Magpie

8x8" oil on panel

I've always thought that Magpies were one of the most beautiful birds. The bold black and white just doesn't need any colorful embellishment, its just purely elegant.

I Was Here First

6x8" oil on panel

While both my dogs are gone now, they both are present in this painting - I used a picture of Elijah as a reference, and my beloved Zeke inspired the title. He was a Great Dane mix and when the chickens would come up to eat mosquitoes off his fur (we lived in Montana, then) he would just get this look of indignant patience as if to ask why they couldn't leave him alone...

This is the last of the "there's a bird on my head" group for now - and I'm delighted to say that they just got accepted into the Small Wonders show at The Wooden Cow gallery, here in Albuquerque, along with a painting I'll post tomorrow.

Nesting Instinct

8x6" oil on panel

Trying out a nest seemed like a logical extension of the bird idea. Credit for the title goes again to my husband.

And Coming on November 22nd:




Over at the fabulous Seth's The Altered Page, he is posting the latest version of The Pulse. Every Sunday there will be a variety of artists answering questions about their favorite art resources, art secrets, where they work, etc. Its a great, fun way to find new artists doing Amazing work, so be sure to check it out every Sunday starting on the 22nd (and check out The Altered Page any time - Always great stuff there!)

RedHeads

8x6" oil on panel

Wouldn't you be worried too, with a woodpecker sitting on your head??

Joyride

8x6" oil on panel

I was waiting one day and scribbling on a scrap of paper to pass the time. A bird, then a head, which accidentally bumped into the bird. It looked silly: 'Hey look, I've got a bird on my head!' The idea stuck, and I ended up doing a few small oil sketches from it. Here is the first...

Time and Time Again

oil on panel, 12x12

This is the final one of the clock series for now - I still have some ideas I want to work on (Passing Time, Time-Out, Time Stands Still....), but its "time" for a break to work on some other subjects too. Hope to post new work in a week or so -

Half-Time

Oil on panel, 8x16

This one was the most fun to paint of all the series! Something about the straightforward simplicity of it.

Double Time

oil on panel, 12x12

Of all the clock paintings, this was the most challenging. I'm still not sure its quite right, something about the shadows. To get the reflection, I used a piece of black plexi-glass.

Old Tyme

oil on panel, 12x12

This is the second of 5 clock paintings for the "Faces and Places" show at the New Mexico Cancer Center. Getting the ellipses right so that the pocket watches lay down and recede in the picture was a challenge, but of all 5, this one came together the most easily. For all of the clocks, I finished everything but the hands and numbers, then used an alkyd medium to create a barrier layer. This let me put in the details, making corrections or wiping them out as necessary without having to repaint the clock itself.

Family Time

Oil on Panel, 12x12

Time, and how we use it, or let it control our days, is a fascinating thing to think about, whether from minute to minute or over a lifetime. Such a powerful thing.
I found all these clocks at a local junk store and loved the distinct styles. Had so much fun painting them that it turned into a series that I'm still working on - a total of 5 paintings so far, but this is the only one thats finished. This grouping, with all the clocks clustered together and facing forward makes me think of the formal family portraits of the early 20th century, thus the title. I guess that makes the marbles family pets, and the wooden shoe the crazy relative?

I'll be gone for the next 3 weeks, so the rest of the series will get posted when I get back...

Patience

oil on linen panel, 14x18

I'm not sure if the title reflects the mood of the painting, the model as she took this pose every day for 2 weeks, or me in working it all out! My favorite part is her shirt - it was a little small for her and gapped at the buttons, and slightly sheer, so it took on a different look over her arms than in the body where she had a camisole on underneath. Alot of fun to figure out how to paint it.

