Glamour Cage

"Glamour Cage," Acrylic on Board, 20x16"

Meghan looks so glamorous in this one, that I almost didn't use it.   I love however, the way her face is framed divided by the chain link.  I wanted to have a distinct contrast between the highly patterned elements (background, coat, hair), with the smooth, barely painted face.  Maybe inspired by Klimt?

Stripes

"Stripes," Acrylic on Panel, 14x11"

This is the same girl from Ballerina.  I love her look.  Has anyone else noticed how graphic my most recent pieces have been?  I'm not sure why I'm moving away from detailed backgrounds.  Maybe time to revisit?

Ballerina

"Ballerina," Acrylic on Panel, 16x12"

This is actually my second attempt at this painting.  I broke my own rule and didn't show the first on my blog.  This one is much closer to capturing the mood I wanted.  I've never before used such a stark black background and had no idea how hard it would be to photograph.  This one needs to be seen in person.

Houndstooth Distraction

"Houndstooth Distraction," Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

I felt compelled to add an empty window in the corner.  Don't know why.  

Aspens

"Aspens," Acrylic on Board, 48x48"

This is a commission that I completed earlier this week.  I'm very happy with the results.  It was a lot of fun to paint aspen trees - might have to do more!

Yellow Wallpaper

"Yellow Wallpaper," Acrylic on Board, 40x40"

I'm much happier with how the skin tones turned out on this one, especially in the face.  When I was a teenager, I was fascinated by the short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper."  This painting is an homage and ties in nicely with the whole theme of women being confined.

Locked

"Locked," Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

A little on the nose as re: the lock, but I love the texture of the metal grill and the contrast of the bright red hair with the more subdued background.  I also love how the face turned out, though  bit hard to see in this small version.  I wonder how Meghan will like herself as a redhead? :)

Riverside Daub

"Riverside Daub," Acrylic on Board, 16x20"

Here's a quick palate-cleansing landscape before I start my next figure painting.  I used a lot of what I think of as my 'smear' technique in this one.  I cut up small pieces of mat board and use them to apply the paint (instead of a brush).  It creates a swathe of very thin paint with thicker lines at the edges.  Once a layer has dried, I apply additional layers, which results in interesting textures and subtle color variations.  I did use a little brush to fill in some of the small areas (since it's hard to be precise with a piece of board).  I also used a limited (for me) palette which adds to the overall harmony of the piece.

Scarlet

"Scarlet," Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

I struggled with this one.  I love the model & the composition, but doing dark skin tones is a whole new challenge.  The parts that work, I love, but the parts that don't...  I may end up going back to refine it or maybe it's better to just take what I learned to the next painting?

BTW - I've had several people ask me what inspired this series.  It was the result of reading two books in close proximity.  Book one, The Night Circus, has a wonderful description of a woman contortionist squeezing herself into a glass box.  Book two, The Feminine Mystique, talks about the roles and positions that women are forced to fill in our culture.  Ergo, the series. :)

Feral

"Feral" Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

I'm happy with this latest painting in my 'Boxed' series.  I've tried a few new things with the background and done the figure in simple, high-contrast shapes.  I love her expression.  She's either going to cry or bite someone.

Caryatid

"Caryatid," Acrylic on Panel, 30x40"

Here's the latest in my Boxed series.  I'm not sure this is as successful as the previous two, but I like the more limited palette.   Also, there's a nice sense of light in areas.  My goal is to do two paintings of each of the women who model for me.  I want to represent a variety of ethnicities, ages and body types.

Verge

"Verge," Acrylic of Board, 46x36"

I'm much happier with this second painting.  I love this pose - so evocative.

Graffiti Box

"Graffiti Box," Acrylic on Board, 40x30"

Here's the first entry in my new series.   I'm still refining by thinking, but here are the elements that are likely to end up in my eventual artist statement:

• women contained/constrained (by gender, by role, by environment, by culture...)
• the picture plane as a box (constraint) instead of a window

The model for this was the talented Jen Brown, who is a contortionist as well as an excellent figure model.

Flat

"Flat," Acrylic on Panel, 12x9"

I've been using myself as a guinea pig to practice skin tones in preparation for my new figurative series.  I think the face turned out pretty well on this one, though the neck got a bit muddy.  I titled it "Flat" because it looks like a mug shot.  Also, it's a good reflection of the way I feel right now, due to a cold.

