suzanne berry

LAURA CONTEMPLATING THE CONTAINER in progress

2012-01-29T14:16:00.000-08:00

18x36" oil on canvas in progress

Still going and lovin' every minute of it. I'm cautiously excited! But that's the rub isn't it? For the first time in the last eight years, since I began painting full time, I am happy with where I am creatively. The elusive muse has, it seems, favored me with more than just a drive by.

I've been waiting for some existential building to fall on my head enabling me to envision a concept deep in meaning and clever in execution, but I always felt my ideas were just too literal. But, I recently realized that again, I've been struggling to be someone I'm not. Clearly, if my mind worked that way, I'd be knee deep in cool, moody, clever paintings wouldn't I? What if I took what was right in front of me and used that?

That's where the concept for "Laura Contemplating the Container" came from. Yeah, I know. The title is quite literal, but that's the clever part you see. A series of shots from a photo session— where Laura picked up an plastic container with a red scoop inside and just began moving about the room with it —has been in my reference folder for months. And then one recent day, for some reason, I stepped out of my self-imposed "why can't I think of anything cool" box and came up with this composition.

I'm going to be patient. I'm not rushing to completion. I'm studying it and making adjustments when necessary. Again, I'm cautiously excited but, I think I have a real shot of getting my artistic license renewed!

We'll see.

Thanks so much for dropping by!

UNTITLED in progress

2012-01-22T14:21:00.001-08:00

detail 18x37" in progress

I'm fairly excited about this painting. You might remember Laura, my model from sometime last year. Her face appeared cropped on cradled hardboard for a painting entitled "A Hesitant Introduction." I've been wanting to take the shots from her session and bring them together in some way that might make not only an interesting composition but also be fun to work on. Success!

I won't go into too much detail except to say that there are four figures in the painting, all Laura, and I can honestly say that I'm happy with everything about it. We'll see!

Thanks for stopping by, hope the weekend was a good one.

LIP SERVICE 1 in progress

2012-01-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

18x36" oil on linen
work in progress

I've been wanting to try painting close ups of body parts on large canvases. This is the beginnings of my first stab at this, starting with the lips/nose series which is tentatively entitled a rather obvious "Lip Service." We'll see.

While cropping and position are important, the goal is to get this to a very realistic stage while still maintaining a painterly quality. I'm beginning to think this would be a lot more fun if I actually knew what I was doing.

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE January

2012-01-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

"SPILLAGE" 5x7" oil on canvas $85.00
SOLD

LITTLE WRINKLES

2012-01-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

LITTLE WRINKLES 1 5x7" oil on linen $85.00

These took longer than expected. I find them relaxing so I decided to try a series of three smaller versions. With a virtual stockpile of smaller canvases, triptychs are definitely in my future. Still making what seems like daily visits to the dentist's chair. Root canal isn't nearly as much fun as I remember. The upside is that chewing isn't at all what it used to be—at least until he's all done—so I no longer feel like I'm pushing maximum density.

I've got three commissions going, a challenge painting due, graphic design work and some projects I'm looking forward to working on, so the new year has gotten off to a great start. I'm maintaining a positive attitude and not allowing more than one heavy sigh per three hour period so things seem to be moving along well. Don't want to declare myself emotionally grounded just yet because there might be a reaction, but the self imposed darkness is being kept at bay.

My newest wrinkle, pun definitely intended, is studio envy. I've seen some really amazing spaces in magazines and online and I've become acutely aware of the fact that I'm now inhabiting all of the bedrooms in the house, including the one we sleep in, and the den with my work and supplies. I'm dreaming of a larger space, designated just for painting. I imagine himself wouldn't mind that either!

I haven't gotten a chance to personally thank everyone who stopped by and left a comment on Pug Mug 1 and I do apologize. I think, for the time being at least, that would be best accomplished here until I catch up so thank you! Your comments mean so much.

And, thanks a lot for stopping by!

PUG MUG 1

2012-01-02T12:38:00.000-08:00

24x24" oil on canvas $950

Still rockin' the Making A Mark award buzz. Feels nice. I can see it now. By the end of the year I'll be entering every possible competition known to man and turn into a fierce competitor with skin as thick as cowhide. Not!