Dreamer

oil on panel, 12x12

Hard to believe how time flies. I've been busy painting but got out of the habit of posting, but here I am, finally back. "Dreamer" was done using a Ralph Lauren advertisement as the inspiration source, not something I would normally do, but I loved the charm of the girl in her hat.
My daughter was visiting last week and wanted to learn about painting. Below is one of the 3 crow paintings she did, using acrylics. In addition to color mixing she was learning about "low-key" versus "high-key" paintings, and about keeping detail and dimension even in silhouetted subjects. I think it turned out great!


acrylic on panel, 12x12

Crows

Posing



Attitude




Dinner



Land, Sea, Air



Jay, Crow, Flicker



Loud Mouth



Talk About It


I happen to be reading "In the Company of Crows and Ravens" by John M. Marzluff & Tony Angell, a fascinating look at who crows are and how we interact with them. Our current campsite has a flock of crows (also known as an Unkindness of Crows or a Murder of Crows: read the book to find out why!) who are keeping me entertained as I am stuck in camp with a broken foot. The wonderful book illustrations inspired me to work at capturing these characters. They are unusually shy, but greedy too - a handful of oatmeal cookie crumbs draws them in every time. They still move too fast to capture, so these drawings are from a combination of direct observation and photographs. The feathers and shells I found here, and are drawn from life.
We've been in Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula of Washington for the past week or so; heading back to Oregon soon for the last part of this trip.

** Added note: Andrew sent me the following link about crow behavior - fascinating! Click here
Robyn at the fabulous Art Propelled also has a wonderful post on Crows here.

Oregon Sketches

We're off camping on the Oregon coast; these are a few of the quick ink sketches I've been doing. I planned to bring some watercolors along, but forgot them in my studio; just as well, as we have been going non-stop. Its a fantastically beautiful area - we came up through Nevada into SE Oregon (who knew that Northern Nevada was so beautiful too?!) and cut across to the coast at Brookings. Its a *perfect* seaside town with boats and a farmer's market right at the harbor. Since then we've seen Elephant seals and different varieties of sea lions, a couple of gray whales, lighthouses, wetlands, sand dunes and miles of pristine beaches and forest. Off the scale for gorgeous, and great seafood at every stop. We're only half way up the coast, and certainly looking forward to the rest of the trip.

Butterfly Garden

Oil on Panel, 12x12

The Albuquerque BioPark is a fabulous place, combining the zoo, an aquarium and the botanical gardens, linked by a small train. The garden is actually divided into many theme gardens, from Moorish to Japanese, an amazing Children's garden, greenhouses, a farm, and many others. One that is particularly fun is the butterfly garden, an enclosed outdoor space that houses all the needs of the butterflies: flowers, food, water, and shade. Not a bad place for people, either!
One of my favorite things about the biopark is the ecological focus: the plants grown at the farm feed the zoo animals, who then kindly provide the fertilizer for the gardens.

This painting was done with a palette knife, with just a couple of details added by brush at the end.

Mountain Landscape

oil on panel, 14x18

I've been doing a number of experiments with using a palette knife. Very awkward at first, but I'm finding that I can get effects that are impossible for me with a brush. This landscape is all palette knife; my next couple of postings will be of paintings that use both a knife and brushes.

After the Rain

Oil on panel, 11x14

In this painting I was after a particular feeling in Montana after a fall rain - wet, misty, the smell of the damp earth. There was a promise that even though winter was coming the land was still fertile, resting, waiting for the next spring season.



Shameless advertising and horn tooting: Two of my friends have published books! First is Carrol Haushalter's story "Trail To Tomorrow", a charming book for young adults (say 10 - 12 years old). Its the story of a young girl who works as a cowboy on a cattle drive, moving with her family from Texas to New Mexico. Based on the author's great-grandmother's experience of masquerading as a boy in order to safely make the journey. Carrol and her husband travelled to New Mexico last year and joined in a cattle drive at the Burnt Well Guest Ranch as part of her research for the book and said they had the time of their lives. You can purchase Trail to Tomorrow here through Amazon.



Next is Andrew Cahner's work, "The Art Model's Handbook: The Naked Truth about Posing for Art Classes and Fine Artists". This is a long overdue book on everything related to being or hiring an art model. Andrew himself is a very experienced model, but instead of just relying on his own experiences he interviewed artists and photographers, managers of art programs and other models. The result is comprehensive, and extremely helpful in telling both the artist and the model what to expect and how to make a session professional and productive. You can buy this wonderful reference book here. A final horn toot: I'm very honored that Andrew included one of my drawings in the book:



Congratulations on your books Andrew and Carrol!

