Snuggle Up Tomatoes

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I've decided to start a separate blog for my abstract paintings, that way those of you who like them can follow both if you want, and those of you who don't like them, don't have to. I figure they're different enough from what I usually do - that, and my business manager advised it. He's cute, so I tend to listen to him so he'll stick around. : )

Field of Flowers

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After my fist abstract I went whole hog working on the second one. I ended up wiping it off about 5 times before I realized it just wasn't working. I needed some sort of plan. So I started looking through pictures on Pinterest for ideas. I realized I could take a photo I liked, use the colors and values, arrange them however I like, and make it completely abstract! And it worked!

Hanging Over the Rails

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I said to my friend, "I just did a painting I'm really proud of." She said, "Oh yeah? What's it of?" I said, "Little girls' butts." It didn't sound right.

On a different note, thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for your support regarding my foray into abstract art! I didn't know what the reaction would be and it's quite nice to get so many "hooray's!" I am quite enjoying it. I will post more soon, and thoughts about process as well. I am learning a TON.

Moon Over the Plains

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I know, not what you expected, huh?! In fact totally out there. And yet, I've been thinking about doing abstract for years and years! I just thought, for some strange reason, that it needed to be in acrylic (why? I don't know). But this is oil. What happened was - I painted a real stinker the other day (realism). And after I wiped it off I thought - I'll just play with my paint on this panel. I put down some random colors, but the further I got the worse it looked. So I wiped it off again. This time, the wipe off wasn't complete and the few colors that remained were somewhat interesting. So I put more down, and came up with this!

I have no idea what the market is for this kind of work, especially since you're all used to what I normally do. So I am starting the bidding at $1. I will say, I've done a couple more since and I LOVE the process! I don't plan to stop painting what I normally paint, but I will continue to explore.

Apple Trail

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I had such fun with the foil last time, I thought I'd pull it out again. But this time I wrinkled it a bit first to get a bigger variety of reflections. I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

Pink House 3

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In case you're wondering, the first two pink houses (this being Pink House 3) were done a few years ago in Colorado. Here are 1 and 2.

Meanwhile, I would like to announce the birth of my first grandchild, Nina! Both her and her mom (my stepdaughter) are happy and healthy and cute as can be. We'll be flying to see them in Texas in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to meet her in person!

Parked for a Getaway

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This is a sight from around my hometown of Eugene, OR. I almost bought myself a used motorcycle back when I was in college. I didn't have a car and figured it would be a good, cheap way to get around. I think the guy figured out that I was out of my depth because he sold it to someone else. After that I went back to taking the bus.

Dapple the Gallery

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I dug deeeep into my image files to find the reference for this one. My husband and I took a trip to Seattle soon after we got married (almost 14 years ago). We spent part of the trip wandering around downtown, exploring, me taking pictures. This one came from the area where the galleries are kept (not sure exactly where now, maybe Pioneer Square?). At any rate, I'm sure I was taken by the dapples then, and they spoke to me again yesterday when I painted this.

Mrs. Sideways Glance

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This is another one from a Stuart Robertson Reynolds photo. I love the personality of this little gal. Thank you again, Stuart!

Mr. Not to Be Taken Lightly

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A few months ago I was perusing Pinterest and found this very cool bird photo. I followed the links to the photographer's site and found more! I wrote to him and asked if he would mind an artist (me) painting from a few of his photos, and he kindly granted permission. Thank you, Stuart Robertson Reynolds!

Meanwhile, here is my tattoo! On my 18th birthday my mom and I got tattoos together. My mom designed her own, but I had no idea what to get, so I picked the first thing that spoke to me in their books - a small dragonfly. I never regretted it, but through the years it faded to almost nothing. So I designed this one to go right over the old one. I had to leave the bandage on overnight, but I was so excited to see it again I woke up at 4 in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep! I love it.

Bulb Bits

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These lightbulbs are incredibly satisfying to paint. In other news, I got a tattoo today! I know some of you are thinking - crazy girl! But I designed it myself, and once I got past the pain - let me pause for moment to say, "OUCH!" - I am quite happy with it. It is all covered up at the moment, healing, but I will post a picture very soon. This has been in the works for years, years.

Waiting for Ideas

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I thought I'd play around with my lightbulbs again. They are a challenge in seeing. I find I have to squint until they are total blurs before I can translate the important bits.

Receding Dishes

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I still had my bell peppers (from yesterday) when I painted this, and kept trying to work one or both into this composition. One thing kept repeating itself in my head (can't remember where I heard this, but I love it): if it isn't helping, take it out. So I stuck the peppers in the fridge so I could use them later, maybe.

Reflecting on Peppers

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This is an old, old trick of mine: foil. It provides some lovely reflections.

Sparkling Water

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In Germany (where the reference photo for this was taken), if you ask for water, they bring you a bottle of sparkling water. They call it wasser mit gas, which translates to: water with gas. I always ask for wasser ohne gas (water without gas), which I always feel funny saying. But there you go. Captivating, I'm sure.

What Would MacGyver Do?

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Any of you ever watch that show, MacGyver? If he was trapped in a room and only had this collection of things, how would he get out? I don't know, but I bet he would use it all!

Digging Holes

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We had quite a bit of snow in Eugene last week. I painted this as I watched about 10 inches of snow falling outside my window. It was quite a strange experience seeing beach/snow/beach/snow... I took the photo for this one in Georgia a couple of years ago, when I was there with a gaggle of artist pals. Happy Valentine's Day!

Wading in the Light

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I took the photos for this one in Portland last summer. My husband and I were wandering around the city in the evening and came upon this scene with lots of people, mostly kids, playing in the water. The sun was going down behind the buildings behind me, causing the shadow right at the bottom of the painting. It was such a cool sight! I took about 50 photos and still had to combine 2 of them to get this scene. I'm really proud of it.

Work Shoes

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My hat is off to those who can wear shoes like this and act like a normal person at the same time. I myself lack that particular skill. I bought these to paint, but my husband and stepdaughter begged me to put them on for just a minute. They had a good laugh.

Funny Face Breakfast

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Thanks to Carrie Waller for featuring my work and words on her blog.

And now for my last tip (for now). TIP #3: This one I discovered myself. The biggest problem I've had since my "major block" is lack of excitement (about painting). It has been rather devastating, actually. After a while (it's been a year now) I started getting little bits of excitement over little things. They were usually as I was lying in bed at night, so I would write them down. But the excitement was often gone the next day. So lately when I find something I'm even a tiny bit excited about, I paint it right away! And I only paint if I'm excited. I'VE been quite happy with the results (and the process). And did I mention I don't worry about what other people are going to think? : )