Wednesday, April 29, 2009

THE LADY AND HER SHADOW


20x20"
oil on linen
SOLD

Ok, I'm stuck in bug heaven. I promise myself that I will paint an apple or a crab or a portrait or a nude and every time I pick up a brush here lately it's to paint a bug! Oh well, go with the flow or in this case crawl with the critters, I guess.


Sunday, April 26, 2009

GUARDIAN ANGELBEE



20x20"
oil on linen
sold

Depending upon your individual point of view, the bee in flight might be poised to strike or hovering to protect. Being your everyday, garden variety cosmic muffin, who chooses to believe more in what she can't see rather than what she can, the hovering bee is most certainly there to guide and protect. However, that wasn't always the case and occasionally still isn't. In the recent past I've come to understand and accept that I see and hear what I think I'm going to see and hear and whether that's bad or good is entirely up to me.

I saw a documentary
recently, following a traveling bus of comedians and the shows they performed at each stop. One night a member of the audience yelled something to the comedian on stage in response to a statement he made. He promptly retorted with defensive, angry jibes at the alleged heckler, soon becoming so angry he stomped off stage in disgust. The camera followed him backstage where he most likely expected his colleagues' sympathy and support. Instead he was met with blank stares and puzzled expressions. As he saw their reaction to what had just taken place, he felt even more abandoned and hurt. However, after a brief discussion it was determined that what the "heckler" had actually voiced was his heart-felt support for the comedian's comment. The comedian had, in the end, heard exactly what he'd expected to hear—rejection—instead of what was actually voiced—acceptance.

I guess one could also say, don't kill the bee just to keep from being stung. Or not.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

WHITE CAT


16x20"
oil on canvas
sold

Yet another past commission. I can't remember this little ball of cotton's name, but I do remember, vividly, painting the rug on the stairs.
There are four new bug paintings in progress that probably won't be finished until late next week, I have a commission in progress along with some self promo work, but I find myself feeling adrift. (wow, what a surprise suz!) I've got the ole "I don't know what I wanna paint when I grow up" angst again. I know, shut-up and keep painting, it will lead you where you end up.

Still, I'm feeling rather pedestrian. I received an invitation to submit work to this incredible online juried gallery and the work there simply blew me away. The hubs and I have had a running dialog on subject matter, he being of the edgy, conceptual more disturbing school and me the more traditional. But as I struggle to come up with more exciting and unique dailies for posting, I find I'm leaning more and more in a conceptual direction, at least, the bug narrative being an obvious example. However, I'll never be able to stray too far away from who I am artisically and comparing my work always leads me down the same dark road. Comparisons are strictly of the ego and either leave one feeling woefully inadequate or superficially superior—and since neither of these emotions feed the muse, what's the point? We'll see.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

BETRAYAL (Bug 11)


20x20"
oil on canvas
sold

Bugs as a narrative. Perhaps that's where the bug series is taking me. Who knows? How many of us have felt the stinging pain of betrayal at the hands of someone we trusted? It's part of life, of emotional growth, of learning that we should give only as much as we are prepared to lose and to know in the end we can never really lose anyone or anything. That was serious, can't catch your breath or swallow a morsel pain. I put that pain in a part of my brain that's reserved only for life's most overwhelming and unspeakable events, especially when I was younger. And yet, in hindsight, those unbearable moments prepared me for the love and trust I enjoy today. And in the end, it was never about who or what we lost, but how much we felt diminished by their absence, and that we can fix.

The lady in the foreground may be a high school girl seeing her BFF engrossed in an animated conversation with her nemesis, or perhaps a suspicious housewife tracking her philandering husbands footsteps during his lunch hour to finally find him canoodling with his administrative assistant. Or even a besotted, insecure middle-aged man mistaking a casual conversation between his wife and best friend as more than it is. Or, they could just be three ladybugs, painted on a stark white canvas.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

WINSTON


16x20"
oil on canvas
sold

Say hello to Winston, another commission from the past. I slapped on the latex today and did my best June Cleaver imitation, organizing and making nice in both the store room and the studio. Turned my easel around to face the other way and it felt like a new place! No time to paint, but looking forward to tomorrow in my tidy little space.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

TRAMPOLINE SERIES


16x20" each
oil on canvas
sold
Also sold separately
NDP

I thought it might be a good idea to post the trampoline paintings together to see how they look. It's funny, my graphic design spidey sense keeps chirping away. My former boss keeps whispering in my ear, no—actually, shouting in my ear...why is there a shadow on only one?..why aren't they all the same size?...why are two in mid-air and one not? All valid questions to which I answer, because that's how they were done. Scram!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

TRAMPOLINE 3


16x20"
oil on canvas
sold

This is the last of the trampoline series, in this incarnation anyway. I loved painting them, but I don't think they have the impact on the white canvas that I was looking for. I'm definitely into painting more and more figures but I don't think these are the "fit" I was envisioning. Still I like them and hope you do too.

EMAIL SUCCESS!

I would like to proudly announce the successful completion of repairs on my website submission form! It woiks! Happily, now whenever anyone fills out the submission form, the email will actually reach me! What a concept!

Monday, April 13, 2009

CODY


16x20"
oil on canvas
sold

A three day rest helped the hammy which means I'm hobbling less. Hoping to post a new piece tomorrow. This is Cody, another previous commission.

Thinking of making the move downstairs tomorrow. Also thinking I'm making way too much out of the whole thing. But hey, why not add yet another layer of "voice noise" to my burgeoning collection of negative head tapes. Or would they be CDs now? Careful dear, you'll be running about with sage bundles and chanting incantations before long.

