Just a new painting to share today.  I'm off to the art store to purchase some paint and other supplies.  It's cloudy and a bit rainy, a good day for a little shopping.  Have a great day!

Happy Saturday!  This is the last of the very large pieces in this series and the last that I started at Project Space earlier in the summer.  In case you haven't noticed it before, by clicking on the photos of paintings in my blog post you will be brought to that painting's page.  Each of the paintings has a page with more information and you can see a larger image of the painting as well.

I have some exciting news to share.  Two things, actually.  First, I have a date set for the reception of my upcoming show with Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in their Gallery 2.  It will be October 14 from 5-7pm.  You can find out more details here.   Gallery 2 is an appointment only space, so if you are interested in seeing the show but can't make it to the reception you would need to contact them for an appointment.

The second bit of news is that Mary Lou Zeek invited me to participate in the upcoming show at her main gallery space (downtown Salem, Oregon).  In October, they will have their annual show called "Face the Public".  They select a number of artists (this year 12) and one painting by a well known artist then divide it up into sections and each artist paints, draws, or whatever, in their designated section on different days.  Last year it was a Matisse painting.  This year it is Frida Kahlo's "Self-portrait dedicated to Dr. Eloesser" and I have been invited to participate!  I am so excited.  I will be at the gallery painting my section on October 12th.  Each of the artists will also have a piece hanging in the gallery so I am thrilled about that as well.  The other artists participating are fantastic and I'm so happy to be a part of this project.  You can read more about the show here.

I have a busy weekend ahead of painting.  Hope your weekend is good!

Happy Monday everyone.   Here is another painting due for my show at Mary Lou Zeek Gallery 2 in October.  Did I mention it would be in October?  I don't have an exact date yet but I should soon.  I had a lot of fun painting the sky on this one and I was also pleased with those big, growing in somewhat mysterious patterns, branches.  A good climbing tree indeed.

The other day I set down my water glass on a cutting board near the window and it was like magic.  Great white rings and transparent blue, I just had to take some photos.  Had to share one with you.

This painting came together fairly quickly.  The colors, the story, it was all there from the beginning.  Sometimes I like a challenge with a painting, to figure out what is going on in the scene but I admit sometimes it is nice when it just flows right out like this one did.

I hope you are having a good weekend.  It is supposed to rain today though it so far looks like a pleasant day.  We are having the strangest summer weather and, from what I read on others' blogs, the weather has been bizarre around the world.  All I know is that my tomatoes are still not ripening.  I planted eight plants in hopes of making tomato sauce for the year and so far I have not had enough ripe tomatoes to make a salad.

The painting above is one of three that I worked on at Project Space in Salem, Oregon, this summer and it was the largest one.  I had some fun getting the horse just so.  Originally, it was white but one day I painted two different shades of brown (sort of a red and then a more basic brown) over it and then wiped it off.  I liked the "antiqued" look it gave the horse.  This was definitely a large painting for me (30 x 40 inches) and I don't know when I'll go that big again.  First, I have a space issue at home.  But more I found working on such a large surface posed its own challenges you just don't get with smaller paintings.  Suddenly, areas that were quite insignificant in a smaller piece were very important in a large one because, well, they were big.  I'm sure I'll try it again someday but it might be awhile.

I'll try to stop in again later in the week.  I have 8 more paintings to share.  I like to spread them out in part so that I am sure to have something to blog about on a regular basis.  I have started my next group of paintings and I am having fun with them.  Going deeper, personal.  Even getting some self-portraits in which is fun and a little weird.  I keep seeing myself in the painting, it's a little disconcerting.  Now that this batch is started it is also making me wonder where I will take the next paintings.  Always thinking about what is next.  Have a good week!

Yesterday I mentioned I was trying a new process of "oiling out" my finished and drying oil paintings.  So today I had to share the results with you because I always enjoy sharing new things I learn.  The first photo is before and the second is after.  I was curious just how much of a difference would show up in the photographs and I do think it is quite noticeable.  Of course I'm sure there were some differences in lighting, etc., but the procedure I think really enhances the colors of the painting.  Just look at her shirt, for example.    I will still be following the paintings up with a coat of varnish as well.