Anyway, meet Pug Mug 1! I recently installed a collection of snaps into the computer screen saver folder, most of them of the boys. Since the tv is hooked up to the computer screen, when it goes to sleep we're treated with fade in and out images of the boys. As Blu's face filled the screen a few weeks back I was instantly inspired to fill a canvas the same way. It was great fun to paint and I look forward to doing more of my little super models.

Raz is next, channeling Norma Desmond. And I'm planning on more quick smaller works but we'll see what happens.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A NICE SURPRISE!

2012-01-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

Tim, the fuzzy ones and I would like to wish everyone an incredibly happy, safe and prosperous New Year. And don't worry -- maybe the Mayans ran out of space and the calendar continues past 2012 on another rock somewhere. Either way, I'm not gonna stress nor am I packin' my stuff...just yet.

Now onto some really nice news and a lovely way to start the New Year!

A few days ago I was notified by a colleague that I was up for a Making A Mark Award! The blog -- in which artist and writer Katherine Tyrrell draws and writes about art for artists and art lovers -- is number 3 in the top 25 art blogs in the UK! I was very excited by this news and equally shocked, as I make it practice not to enter competitions. Admittedly, this practice is based solely on my rather distressing inability to accept rejection of any kind like an emotionally mature adult. Kidding...sort of.

I then received an email from David J. Teter, a phenomanal artist that I admire greatly, apologizing for not contacting me before nominating my painting. He had been under the impression that I would be notified by Katherine. So, rejection issues aside, I was thankful for David's nomination and hopped on over to "Making A Mark" and found that "Alvin the Ant" was nominated for Best Picture of the Year (Nature) on an Art Blog in 2011! This, as you might well imagine, made me very happy indeed.

However, as I read through the nomination requirements, I found that Katherine had specified in the rules that entries should not have been overly reliant on a photograph not taken by the artist, so I contacted her to let her know I depend on others photos for my "Bug Narratives." Alas, while I have contemplated searching for, catching and trying to pose the little critters I paint, the absence of a high end close-up camera made the venture an impossibility (not to mention the trouble I imagine I might have with some overly-stimulated and arrogant arachnid!) So I came to the conclusion that relying on photos from generous collectors, fans and semi-inexpensive stock photos as reference for my "bug narrratives" would be my best option.

Happily, after giving it some thought, Katherine decided that if the votes dictated a win that she would let it stand! Yes!

Thank you David so very much for nominating me, thank you everyone who voted for Alvin the Ant and thank you so very much Katherine for allowing my painting to remain in the competition. And, I got to experience this wonderful feeling without the angst of entering anything!! How very nice indeed!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2011-12-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

Tis the season!

But...um...ouch! Dental surgery hasn't dampened my spirit in the least, however,I do apologize for not thanking everyone who stopped by to leave a comment this past week. Although a tad uncomfortable, I do get to sit in bed while Tim takes care of almost everything! Merry Christmas to me!

The boys are all snuggled up with me whilst himself rushes about preparing the most exquisite soups, smoothies and shakes while I sit happily in bed, all decked out in my brand new red holiday jammies—complete with feet—supported by lots of pillows and surrounded by my favorite books, magazines and all of the remotes. I mean really, what more could I ask?

We'd like to wish everyone joy, abundance and peace in the New Year and say that we sincerely hope that somehow we will all find a way to live in peace and support each other in every way we can. Thank you from the bottom of my insecure little heart for all of your wonderful comments and we hope you have a wonderful day, whether you celebrate that special birthday or not!

Joy to the world!

A VERY SPECIAL COMMISSION

2011-12-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

Deirdre Working 2 18x24" oil on canvas
Private Collection

This portrait, a favorite painting of mine to date, has happily provided me with another opportunity to feel rather pleased with myself! Sorry mom.

However, I also must give props to Mike Rynearson for one of the most incredible reference photos I've ever had the pleasure of working from. Drop by Mike and Deirdre's site and enjoy some of the most beautiful and moving photographs from around the world that I've ever seen.

