New Paintings and Painting Workshop Announcement

       Hi! I haven't posted in a very long time because I've been super busy painting. Below is a selection of some of my work from the past year or so.  I also want to announce that I will be doing a 2 day still life painting workshop this Fall in Perksie, PA at 7th Street Studios. The dates are Saturday and Sunday, November 9th and 10th from 9-4. It's $240 for the two day class. You can click on the link for more details about the class and the venue. 

https://www.7thststudios.net/book-online/still-life-painting-in-oils     

     I've also started teaching privately at my studio in Ithaca NY. Feel free to contact me for more details if you are interested.

Two Red and a Seckel, 2019, 11x14, oil on ACM panel

Two Plums, 2019,  8x10, oil on ACM panel

Gumballs, 2019, 20x16, oil on ACM panel

2 Pears, a Plum, and an Orange, 2019, 12x16, oil on canvas

3 Pears, 2018, 11x14, oil on ACM panel

Cherry and Two Lemons, 2018, 8x10, oil on ACM panel

Swan, 2018, 9x12, oil on ACM panel

Eggs and Shot Glasses, 2018, 12x16, oil on ACM panel

Paintings on view at Warm Springs Gallery, Virginia

     I was invited to participate in a show "Feast For Your Eyes" at Warm Springs Gallery in Warm Springs, Virginia. Please stop by if you are in the area. The show runs from May 17th- July 1st. The show includes paintings by Loren Dibenedetto, Elizabeth Geiger, Marybeth Karaus, and photographs by Lynn Karlin, as well as these four paintings of mine.

Eggs and Shot Glasses, 12x16, oil on aluminum panel

Gala, 6x6, oil on canvas and birch panel

6 Figs, 10x20, oil on canvas

Still Life with Star Fruit and Cranberries, 24x36, oil on canvas

Win This Painting

"Salt Point, Cayuga Lake", 24x30, oil on canvas

I'm putting together a raffle to help my wonderful niece Mia raise funds to get to Germany for life saving surgery.  She has put up a GoFundMe page that explains her situation a lot better than I can, but in a nutshell, she's been through way too much. To participate in the raffle just donate any amount directly to her GoFundMe page:

https://www.gofundme.com/hope4miaf

Then let me know, so I can get your name in the hat for the prize, which is the above painting.

The raffle is scheduled for May 22nd. I'll ship it to anyone in the contiguous United States. 

Please share with anyone you think may be interested.

Thanks so much!!

"Vine Tomatoes" and 2 Others Headed to Principle Gallery

     These are three of my latest paintings, all headed to Principle Gallery in Alexandria for their Small Works show in December. I've had the idea to paint ripening tomatoes since around 2010 when I first planted Sun Gold tomatoes and noticed how striking the gradations of color along the vine can be. In this context color is a metaphor for time, also the grouping reminds me of a family. 

 "Vine Tomatoes" 9x12

 "Three Figs" 6x12

"Sansa Apple" 5x6

"Raspberry" to be auctioned at the Arnot Museum

Raspberry, 4x4, oil on panel . 

     I've donated this painting to the Arnot Art Museum to be auctioned at their Eighteenth Gallery Gala. It is framed in a hand made (by me) maple frame and is ready to hang. The opening bid for this painting is $325, its retail price. 100% of the proceeds go to the Arnot Art Museum. If you've ever thought about collecting my work, now would be a great time because you would also be supporting the Arnot, a museum with a primary focus on representational art. To find out more about the museum or the event go to:   https://www.arnotartmuseum.org

The following is an excerpt from their promotional materials explaining the bidding process:

     "We are accepting bids now through this fall; the gavel will come down on all sales at 8 pm on 17 November. Visit the galleries to place your bid, then join us in November for the live Gala event and be sure you’re the top bidder at the auction’s close. If you are unable to attend the Gallery Gala on 17 November, we will be happy to take a proxy bid for you, and we’ll keep you informed of your bid’s progress."

Opening at West End Gallery Friday Sept. 8, 5-7:30

     I have 15 new paintings in  West End Gallery's new exhibit "Inspirations".  The opening is this Friday September 8th, from 5-7:30 p.m. 10% of the proceeds will go to the Fund For Women of the Southern Tier.  To find out more about this great organization go to  http://www.ffwst.org
Here are a few of the paintings that will be on view at the opening.

 Yellow Gourd 12x14

 Sleeper 11x14

 Turnip 8x10

 Still Life with Roemer and Stone Fruit 18x24

 Still Life with Bottles and Eggs 26x34

Yellow Plum and Cherry 6x8

4 Eggs 11x14

Demo Saturday at West End Gallery

     I'll be doing a still life painting demonstration at West End Gallery Saturday from 12-6 in connection with the Arts in Bloom event. Please stop by if you can. This is the painting I did at the same event last year.  It's "Pear, Raspberry, and Kumquat " 8x10 .

Blending in the Context of a Still Life Painting Part 2

Part 2

Blending in the Context of a Still Life Painting Part 1

     I put together a new video about blending in the context of a still life painting.  I hope there is some info here that may be useful.  Thanks for watching!

New Still Life Painting Classes

     I have two 6 week painting classes starting soon.   One is on Sunday afternoons from 1-4, March 5-April 9th.  The other is on Thursdays March 9-April 13th from 11:30 -2:30.  We will be painting still life in oils. The classes are very small and appropriate for all skill levels. Please let me know if you are interested or have any questions. It's $225 for the 6 lessons.

How to Wash Your Oil Painting Brushes

This is for all of you painters out there leaving your brushes in a can of turps.

