Just the necessities

8 x 10 inches, oil on panel.

Hooray! My first painting in over a year. Feels great and frustrating to be back at it.

Three Cherries (available)

6x6 inches, oil on panel. Still wet! This piece (and about 9 others) will be on display and available for sale at the ArtPeers Fall Festival in Uptown Grand Rapids.

The opening reception for myself and Jane VanderLaan is tonight at Art of the Table from 4–9 p.m., and the show runs through Saturday night. Please stop in! Art looks better in person. :)

Peaches (available)

6x6 inches, oil on panel. This piece (and about 9 others) will be on display and available for sale at the ArtPeers Fall Festival in Uptown Grand Rapids this weekend.

Back on radar

I had all but abandoned this blog for the past year (oops!). While maintaining two jobs and going through the process of buying and renovating my first house, painting was put on the back burner yet again. But I'm pleased to announce that things have settled, my new (rudimentary) studio is set up and I'll have new paintings to share very soon!

One impetus for getting behind the easel again is a show I'm participating in next month: ArtPeers Fall Festival. The show will run September 9–11, and includes around 100 local artists in Grand Rapids. Work will be displayed (and performed in) businesses along Wealthy Street in East Hills. It's the best part of GR, if you ask me!


My work will be shown at Art of the Table, a lovely little shop specializing in — you guessed it — kitchen and dining wares. They have a sweet beer, wine and cheese selection, and it's one of my favorite places to find last-minute gifts (Shhh, don't tell anyone!).

Location is subject to change, and opening reception details to follow...

Red wine (sold)

5x7 inches, oil on panel.

I had an audience in the studio while painting this one... not sure how much that helped, but it was fun!

Uncorked (sold)

Painted this one a week ago but neglected to post it. 5x7 inches, oil on panel.

Tomatoes on the vine (available)

5x7, oil on panel.

I'm back! Bowl of cherries (Sold)

5x7 inches, oil on panel.

My first painting in a year. Can't believe how quickly that went by! This was a bit of a struggle but glad to be back at it.

Two jobs = no time for art

Hi folks, it's been a while since I've been able to create any new paintings, and I don't see that changing anytime soon! I picked up a second job back in February, and my work load at both jobs has been steadily increasing.

There is a half-finished painting on my easel that I began back in ... May? June? I am tired of seeing it that way, so will no doubt find the time to complete it.

It kills me to not be in the studio now, when I had finally reconnected with painting after many years away from it. Perhaps I need a time management coach!

UPDATE: Thanks to those who have given me a kick in the pants... I will be back at it soon.

Radishes

6x6 inches, oil on panel.

This painting wasn't exactly finished... the radishes were, um, eaten before I could wrap it up!

Secret painting revealed - Sassy

Sassy (Sarah Vaughan), 11x14 inches, oil on panel. Not for sale.

This is the "secret" painting I had completed last month. It was a nice change of pace to paint something larger and spend a little more time on it. Plus, you can't beat this subject matter — what a voice.

I wish the images could be displayed larger here, but you can get a larger view by clicking on the images.

Patent Leather Trio (available)

Detail (click on image for larger view):


11x14, oil on panel.

Secret painting

I've been doing a lot of traveling and design projects lately, but have also been working on a larger painting, which will be revealed very soon...

Black Slingbacks

5x7 inches, oil on panel. Not for sale.

Oberon

8x10 inches, oil on panel. NFS.

Better photo coming soon, now that I've got some sunshine!

Last month, I had a health scare and was in a lot of pain, so the paintings had to be put on hold. But I'm back at it!

Anjou Pears (sold)

I was going to do more work on this one, but it has grown on me just the way it is. That's often one of the hardest decisions to make when painting: when to stop. Click on the image for a larger view.

Anjou Pears (in progress)

5x7 inches, oil on panel.

I am not sure that this is finished; the fabric could use more work. It's still clamped to my easel (you can see the clamps in the right corners), asking me to finish it off. Maybe when this nasty cold goes away!

This time I did a warm red underpainting. I don't always begin the daily paintings this way, but I wanted to let some of the red show through in the finished painting to warm things up. This is what lies beneath:

Pink Lipstick (sold)

6x6 inches, oil on panel.

Kiss #2 (Sold)

5x7 inches, oil on panel. Painted on commission.

If this painting looks familiar, that's because it is! A woman saw my first kiss painting hanging in her friend's house and she had to have one of her own.

Summer Delight #4: Playing Outside

5x7 inches, oil on panel. Not for sale.

Jack Daniels (Sold)

5x7 inches, oil on panel. Painted on commission.

Summer Delight #2 (available)

Oil on panel, 6x6 inches.

Let's face it, summer is almost behind us. Because I'm lamenting that fact, I've decided to do a little series of summer-related paintings. Whee!

Why not start with possibly the best thing about hot weather - relaxed dress codes? On a related note, I just read the other day that there has been an alarming increase of flip-flop related injuries, so beware! (Ha, amateurs!)

Satin Shoes (Sold)

6x6 inches, oil on panel.

Summer Delight #1: Field of Daisies

5x7 inches, oil on panel. (Not for sale)
This one's for you, Ginger and John!

Tonight.

That's when I'll be finishing a new painting. Look for it tomorrow... I've got to say, wearing latex gloves in balmy, humid weather is for the birds!

Also: very sorry if anyone had trouble signing up for my mailing list. Just tested the sign-up box on a whim and found that it was broken. D'oh! Fixed now.