Snack Time

Oil on Panel, 8x8"

Just south of Albuquerque is the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Its a gorgeous place in the Rio Grande valley, but never more so than in the fall migration. Thousands upon thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese arrive for the winter months. Every day there is a Fly-Out (morning) and Fly-In (evening) as the birds leave to forage during the day and return to sleep. Eagles, Osprey, songbirds, coyotes, deer, turtles are all here too. Be sure to include the Bosque in your sightseeing if you come to New Mexico!

Sightseeing

oil on panel, 6x8"

Just got home from a wonderful trip through Scandinavia, St. Petersburg and 10 days of a cruise in the Baltic Sea. Still jetlagged and overwhelmed by all we saw.

I did this little duck painting just before we left on the trip but hadn't chosen a title - but after days of touring, the title seems quite obvious - we certainly spent many hours lined up to see the sights!

One of the many highlights of the trip was the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, housing the collection of Catherine the Great and the subsequent Russian rulers. Its huge and packed with sculpture, objet d'art, paintings.... just the architecture is incredible. They say that if you looked at each item for 3 seconds each, it would take 8 years to go through the collection. We had a couple of hours! Definitely a fast paced "look left, see that, now look right, see this, now move on".
Favorite countries were Norway (it snowed!) and Sweden; maybe we will get back there one day. Loved the 24 hours of daylight - I could do that year around!

Taxi!

oil on panel, 11x14"

Something totally different from my usual! The image for this comes from Karin Jurick's Different Strokes site. Every couple of weeks she posts one of her photos and invites all artists to work from it. Its great fun to see all the different interpretations and media used. When I participate, I try to challenge myself to work outside of my usual comfort zone. In this case there was no pre-drawing, just direct painting. I shifted the season to winter, and tried to convey the essence of crowded city traffic.

I'm leaving on vacation (Scandinavia!) so I won't be posting for a couple of weeks, but hope to come home with lots of sketches and new ideas -

Winning by a Hare

oil on panel, 16x16

This is the third (and last, for now) Carousel painting. Along with 7 other paintings, they will be going into a show next month benefiting the New Mexico Cancer Center Foundation, which provides services to patients and their families. Its been fun getting everything ready for it. Winning by a Hare is my personal favorite of the three...

Untamed

oil on panel, 16x16
This is the second of 3 carousel paintings, and just as much fun to paint as the first one. When you look at carousel horses alot you start to realize that many of the horses have wild-eyed expressions, especially the older carousels. Not what you would expect on a child's ride. These two horses seemed to me to be captive, but still free spirited, quite willing to take off at the first opportunity; hence the title.

Chris Beck and Faye Christian Phillips both tagged me with this Passion for Painting award a couple of weeks ago and I've been passing it along one person at a time. Katherine Treffinger is my choice for this post. Her work is alive and exuberant, definitely will brighten your day. She has been asking artists "What does doing art mean to you" and posting their answers and images of their works, so not only will you see her work but you'll also have the chance to find other new and wonderful artists! Today is "my" day to answer that question, so drop in and see it all!

Solo Pear

Oil on Canvas Board, 8x10

This painting, small and simple as it is, was one that went through several phases of seriously ugly. It wasn't until I thought it was so hopeless that nothing I could do would make it worse that it finally came together. The final touch was to take a discarded toothbrush and splatter reds and browns across all of it. I like the interesting fiber-like bits of paint that resulted.


A couple of weeks ago Chris Beck and Faye Christian Phillips both very sweetly tagged me with awards. I've been terribly slow about passing those awards along. I think I will nominate someone new with each post rather than put them all together, and for this post I want to introduce someone fairly new to blogging (although not to painting!), giving Susan Finch the Passion for Painting award. Her work is incredible, my favorites are her Kimono clad women and her Koi paintings. Be sure to check her out!

As always, here are the "rules" for the award; no pressure to participate unless you want to.
1. Post the logo on your blog
2. Nominate at least 7 blogs that show great gratitude and/or attitude
3. List and link your nominator in your post
4. List and link your nominees in your post, and let them know they're recipients

Ancient Bridge

oil on panel, 16x16"

We were lucky enough to spend a month in China 2 years ago; what an amazing place and civilization. There were so many highlights to the trip, but one of the things I liked everywhere was the sense of permanence, the simple age of things. How many generations of people have crossed this bridge?

