The blue bucket-sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"

I just got back from putting the final touches on my booth at the RI Home Show( #112). There's a whole section of the floor devoted to artists. I wasn't looking forward to all the work that goes into putting up a booth at a show like that, but there's so much energy in the air that it's kind of infectious. When people want to sell stuff, anything goes! There was even a huge flatbed truck with a free-form, fiberglass (?) in-ground swimming pool on it.

If you're interested in going, email me and I can send you a $2.00 off coupon (admission is $10.00).

Opening at the Imago Gallery

I'm part of a group show at the Imago Gallery in Warren RI. The opening is this Friday night, March 30, from 7-9 PM, and the show will be up until Apr. 22. It's free, so stop by if you're in the area.

Class Demo

A quick 20 minute demo for my "limited color portrait" class at the Portsmouth Arts Guild. I've got a great group of students. And, I just got an Ipad 2, which I absolutely LOVE to load with photos of paintings (there's no wifi) to show students. For this class, it's all about the paintings of Anders Zorn, in particular. The color is bright and beautiful and a flick of the finger sends you from one photo to the next, or zooms in and out. It's such a great teaching tool.

Beets and Bottle-sold

Oil on canvas, 24"x24"
I was reading a book about David Leffel where a friend of his says that he thinks Leffel's paintings are about "quiet". So, I thought, this is an interesting concept, I think I'll do a painting about "quiet". And I'm fairly happy with the result.

A word of warning, though, if you want to paint beets- beet leaves don't stay fresh very long! I had to buy a second batch of beets, because by the time I set up the still life and decided what I wanted to do, and got it blocked in, the beet leaves were so wilted that they were beyond redemption. So, back to Stop and Shop for another batch. I put them in a bucket with an inch or so of water overnight, to try to hydrate them, and once I got them set up the next morning, I kept spraying them with water. Then I painted fast.

I'm wondering though- does the stem at the top end too abruptly? Should a put leaves on it and make it part of the larger group? I think I probably should, but part of me is perverse and says, if it's a little uncomfortable, that's OK.

The Home Show- sold

ARK, oil on canvas, 24"x30"
I decided to try having a booth at the RI Home Show, opening March 29- April 1. They're going to be building a modular home in the middle of the show and the interior designer is decorating it with paintings etc. from artists in the show. Several of my paintings were chosen, the above being one of them.

At the beach- sold

Oil on board, 6"x6"

Red mug- sold

Oil on canvas, 6"x6"
This red mug was another thrift store find that I couldn't resist.
Click to bid.

Workshop

 This is my latest portrait from my Monday night group, done with a limited palette, but I did cheat a bit- I used a little ultramarine (gasp!) in the ground color. Our model did his best to jazz up his appearance with a funky hat, bright scarf and striped shirt. I'm always so glad when they don't wear black.

We had a good time Friday morning at the Portsmouth Art Guild. It was a full class, and they spent the morning working on their color charts. For the next 3 Fridays, we'll be using these colors to paint a live model. I recently heard an interview with Stephen Sondheim where he said that art is making order out of chaos, and I think that perfectly describes what this workshop is about. Painting portraits can be hard enough, and by using a simple palette with cohesive colors, you can concentrate more on form and value.

Beached- sold

Oil on panel, 5"x7"
Another in my skiff series, this one from Sarasota, Florida.
Click to bid.

Butter eggs sugar- sold

Oil on linen, 6"x6"
I was a little depressed so I went shopping. Spent eleven whole dollars on new props to paint at the thrift store, of which this little maroon sugar bowl is one.
Click to bid.

Greens- sold

Oil on canvas, 6"x6"