I did two photo shoots this week to collect reference for my new series.  I got some great stuff & can't wait to start painting.  Expect to see the fledging paintings starting next week.

Memories of Dancing

"Memories of Dancing," Acrylic on Board, 24x36"

I had a great weekend in NYC visiting my sister and could hardly wait to get back to the studio.  This painting encompasses several of the things that I saw and found inspiring on my trip.

Wishing for Monet's Garden

"Wishing for Monet's Garden," Acrylic on Board, 36x24"

Here's a last painting to the end the month.  My sister was traveling this summer and took some fantastic photos while visiting Monet's garden.  It made me long for a place where I could cultivate my own inspiration.  I like how this ended up looking almost like a Tiffany window - good light.

I'm off to NYC on Thursday to visit my sister and to refuel creatively by touring the galleries and museums.  I suspect that it won't make my work NYC-caliber 'edgy', but it may be give me some new ideas.

Figure Study

"Figure Study," conte on paper

The model showed up yesterday - hooray.  I like this one quite a bit.  Once I added the background elements, it really started to pop.  The model is amazing too.  She's ~70 (?), blind and absolutely gorgeous.

Head Study

"Head Study," conte on paper

My figure drawing class started up again today (hooray!), but unfortunately, the model did not show up.  In lieu of drawing the figure, the students took turns posing for a 15-minute portrait.  This is my favorite of the bunch.  Funny, but it seems like the more challenging I find the pose (odd angles, etc.), the better I like the end result.

Heat

"Heat," acrylic on board, 36x24"

This is a throwback to my tree/water series, but I like the composition.  Plus, I still need to line up some models to get reference for me new concept...

I made some bold color choices in the contrast of the warm trees/rocks with the cool water.   For me, it captures some of the feel of walking next to that water with its promise of relief from the heat on a 100+ Texas day.

Warming up for a new series...

"Teddy 9-14," Acrylic on Panel 10x8"

"Lila 9-14," Acrylic on Panel 10x8"

"Artist in Red Box" Acrylic on Panel 10x8"

I'm starting to think about a new series in which figures are 'contained' in the image plane as if they are in boxes.  All three of the images above are sketches and I'm using my family kids as guinea pigs to work out some of my ideas.    I like the painting of my daughter in particular, because you can see her future teenaged self.  In terms of where I'm going next however, I think the self portrait is more along the lines I want to pursue.  Now I need to get some real models!

Cycle in Blue

"Cycle in Blue," Acrylic on Panel, 30x40"

With this painting, I've finally captured some of what I want to say about the relationship between light, water, and foliage.   The downside of photographs is that they freeze time - removing all of the subtle motion that brings the view alive.  With the right brushwork, I think you can bring some of the life back into the scene.

Creek in Turquoise

"Creek in Turquoise," Acrylic on Board, 16x20"

I was down in Zilker Park the other day and the color of the creek there is gorgeous.  Expect to see more in this series.

Warmer

"Warmer," Acrylic on Board, 16x20"

The summer vacation is over, the kids are back in school and I am happily back in the studio.   I have some ideas for larger paintings, but today was about warming up.

River Walk

"River Walk," Acrylic on Board, 24x36"

My husband and I spent our 10th wedding anniversary in San Antonio (without the kids!).  Though the River Walk is touristy, it's still quite pretty -- especially if you walk beyond the central district.  I took some liberties with the colors...

Splay

"Splay," Acrylic on Board, 16x20"

I love how the trees in this one seem to be exploding out of the ground.  I'm also becoming fixated on fall palettes -- wishful thinking?

Reflection

"Reflection," Acrylic on Board, 48xx60"

I just finished this big one (finally!).  The Texas woods are wonderful to hike through, but hard to capture in an image.  I think this one does a decent job of conveying the visual density and beauty.

Salsa

"Salsa," Acrylic on Board, 20x16"

Here's a dancing tree for a sultry, Austin Friday.  This is another inspired by my mini-vacation to Travaasa (great place, btw).

Sun Lotus

"Sun Lotus," Acrylic on Board, 16x20"

I took a mini, solo vacation last week and saw a number of gorgeous scenes.  This lotus flower is firmly in the 'standard pretty thing' category, but I couldn't help admiring it regardless -- especially with the sun shining through the petals.

Pure Water

"Pure Water," Acrylic on Board, 9x12"

Here's a little one to end my week.   I'm heading out for some creative recharging.  Happy early weekend.

