I have several pieces done but this was my favorite. I just love the way the feathers curl around the nest in a little protective embrace. So I was looking forward to displaying this little gem at the gallery and last night a good friend came by for dinner and bought it! So the gallery loses the commission but I gained another 20%. And really, although I would have enjoyed showing it off, it sold and that's the point of these little pieces, isn't it? So I did a little happy dance and put it aside for varnishing.
I enjoyed this little painting and think I might like to explore nature a bit more. For someone who lives so close to it, I don't get out as often as I'd like. I'm pretty sensitive to the cold and now that winter is here, I spend less and less time out of doors. Maybe I'm missing something?
P.S. I'm now entering my work onto Art Work Archive. Here's a link to my Public Page. Still have a ton to put up there but at least things are getting organized.
Since hitting middle age, my favorite color has become red. Hmm. Some folks call it the menopause color. I prefer to think of it as the power color. In any case, I've always gravitated to warm colors. I'm a fall person - or so I've been told.
I have a solo show coming up on June 2nd at the Sequim Museum and Art Center. This is one of the pieces created for the show. It will be framed in a cathedral frame that sets it off beautifully.
I'd love to see you at my reception which will be held on June 2nd at the Sequim Museum and Art Center located at 175 W Cedar St, Sequim, WA 98382. Refreshments will be served. Come and have a look-see and then wander off to view the rest of the Sequim Gallery Walk.
I've just finished my first newsletter - The Bi-Monthly Museletter - which will be sent out on the 14th of this month. I'm very excited about it as I've been working hard to make sure it not only looks attractive but offers something valuable to my subscribers. Every two months I will be offering a small painting at a specially reduced price only to my subscribers. The painting will not be auctioned, but will be available on a first come, first served basis. It will only be available for one week after which, if it does not sell, it will be placed on my website with my usual pricing. You will be able to purchase through my website by following a special link in the Newsletter and entering a code to enter the page for viewing or purchasing.
You can subscribe right here on this blog. The subscription box is in the upper right hand corner of this site. Or go to www.susanspar.com and subscribe there. A confirmation email will come to your inbox. Note - you MUST click on the confirmation to be entered on the email list. If you don't see the email, check your spam folder. Be sure to put "susanspar@susanspar.com" in your address book or white list to ensure you receive the newsletter. Thanks! Hope to see you on my list. :-)
Hot off the easel. I just finished this little piece. Usually I paint by the north light that comes in from the large arched window in the studio. I started this under north light, however, here in Washington in the winter, the light fades fast and with so many overcast or rainy days, the light fades even faster in my studio. I like to paint in all day sessions but the fact that by 2:00, it's too dark, put a damper on my work day. So I added some artificial light to supplement. It did warm things up a bit and made it possible to work through the day, but I'm not entirely happy with the cast the light put on my set up. The shadows turned rather cool in response to the warmer light and the work just didn't have the same feel. I'm thinking that in the future, I'll either paint entirely in warm artificial light or just wait out the weather. Your comments are always welcome.
About ten years ago, I was primarily a pastel artist. It was about that time that I became interested in still life, having worked primarily on landscape. My early forays into this genre were mainly trompe l'oeil or "fool the eye" kinds of things. I thought I'd try my hand at it in oil. Depending on your screen the colors may or may not look convincing. The screen can do nasty things to color temperature which in a piece like this makes all the difference. Do wish you could see this in person. It's more fun.
Eggs are nature's wonder. They're the perfect food, have a wonderful shape, come in many colors, and flavors, if you count chocolate. And...they're wonderful to paint. They glow from within. I have a farmer girl for one of my students and she brings me fresh eggs. This one had a very slight green cast to it that intrigued me. I kind of hung on to it for future paintings. It has its own little spot in the fridge. It would probably be dreadful to eat by now, but it's still lovely to paint. The Japanese Lanterns were a gift from a good friend. Thank you, Anne!
"Tea for One"Oil on Linen Mounted on Board, 11" x 14"
My friend Anne, routed out her lovely kitchen looking for pieces that I could add to still life and I settled on this little tin teapot. One of my students is a farmer and has been bringing me these wonderful brown eggs. Actually, of late, they are many different colors, but these just happened to be creamed coffee color and so that's what ended up in the painting. Some days, I decide which ones I'll eat by how many I have left of a certain color.
I'm happy with this piece. I find that since I left the atelier, I have internalized my teacher's voice. Drives me crazy. But it also keeps me honest with myself. I don't settle anymore. And if it's not my best effort, it doesn't leave the easel. Hope you like it too.
