, particularly at sunset. This painting is also a study for a larger work.

Sunset Study
8 x 10

This is one of a number of studies I have done recently to work out some ideas for a larger painting. I tend to get a bit obsessed with a general visual idea and then try out different compositions, formats and color harmonies. Its been suggested somewhere ( I think it was in Art & Fear), that artists have a handful of themes that they spend their entire creative lives exploring in different ways. I don't know how true this is across the board, but I think it may be the case with me. I'm talking here about themes or ideas, rather than the specific imagery, although for me, those two things go very much hand in hand. I think its time well spent to think about the things you love and love to paint.

Sunset Reflection

Sunset Reflection - 30 x 40 oil
Available at Hildt Galleries, Chicago
Sold

I've had the opportunity to work on some larger paintings these last few weeks. Its been a treat. Unfortunately, this image doesn't do the painting justice- the subtlety of the glazes in the foreground and changes in color temperature just don't register. Anyway, working large has been a goal of mine for several years but this is the first real opportunity I have had to paint this large in quite a while. It presents a whole new set of challenges , but I'm hooked! Now I'm dreaming of 48 x 60 or 60 x 90!

The Magic Panel & A New Gallery

Sunset Pool; Oil 20 x 24
Available at Hildt Galleries, Chicago
Sold
Thanks to everyone who commented or emailed me about making painting panels. I really appreciate all the good information I received. I also tracked down the artist who made the one I found in my studio - which we now refer to as the magic panel -and got her "recipe" for silky smooth panels on birch plywood. So I am making panels this weekend and also plan to try a couple of the commercially prepared ones recommended by several of you who contacted me.

I'm happy to say I am now represented by Hildt Galleries in Chicago. They sell 19th and early 20th century art as well as represent a small group of contemporary artists.