I think I'll be going back through to take new photos of all the paintings this way over the next few days.  Including the painting I posted yesterday.  I just did the oiling out on that later in the day and it really made a difference.

To read more about the "oiling out" procedure I used, go here.   Some of the paint can tend to rub off a bit I assume because half the mixture is solvent, but it is minimal and I just took care which areas I wiped it off first.

It seems that all my recent posts are "new painting"s.  So many to share I guess and quite a few more to go.  I do hope to share other things soon too.  A couple of days ago I tried a new technique (new to me) on my drying oil paintings called "oiling out".  Some of the paintings had uneven matte/shine areas and this really helped to give it an even gloss appearance which I usually don't see until they are varnished.  I was taking photographs for an upcoming show and I really needed the paintings to have an even appearance.  I'm looking forward to seeing if this affects the appearance of the final varnish.  I have not yet "oiled out" the above painting, in case you were wondering.

Still finishing 3 paintings in this series though I am hopeful I will finish them this weekend so I'm starting a new group as well.  Have a great weekend!

I had a great today.  Mary Lou Zeek of Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon stopped by to see my recent work.  It looks like I will have a show at her second gallery (Gallery 2) perhaps early this fall and perhaps more to come as well.  More details on everything when it gets closer.  I'm pretty thrilled, this was a big wish of mine to get to work with her.  She is so kind and supportive and I love her gallery.

After practically non-stop painting for weeks I'm slowing down a bit for the weekend.  But just a little as I still have four more paintings to finish for this show and I want them done quickly.  I'm also prepping my next panels/canvas so I can get back to work on some new stuff.  I will try to get a newsletter out within the week with several more new paintings to share (seven I think, if I remember correctly).

Have a good weekend!  I'm hoping to have some time for pickling.  While our tomatoes are suffering under the oddly cool July/August weather we've been having, the cucumbers are going crazy.

I have about eight more paintings in this batch (of fifteen) to finish and I am hoping to have them all done (or almost done) by Tuesday.  I am quite sure I can get six of them done, two are questionable as they are not as far along.  Still, I am very happy to have just about finished these paintings by the time I had hoped to and a little surprised.  I set the goal but didn't really think I would make it as closely as I am. 

I was at the bookstore the other day and came across a book about Frida Kahlo.  Now I'm hooked on Frida.    I've studied her briefly in school, saw the movie, but really haven't had a close study of her work before.   A really fascinating and disturbing life.  It's funny, I think you find the artist you need to find when you need to find them.  I mean this in terms of my artistic development.  As I go, I figure out more what I want to paint and what I don't and I go through stages of studying one artist or another.  As I said, I seem to find them (often accidentally) when I'm ready for them.  I wasn't seeking out Frida Kahlo, I just stumbled across a book and it immediately spoke to me on that particular day.  There is an intense meaning to her work plus an edginess (edgy is an understatement I'm sure).  I'd like to put more personal meaning into my work and just a bit of edginess as well.  Not the extreme unrest or violence you find in Frida Kahlo's work, but just a tiny bit of unrest (to get an idea of what I mean, see my previous painting "Planting the seed".  I have attempted this edginess before in trying to make it just a little bit uncomfortable.  One example,  by placing a reminder of time in the mother's baggage.).  My next set of paintings I'll be taking what I've learned from this current batch and then incorporating both these new ideas into them somehow. 

Phew!  That was a long post.  Thanks for reading!  Have a good weekend.

It's fun to see what is emerging in my paintings these days.  This polar bear just was there and the colors, something that often changes many times over for me, just felt right from the beginning.  I am especially pleased with the mountains, not sure the photo does them justice.

I will be sharing several more new paintings over the next week or so.  Really, over the next several weeks as I have many more to finish up too.  I'm very excited with how they are progressing, feel like I am hitting my stride. 

This new blog does not have a "followers" widget so I hope you will be able to follow it.  If anyone is unsure how to do so, please e-mail me.  I know how to follow people using Blogger if a site doesn't have this feature.  Also, I have the "RSS Feed" down below if that helps.  And, since I don't really have a way of knowing how many followers I have, at least not until I find a way and I am looking, please leave the occasional comment so I know you are out there.  I'd really appreciate it! 

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