An Itch to Paint Eggs

Eggs on Blue Cloth No.2
February 24, 2009
7" x 7"
Oil on Board

Eggs on Blue Cloth No.1

February 24, 2009

7" x 7"

Oil on Board

I have had a great few days of instructing. My Painting from Photos Workshop this past Saturday was fantastic, the creative energy that was flowing through the room was quite energizing. Then on Monday, I thought my class might just throw me out after I pulled out my old stinky shoes as their still life, but they humored me and went along with it. They produced such amazing work. Their improvement in the class jumped leaps and bounds and truly made me proud. And lastly tonight, I just finished these two paintings after teaching a class on color theory and painting. It really made me itch to paint. I found I couldn't help myself. The above two paintings are a result of that.

Thank you to my students, you really challenge me and inspire me as an artist.

No.1 Night Time Conversations

(Untitled painting no.1) from Series: Night Time Conversations

February 17, 2009

30" x 60"

Oil on Canvas

I wanted to create this painting for quite a long time. A dear friend of mine sent me a very inspiring photograph which has kicked off a whole series of paintings that I am currently working on. This is the first one of the series and as for now it remains untitled. My goal was to give a sense of being out on a walk. As it is of a night scene I assume you are walking with someone. Maybe this scene sparks a deep conversation between you. Even if you are by yourself maybe it will spark an internal conversation within. I find that most of my deep, inspiring, and life changing conversations happen at night. Though it may not be as effective on your computer screen it is quite effective if you are standing in front of the original painting. This is mostly because of it's size, standing at 5 feet tall. I must also thank my two youngest sisters for their helpful criticism that lead to the completion of this painting.

A reminder that my Paint from Photos Workshop is this Saturday the 21st from 10am-4pm. The cost is $35.00 and I have 2-3 spaces left. It is open to beginner and intermediate skill levels. There will be lots of one on one instruction. Maybe the above painting, that was painted from photographic reference material, will inspire you to try your hand at it.

An Inspiring Gift

An Inspiring Gift No.2

February 8, 2009

5 1/2" x 7"
Oil on Board

An Inspiring Gift No.1

February 8, 2009
10" x 8"

Oil on Board

I recently had a birthday and my husband threw me a fantastic and surprisingly organized party. I had so much fun that I lost my voice for two days. I was given some beautiful tulips that were so inspiring that I had to paint them. They lasted for quite a long time and they brought tonnes of joy into my chaotic life.

Life has been taking me on one crazy ride that I never expected. It seems that whenever anything happens it happens all at once. Though it is chaotic and very hectic, there is nothing but positive things coming out of the noisy mess, which is my life. It reminds me of when my mother would do a really deep cleaning of the house in spring time. While she worked on organizing and getting to the root of all dirt and scum the house would become a worse disaster than when she started. There was always loud music, lots of banging and thumping of moving furniture and fixing those things that have been driving her crazy all year. When the job was done the house was sparkling, walls were freshly painted, and there was never a sign of all the chaos that it took to get to that renewed fresh point.

In this chaos is a new series of paintings that I am working on. I can't wait to post the first painting. I am going to work on it right after this post.

So, I better get to it!