New Paintings

     I've gotten out of the habit of posting my new paintings here, but I wanted to put up a sampling of what I've been working on lately. This Fall I went into a florist shop at the end of my street looking for Chinese Lanterns but came out with a handful of gourds instead. I really liked the color, texture, and shape of these.

     I painted this one first. I enjoyed putting it in different positions to see how it would balance, and in this position it reminds me of a bird looking below from it's nest. The stone reminds me of an egg, and I like how it adds a bit of cool between the warm gourd and block, while repeating the shape above it. This painting is 16x12, oil on panel.

     In my next painting I wanted to work with this gourd/bird connection in a larger composition. I really liked the idea of the gourd being perched on something with the neck swinging down, so I repeated it in this painting with a different gourd on a reflective bowl. I also added the same gourd from the above painting turned around and "holding" onto a blue egg. The egg reinforced the bird idea but also added a cool note to the grouping that I like.  I spent an unreasonable amount of time deciding if I wanted the blue egg to be leaning or upright; I'm still not sure but I think it's okay. This painting is 30x40, oil on canvas.
   
   

                                     

My Studio Lighting

This is a shot of my studio. For lighting I have 4 florescent light fixtures that hold 2 bulbs each. I wouldn't mind a bit more light but I've used this configuration for about 3 years now and I'm fairly happy with it. 

I've covered the light fixtures with tracing parchment which softens the light. 

Each bulb is 32W Sunshine 5000k

                                      

In the corner I keep my still life set up and I have drapes around it to isolate the light.

Behind the drape I have 2 clip lights to illuminate the still life set-up but I really only use the one on the left. It has a 23W,  6500K, 1450 lumens bulb in it.

Cradled Birch Canvas Panels for Oil Painting (video)

I put together a video today about how I make the canvas panels that I paint on. I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!

Opening Tonight at West End Gallery in Corning NY

     This is a studio shot of my new paintings for the show "In the Spotlight" at West End gallery in Corning. The opening is tonight, Friday October 21st from 5-7:30. It's on view through November 18th.

Blending in Oil Paint (Video)

   A few people have recently asked me how I paint the backgrounds of my still life paintings so I put this together to try to show my process.  Thanks for looking!

New Paintings and Demo at West End Gallery

     I'll be doing a still life painting demonstration at West End Gallery in Corning NY tomorrow, April 24th, from 12-5.  Please stop by.  I'm bringing these paintings along with me.

2 Nectarines, Kumquat, and Blueberries 12x16, oil on panel

  

Lemon and Raspberry, 6x8, oil on panel

                               

Mandarin, 8x10, oil on panel

Raspberry and 2 Blueberries, 5x7, oil on panel

 

Some Paintings Headed to Principle Gallery

     I'm thankful to have been invited to participate in Principle Gallery's still life show coming up in April. Here are some paintings that I'll be sending down at the end of the week.

 2 Nectarines 9x12

 Nectarine, Plum, Kumquat, and Blueberry, 12x16

Pear 1016, 10x8

And this painting will be on view also.

Still Life with Blue Plate and Blue Egg, 24x48

Satsuma Mandarin, 2 Starfruit, and Cranberries, 24x36, oil on canvas

     I finished this about 3 or 4 weeks ago, just after finishing "4Pairs".  I wanted to build another composition working with this muted purple drape that is so vexing.  To look at it in my hand, it's a beautiful subtle dusty purple with a hint of red. In my painting it kept looking very saturated and synthetic and I hated it. I was able to beat it into submission after I threw out the dioxazine purple, but I'm going back to my favorite brown drape now. 

"4 Pairs" Painting Process, Part 2, oil on canvas 26x46 inches

     

    This is an image of the painting "4 Pairs" in its finished state, completed in early January, it's 26 x 46 inches, oil on canvas. I'd had a different painting on these stretcher bars until last Fall. It was a landscape that I started in 2005 and worked on for almost three years.  It was called "Spring Landscape" and was sort of a breakthrough painting for me, but it ended up falling several times and had cracks in a few places where it landed. (hint, don't bring a large painting to an outdoor festival on a windy day)  I hung on to it though because I had put so much into it.

    I suppose most people have heard about The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.  The main point I took away from the book is that one should only keep the stuff that brings them joy. Well, that damaged painting hanging like a rain cloud in my living room was certainly not bringing me any joy, so I gave myself permission to cut up the canvas and toss it.  No regrets, and now I have this instead.

     In my last post I wrote about the very beginning steps of this painting up through finishing the first pass. In this post I'm going to show some progression shots of the bottom right side of the painting.

     This is what the area looked like after the first pass. I like to cover all areas of the painting with my best shot at the simplified color and value because as long as there are areas of white canvas showing, my perception of relative values will be skewed.

     

Now that the canvas is covered I can start adjusting. Because I gravitate towards a full value range in my paintings, the next steps usually involve making the darks darker and deciding which points, if any, will be pure white. Once the absolute whites and blacks are decided, everything else has to find its place in between. It's like a puzzle to me. An example would be the pumpkin on the right. It's a creamy white color but the only places that I want to use pure white would be the highest highlights on it. Everything else has to be darker that those highlights or they won't read as highlights   And the highlights on the white pumpkin are lighter than the highlights on the orange one. Finding the relationships in value and color is the main activity for me in painting.

This is what the area looks like in its finished state.  I moved the orange pumpkin forward from it's original spot because I had a hard time getting the cast shadow on it to look right.  Behind the pumpkins is a shiny silver bowl upside down with a pewter pitcher on top. I was interested in the different finishes on them and thinking a lot about how they reflect light differently. In the bowl you can almost see a tall middle aged woman painting.

"Spring Landscape" 2005-2015