Achieving a Balance....Oil Painting

This is a cup stack that I painted recently.  I really like how it turned out.  I always like for my artwork to imply movement and I think these cup stacks do that really well.  They make me think they may topple over any minute.  But no actual cups were harmed in the painting of this painting.

Yellowfin Tuna from Venice Louisiana...Oil Painting

 

This is a photo taken by some dear friends of mine that went fishing in Venice, La.  They were gracious enough to let me do a panting of the day's catch.

This is the painting that resulted from it.  I wish everyone could see the real thing (painting).  Up close you can see the little brushmarks and when you get far away your eye blends it into a composite smooth version.  My favorite part is the guy in the corner.  I don't think these are his fish!  Is he going to go home and tell a "fish tale"?  I wonder...

What's for Dinner?.....Oil Painting

This is a fairly large painting...24x24...and I can just see it gracing a dining room wall somewhere.  The background is so much prettier than the photo seems to indicate.  I'll admit this one has spent a little time in my living room.  (The ones I really like, I bring them out of the foyer and rest them on the fireplace where I can see them when I watch TV at night.  That way I get to enjoy them for a while before they find a new home.)

Bottle Collection.....oil painting

These bottles are part of a collection that I have been working on for years.  They normally reside in the windowsills of my three kitchen windows.  But they took a little vacation out to the sunshine of my back deck for a photo shoot one day.  I love it when I paint glass and it comes out looking like you CAN see through it. 

Big news!......Empty Easel and a workshop

Well a lot of crazy things happened all at once and this tomato sort of became the poster child for my art. 

First of all, I have an article being published today on the Empty Easel art site.  I have subscribed to EE for quite a while now.  It is a great artist's resource and has grown tremendously over the last few years.  A couple of weeks ago they published an "art opinion" that I strongly disagreed with, so I wrote a response and sent it in.  You can read both my article and the orginal one that I responded to by going here.  This tomato's cousins (from my blog post on 10/11) are featured in the article along with some pears.

Next, I have, as mentioned in the article, been asked to teach my first workshop.  I am very excited.  It will be April 19 & 20, 2012 at the Eastern Shore Arts Center in Fairhope, Alabama.  They are in the process of putting together the brochure for the spring so once I have definite info for how to sign up I will post it here.  This tomato will be the featured art for my ad in the brochure.

Lastly, I will be attending the Peter Anderson Festival in Ocean Springs, MS on November 5 and 6.  This is an amazing festival that is in it's 33rd year.  This is the first year that I have run an ad in the festival handout that is put together by Southern Living Magazine.  You guessed it...my ad features the one and only bold tomato.  It is a very striking ad I have to say.

Well, I am off to Memphis later today for the River Arts Festival.  This is going to be a rough one simply because, due to circumstances beyond my control, we are going to be getting up there for set-up very late this evening.  But, that is all part of the process.  It happens that way sometimes in the "glamorous" life of an artist....oh, and YES, I am an artist.....and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Beached......oil painting

This is the first painting that sold at my art festival in Shreveport at the beginning of Oct.  It was a larger version of the 12x12 crabs that I have been doing.  This one was 16x20 and was done at the suggestion of my daughter, Dacia.  Good idea Daysh!  I'll have to listen to you more often! 

Courtyard in Sorrento.....oil painting

This was painted from a photo from our trip to Sorrento in southern Italy last September.  I don't know for sure what this building was.  It looked like a church, but when you peeked into this courtyard there was art hanging on the walls in the walkway fehind these arches.  Whatever it was it was my kind of place!

Sax Appeal......oil painting

Ok, sorry for the lame title, but I have already done "Sax Education" in the past.  I can't help myself sometimes.

This striking photo was taken during our recent visit to Austin, TX.  The group was named Roxy Roca and we really enjoyed hearing them at the Saxon Pub.  I painted a larger painting featuring four of the nine memebers of the group (posted on 10-17-11).  This is a close-up of the gentleman on the far left.

On another note... Imagine my surprise when I realized that the blog posts that I had saved as drafts and thought I had set to publish at later dates for the last year or so have been sitting in limbo-land saved as drafts, but not actually scheduled to publish.  So I went ahead and published the ones from the last couple of weeks.  I'm not sure if they all arrived in the inboxes of my subscribers in one big wad...if they did, I apologize for the art avalanche.  If not, then there are some posts that you loyal subscribers that don't like to miss anything will want to scroll back and revisit.  I'll get the hang of this one day!

