Pine Cones

Oil on gessoboard. 5"x7"

Bid
It feels like the holiday season might be right around the corner, don't you think?

Gala Apples

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Brother Rick's Car

Jack

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Happy Halloween!

Brother Rick

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Ok, I know what you're thinking..."Whoa, Sue! How could such a good-lookin' guy be your brother?" Rick has always been the pretty boy in the family.

Pumpkins

Oil on canvas. 6"x6"

Last week's Daily Paintworks Challenge was to spend no more than 10 minutes painting an object. I forgot to set the timer on my last try, but basically I stayed within the 10 minute time limit for each pumpkin. It's a good exercise - it forces the painter to stay with large masses and avoid too much detail - something I struggle with.

Fishing Hat

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

This is sketch of Graham. I am trying to pay attention to values.

Barn at Mt. Pisgah

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

This morning I continued to work on this painting of the old barn at Mt. Pisgah.

Oregon Beach Boy II

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Here's a re-do of the painting I did on the weekend. I'm much happier with this one.

Farm House

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Well, I had an awful, horrible, very bad day at work today. The only saving grace is that I believe in karma. I believe what goes around comes around...one reaps what one sows!

I spent the evening painting. Painting is a wonderful meditation and a great way to de-stress. Of course I overworked the thing, but that's ok. It served it's purpose. I'm almost relaxed enough to go to bed.

Blog Action Day: Food and a Lean Culture Change

I wanted to share this excellent blog post with you. Jon Miller, "Gemba Panta Rei" is the author. Most of his blog articles pertain to lean in the manufacturing or business setting, but much of the lean culture applies to everyday living:

Lean Manufacturing Blog, Kaizen Articles and Advice Gemba Panta Rei

Little Girl

Oil on RayMar panel. 8"x10"

Bid
A photo of this cute little girl was the subject of the Daily Paintworks Challenge this week. The challenge was to simplify the background in the photo, so I didn't really stay within the rules. She was so cute that I couldn't resist trying the portrait without much background.

Little Brown Beer Jug

Oil on RayMar panel. 8"x10"

Bid
This is a little brown beer jug. The glass is ready to celebrate. Hooray for October and beer!

Autumn Colors

Oil on canvas board. 8"x10"

Bid
There are so many types of gourds in in our local markets, and they seem so festive. The pumpkins are piled high in anticipation of Halloween. Autumn is my favorite time of year.

Pie Buddies

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

The only thing better than pumpkin pie might be apple pie (but don't tell the pumpkin).

Pumpkin Evening

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Yet another pumpkin painting. Pumpkins are just so satisfying to paint!

October

Oil on canvas. 11"x14"

Bid
I'm having fun with this pumpkin. It may have a few more paintings left before it becomes a jack-o'-lantern.

Pinot Noir and Pumpkin

Oil on canvas. 11"x14"

Dark and rainy Sunday. A good day to stay indoors and paint.

Autumn Gourds

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Bid
Another beautiful fall day.

Siuslaw Autumn

Oil on canvas. 16"x11"

This is a painting I worked on last Sunday. It's a little funky, but I like the color. I've been experimenting using James Gurney's gamut masking method.

I've used it on my last two paintings and am going to continue to use it. I really like it.

I've been sick, sick, sick all week, but I had to be at work because we had a big kaizen event going on that I couldn't miss.

As a result, I'm home today with no voice at all. The 800 pound gorilla that was sitting in the middle of the meeting room has now taken up residence on my chest.

I'm very annoyed.

Oregon Autumn

Oil on canvas. 16"x20"

We've had a brief touch of autumn. The rain has started and the forecast is for rain all this week. We are hoping for a few more days of bright, crisp weather before winter sets in.

Siuslaw Mooring

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Moored boats on the Siuslaw in Florence.

Florence, Oregon

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

We visited the coast last weekend. The best time to be at the coast is during the fall. The weather is warm and everything sparkles.

Taking a Break

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Poor Rocky hurt his back right paw yesterday. We think he may have injured one of his nails. Because the paw was bleeding, we treated it with nonsting antiseptic. He seems better today. He doesn't seem to mind us touching the paw, but he still favors it.

Of coures it happened over the holiday weekend and the vet's office isn't opened. It didn't seem like an emergency, so we opted just to watch him. We'll take him in to the vet's this week if it doesn't clear up soon.