The subject of the portrait is photographer Deirdre Hamill, daughter of famed author, newspaper editor and columnist, Pete Hamill, who, as history has it, was also a painter in the early days of his most illustrious career. A few years back, on a long car trip to a wedding, I read Pete's memoir "A Drinking Life" to Tim while he manned the wheel. The book was an honest and unflinching look at his life to that point, and we both enjoyed it immensely.

This second portrait I did of Deirdre was chosen as a Christmas gift to her father which he received last week. You can imagine how I felt waiting for his reaction. Would he be pleased? Would he "see" his offspring in my brushwork? Tense. I was tense!

However an email from Mr. Hamill himself soon put my fears to rest, big time! I will treasure his words for the rest of my days!

And he was kind enough to allow me to use his FaceBook post about the painting for shameless self promotion, which incidentally, I am not above doing!

This commission will remain in my memory for some time to come! Thank you Mike, Deirdre and Pete!

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE December

2011-12-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

Blue Ice 16x20" oil on canvas $250

I can not wrap the little gray cells around the fact that it's that time again let alone that Christmas is less that 2 weeks away.

This month's theme, given to us by Vicki, was to paint whatever we wanted as long as it was blue. A wonderful challenge! I took my favorite Hallmark tissue paper, scrunched it all up and took a reference shot of it sitting on the dining room table with the sunlight and shadow of sliding doors adding to the composition. Looks a bit like a small prehistoric critter or that strange wormy dude from an old X Files episode though.

Enjoy:

Windy Beach
12x9" oil on panel
©Robin Cheers
http://robincheers.blogspot.com/

Blues
4x4" silverpoint and oil on gessoboard
©2011 Vicki Ross
http://www.vickiandrandyrossart.blogspot.com/

Malibu Blue
4x8.75" oil on canvas
©2011 Ruth Andre
http://apaintingday.blogspot.com/

Holiday Blues
5x7" oil on hardboard
©2011 Diana Moses Botkin
http://dianamosesbotkin.blogspot.com/

HOLIDAY SALE!

2011-12-13T20:14:00.000-08:00

Just in time for the holidays! Still need more room! Just email me if you see anything you'd like!
Thanks for stopping by!

THE TWEEDLES MYSTIQUE

2011-12-09T14:16:00.001-08:00

16x20" oil on canvas NFS

If you’ve been a follower of my blog over the last few years, you may have surmised that my feet are not at all planted firmly on solid ground. Admittedly and happily, I am not at all convinced that what we see is exactly what we are. And given the recent quantum physics theories of time being an illusion and form becoming solid only when our eyes rest on it, I’m feeling pretty confident that when we all wake up, “life” will have been a sometimes joyful, sometimes terrifying self-imposed dream.

With that planted firmly in mind, it is my pleasure to announce that the portrait above was painted as a Christmas gift for a dog. A dog I’ve never met, at least not in person. Her name is Tweedles. Tweedles has a blog: http://tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/. I am a follower of her blog. Admittedly, spending every single waking and sleeping moment with our two pug pups, Blu and Raz Berry (who both have a crush on Tweedles by the way), has had a profound effect on me. I am, as Oliva Newton John warbled to John Travolta in Grease, hopelessly devoted. I enjoy just watching them exist. That said, I believe even if I didn’t have the pleasure and joy of being a pug pet parent, I would still be head over heels in love with Tweedles.

Maybe it’s the wide eyed innocence of her poems along with her belief that we are all—including the critters, trees, air and oceans of the world—entitled to love, compassion, care and respect. Maybe it’s knowing that whenever I visit Tweedles blog I will come away with a smile, even if news of one of her close friends crossing the rainbow bridge is the topic of her post that day. She has a way of putting everything into perspective, of conveying that even though she’s sad sometimes, in the end, everything is and always will be fine, no matter what appears to be going on in the outside world. And, it ain’t just moi! Miss Tweedles gets more comments left by admirers than I could ever hope to, so clearly, I’m not alone in my admiration.