Tuscan Light

oil on panel, 8x12

I'm not abandoning still lifes at all, but am doing some experimenting with landscapes too. Let me just say that green is a color I find very difficult to get right - its so easy to get too intense, or too muddy, hard to get just right!
Its been several years since we were in Italy, but the area around San Gimignano was such a highlight of that trip; I suddenly understood why people fall in love with Tuscany.

World Traveler

oil on panel, 16x16"

Transcending the everyday, Carousels let us travel time and space, going to exotic places and back to innocence. What more could anyone ask for? This painting was a real joy to do, getting to know each animal, each nook and cranny of the structure. I have another version about 1/2 done - I think I will do a whole series of these. If you have a favorite carousel animal or story, share it here!

At The Fair

oil on panel, 24x16.5"

I love going to the State Fair. Its such a production, with something for everyone. The rides, the food(!), art shows, crafts, traditional skills like baking and quilting, all kinds of music, Hispanic arts, African American arts, Native American dancing, the barns filled with 4-H projects, horses... Maybe what I like best is seeing all the families, parents sharing with wide-eyed kids, the teens being oh-so-cool but still having a great time. Its a day where everyone seems to shed the worries and cares, basking in the sunshine. My favorite Fair food has always been a corndog - last year I discovered a green chile corndog (I'm in New Mexico, after all) and it was the best ever. Can't wait till this year's Fair, but while we wait, what are Your favorite things about the Fair?

I'm not sure why, but this image looks so much better on my website than here at the blog - the link is on the upper right of this page, or click Here.

Pears III

8x10 oil on panel

I took a long break - the move and a few other events intruded into my painting life. But I'm finally back, and painting most days.
These pears were done taking a fabulous workshop with Laura Robb in Santa Fe. I'm finding myself drawn to more traditional still lifes and landscapes, so will be posting more of those along with my more unusual subjects.
The big news is that I entered New Mexico's Masterworks show and not only got accepted but won an award for "Things You Can Stack"; have to say, I'm happy! The second bit of news is that I finally put up a website: terryrafferty.com Please visit and let me know what you think!


Things You Can Stack
Oil on Panel, 18x6

We're moving!

oil on panel, 8x10"
This painting of Chicago's Cloudgate, more commonly called "The Bean" is another study/experiment from Karin Jurick's Different Strokes website. Its very different working from someone else's reference photo that you have no connection to, and - for me- to work in this looser, alla prima style. Keeps me challenged!

We are Moving! Yea! Our house needed more rebuilding than remodeling and it has taken a year, but we had a final inspection yesterday. Today is packing and tomorrow night we hope to be sleeping there. It's going to take a bit to get my studio up and painting again, so it may be a week or more before the next post, but its going to be great to get settled in!

'32 Chevy DeLuxe

oil on panel, 24x18"

I went to a car show early in the morning the last day of the event. Many of the cars were already gone, and no one was around, no owners and no admirers. Most of the cars were from the 50's and 60's, but this Sports Coupe was just a gem in a class of its own! I started the painting in the lower right corner, moved around it clockwise, just focusing on the abstract shapes. It wasn't until I did the chrome and the headlight that it started to pop - and when I finally did the grill this afternoon it all came together.

Season's Change

Oil on Panel, 8x8"

This is another challenge from Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes" site. I was having trouble seeing where to take the 3 white pumpkins until I thought of the single, beautifully colored leaf that Paz posted on the first day of fall. Using that as inspiration I splashed fall colors onto the ground and let them reflect back up onto the pumpkins, which I cropped to emphasize just the one in the center. There are some good posts this week - look for Kim Ratigan's in particular for a fun take.

Yesterday's News

oil on panel 8x8"

The marvelous Karin Jurick posted a photo at her newest blog,Different Strokes From Different Folks , a community of artists working from the same reference photo each week. Its a blast to see all the choices that get made, so stop in and see them.