It's rough on Butterscotch, too. She doesn't have anyone to run and wrestle with.

Sad doggies all around.

Rocky Road

Oil on canvas. 6"x6"

Our new little guy, Rocky, enjoys sleeping on the deck on a warm summer afternoon.

Piggy Bank

Oil on canvas. 8"x8"

This week's Daily Paintworks Challenge was to "Paint Your Pig"...here's my pig!

Watermelon Slice

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Back to my easel after being out of town for a few days. I hope this beautiful weather will continue. I'd love to paint outdoors before the rains come again.

Brown Betty

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Bid
I've never been to the British Isles, but have always wanted to go. This teapot whispers "England" to me.

Bowl of Apples

Oil on gessoboard. 5"x7"

It's such a beautiful day that I took my easel outside to work on this painting. Our schedules have been a bit busy - I'm looking forward to doing some plein air once things settle down (and before the rain starts).

Coffee Mug

Oil on gessoboard. 5"x7"

Another mug. I'll be in working in Bend for the next few days, so won't have much opportunity to paint. I'll probably toss my easel and paints in the car before I leave...just in case.

Favorite Mug

Oil on canvas. 5"x7"

This is my favorite mug. I had TWO favorite mugs and I was painting the OTHER one. Just as I was getting into my painting zone, two wild puppies tore through the house and knocked the mug off its perch and onto the floor. Now I have only one favorite mug.

RIP other mug.

Angel Island

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Another painting from the Reesor vacation photos. I believe this is Angel Island, near San Francisco.

San Francisco

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Dave, Jenny, and the little guys just got back from their vacation in California. They took some beautiful photos while they were there. This one just sang to me. Wouldn't it be heavenly to be sailing on the bay?

Black & White to Color

Oil on canvas. 5"x7"

This is another Daily Paintworks Challenge. The challenge was to work from a black and white photo. It was a good exercise in establishing values. Since I really struggle with value, I found this helpful. I'd like to try this again.

The Back Fence

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

Sometimes I feel very frustrated because I'm not making better progress with my painting. I wish I could do a better job of capturing what I see.

This is a painting of our backyard. There is a Dublin Bay rose bush near the corner of the fence that has been blooming like crazy all summer. It's just so pretty.

I believe that painting is a combination of talent and skill. Talent may be something that is inherent, but I know skill comes from constant practice. I'll continue to practice in the hopes that I will improve. I do love to paint and I'll continue to paint regardless.

To see the work of someone who has both talent and skill, check out Carol Horzempa's blog, "South of North Studio." Carol is an artist who lives in southeast Wisconsin. I especially like the way she is able to capture personality in the animal paintings she's done. To see Carol's work, click on this link: South of North Studio

Painting Break

I've taken a little break from painting - not by choice, of course. Having two new dogs is a bit like having a couple of monkeys in the house. Even though we've dog-proofed the joint, they still manage to get into a load of trouble. They are a handful.

In my spare moments, I've been reading blogs written by some really good artists. I located many of them through the Daily Paintworks site. There is a list of blog sites on the right side of this page.

I'm really enjoying the work of Mike Alonzo, an artist from North Carolina. He lived on the Central California coast for many years and produced some wonderful paintings of Morro Bay (one of our old stomping grounds). If you get the chance, it's well worth a visit to his blog site to see his work. http://mikealonzo.blogspot.com/

When I grow up, I want to paint like Mike.

Butterscotch

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

This is Butterscotch, aka Butternut, aka Strawberry Thief. Her proper name is Butterscotch, but Butternut is a better fit. She loves to pick flowers and strawberries. She doesn't eat the strawberries, she just brings them into the house and drops them on the floor. She also seems to like Feverfew and pulls them out by the roots. I don't know if this is puppy behavior, or if we have a real ding-dong on our hands. Good thing she's so darn cute!

Wild Strawberry

Oil on gessoboard. 6"x6"

I think this is a wild strawberry...I'm not sure. We have lots of them in our backyard. They seem to pop up everywhere. The fruit is about the size of a thumbnail.

Zinnias

Oil on canvas. 6"x6"

It's true, these don't look all that much like zinnias, but I kind of like them anyway. This was painted for the Daily Paintworks Challenge.

I love the color red.

Peonies

Oil on canvas. 8"x10"

I reworked the background on this painting that was done a few weeks ago. I like it a little better.

