In April (the first through the 30th), I will have seven small paintings (6″ x 8″) in a show at the Van Landingham Gallery called “Cherry Blossom Dreams.” The gallery is loctated inside the Torpedo Factory on the 3rd floor.
Address: 105 Union Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
Open daily from 10am to 6pm
DC scenes for April 2024 show in Van Landingham Gallery Read More »
I really get lost when I am creating faces…I try to let my mind empty and see where my pen goes as it glides over the paper. When I am creating, I think of the phrase “the eyes are the windows to the soul.” The eyes are a good indicator of how we are feeling and what we might be thinking, so I start there. I love exaggerating facial features, adding what doesn’t belong and even leaving out a feature or two. For these drawings, I used gel pens that I bought at the Dollar Store and CVS. They are on the same level as Micron or Tombow but are fun to draw with and it is nice to use regular pens to draw with. I like the colors and the gel moves on the paper easily. One day I will buy some metallic pens to mix with these. Each drawing is playful and happy. My work, whether it be a painting or a drawing, is an exploration, a way to figure out how to improve or change. Sometimes, like today, I am exploring and experimenting to see what happens. Enjoy the ride!
New work – ink drawings Read More »
Three new paintings – 6″x 8″ each ($250 per painting) – of DC monuments and cherry blossoms. I really began to enjoy landscape painting when I discovered I could do it in my abstract style. I love working in this size because it is small and feels so intimate and I move the oil paint around in a slower pace.
I started by finding some stock photography (non-copyrighted images) of DC monuments and I did change the compositions of each to create my paintings. I deleted some parts of the photos that were not interesting to me and changed most of the colors because I wanted to use colors that are bright and more varied (government buildings are a bit drab in color). On the first round, I drew my composition (in paint) and blocked out colors. After they dried for a few days (oil paint dries in a few days with medium), I deepened the blue skies, added shades of pink to the cherry blossoms, and checked my color balance over the entire painting. On the second round, I spent less time on composition and more time on color. I thought about what direction the sky was moving and painted that, I thought about the buildings in relation to the sky and painted that. My style is abstract and in these paintings, I borrowed from cubism (large blocks of color and not a lot of detail) and added whimsy/playfulness/adventure to illustrate the optimism I feel about my work.
I paint with Sable brushes (from Blick–masterstroke finest red sable) because they glide softly and effortlessly over the canvas. They are soft to the touch and I like that, too, even though it might not make a huge difference in my paintings. The medium I have used for years is Winsor & Newton Liquin Original because it helps the paint dry faster (extra important with slow drying colors like black). I also like the bit of shine it adds. As for oil paint, the same color in different brands can look different, so I use several brands (Blick, Rembrandt, Holbein, and Sennelier).
New Landscape Paintings – how I did it and what products I used Read More »
My painting, “Bike Riding”, will be on display at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center hotel through July 14, 2024. This exhibition is representative of galleries in Alexandria (14 total!) and is a partnership between the Alexandria Office of the Arts, Alexandria Arts Alliance, and the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center.
“Bike Riding” is a painting I did when thinking of how I wanted the composition of a much larger painting to look like. The painting is about a woman enjoying the simple pleasure of riding her bike, with the wind blowing through her hair on a beautiful day in a beach town as she cruises by all the people suntanning and dipping in and out of the water.
“Bike Riding” is for sale – framed oil painting on board (8″x10″). Price is $250.00
Come check it out!
Alexandria Art Galleries Showcase – Hilton Hotel in Alexandria, VA Read More »
This month I have one painting in the March150 exhibit which is a fundraiser to provide free commuity programs at the Torpedo Factory Art Center. Each wood panel is 10″x10″ and the price is $150.00. On March 30, the last day of the exhibition, each work that is unsold will be on sale for $100.
My painting, Carnival, is about what I think of when I think of a circus and the face paint on clowns and other actors. It is a painting about fun, celebration, and theatre.
Check it out this month!
