Sound Side, 11x14

One to send to my gallery next week.

Gallery Flux

(804)752-3540

307B England Street, Ashland, VA 23005

Sound Side

11x14, oil
sold

A Commission in the works

Hope you all are having a good holiday. I missed some time painting last week, so I spent the majority of the day in the studio with this one:

 Below is a  18x24" painting I've been working on for the last few weeks. I'm enjoying the intense spring colors. Those blues, yellows and reds are so delicious.

The biggest challenge with this house portrait is the perspective of the garage. It looked awkward even in the photos. I've spend I don't know how many hours moving the angles of the roof, shutters, siding a millimeter over and a millimeter back again and again. 

So many lessons I should have learned already. Don't attempt to paint something that looks wrong before you even begin.

I'm still not happy with the angles, but it will have to wait for another day.

To be continued.

Published in the Chesterfield Living

I was honored to be interviewed by Don Kappel of Chesterfield Living Magazine a little over a month ago. The article came out in the May/June addition last weekend. 

 The photo is from Nags Head last summer. Sorry about the grimace on my face.  It always feels a little funny to read about myself, or to offer for you to read it... but in case you are curious, here is the link to reading the magazine online: http://issuu.com/cherylaci/docs/chesterfieldliving_mayjune2014

"Rising" 8x8

"Rising"

8x8, oil

From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised... His glory is above the heavens.

Psalm 113:3-4

Have no fear of perfection...

“Have no fear of perfection, you'll never reach it.” 

Salvador Dali 

 

Salvador Dali, The Elephants, O/C, 1948 by jtapia92 on Pictify

And I think that's all I need to say for now.

Painting on location with moving shadows.

(Needs a title, ideas welcome)

7x9, oil

One of the obvious challenges of painting on location is working with the movement of the sun.

The majority of the time I'm drawn to paint a scene because of a particular pattern of light and we all know that there is nothing more transient and uncontrollable than the sun & weather. This morning I chose my composition based on that patch of light and the shadow of the tree in the center of the painting/scene.

 This is what the scene looked like for the first 15 minutes or so as I began the painting.

And this is what the scene looked like as I was finishing up. Yep. It got cloudy.

The sun peeked out a couple times, but that shadow from the pine tree in the middle was no longer at a nice diagonal to the right. It was at a slight diagonal toward the left and that patch of sunny grass turned into a sliver.

When painting outdoors you need self control. It's easier to change the game plan (i.e. composition of shapes/subject of the painting) as the hours roll by and the clouds roll in. A firm idea of what you want the painting to communicate and a strong composition is necessary. 

What's this "idea" you speak of? We artists call this the "subject" of the painting. I wanted to showcase the beautiful morning light shining through the trees and illuminating the spring grass. 

They say the first 15 minutes are the most important of the entire painting process. In this case I 100% agree. If I hadn't marked that patch of light, each tree, the shadows and highlights I would have lost my "idea" when we lost the light.

What's the moral of the story?

When painting outdoors, make a plan and stick to it. That's a note to my easily-distracted self.

A box of strawberries

Skinquarter Market

 6x8, oil

I did a little painting on location yesterday morning. I pulled off at Skinquarter Farmers Market out Hull Street toward Amelia. Pretty little spot. It was the morning light on those red sheds that caught my eye.

When I finished the painting and started pulling out one of the staff gave me a box of strawberries! Oh my goodness, they were delicious. No such thing as a starving artist over here. (Har, har.)

 http://www.facebook.com/SkinquarterFarmMarket

 Hours and strawberry picking schedule coming soon to their Facebook page.

20800 Hull Street Road, Moseley, Virginia 23120

Thanks to pinterest.

I found this wooden box at a thrift store for $3. An 88c box of binder clips and a few screws later I have a nifty storage box for my paints.

Of course the idea came from Pinterest. 

(Source)

I made a "Someday Studio" board before we moved into this house. 

http://www.pinterest.com/amyhrdonahue/someday-studio/

Maybe one day I'll have a swing, cozy chair, a barn door, another window and some cool light fixtures in my space.