The title for my version comes from my husband (who is responsible for many of my best titles!). He was referencing not the newspaper, but the way we view older people in our culture. Sad, in a way; on the other hand, what a lovely way to start your morning with a newspaper in the sun and a bag of what? Bagels? Jelly doughnuts? at your side!

** I just got a note from my daughter, the one who inspired the Keyboard painting. She informs me that the bag is filled with oranges. Hmm. Delicious and healthy, but I think I still prefer jelly doughnuts. With powdered sugar.

Monday's Memo: Chris Beck

Peck-Peck

Ribbit-Ribbit

Quackerroonies #2

Fe Fi Faux Fowl

Hollyhocks

Today's memo is all about Chris Beck. I just found her this past week and am so excited about her work. Even though she is a new discovery for me, she's well known, with awards for her watercolors, and was the Artist of the Month in The Artist's Magazine, January 2008. The five paintings above are just a tiny portion of her range - at her website you'll see not only the tin toys but florals, still lifes, abstracts and more. Her whimsical, happy toys are my personal favorite, but I included the beautiful Hollyhocks painting above just to give you an idea of the spectrum of her work.

I met Chris at Brushspace, and if you haven't been there GO NOW! The brain-child of some brilliant artists, it started this summer and now showcases about 1000 artists, by invitation only. Its a great way to discover some wonderful artwork being done today. Each artist has a page showing his or her work, and a link to their website. You can choose to "follow" an artist and will get updates when more work is added to the site. (You can even follow me there!)

Hope you enjoy Chris's paintings and check out more of them at her webpage, blog, or at BrushSpace....

No Batteries Required

oil on panel, 9 x 24"

Old tin toys - what's not to love? The dump truck is especially fun, both the back end and the front loader really work. I know I'll be painting these again - I'm thinking a Huge version of the truck is on the list.

Jen

charcoal on newsprint 18x24"

The painting I am working on now is taking longer than I had hoped, so I am posting a charcoal sketch I did this morning. I was late getting to the group studio and so got the seat on the far right, which is usually not a good place to be, but today it gave me this lovely back view.

Keyboard

Oil on panel, 16x12"

Cruising one of my favorite junk shops for still life objects, I spotted this board where the shop keeps all the keys for various display cabinets. It struck me as such a metaphoric thing: the keys to things we desire; the way that, like humans, the same form is replicated yet unique; the question of locking-in versus locking-out....

I also enjoy the fun of the word play with "Keyboard". When my daughter was in middle school she announced she was taking a keyboarding class - which surprised me because she hadn't shown any interest in music. Ummm - computer keyboard, Mom, not piano....

Elijah

Oil on panel, 8x6"

This is our dog; he has Perfected the manipulative "why not" look, as in "Why can't I go?" "Why can't I have more treats?" "Why isn't it time for a walk?" etc. When we give him a serious "No" he droops - ears, tail, and everything in between. Then he sulks. On the other hand, he has also perfected the Snoopy "happy dance" when the answer is "yes". He's a great dog :-)

Many Blessings

This week has been filled with blessings and I need to take the time to acknowledge them. My posts this summer have been few and far between as other projects and events have taken precedence over painting. There have been a few specific "crisies of faith" where I wondered why I was even trying to paint. I have been so blessed to have friends who have supported and encouraged me through that. So Thank You to Lorrie Drennanfor sending me the arte-y-pico award, you amaze me with all that you accomplish. And to Marsha Robinett for the Brillante award. Your drawings and blogs inspire me. I will pass those awards on below.
Thanks also to Seth Apter, whose blog remains my most favorite; you give us all so much through your art and by including us in your blog. Your kind words meant so much to me. To Paz, for being so nurturing a person. Kell Black, and Mary Young-Duarte - you both kept me going forward when I would have stopped. Instead, the button painting "Things You Can Lose" (shown above, oil on panel, 18x18") just won an award. Thank you all.

To pass on the awards I want to do something slightly different - instead of listing favorite blogs I am choosing some new ones that I have just found this week. Please check out as many of these sites as you can - all have something very special going on. Let's spread the magic!