To be sure though, himself is a tad wary. He’s fully aware of my cosmic muffin tendencies but reading a pup authored blog and writing emails to a dog—even if she is a pug— has earned me more than a few raised eyebrows and curious glances. He was even prompted to ask recently, somewhat tongue-in-cheek one hopes, if I was indeed aware that, in reality, I was communicating with a person and not a dog. He does get points however, for following that rather cheeky comment with:

“That’s one of the reasons I love you. You have the ability to write emails to a dog and fully believe you’re communicating with her!”

Ummm, thanks...I think! I was a bit startled by his statement and when I replied, “Of course I do!” I wasn’t lying. I mean I know that Tweedles mom writes the poems but for some reason it’s easy for me to make the leap of faith that indeed, those words spring directly from the eternally innocent mind of Tweedles herself! Mom only types them in for her. Again, in my defense, spending each and every day with the boys might well be a contributing factor in my ability to overlook any human complicity in Tweedles communications, there is a definite freedom in interacting with another species. There's a certain fearlessness I don’t experience when interacting with homo sapiens. Not even himself!

When getting to know humans through emails I always break out into a sweat while typing. There’s the ego-based need to appear clever, cool, interesting, intriguing. The worry that I’ve revealed too much (that ship's pretty much sailed hasn't it), or said something amiss. In an effort to be cute have I clumsily scoffed at some deeply held belief? Even now I somewhat anxiously await a reply from a colleague hoping I haven’t revealed a truth that put them off.

This never happens with Tweedles. I can tell her how much I love her, how happy her posts make me and how adorable she looks in her pumpkin hat without fear of rejection or judgment.

I can read her poems and feel hope for the future. I can even believe that she is indeed the author of said poems without any fear of reproach or ridicule.

But then, maybe it’s just me. I am a bit left of center and a tad idealistic. I never did understand why Rodney King’s plea of “Why can’t we all just get along?” became a world weary punch line for cynics and sitcoms.

Imagine for just a second what life would be like if we could. Miss Tweedles does...with every single post.

Yeah, I know. You’re due back on planet earth. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

BERNICE

2011-12-05T13:27:00.001-08:00

20x20" oil on linen $150

Meet Bernice! Newly refreshed, having just gone under the brush, she is feeling reborn! Formerly known as "Bug 13," Bernice has had her rather funky badly- painted purple shadow removed and replaced with a more age-appropriate blue one. Madam's hard candy shell has been re-painted, touched up and buffed to a shine with more intense highlights and deeper shadows. And her spots have been refurbished and surrounded with a shimmering coat of intense Rouge Carmin by Sennelier. Bernice is now indeed ready for a night on the town.

Independently wealthy and never married, Bernice enjoys traveling, art, the ballet and long walks on the bricks in the front yard of her palatial estate in the Hamptons. A bit eccentric and a tad flighty, she is nevertheless, always in demand and a delightful guest at any garden party.

BREAKFAST PLANS

2011-12-01T14:27:00.001-08:00

16x20" oil on canvas NFS

I haven't posted in a week and nothing is near ready so I thought I dig into the past and see what was there. This is about six years old. Not finished. I got discouraged. Why I don't know. It's funny. When I see work that I remember feeling awful about I'm left wondering what was so awful. Must have been an attack of the dreads.

This past weekend I freshened up a bee that sold and I remember, when I originally worked on it, feeling very discouraged. I barely finished it. But when I spruced it up, added a little definition here, a hint of a highlight there, I was quite satisfied.

Distance. That's the ticket. I used to throw half finished work away in disgust. My mother-in-law once picked a still life I'd done out of the garbage, had it framed and hung it in her living room for years. I'm so silly. All ego and all silly. Now? Now I'm putting the dread paintings away for a sunnier day. Nothin' like a fresh perspective.

Who knows? Maybe I'll rescue this and finish it. Ive been using it to plug up a hole the boys made near the bottom of the screen door until we actually make it down to Home Depot to replace it— which could very well be this weekend.

Enjoy the evening and thanks so much for stopping by.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2011-11-24T10:18:00.001-08:00

A toast is in order! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope we all have something in our lives that we are truly thankful for.

I am eternally grateful to everyone and I thank you for viewing my work and for leaving the wonderful and supportive comments that have done more to inspire me than you'll ever know.

