I spent the day at the Clallam County Fair today demonstrating and collected a small crowd to watch me finish this piece. The fair is such fun. We're such a small town here that every gathering of people reveals another Norman Rockwell vignette. I would have loved to get some good pictures but I spent the day in the art barn doing this little piece. I love sharing my work so this was great fun. These roses came out just great too! Lots and lots of thick paint. I actually sculpted the flowers out of it. Take a peek at the closeup below.
I demonstrated today at the Clallam County Fair. Fun, fun, fun! But very tiring. I had three hours to finish a panting and I just managed to put the finishing touches on this one when my time was up. Phew! Hope you like it. There's lots of generous paint on the flowers and leaves.
It's been a pretty busy week here at the Spar homestead. Our local fair starts this week and I've entered some work in it. But mostly it's just been hectic getting all the paperwork and peliminary stuff for my upcoming show ready. I know I should be ready for this by now, but it just seems to be taking forever to do it all. I'll be soooo glad when it's all behind me. Honestly, some days just looking for a phone number can take all day!
Here's a piece I put together on the fly today. Hope you like it.
Diptych IISOLD Private Collection This piece was part of a recent commission. It was fun to do because when placed next to it's mate, they form a complete painting. I enjoy paintng lace and so I had double to fun. There's a small ladybug or two in this piece just as in it's mate. I've been busy the last two days readying pieces for my show - lots still to do. I've varnished and framed and still have prints to run and photos to take. It's the back end of this business that takes so much time...computer and data entry, record keeping and paperwork. But hopefully soon I'll be clear to do some more actual painting! The last week of September I'll be taking a workshop from David Leffel, one of today's great painters and a modern master. I'm completely overwhelmed just getting ready for this event and look forward to sharing my experiences and the work I do at it with you.
I should have named this "Just for Fun" because that's what it was. I just needed some of the glorious sunshine from outside in my little studio today. I was in a generous mood with the paint too! See the closeup below. Enjoy!
I recently spent a weekend in Olympia, WA for, of all things, the senior Olympics. I payed racquetball! While I won't be on the next box of Wheaties (to borrow a phrase from a customer), I did enjoy myself immensely. However, the best part of the trip were several forays into antique and consignment shops to look for new props for my paintings. I picked this little vase up. It was just big enough to hold a few small blooms and these incredible berries that grow in abundance all around Washington. No idea what they are and they're not edible, but they have the most luscious color. They set the vase of nicely and I decided to feature it set back with a low horizon. I like this composition. I've used it many times before and there's just something about the way the light on the table leads your eye up to the vase and flowers that I like. Anyway, the vase has a wonderful shape and emerges just beautifully from the shadows around it. Sigh. I'm a hopeless romantic.
A recent foray to an antique shop brought me this fabulous Asian Jar. It's over 100 years old and the symbol on the front is for "Happiness" - or so I'm told. I did this small piece as a study for a larger one that is going in my upcoming show. I'm quite happy with the way it came out, but the photo doesn't do it justice. It's still quite wet and no matter how I set the lights, I got glare :-(. But it's really quite lovely and has great detail and depth for a small piece. Check out the detail shot below. This painting was done on gallery wrap canvas with carefully painted edges so there is no need to frame - it's ready to hang as is. Please note that all my work is now being shipped in boxes.
This is the left side of a diptych I completed for a commission. I really enjoyed painting the lace on this and it's mate (to be viewed tomorrow). Painting lace or fabric is not really as hard as it's perceived. You need a lite touch and a good command of shadows. The rest is just feeling out the pattern and repeating it. There's actually a tiny ladybug on one of the leaves which was requested by the customer. Now THAT was hard! I'm still finishing up some paintings for my show but will be back to selling by the end of the week - hopefully. Stay tuned. - Oh...a note to my friend, Rosa. Rosa...I can't believe I actually signed up for that workshop!!! David Leffel...oh still my beating heart! Thanks girlfriend. I owe you.
I'm back! A bit more rested, but still under a lot of pressure to complete work for an upcoming show in September. Despite the extra work, however, I have managed to complete a couple of commissions over the past few weeks. Here's one that someone requested (names withheld to insure privacy. The couple wanted grapes to go with the Hydrangeas. The setup was requested because it brings up feelings of a very special place to the couple.
I'll be moving my blog sometime during the next couple of months to Wordpress.com because of the options they offer on design. But don't worry...you'll continue to receive posts without interruption and I'll notify you of the new address, should you want to browse the new site once it's up and running.
I've been busy preparing for a show, getting ready for a festival and trying to work with contractors to prepare for the expansion of my studio so there's been little time to work on my blog or EBay stuff. Phew. I started off with the intention of this one being for EBay but I liked it so much, I waffled on whether I should sell it or save it for my show. Then I decided that I would just do a larger version for the show and give this one to you folks. Enjoy.