Right now I have lots of new artwork to publish, but when I run out of new stuff I plan to go back and publish some of the things that got missed!   There's some good stuff in there.

Bonito.....oil painting

This is a fish that we caught this summer when we went deep sea fishing during our trip to Dauphin Island.  I asked my son-in-law, Shaun what it was after I had painted it and he said it was a bonito.  So I went with that.  Well, I was sitting in my booth in Fairhope minding my own business and a little boy who could not have been any more than 6 or 7 said, "Look at the bonito, mom!".  Wow, that is some savy little fisherman! 

On the Chopping Block....Oil painting

This is a little bit of a departure for me.  I think is the first painting I have done of this type with the dark brown background.  I really like it.  But my favorite part is the skin on the onion!  I LOVE the pink in it!  and the highlight!  It just doesn't take much to make me happy!

Playing the Blues...oil painting

This painting is from a photo I took on a recent trip to Austin, TX.  These guys were playing at a place known for it's great music...the Saxon Pub.  It was a great evening and I love the painting, too.

Tabasco and Peppers....oil paintings

Tabasco is still going strong, as well, in the popularity department...this time I have added peppers with some of them.  The folks in Shreveport live so close to Texas that they thought the peppers on the right were supposed to be a boot.  I see their point.

My Crab, Shrimp, Crawfish, Oyster series is still proving to be a favorite.  They are so versatile... horizontal on a backsplash, vertical in a group of two or three, hung in a block of four, three in one spot and the fourth on an easel on a pile of cookbooks.  Lots of ideas and luckily lots of seafood in the sea! 

Tomatoes....Oil paintings

                     

    

I have decided to streamline my blogging process.  I want to share my art, but life keeps getting busier.  My plan is to try to do blog posts that don't take as much time, so therefore they may actually get done.  If you are interestd in a certain piece, feel free to email me about the size and cost.  It takes a while to center that info under the photo and not everyone needs that...so poof, it is gone by the wayside.

These are the tomatoes that I promised "tomorrow" a couple of weeks ago.  Someone at one of my shows reminded me that they were still waiting for tomatoes....so here they are! 

My tomatoes have been very popular this fall!  I sold 5 (five!) tomato paintings at RedRiverRevel in Shreveport and could possibly have sold more if I had had them. 

Ok, I am off to paint! (You guessed it!  Tomatoes today.)

Pear-Palooza....oil paintings of fruit.

"Three Pears Hanging Out".....8x16......oil on canvas.....$140

 

"Pear Pair"...6x12 (ea.).....oil on canvas.....$80 (ea.)

I am getting ready for four, possibly five, outdoor art shows this fall, plus a gallery show in September.  One of the tried and true subject matters that always seems to be popular is the ever expressive pear.  So it is lucky that I don't get tired of painting them.  Or tomatoes either.  Tomatoes to come tomorrow.

Late Afternoon Streetcar Ride...Oil Painting New Orleans

Late Afternoon Streetcar Ride.....16x20.....oil on canvas.....$350

I like the way this turned out.  My goal was to make the streetcar the star and not noodle around with the background too much.  My favorite things about this painting are the colors and the fact that the headlight looks like it is actually lit.  

I 've been painting...really.

Just Chillin'......30x40.......oil on canvas......Commission

This is for a couple that has acquired quite a collection of my work.  They are great friends and the nicest folks you would ever want to meet. (not to mention they have great taste in art.)  This painting was done specifically for them....they told me they wanted water, wine, maybe a boat....then the day before I finished the painting they added the request of a palm tree.  Personally, I think the palm tree really added A LOT to the mood of the painting.)  I am very happy with this one, and luckily they were, too. 

The Crabby Couple...Oil painting

10x20.....Oil on canvas......SOLD

I have been prodded from more than one arena to get busy and update my blog.  So here I am.  Me and the Crabby Couple. 

It was quite hot at my last outdoor art show and the mood was less than stellar between my husband and me as we set up my tent and hung paintings.  I pulled out this painting and said, "Oh, another Crabby Couple".  I was so delighted with my outstanding wit that my mood was better from then on.  (Plus a storm passed to the south of us and the wind picked up and the temp dropped about 15 degrees...that helped too.)

Outstanding weekend at Double Decker Festival...