I am incredibly thankful for this online artist community that I feel a part of. Despite the enormity of the blog-world, I feel there is a warm, sincere and welcoming intimacy here—made up of kind, gentle and giving people who share the gift of art, creating and life with each other.

And I thank you so much for being there.

Ok, yeah, one might detect the faint aroma of cheese in the air, but it's very sincere cheese I can assure you.

Himself is home on vaycay and happily a good number of sale paintings need to be prepared for shipping so posting a new piece of work or work in progress might take a few days. I haven't gone underground.

Again, thank you and I hope everyone enjoys their day.

BUGS SALE!

2011-11-19T21:55:00.001-08:00

Please see post below for purchasing information. Feel free to
contact me by email with any questions.

Thanks so much for dropping by.

BIG BUGS AND MORE ON SALE!

2011-11-19T17:39:00.001-08:00

Touchdown! 24x36" oil on canvas $300 plus shipping

Thank so much for stopping by!

THE SALE CONTINUES!

2011-11-16T20:53:00.001-08:00

$50.00 each or $85.00 for two

The sale continues. Click here to see some larger canvases on sale
that are priced to move!

Just email me if you see something you like.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE November

2011-11-15T14:41:00.001-08:00

Wisdom
16x20" oil on canvas $350

It's challenge time again! This month the choice was mine. I was stumped but finally settled on asking everyone to paint whatever they thought best represented "wisdom" to them. Then of course I didn't know what to paint. I'd taken this reference photo from the tube recently and thought that this gentleman's face was etched with, among other things, a definite indication of having gleaned some wisdom from his years on the planet.

I tried painting him with a minimum of strokes, keeping the paint thick on my brush and putting color in quickly. No smoothing here. Then something dawned on me. Remember that "Obvious List" I posted a few weeks ago? Well, I've got two more points to add. I've wanted, of late, to paint thickly. I thought, as I began this yesterday, it might be a good idea not to use the Liquin! Gee Suz...ya think?

And, if I wanted to use less brush strokes, it might work out if I....well...used less brush strokes!! Nothin' gets by me!

Also, while my grandfather looked nothing like this man, one always imagines one's grandparents to be wise. He never allowed us to call him Granpa, insisting on "Jo-Jo" instead. As I get older, even without the possibility of grandchildren, I now understand his wisdom in this request. Anway, I am reminded of something he was always repeating to us young ones whenever we appeared to be getting a tad too big for our britches. He would cock his head to the side, put is finger up and say..."Remember...just when you think you is....you ain't!" I think that was very wise advice indeed.

Please enjoy the groups interpretation of wisdom:

Helping Hands

10x8 oil on panel

THE MUSICIAN still in progress

2011-11-11T14:01:00.001-08:00

24x24" oil on canvas work in progress

I'm bugged out. This caught my eye in the storeroom. Ya know when you spy a canvas that you haven't worked on in a while and you get this great feeling, like when you just got home from a shopping trip with your mom and you had a brand new set of crayons and a new coloring book? No? Well, it might have been a different set of art related circumstances, but I think you know what I mean.

Anyway, it's got a ways to go but it was a fun day. One of those days when you work without judgement, fear or insecurity. Nice.

Thank you to each and every person who has ever served in the armed forces. And thank you for stopping by, enjoy the weekend.

DOUG

2011-11-10T13:37:00.001-08:00

8x8" oil on cradled hardboard
SOLD

And, here's Doug. He's just your average bee. Dependable, good natured—unless pheromones indicate otherwise or course—faithful and hardworking. Dutifully brings the honey home to the wife and kids, family day and chores on Saturday, football on Sunday with the occasional side trip to Home Depot to keep the hive in tip top shape. He's even nice to his mother-in-law.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

BENNY

2011-11-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

8x8" oil on cradled hardboard $85

BLUE FLY

2011-10-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

SOLD

Having made a commitment to do the ladybug installation, which was due today, I found myself tired of painting them so I took a break and did this critter instead. I think the ladybug concept is a good one, but I think it best to do them sporadically and not all at once. Sixteen of them! Not cool. I want to keep a freshness about them so they'll be done when they're done. I always think giving myself a tight deadline will make me get things done and it just gives me something else to beat myself up with. Chillax Suz, it's not a race.