Bouquet

"Bouquet," Acrylic on Board, 36x24"

I'll be diving back under water soon, but I took a break to some above water work...with trees, of course. :)

Rose Madder Mermaid

"Rose Madder Mermaid," Acrylic on Board, 9x12"

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I think the body on this one is more successful than yesterday's painting.  I spent more time refining the skin.  It's such a temptation to focus on the reflections and the hair...  I like the color scheme quite a bit - might use it in a larger work.

Verge

"Verge," Acrylic on Board, 20x16"

I like the reflections where the person meets the water - need to get more reference images that capture this.  Not sure about the colors in this one...

Fly

"Fly," Acrylic on Board, 24x36"

I'm still playing around with water.  I'm not as happy with the reference that is deep under the water, because I think the most interesting bits are the reflections on the top of the water.  That said, you can get some pretty dramatic poses underwater.

I'm thinking about stopping doing daily painting.  I'm finding them less useful and I'd rather spend the time on bigger pieces.  I'll keep doing the blog though - good practice for talking about my art. :)

Big Little

"Big Little," Acrylic on Panel, 16x20"

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I'm back from a trip to the Midwest with the kids and back in the studio.  As much as I love the trees around Texas, this one in my Ohio hometown might be my favorite.   That's my daughter (5) in the foreground, so you can get a sense of the scale.

Though this is not a painting of water, I used the colors that were left over on my palette from the water painting I finished yesterday.   Good result?

When a Creek is Not a Creek

"When a Creek is Not a Creek," Acrylic on Panel, 16x20"

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The creek in this painting is much more inviting than the real one that inspired it - the magic of art.

Piñata

"Piñata," Acrylic on Panel, 20x16"

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Another image inspired by Maine - getting more exuberant with the colors.

Quilted Creek

"Quilted Creek," Acrylic on Board, 16x20"

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It's a bit of challenge to find a creek that still has water, after years of drought, but there are still a few pretty views.  This one is at Pease Park.

11 am

"11 am," acrylic on board, 9x12"

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Back to trees today - just can't help myself....

Pool Time

"Pool Time," Acrylic on Board, 12x9"

I'm still working on my water technique and having fun playing around with underwater images.  This is a boy I met at our neighborhood pool.  He saw me taking my son's picture and wanted me to take his as well.

Ocean View

"Ocean View," Acrylic on Board, 9x12"

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My sister recently took a trip to Maine and sent me several gorgeous images from her trip.  I'm still playing around with water, though I'm not sure I like the images where the water creates a flat horizon line.  The picture seems to be missing a tree. :)

Red Dog at Rest

"Red Dog at Rest," acrylic on panel, 5x7"

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Somehow, Stuart has become a red dog for me (maybe trying to appease the gods of summer heat)?  One of these days I'll have to try him in a different color...

Blue Dog

"Blue Dog," acrylic on panel, 7x5"

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What is the appeal of a blue dog?  Discuss.

Submergence

"Submergence," Acrylic on Board, 20x16"

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I'm playing around with some different interpretations of water in landscape.  This is a water texture/pattern superimposed over a tree landscape.  I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but I like the feel quite a bit.

Rose Umbra

"Rose Umbra," Acrylic on Panel, 20x16"

Here's a full-size (though not too big) painting for a Tuesday.  I like the strong diagonal shadows and the rose-colored tree.

Dragon Fruit

"Dragon Fruit," Acrylic on Panel, 5x7"

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When I'm looking for a subject for my daily paintings, the produce isle at the grocery store becomes a dangerous (aka expensive) place.  Dragon fruit is just about the prettiest fruit you're likely to see.  I didn't quite do it justice, so may have to try again.

Luckily, I have some reference photos, because the fruit in question, has already been consumed.  Both of my kids thought it was delicious.

Around the Bend

"Around the Bend," Acrylic on Board, 12x9"

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It's still there days until summer camp starts, so my studio time continues to be limited.  I did manage to do one this week, so that's something.  I'm moving to a larger format for the dailies.

Shore Diptych

"Shore Diptych," Acrylic on Board, 36x48"

I'm finally (finally!) back to painting after being stalled out by end of school/family vacation.   This is an early foray into water subject matter (plus an extension of an earlier exploration).  I'm planning on doing a number of water-focused landscapes as well as some figures in water landscapes (think naiads versus dryads).   I love starting a new series.  

Red Dog

"Red Dog," Acrylic on Panel, 7x5"

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