ARTE-Y-PICO AWARDS:

Dianne Mise at Visual Composing: great discussions and examples on composition

Melody Johnson at Fibermania: a bit of everything here

Andrea Prat at Coloring Outside the Lines: photography and Wonderful mixed media paintings

Susan Carlin: lovely portraiture

Robyn at Art Propelled: Amazing assemblages, carved totems and photography from South Africa


BRILLANTE AWARDS:

Jo James at The Cart Before the Horse: pure fun!

Thinker Online: the name says it all. Very interesting place.

Kate Strickland at Art Vein Vessel: Wow. I definitely love this one.

Mark Oberndorf: Great paintings, I need to go back and look more.

Alvin Richard: Especially check out the Alfa Romeo post on May 17!

Paul Foxton at Learning To SeePaul Foxton at Learning To See: Oh so elegant.

And some long time favorites: Eric Orchard, Carol Marine, and The Altered Page



Arte-y-Pico rules:

The Origin of The Arte y Pico Award You might be interested in the origin of the "Arte y Pico Award" The designer of the award puts it like this..."The Arte y Pico Award has arisen from the daily visits that I make to many blogs which nourish and enrich me with creativity. In them, I see dedication, creativity, care, comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art. I want to share this prize with all those bloggers that entertain and enrich me day to day. Doubtlessly, there are many and it will be hard to pick just a few."

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award through creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogger community, no matter of language.
2. Each award should have the name of the author with a link to their blog.
3. Award winners have to post the award with the name and link to the blog of the person who gave them the award.
4. Show these rules and the paragraph (above) explaining the awards origination.

Brillante rules:

Rules of Acceptance:
Put the logo on your blog
Add a link to the person who awarded you.
Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
Add links to those blogs on your blog.
Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.
Participation is entirely voluntary (of course!).
Have fun...honoring the bloggers who inspire you regularly.

Bel Air

oil on panel, 14 x 24'"

I was drawn to the intense green color on this car, so unusual. Some wonderful abstract shapes resulted from our intense blue sky reflecting into it.

For another view of a Bel Air, see the wonderful painting by Stephen Magsig in his August 15th blog post. I'm terribly jealous of everyone in the Detroit area getting to go to the Woodward Dream Cruise today!
30,000 classic cars!!

Spike

oil on panel, 6x8"

Finally! Life has been such that I haven't been able to paint at all for weeks and weeks - finally I received a request for this painting from a friend to give as a gift to Spike's owner. Being on a deadline forced me to concentrate and get back to the easel: and boy, was it fun. My objective was to do this alla prima, keeping the strokes as fresh as possible. That forced me back to the basics of constantly thinking about the relationships of hue, value, temperature and shapes. I found that the painting came together pretty quickly when I kept those relationships in the front of my mind and avoided 'messing about' and endless revisions. Now if I can just apply that lesson to the next painting....

Do You Remember?

Oil on panel; 24x18"

Painting the abstractions on the chrome and the reflections and cast shadows on the side of the car was my favorite part of doing this painting.
I was just at another car show and took lots of pictures; it was fun to listen to everyone talking about the cars, how it was just like one they had owned, or their father's or brother's (remembering that this was an era when women didn't often own cars). Each car would spawn a whole new conversation about "Do you remember when...." followed by family lore. You could write a wonderful book just listening to the stories of how cars defined moments in our lives.

Kelsey

graphite on Strathmore drawing paper, 17x14"

When you get a model who is truly beautiful, the challenges of drawing are multiplied, not only by the subject, but by the intimidation. Fortunately, Kelsey is a great model. This sketch took about 1 1/2 hours.

Flowers to Everyone

I've been working for 2 weeks on a painting of clear glass chess pieces and just can't get it. The start was great, but the more I worked the less I liked it. I've set it aside for now and instead I'm sharing these lovely flowers my husband brought me yesterday - may they brighten everybody's day!

I started another painting that is actually turning out, so I should be able to post that in the next day or two -

Final Performance

Oil on panel, 24x18"

I found these slippers in a pile of junk in one of my favorite thrift shops and I had to wonder who threw them away and why? Are they too worn out from endless pirouettes and leaps, or were they the teenage dream of a woman now done with dreams? The ribbons are somewhat tattered at the ends and the soles are scuffed and dirty, so I like to think it is the former; that these shoes performed brilliantly for many audiences. And now they have had one last performance, bringing me pleasure, and I hope to you looking at the painting.

