African Grandmother #1

Last week in Denver, I attended a class with the wonderful instructor, Rick Brogan, at the Art Students League of Denver.  We worked on charcoal portraits, wonderful practice.  Loved working with charcoal. 

I learned a great deal from Rick.  He is generous and helpful and dedicated.  

This beautiful grandmother looks out over the market place, wondering how to provide.  My daughter and a friend of ours were in South Africa on a mission trip earlier this summer.  Their tales have ignited my curiosity about these brave women who have all the responsibility for the welfare of their villages.  What courage. 

Morning Light

This landscape is an early morning scene out here in the country.  Hot and atmospheric!

Have a Seat, Cowgirl

Remember Picture Day at school---the photographer in deep West Texas called everyone 'cowgirl' or 'cowboy.'  This outdoor chair would make a nice picture-posing place.  Hot, but restful.

El Grado

Glass bottles are so pretty. This one is turquoise crystal, long-lost tequila. There is a guy in Texas who makes it a community project to re-use bottles by making them in to glasses. The community part lets anyone come learn about the cutting, sanding, etc.

Warmth

This pas de deux is a little reminder of friendship: one falls, the other provides a strong support. Warmth in the shadows is another gift of companionship. What metaphors we draw from sweet Bartletts.

Sweet Land of Liberty

These aspens seen through the shadows---poetry.

Dancing at Breakfast

We are in sweet Louisiana. Yesterday morning was spent dancing at breakfast in Breaux Bridge. We had a great time at Cafe Des Amis. Terrific zydeco band.

Summertime

More practice with my familiar. The equinox forces me inside with the heat, then calls me out for the evening light show. We have had some spectacular anvil clouds lately. Let it rain soon, dear Lord.

Lake Redcloud

Sunlit edges of the young boater, pushing off for an afternoon of canoeing.  What a life.  Summertime in Colorado.

Suzette

Lovely little hillside village of Suzette in Provence

Three Pomegranates

These little hot red pomegranates,  grenades, en francais, are on a soft plaid cloth. 

AspenGrove

I had fun with this very large canvas, 24 x 36. We were in Lake City, Colorado, last fall for the phenomenal changing of the leaves. Each day the colors were expanding across the mountains, producing this most amazing effect. Working on this these past few days has been great. Listened to a Tolstoy recording. We had ferocious winds, of the deep West Texas variety. I was happy to be indoors dreaming of Colorado.



"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible,
but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for staying ashore."
...Vincent Van Gogh

HeyCupcake

One of the original and much beloved Austin food trailers! Hey, Cupcake!

CC and Mia

This is my Wedding Post! Finally, my son and his bride are enjoying their honeymoon after a beautiful wedding this past week. The rest of us are here recuperating from the breath-taking and very holy moments all week-end long as friends and family gathered to celebrate. Being mother-of-the-groom was tons-o-fun.

Burnt Sienna, I Love You

https://picasaweb.google.com/stewsuzanne/Suzannepaints?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_f-fyUtaeCSg#5626239905178667218

Sunny Side Up

One of my favorite subjects, this 12 x 12 was painted a while back. I love to follow the sun myself.

I'm at the Villa

We were having a huge rainstorm yesterday as I was posting this painting.  It was painted on a very hot day when we had a beautiful shady spot vantage.  Thank goodness for the rain.  Wonder if we could get a ditch from the Mississippi over here for our dry, parched land.

Evening Sun

This plein air piece is a small village in France. Evening was falling.

Little Hummer down

Icy Memory

This from a photo of our beautiful state capitol building on a snowy day in February...I have to do something to keep a cool head.  I'm quite happy with my burnt sienna underpainting as it keeps the absolute cold out of the scene. 

"Still life derives from the Dutch word stilleven, coined in the 17th century when paintings of objects enjoyed immense popularity throughout Europe."

I'm going to keep plugging!  Hope you can "pear" with me.  Love word studies, and the Dutch gave us so much of our language.   I also like the still even, just to ponder when I'm feeling a little off.  Like today.  I'm working on setting a course.

daily exercise is good for the soul

This is the painting du jour.  I am trying to paint a little all over  large panel I have.  The design upper left is from another exercise.  Just trying to clear the cobwebs.  Using a range of warm to cool reds and white to learn my colors while working on design.