So this guy, with that vibrant turquoise on his bum, was great fun to do. What's that old saying... a different bug a day might keep boredom at bay? No? Oh well.

Enjoy the day and thanks for stopping by.

THE BOYS 1 A Study

2011-10-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas
$250

THANK YOU CARRIE!

2011-10-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

A huge and grateful thank you to Carrie Waller for featuring yours truly in her Friday Feature interview series of artists! Please visit if my ramblings here haven't worn you down yet!

What a great idea, I'm so looking forward to the series. I've wanted to get to know so many great artists in this blogosphere and the interviews are just the ticket.

This is one of Carrie's outstanding watercolors, and also one of my favorite of hers. I was bowled over the very first time I saw her work and continued to be awed with each post of her incredible work.

NFDP
Illuminated Pumpkins
watercolor on paper 30x24"
by Carrie Waller

Thank you again Carrie and thank you for stopping by. Enjoy the weekend.

WAIT UP!

2011-10-26T14:02:00.000-07:00

24x36" oil on cradled hardboard
SOLD

Meet Max and Jake Buzz. They're brothers. Max is always trying to ditch Jake and Jake is always trying to catch up. I'm developing a real affinity for these furry critters, especially since it finally dawned on me to paint them on a smooth surface. Um...duh!

Time for a list. I'm callin' it The Obvious List. Just a few things that were starin' me in the face, keeping me from seeing the oft-mentioned forest for the trees. Like painting highly detailed subject matter on a smooth surface instead of course cotton canvas for example. Here are three really obvious things that I've learned in my seven years as a full time artist:

1. A FOOL PROOF WAY TO MAKE YOUR BRUSHES LAST FOREVER:

Don't use them! There you have it! I've tried everything from tenderly washing, conditioning and gently blowing them dry to chanting incantations over their lifeless little bodies, their once lustrous uniform hairs pointing everywhere but north. I've rinsed them in safflower oil or not rinsed them at all. I've spent countless dollars on conditioning soaps, brush-washing machines, and so many chemicals— a lab coat was required. Then a few days ago, I needed a nice crisp zero for detail. My eyes went immediately to the "new brush can." There, glistening in the sun was an entire collection of brand new brushes. I thought I was saving them for that special painting but that wasn't it. I was just saving them! From the inevitable! If someone dipped you in oil paint, dragged you around a canvas and submerged you into a variety of mediums so harsh they require face masks and air cleaners for general use, and then washed you vigorously every day, how long do you think your "do" would hold up? It's a lost cause. There is no way to make them last, period. Use them until they look like crap and then move on.

2. HOW TO HANDLE IMAGINED CRITICISM & MEAN SPIRITED COMMENTS LIKE A PRO

Ignore them! Period. I've been defending my preference for using photos for reference over live models and still-life set ups for a while now and I suddenly realized that that was the problem! I needed everyone to agree with me and instead of seeing my inability to embrace my choice and not worry about it, I saw everyone who didn't as the problem. And as far as mean spirited comments, they say everything about who is making them and absolutely nothing about my work, except of course when they come from moi, which is most of the time. And they can be helpful. You can't get angry at something you don't believe in.

3. SELF REJECTION

Stop it! I don't enter competitions or approach galleries so I can't wax poetic about that kind of rejection, but I'm really accomplished at the other kind. We were watching an NFL show the other day and one of the well known coaches has a segment entitled..STOP IT! He reviews whatever a player, coach or owner is doing that he doesn't agree with and just looks at the camera and delivers a snappy...STOP IT! How simple can it be? Feeling inferior Suz? Feeling a lack of creativity? Depressed, lost, wallowing in self-pity? STOP IT! I know, I know... but really, it is that simple! I can curtail the time I feel badly by deciding not to. I have emergency plans in place and the minute I feel myself goin' down the rabbit hole, I revert to plan B. It really is all up to me. The call is coming from inside the house!

I'll be adding to this list as the obvious dawns. Clearly, that doesn't happen often.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

IT'S A FALL SALE!!