I know what's up, I've read my self-help books. I had a nice couple of days there, with the bugs and a few other paintings and now feel the need to pay for my creative windfall with a healthy helping of dismal depression. Note how the word healthy illuminates the negative in the previous sentence. It's starting isn't it.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

YELLOW LAB
















12x12"
oil on canvas
sold

Another past commission. Had a mishap and brutalized my hamstring. Ouch! Good thing I paint sitting down.

Done at least two years ago, it was the last in a series of Christmas commissions. I'd been painting non-stop for about a month and a half and when I finished it I was surprised by the looseness and spontaneity of it. Now that I'm daily painting I understand why. Seems fairly obvious, but I'm only seeing it now. Silly.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

FOOTPRINTS


16x20"
oil on canvas
sold

I had such great plans today. Finish the last in the trampoline series, continue work on a commission, re-arrange the store room, tidy up the studio for an eventual move back downstairs and prepare paintings for shipping. All very important tasks. I am, after all, a professional. Then the doorbell rang, or rather the FedEx dude knocked. My new amp is here. I'm done for the day. Which leads me to the...

posting of another previous commission. This guy's name is Otis. I really wish I had this to do over again, especially now that I'm more comfortable with oils. I should, since I still have the reference photo. It'd be interesting to see how I would approach this after a year of somewhat daily painting.

COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWN

I still haven't sorted out the email submission form on my new site and still cannot receive requests for information or that life-changing commission that's out there, just waiting to find me. Please contact me through my email, suzanne@suzanneberry.com, until I get this problem solved. Thank you for your patience.

Monday, April 6, 2009

BUG 10


















20x20"
oil on linen
$180

I'm running out of clever bug references. Or depending upon your point of view, perhaps I never had any.

These 20x20's are the perfect surface for these puppies...er critters. Being a victim of the literal, it never occured to search out a less smooth linen surface, but happily, the larger linen stretched I ordered is just perfect.

This particular creepy crawler was painted and posted in the not to distant past as Bug 4 on 10x10", but with the arrival of the larger canvases, the incredible colors on his candy coated outer shell begged for a second visit.

Himself is home today and was rather rude to me when I questioned the wisdom of my subject matter for the three-hundredth time. It basically boiled down to "just keep painting."

Friday, April 3, 2009

ROSCOE

12x12"
oil on canvas
sold

Spent the day planning new work and had a great time doing it. However, I keep putting off moving back downstairs! For some reason, up here in the bedroom, I'm focused and just seem to go from one project to the next. Downstairs, while I do work, there's seems to be a lot of heavy sighing and looking longingly out the front window, for what I haven't a clue. Maybe Monday.

This is Roscoe, a self-promotion piece for the pet boutique in Virgina.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

THANK YOU!


Well, I think I'm figuring this out. First a very huge thank you to incredible artists Olga Wagner and Arti for nominating me for this award. And another thank you to Gwen Bell for explaining the finer points of the process.

I am thrilled and honored and thank you both for this recognition. I appreciate your interest in my work more than you'll ever know. Please be sure to stop by and see their incredible work: Olga at catclawsstudio.blogspot.com/, Arti at artianim.blogspot.com/, and Gwen at gwenbellsdailypainting.blogspot.com/. Again, thank you so very much.

Now, I am to list 7 things I love and then pass the award along to another 7 passionate painters. Here goes:

1. My best friend for life, partner in crime, fellow artist, fellow musician and legal room mate for the last 15 years, the hubs.

2. Devlin the wonder dog.

3. Painting.

4. Jamming and creating music.

5. Any music Derek Trucks is involved in.

6. My PRS.

7. Peace.


I would like to pass this awards to the following great artists:

Delilah Smith

If I've done this incorrectly or failed to mention someone or something I should have, please forgive me, I'm still looking for all those tiny little people doing all that running around inside my iMac.

ONE LAST LOOK (Bug 9)


20x20"
oil on linen
$180

Apparently these two have history. Either she's looking longingly at him as he walks away— completely blind to her pain—or he's looking longingly as she struts her program away from his abusive arse—completely blind to his pain. Not sure which and besides, who can tell with ants!

So, big step, for me anyway. A larger canvas doesn't really command a greater respect for the handling of negative space, it just feels that way, suz. Yesterday I was so jacked about the bug series, today I'm wonderin' if it works. Whatever, fun, a good time, enjoying ones' job, these are all the criteria by which a choice of subject(s) should be judged, no? Well see. I think I have one more of the trampoline series, so perhaps a change of subject might give me a better persective on the critters.

APOLOGIES ABOUND

First, I'd like to apologize to anyone submitting inquiries or comments through my website, suzanneberry.com, for my lack of response. There was a technical problem, something wasn't enabled by the doo-hicky and none of the mail reached my inbox. So please, will the person who emailed me with the life-changing commission try again tomorrow?

Secondly, I was nominated for the Passion for Painting award and haven't a clue what to do next. I'm looking into it and will hopefully do the right thing, so those kind enough to nominate me, please don't think me rude, I'm just confused. I so appreciate all of your comments and the nominations, I'm just not up to speed on this blogging thing yet. Thank you so very much, I am flattered, honored and thrilled!

Back with more bugs in a bit!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

BUG 8


10x10"
oil on linen
sold

Apparently, I'm buggin! Who knows how long this will last or where it will take me, but I think that I might possibly have stumbled onto a direction! Oh my! All sorts of buggy images, strategically placed on stark white canvasses, are crawling about, in and out my little grey cells. They're fun, they're not difficult and it takes me away from feeling I need to fill up a canvas. Not that filling up a canvas isn't the way to go, just that I sometimes fill far too much, I think. Who knows? Who cares! I go to sleep dreaming of new ideas and wake up eager to begin painting. I'm riding this critter till it craps out.