Adora

6 x 6

oil on panel

I had the absolute pleasure of painting this beautiful, sparkling little face at the invitation of her father for his blog, aptly called, Adorable.  He has brilliantly chronicled the life of his daughter Adora with paintings by artists all over the world.  I'm honored to be a part of it.

Growing Green

10" X 20"

oil on canvas

My idea of relaxing is sitting somewhere with a cold glass of something, feet up, and not sweating.  For my husband Scott, to relax is to be planting, plucking, mowing, or watering.  He works hard all day and (the way I see it) comes home and keeps working, but gets great satisfaction out of life this way.  And I get to stroll around with my cold glass and admire our beautiful flowers or shop in the garden for fresh veggies.  It's a win-win situation for us.

Cattatude

20 X 30

Oil on Canvas

I bet I'm not the only artist to be relieved when a painting is completed because I'm itching to get on to the next thing, and at the same time experiencing some remorse that it's finished because it was so fun to paint.  This is our attitudinal family member, Kitty Pie, posing among our porch flowers last spring. This was the first time I did an underpainting in complementary colors and although they didn't come through very well in this photo of the painting, it really made the colors pop.  For a large painting like this, it's clearly worth the effort.

Jeremy

6 x 6

oil on Ampersand

I'm beginning my series of friends and family mini portraits with a plan to hang them all together in a big block and with room to grow.  It's just for me to have and as a reminder of those I love and the blessings we have.  And I'm sure there will be some repeats of these cast members with new and older images.  This is my precious, oldest nephew Jeremy, the first of our babies.  I think I can allow for some sentimental gooshiness when I refer to the babies, even though they range from late teens to nearly thirty now. 

Walking on the Sun

6 X 6

Oil on panel

 Today was a good day.  Yesterday, not so much.  So when I woke up this morning, shook the tweedy birds out of my head and realized it was my day off, I was a happy girl.  It was a beautiful, sunny day to boot, so I got a few practical things done and some other fun things, including a long walk,  then devoted myself to playing in my paints which ultimately produced this little, loose landscape.  It's a departure from the portraits which I really love doing, but I have to say - this was lots of fun.  I painted three of these little guys and although the other two will never make it to the blog, I enjoyed doing each one.  It sort of felt like my brain was doing the little expressive dance Snoopy did when Schroeder played his piano.  Yesterday my brain was Munch's, "The Scream".  I needed today.

Vince's mug

4 x 4

oil on Ampersand panel

Just when I thought the fun was over, Hilton Head Gang member Maria Hock presented us with one more mug shot of Vince Fazio, organizer for the Sedona Arts Center and more specifically, Karin Jurick's Workshop.  He was so great and so helpful to us all through the week and he's quite an artist himself.  I had a great time painting his expressive face and wonderful beard.  I can't say enough good things about the workshop, Karin, and Vince.  If you have the time and want to experience a great week, painting with the best instructor possible in gorgeous Hilton Head, South Carolina, then check this out - The Karin Jurick Workshop.

Java Jonesing

8 x 10

oil on Ampersand panel

This was painted from a photo I took on a trip earlier this year outside of a favorite local coffee shop.  I got a kick out of the girl standing there looking like she just couldn't wait for them to hand over her morning cup of joe, or as I like to think of it, the reason to get up in the morning.  I can relate sister.  And I have to send a thank you to my Hilton Head Gang friends who offered suggestions for improvements through our critique blog.  I did make some changes and I appreciate everyone's input - a lot!  Purchase information can be found here. 

Maria's mug - The Finale!

4 x 4

oil on Ampersand panel

This is the last of the Hilton Head Gang Mugs and appropriately wrapping up with our gang leader, Maria Hock.  Maria is among the thinktank-cheerleader-organizers of the group who have effectively kept us all in contact and spear headed the creation of the Hilton Head Gang.  She is the host of our Hilton Head Picasa album where anyone can visit and see everyone's interpretation of each other's mugs which you can visit here.  And beyond that - she's always the first to make encouraging and flattering comments on everyone's new postings.  Maria, I just love you and so appreciate your friendship and efforts.  See Maria's artwork and writings at her blog here.  

Kit's Mug

4 x 4

oil on Ampersand panel

One more to go and we will finish our series of Hilton Head Gang mug shots.  I deviated slightly from the "official" mug shot of artist Kit Hefner because when I was ready to sit down and paint her, I couldn't open the file on my iPad.  The photo was a hoot and I thought, "Finally!  Someone made a face as goofy as mine - maybe just marginally goofier!" If I can retrieve it, I may still try to paint that one as well, but in the meantime I had this little happy face photo taken at our workshop that I really liked.  I think I smiled back at the painting the entire time I worked on it.

Allyson's Mug

4 X 4

Oil on Ampersand Panel

Wow.  I haven't painted for about 2 weeks and I really can appreciate once again, how much this like exercise.  If I don't keep at it - I really get stiff!  Regardless, this was a lot of fun and I'm pretty happy with how it came out.  Extra challenges like shadows, reflections, and glasses make for more interesting outcomes.  This is Allyson Schib, another alumni of Karin Jurick's workshop.  Allyson, if you should visit here, leave your website! 

Judy's Mug

4 X 4

oil on panel

Our Mug of the week is of talented and prolific artist Judy Elias.  We are so close to finishing all the members of the Hilton Head Gang Mugs now with only a month to go. This project has been not only a great exercise and way to keep in touch with this wonderful group of people, but has developed into a support group, and an ongoing educational forum.  I'm so lucky to count them all as friends. 

Diane's Mug

4 X 4

oil on panel

I've been painting a little thicker lately and I like it because it helps me get a little looser, but I find it hard to refine details a bit.  But I was happy enough with the outcome on this little mug of artist Diane Howard. 

Sheryl Mug

4 X 4

oil on panel

Mug number 15 is of artist Sheryl Lott and this one almost outwitted me.  Sheryl is gorgeous with great expressive blue eyes and that beautiful mane of red hair, but the lighting and the tilt of her head made painting her tricky for me.  I kept thinking, no, she's looking more like Brenda Starr, famous comic book reporter.  

Brenda Starr, Reporter, by Dale Messick as seen in Wikipedia

  This is not what I was going for.  I redrew it and reworked it, changing her chin, her jawline, her cheeks, the shadows, the highlights, until I started thinking,  forget it, I can't paint.  Bedtime was closing in when I succumbed to my frustration and just got good and loose, globbing on the paint and pushing it around with a reckless "got nothin' to lose" attitude.  Finally, it began to work. Hopefully Sheryl isn't offended by the comparison to a glamorous cartoon. And besides, there are worse comic book characters one could look like.

Linda, the sequel

6 X 6

oil on panel

Last week's little mug shot was the profile of artist Linda Nickles.  This is another view but with her far more typical, joyous "happy face", painted with her permission from her profile picture. 

Linda's Mug

4 X 4

oil on panel

It is cold and snowy and gray outside today but I'm loving it because it's my day off and I'm having a wonderful time painting!  For a warm up - I just finished this little portrait, the 14th in our series of mugs shot of each other from the Hilton Head Gang.  This is the charming and lovely Linda Nickles, artist and gracious hostess.  Since she is a resident of Hilton Head, she graciously opened her home for a reception of the artists attending Karin Jurick's Workshop last November, giving us an opportunity to meet Karin and each other.  Please visit her blog here.