Location: Gallery at Canal Center
11 Canal Center
Alexandria, VA
March150-fundraiser exhibit in Old Town Alexandria, VA Read More »
A few months ago I traveled to Philadelphia to see the “Marie Laurencin” exhibit at the Barnes Foundation. She was a painter in Paris 1920s and is best known for creating her own style of paintings with only women in them. The focus of her work was women and while at the exhibit I learned that she used codes in her work to show her love of women and in paintings where she was in them she painted the figure representing her a darker grey than the other figures. When I look at her work I always think of Impressionism but that term doesn’t really capture what she was about. Her work was, and still is, not as well known as the men of that time but she did have many commissions by famous women to have their portrait painted.
About five years ago I was introduced to her work and what initially grabbed me was how lightly her paint was applied (she was an oil painter) and that she used bright colors. I don’t paint the way she does but I have learned so much by studying her work and have been using brighter colors and applying the paint to the canvas in a delicate manner. My work is mostly portraits of women from imagination but my intent is to show female empowerment, independence, and growth. I was amazed to look at her paintings and not see definite brush lines (except one of the last paintings in the show) and up close her paintings reminded me more of illustration with their light touch.
Exhibit at The Barnes Foundation – Marie Laurencin Read More »
I recently finished “Bright Lights Ahead” (18″x24″ – oil on canvas) and once it is fully dry, I will ship it to the UK. This is a commission for a recent college graduate who wants bright colors (specifically blue and other cold colors) and told me she didn’t want to put too many restrictions on me that would hamper my creativity (she was a dream client!). She likes my other recent pieces with really distored head shapes and detailed backgrounds. I had three canvases this size so I started three and worked on them a little before asking if she liked any of them. She picked this one and I finished it for her. Working on a commission is both nerve wracking and exciting because I need to bring the client’s words to life on a canvas.
The large squares around her eyes are glasses and the top of her head is open to receive new information. The light blue in the background represents the sky – I imagined her standing outside enjoying a beautiful day. The shapes in her neck represent building blocks. Her neck, and the rest of her body, is ready to support her and all that she is learning and experiencing as she begins this new chapter in her life.
Recent Commission – Bright Lights Ahead Read More »
This painting is a more abstracted face than I have traditionally created and I am very happy about this slightly new direction in my work. Most of the traditional elements in a face are gone and eplaced with the background of the painting. There is a tall vertical shape with shades of turquoise in it to represent the head and neck with vertical shapes in pink outside it connecting to an overall pinkish background. When I imagined the bright yellow shape above the eye, I wanted it to flow and wave like something underwater and the color inspired the title of the painting.
Painting title: Sunshine
Medium: Oil on canvas
Size: 24″x30″
Price: $1,450.00
New painting – Sunshine Read More »
Tonight I attended the reception for the “Summer Breeze” exhibit at Stirling Art Studios & Gallery in Dunedin, Florida. The theme was open to the artist’s interpretation and I enjoyed looking at many different interpretations and expressions of summer. At Stirling, there is gallery space mostly around the perimeter of their space. In the middle are studios for individual artists to rent in order to create and sell their artwork. One artist explained how she makes most of her sales from her studio because people like to look at all of her work, meet her, talk about art and really get to know the artist they buy from. Art buyers and collectors want to form a relationship with the artists they buy from. Her comments underscore how important it is for artists to not only have space to show their work, but also have a space where they can create and sell their work.
The ”Summer Breeze” exhibit will be up through August 27 and I highly recommend visiting Stirling Art Studios & Gallery. If you have time, talk to some of the artists and let them tell you about their work and their process.
Reception at Stirling Art Studios & Gallery in Dunedin, Florida Read More »
New in my store….oil painting 11″x14″ for $300. The title is “One Turquoise Eye.” The person is central to the composition with one eye and a patch of turquoise where the other would be on a yellow face. The face is bright and the color doesn’t jump out too much. There are lines going horizontally and vertically on the canvas which support the portrait without holding her down. Lots of
New Painting in Store – One Turquoise Eye Read More »