The Merry, Merry Month of May

We are eagerly awaiting the marriage of our son at the end of the month of May.  All of us are on High Alert to keep going to the goal.  There seems precious little time to paint, but, as you know, the painter must.  I'm trying to keep it simple and direct.  Lots of precious practice pieces.  I painted this set up earlier with a different direction colorwise. 

LemonLife

I like the strength of cad lemon for its intensity. Love lemonade, don't always enjoy making it of the pitfalls of life.

Offering

"I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."  Ephesians 3:17-19

Fully Engaged

This collection of white objects all clustered with a golden pear made for an interesting afternoon.  I was in ellipse squeeze.  I was trying to use three disparate primaries.  My objective was to work fast, to get the composition and drawing going and then to paint like mad.    I did have fun doing this one, though.  12" x 12"

En Pointe

This is my prize-winning painting from the Midland show. I received this lovely photo from my friend. Shows up quite well in my Randy Higbee floater frame, n'est-ce pas?

Paint Pot

In this painting, I have veered into the addition of Cadmium Yellow Light.  The varieties are a little surprising to me.  I have also found that a photographed look at the painting is quite a bit different than the actual piece.  Is this a little like looking at the painting in the mirror?
Last week, I had the pleasure to meet, Carol Carmichael, a fellow traveler in this pursuit of painting.  Her studio is filled with her amazing artwork.  She has been painting a very long time, teaching art, encouraging others.  I'm hoping I will get to see her again in Birmingham.  

Pesto Sauce

Here is today's humble effort.  I love working with my very limited palette: more ochre, alizarin and ultramarine.  This 12 x 12 seems unified and light.  May try glazing after it dries.

Waiting My Turn

These little boaters on the very edge of Lake Redcloud are waiting their turn to go canoeing.  What a beautiful sunny day it was.

Come a Little Bit Closer

Today's 6 x 6 is another practice with ocher, alizarin and ultramarine.  There are countless variations in tone and hue available.  I'm wildly excited just now having heard that my piece previously posted here has received First Place in the Midland Arts Association Spring Show.  The painting is entitled En Pointe.  What a thrill opening my mailbox to see such news.  A little encouragement goes a long way with me!

My Efforts of Late

Lately, I have done quite a few still life paintings.  This one presents it own challenges.  Somehow on the photo, I can see where I went wrong.  And now I've been exposed.  I'm calling the one on top Shorty.



The butter dish is study/deep practice #2.  Both are 8 x 10, using yellow ocher, alizarin crimson, French ultramarine blue and white.  This one is Sit Still.  Trying to discover the secret of luminosity. 

REAL GALLERY Opening

The REAL Gallery opened last night with a very good turnout.  Thank you to all my friends who dropped by to see.   My friends Deborah Thomas and Ann Seago were exhibiting also.  The show will last until Sunday, March14 at this pop-up location.  When you're in for SXSW, please stop by at 912 Congress. I hear there is an
Apple Store pop-up right down the way, introducing the new iPad! Hurry downtown for all the
excitement.

REAL GALLERY in Austin, TX

You are invited this evening to a reception for Second Thursday on Congress Avenue at Real Gallery. The gallery is located at 912 Congress. Refreshments will be served. Please come check out my work.

White on White

This little 6 x 6 is a very quick exercise.  I'm working on a few of these to see how my three primaries work: yellow ochre, alizarin crimson, French ultramarine blue. 

Out for a Stroll

Where is she going, this señora? I think she is on her way to the bakery. She's following her nose. M-m-m-m!

Angelique BéBé

These little confections are in a darling New Orleans children's store. Couldn't a little girl have fun in this tu-tu!

The Underpinnings of Painting

My Fifteen Minutes of Fame, Gone With the Wind

Here is my Blue Ribbon Winner from the recent spring show at the Brenham Art League.  I call it Little Feat.  The colors are not quite accurate in the photo, the painting is 15 x 30 and is a depiction of my little Townsend.  First Place!!!

Midland Spring Show 2011

Hope you are keeping warm painting around your fireplace.  I have just found that my paintings, En Pointe and Provencal, have been juried into the Midland Arts Association Spring Show.  This is a wonderful exhibit in a grand old Midland home.  Please plan to drop by to see the beautiful exhibit and setting.