"Sunshine on a Winter's Day", 8" x 10", Oil on Canvas PanelClick here to bid.

Click here to see how this painting was done!




It snowed last night! Not a lot but even a couple of inches can keep me stuck as my care doesn't have snow tires. Dumb, you say? Well, maybe, but it hardly snows here at all so it doesn't seem worth it to put out those dollars for one or two days per year. Anyway, I retreated to my studio and brought a little sunshine into it. Honestly, it's amazing how many different kinds of flowers are available in the supermarket these days! My husband got these at Costco, of all places.

I've just started a new blog, called "Susan's Musings and Painting Tips". As one of my first posts, I've put a step-by-step, photo by photo, of each stage of this painting. Thought it might be fun to share my technique a bit. Look for more of these kinds of posts in the future.

Floral Oil Painting of Hyacinth in Cut Glass Vase, 11" x 14" on Canvas Panel

"Hyacinth"Click here to bid.




I love painting these guys. No matter how you display them, they're always lovely. I plunked a bunch into a cut glass vase for this painting. There's tons of thick paint on these. It's so thick, as a matter of fact, the paint actually helps to create shadows on the canvas. Take a look at the detail.


Original Floral of Pink Peonies, Grapes and Silver Vase, 9" x 12" on Canvas Panel

"Peonies and Grapes"
SOLD


Just had time for this piece today. I was in the mood for Peonies and thought combining them with the silver vase would be interesting. I used to paint a lot of highly reflective objects and transaparent glass in pastels. I was using a very realistic technique. But over the past year or so, my technique - especially in oils, has changed. I rather like the way this came out but think I've a ways to go yet before I obtain the look I am striving for. What do you think?

Floral Oil Painting of White Roses and Tangerines, 9" x 12" on Canvas Panel

"Roses and Clemintines"SOLD




Tangerines are one of the nicer things about Winter. I love their rich color and the way they glow in the light. I decided to place them with some roses to bring a hint of promise to the studio today. I haven't painted ala prima in a while so this was a bit of a challenge and warm up for me. The vase is a loaner from a friend. Enjoy.

Oil Figure of a Nude, 9" x 12" on Canvas Panel

"Black Lace"
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I have been painting a lot of figures lately. In part, this is because I participate in a figure drawing group every week. But mostly it's an outgrowth of my interest in portraits. This model is one of my favorites and most of you will recognize her. She has such a lovely back, that I had her turned away from me for this pose. I love the way the light plays on her. This is just a small study for a larger piece I plan to do. Thanks for looking.

Pastel Landscape of Old Barn in Early Morning, Image size: 16.5" x 12"; 27" x 23.5" Framed $350

"Morning on Old Olympic Hwy"
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Early every morning (almost), I drag myself from my warm bed and go walking with a friend. Sometimes I remember to bring my camera. This one particular morning this fall, the fog was just lifting off of a field behind an old barn. The sun was low and was spreading out over the field lighting up the fog. The light effects were spectacular! Oh crap. I forgot my camera. Soooo..this piece is from memory. I think I pretty much got it the way I remember though. I stood staring at that scene trying to commit it to memory as much as possible. I gave two sizes here. The bigger size is of the painting framed. The price includes the frame. If you're interested, just click on the e-mail link above. Shipping is extra. I'm happy to e-mail a picture of the piece framed as well. Thanks for looking. Have a GREAT New Year!

Still Life Oil of Ginger Jar and fruit, 34" x 38"

"The Ginger Jar"
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Although I've taken a break from daily painting in the last two weeks, I've still been busy at the easel. Here's a piece I just finished for an upcoming competition. As you can see, it's polished but lacks a lot of the spontaneity of daily pieces. I'm working on retaining the freshness of brush stroke in my larger pieces but have a ways to go. It's very easy to get too involved in detail on these larger pieces. I am happy, however, with the light here and with the color and values. My edge control was good and I like the composition.

"Home sweet home"

"My Studio"


OK. So it's not a painting. Dailypainters.com asked all its participating artists to post photos or paintings of their studios today. As I've been working on a large project for Oil Painters of America's annual juried competition, I was too engaged this morning to get into a painting of my studio. This afternoon was figure drawing, so a photo it was. Besides, I'd rather paint in it than use it as a subject. My studio is rather long and narrow - about 30 feet by 17 feet. I didn't bother turning around here, there's not much to see behind me except for some flat files and a large cabinet. I actually manage to squeeze five students in here on Wednesday mornings. It's tight, but we're a cozy bunch anyway. Hope you liked the brief tour. Thanks for stopping by.

I'm taking a brief break - actually started a few days ago, to finish my project and won't likely post again until after Christmas. Have a wonderful holiday! Susan