Just Gave Myself an Idea!

Tiny Blue

oil on panel, en plein air

5" x 5"

I have just given myself an idea!  While sitting out on our deck this morning, drinking my morning tea, I was perusing my emails, and looking at all the great posts by the artists I follow.   One of my favorite artists, Karin Jurick and painted a great little studio painting of a green house.  I commented on her painting, on her blog, and just as I hit the send button, I thought what a cool group of paintings it would be to have the subject of tiny houses!  I mentioned to her that my husband had given me a book about the tiny, crooked houses in Savannah, GA one time.  My father's family lived in Savannah, and we have been there many times, so their crooked houses really interested me.  So now I have had an "ah-ha!" momentand idea!  So, thank you Karin, for your part in spurring on my muse for the an idea, even before I was done with my tea!  The painting above was done on Topsail Island, NC, en plein air.  It is the epitome of small houses, with an even tinier house in behind it, both painted this really amazing blue.  The search is one!

Another Painting Just Started Today

Just begun, in the "blocking-in" stage

Here is a painting I just started, this morning. It is in the VERY BEGINNING, blocking-in stage, not a pretty stage at all. It is the time when things are being "mapped out" on the canvas, when I figure out where things go, and get a sense of the over-all feel.  This will be one of the paintings in the group of paintings for the equine show in September in Orange, VA.   The trick with this one will be to keep it from being too "tweedly" as the English say. I don't want it to become "too cute", so the trick is to paint the light, not the subject, if you get my drift!  Part of the interest is the little girl, in her pink boots and pink jacket with her beloved pony.  BUT ... the problem can arise where it just is all sugar and spice, and not meat.  I want the meat, and I'm not even a big meat-eater!  By taking these photos early on, and posting them, scary in itself, it does help me see them differently.  I see things in this one that will most certainly be changing!  

On The Easel

Currently "on my easel", in various stages of being worked on

Three paintings that are on my easel at the moment.  Well, maybe not all at once, but they are the three I am working on currently.  All are at about the same place in their life of being worked on.  I have to put them aside for a while to let them "soak/brew/simmer/be considered".  There are things I like about each, at this stage, and there are things I don't like about each.  I am my worst critic, so generally there are more things I don't like than like, but I'm working on that!  One of the things I am working on, and it may not be apparent in these, yet, but I am working on my use of greys.  Hard to see on a computer screen, but I'm working on it.  Just to let you know, these will be part of a one woman show of my equine work at The Arts Center of Orange, September 10 - 14, 2012, to coincide with a workshop I will be teaching for the American Academy of Equine Art.  If you're interested, check out their website, I would love to see you there!   I would love your commments!