We adopted two little dogs from the humane society last weekend. Butterscotch and Rocky are both a shi tzu mix. They're incredibly cute, and each seems to have boundless energy. There has been no time to paint this week - every minute has been devoted to these two characters. They seem to be settling in well and I think they're beginning to feel relaxed and secure in their new home. I hope I'll have more time for painting as they become adjusted to their new environment.

I love silly puppies.

Sisters, Oregon

Oil on canvas, 8"x10"

Here is a painting one of the Three Sisters, viewed from Sisters, Oregon. On my drive home from Bend, I stopped to do some painting. The Three Sisters (Faith, Hope, and Charity) are three volcanic peaks of the Volcanic Arc and Cascade Range. Each of these mountains is over 10,000 ft in elevation. According to Wikipedia, there are 15 named glaciers among the Three Sisters.

The weather was perfect and it was heavenly to spend time painting such a spectacular view. This painting needs work, of course, and I'll probably work on it a bit more this evening.

I couldn't capture all Three Sisters in one photo - the area is too vast - but here's a photo of the Sister I was painting:

I love Sisters, Oregon.

Bend, Oregon

I'm working in Bend today. I threw plein air stuff into the car before I left home this morning, but went out to dinner with coworkers this evening and didn't feel like shlepping all my painting  junk into the hotel room afterwards. It's probably just as well since I can make quite a mess while painting.

I'll be leaving Bend in the early afternoon tomorrow, so may have a bit of time to do some plein air painting somewhere along the way. Central Oregon is so beautiful that it would be a shame to leave without spending a little time painting.

I've never had much luck with plein air, but I'm always willing to give it a try.

I love the clean, sage smell of Central Oregon.

Rose Wine with Strawberries

Oil on gessoboard. 5"x7"

Strawberries and rose wine are summer staples around here. Light, fresh, sweet and tart. Perfect on a warm summer evening.

I love summer evenings.

Wine Glass with Strawberries

Oil on canvas. 6"x6"

These strawberries were good for one more painting. After I finished the painting, we ate the strawberries! They are so much fun to paint (and so good to eat), that I may buy more on my way home from work this afternoon.

The strawberries in this painting came from a CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm. My daughter's family belongs to the CSA. Every week they receive beautiful, local fruits and veggies. I love the CSA concept. People are able to eat fresh, healthy food and support local farmers.

Just for my own amusement, I'm going to add one thing I love to every blog note. No order of importance - just whatever pops into my mind at the moment. Here's my first:

I love CSA farms.

Glass Bowl with Strawberries

Oil on gessoboard. 5"x7"

Sometimes it takes me awhile to catch on. Usually I look down at my subject matter. This time I placed it at eye level...duh! I also loaded the brush with paint. It seems to make a difference.

It's lovely to have strawberries to paint. They're a bit late this year due to the long wet season we've had.

Buddies

Oil on RayMar panel. 5"x7"

Not happy with this painting...not happy with the composition, not happy with the colors, not happy with the brushstrokes. Not happy.

Any suggestions for breaking through a creative funk?

Larry, Moe & Curly

Oil on gessoboard. 5"x7"

Bid
 Here's a new painting style for me. I used gobs of paint on this, ala Raymond Logan (one of my favorite contemporary artists). I love how juicy his paintings appear. I think it's because he is so generous with the amount of paint he applies to the canvas.

I've been in a funk lately...stuck in a rut and unable to produce the kind of paintings I'd like. I'll give this a try for awhile and see how it goes. Regardless of how the painting turns out, it's a lot of fun to fling paint around!

Saturday at 4:00 p.m.

Oil on canvas. 8"x8"

Summertime. Late afternoon. Sitting on the deck. Glass of King Estate Pinot Gris. Life is good.

Maddi

Oil on RayMar Panel. 5"x7"

This is Maddi, my grandson Ian's new dog, and the most recent addition to our family. She looks like a love...we're eager to meet her. I couldn't resist painting that sweet face!

Triple Chocolate Mousse

Oil on gessoboard. 5"x7"

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

Charles M. Schulz

Joy

Oil on clayboard. 6"x6"

Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.

Marianne Williamson

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries

Oil on gessoboard. 6"x6"

Bid

We can't plan life. All we can do is be available for it.

Lauryn Hill