 "On the Halfshell"......22x24.....oil on canvas.......SOLD

"May I Help You?"...8x24.....Oil on canvas.....SOLD

Ok,  I have just returned from an outstanding weekend at the Double Decker Festival in Oxford, MS. (home of Ole Miss)   The weather was perfect, the crowds were great, I had (if I do say so myself) some of the best art I have ever produced, and along with the greatest family/support staff in the world I had the most successful art weekend I have ever had. 

I think the most interesting thing that happened was that one of my customers bought 6, yes S-I-X, paintings to hang on his 103-ft yacht seen below...

Although it would be great if all shows were this successful, I feel very blessed that this one was as good as it was.  And again I couldn't have done it without my Art Support Staff...Mike, Dacia and Shaun!

"On the Way to San G"....16x20...oil on canvas.....SOLD

This is one of the paintings that sold this past weekend at "Art in the Pass".  It was painted from a photo I took on our trip to Italy this past fall.  The couple that bought it had been to Italy as well and it brought back good memories for them, too.  That's about all you can ask of a painting...to evoke a positive emotion.

Successful Art Show!

We had a wonderful time at the Art in the Pass art festival in Pass Christian, MS this past weekend.  The weather was beautiful!  We could see the Gulf from my booth.  And I also happened to win first place in the painting division for my Bourbon Street painting, "It's Always a Party!" Thanks to all the people that stopped by and to all the nice folks that I talked to.  Definitely plan to go back next year! 

Pears and More Pears....Oil Paintings

A Chorus Line...Pears....18x36...Oil on canvas.....$725



Pear Squares....6x6........oil on canvas....$55. ea.

Pears are, to me, the fruit with the most personality.  They have "body language".  I like to paint them.  I am particularly happy with these that I have painted recently.  I have one more set of four, but I forgot to photo them in the Great Photo Shoot the other day.

Welcome to those of you who are joining me from Facebook, thanks to my sweet daughter-in-law's mention in her status.  I have the best supportive family on the planet!

Also, to those that have subscribed to my blog and get my posts in your email each day that I actually manage to make one(thank-you)...I have a hint for you.  If you click on the name of my blog at the top of the email...  in my emails from other artists it is written in grey....it will take you to my actual blog.  My stuff  looks so much better on the blog than it does in the stark white email environment.  Just a quick hint to increase your viewing pleasure. 

A Chorus Line...Tomatoes Oil Painting

A Chorus Line...Tomatoes....18x36....Oil on canvas......$725

This is a little different from my other tomato paintings.  For one it is larger, and it also features several tomatoes.  I can just picture it above a buffet in someone's dining room or in a keeping room.  I do love painting tomatoes.

   

   



Sports Nuggets... Basketball, Baseball,Soccer, Golf...Oil on Canvas...6x6 ea.....$55 ea.

Now these little jewels!  Oh MY!!  They were so much fun to paint. I love the drama of the lighting and the colors!  They are tiny by my standards, just 6x6 inches!  I can just see them on a backsplash in someone's man cave.  Or in a sports nut's room.  Or a nursery!  I love oil paintings as an unexpected touch of class in a baby's room. 

New Orleans Bourbon Street Oil Painting

It's Always a Party!....18x36......oil on canvas.....$725



Catch of the Day.....24x8.........Oil on Canvas.....$210

I have been painting quite non-stop over the last three weeks.  I'm getting ready for spring shows and restocking galleries.  I had a hard time photographing these two of my latest paintings.   They both still have a tiny glare problem that is annoying.

The top one is one of my all-time favorites ....of all the hundreds of paintings I have done, this one rates in the top ten.  I LOVE the colors in it.  It has the mood that I wanted to capture and all-around it is just one of those that flew onto the canvas.  As I say sometimes, God painted it (if indeed He would care to paint a picture of Bourbon Street) and I just held the brush.

The bottom one is a fish I painted in preparation for my show next month at Maggie May's in Bay St. Louis.  I will be their featured artist and my paintings will hang in the front space of their way-cool gallery for the month following their Second Saturday art walk.

For now back to the easel!

Happy New Year!

This is the large (36x60") commission that I did in December...the canine family of a sweet couple that have been clients for a long time.  It was a present from husband to wife and I do think that they were both as happy with it as I was. 

They said the magic words...that I had managed to capture each dog's personality.  And believe me, these dogs are loaded with personality. 

I plan to try to be more regular with my appearances here on the blog, but for now I hope the new year is loaded with possiblitlies for all of you and that you expand your horizons and make the most of what God gives you.