It was also my delighted pleasure to have Paz include me in her list for the You Make My Day Award! Thanks so much Paz! If you like to cook you should check out her second blog at Cooking Adventures. And now I am passing the award on to five more people who make my day. It was amazingly difficult to choose "just five" (and if you go to Paz's entry of May 30 you will see she didn't limit herself!) but here are the ones I hope you will go see and the reasons I chose each:



The Altered Page. This is one of the most intriguing blogs - always something fascinating and different, and the most generous blogger, always including other artists in the process.

Crazy Ravens. Paula does some beautiful and sensitive work (but she never believes it!)

Karin Jurick. Many of you should know her work, I can never believe all the information she gets into her paintings. She recently added a FAQ page to her website that I enjoyed.

Eric Orchard. Eric is an illustrator whose children's books look wonderful, but what I love most are his robots. Eventually the robot drawings will be in a book, so sign up now!

Jennifer Bellinger An artist I've been watching for awhile now, she just gets better and better - take a look at the fantastic striped fabrics she uses in the still lifes!

Okay, I'm going to sneak in a few extras here too - Postcards From Detroit, the Extraordinary Pencil,Jelaine Faunce, The House in Marrakesh, and The Hermitage....

Thanks to all of you, I enjoy all the time I get to spend in your worlds!

Sketch of Tirza

graphite pencil on Strathmore drawing paper, 14x17"

On Wednesdays I join a group of artists to work from a model. While in theory its a painting group, lately I have been just doing pencil drawings. This is the drawing from this week; my favorite part was doing Tirza's elegant legs and feet!

Things You Can Lose

oil on panel, 18x18"

Finally! I got my new computer yesterday and its a thing of beauty.
Finally! I did manage to get this painting done; I hate to admit to how many hours (weeks!) it took. I think there are 112 buttons, but I lose track as I count... While I normally work from a still life, for this one I relied primarily on a photo for two reasons: I found the spilled buttons really confusing to my eye, plus I set up the still life on my bed, just playing around. Not a good plan for a painting of this size, as I really did want to continue using my bed :-)

White buttons on a white background. A semi-insane choice; this was a huge challenge. It was also very satisfying in an odd way. I'm thinking of doing the buttons again, on a dark background this time, or maybe in their jar.... but I also went to a classic car show last weekend so maybe a car next? Its always a mystery.

New Title: I had originally posted this as Things You Can Spill, thinking about spilling buttons out of a jar. A friend suggested the change, which I think is brilliant!

No paintings yet...

I can't believe so much time has past since my last post - a combination of family visiting and more computer problems. I just learned that the motherboard is blown, so guess there is a new computer in my near future :-(
Meanwhile, I have been working on a large, complex piece, hope to have it ready to post in a few more days (along with a computer to post it on!)

What I do have to offer is a blog I just discovered: Stephen Magsig does wonderful contemporary urban pieces from Michigan. Do take a look!

Things You Can Stack

oil on panel, 15 x 6"

I was making omelets the other night and as I cracked each egg I set the shells in a stack in the carton on the window sill. The evening light was shining through and voila, the next painting idea. Of course, in moving the stack to my studio and setting up a light, I managed to knock it to the floor, and no, eggshells don't bounce. So, more omelets for dinner!
The challenge here was in making the dark side of the shells dark enough - I find it hard to paint something "white" with dark values - and to get the glow of the light shining through and around the shells.
The fun part was in choosing a title - everything from "All the King's Men" to "You Can't Make an Omelet" came up, but in the end Things You Can Stack seemed perfect.

The Chevy

oil on panel, 8x14"

I can't tell one end of an engine from another, and in real life a car for me is just transportation. But the old cars - oh how I love them. They speak, and the conversations are of mystery and romance, fast living and bad boys, Easter Sunday and family trips. They have style, and all that chrome.

This Chevy was parked near my house one day last week. I asked the owner if he would mind, grabbed my camera and took lots of pics. The grille, the chrome, the headlights, and those wheels - all just as much fun to paint as I thought they would be!