2011-10-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas
$450

Artichoke One
16x16" oil on linen
$175

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE October

2011-10-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas $275

This month's challenge, given to us by Robin Cheers, was quite the...er...well... challenge! We were given this black and white photograph.....

as reference and asked to paint it in full color, keeping the values as close to the original as possible. I spent more than a few days fretting about this puppy, however, once I sat down to work on it, I decided to take each element and choose shadow, mid tone and highlight colors, with a dash of a pure version of each color for some added life. It was fun actually, once I got going. And an added plus was the decision to paint much more loosely than I usually do. It's obvious I've got some chillaxin' to do in that department, but, up close it looks a lot looser than it does from a distance. Baby steps right?

Oh, and before I forget...the 16-piece Ladybug Installation will be done by month's end instead of today. What was I thinking? Besides, I think the finished group will make a more definitive post than one after another.

That said, time for the group to hang some laundry, enjoy!

Fresh Sheets
11x14" watercolor on aquaboard
© Vicki Ross
http://www.vickiandrandyrossart.blogspot.com/

Untitled
8x10" oil on canvas
© Sharman Owings
http://www.sharmanowingspaintings.blogspot.com

Summer Chores
11x14" oil on panel
© Robin Cheers 2011
http://robincheers.blogspot.com/

Fetching
10x8" oil on hardboard
©Diana Moses Botkin 2011
http://dianamosesbotkin.blogspot.com/

"Its a Wash"
8x6" oil on canvas
© Ruth Andre
http://apaintingday.blogspot.com/

WAITING

2011-10-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

24x36" oil on canvas

Well, so much for the dreads! I powered through my attack of the vapors and took responsibility for what I was feeling. I really hate it when I have to do that!

I'd been visiting Dana Cooper 's blog a a few weeks ago and saw a fetching painting of this very waitress. Discovering that the reference photo was from a site called A Day Not Wasted, I headed on over there to see what the deal was. An open challenge! Yea!

I was instantly smitten with the photograph. There was something so sweet and innocent about this waitress. Her distant smile, as if she had just received some good news, her stance —mid-gait, the bits of hair in disarray, even the tilt of her silver tray.

I always start with what I consider to be the most difficult part of the painting—the face—followed by the figure and it's attire or lack thereof. In this instance there were lots of my one of my favorite things...folds. When satisfied with the complete figure I start on the background. There was a lot going on in this photograph. Magazine racks, paned glass, a figure to the right and writing on the window—all of which add so much to the charm of this shot—but I was so taken by the spirit of the girl that I focused only on her for my version.

This, of course, caused a ruffle in the feathers of you-know-who! When himself arrived home on Friday evening, this is how it looked...

The usual barney ensued. "It's perfect, I love the graphic elements behind her!" he bellowed. I opened the snap of the painting in Photoshop and simplified the background, and while I agreed with him on one level, I was still so taken by the figure I decided that I did indeed prefer that she be the focus. In hindsight, it was a very grown up discussion. He made it clear what he preferred but did not disagree with my choice. I very calmly told him what I was going to do and that was that! Hmmm...growth spurt?

And there you have it. I'm very pleased. I can sincerely say that I am proud of this painting.

Dreads my arse!

You can check out the other paintings and the original reference shot on A Day Not Wasted.

LADY BUG2, A MAC ATTACK, THE DREADS & THANK YOU!

2011-10-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

8x8" oil on cradled hardboard $100 plus shipping

I'm beginning to believe that Macs aren't all that anymore! Guess who wouldn't boot up yesterday? Back to intensive care. I'm thinkin' we might have bought ourselves a lemon! When we got it back recently, I was alarmed because the fan kept coming on. We realized that since the day we brought it home the fan was NEVER on. It probably fried itself. Now what? Who knows.

Then I got all my chores done and sat down to paint. Good mood, beautiful day. Boo ya! The dreads, outta nowhere!!! No matter what I touched, it turned to poop.

This isn't even post-able, but I'm sick and tired of giving in to whatever seems to be happening. I refuse to curl up with a bag of chips and sulk. So silly. Such a waste of time. If the dreads aren't gone by tomorrow, I'm workin' anyway. Bite me! If corporately employed I don't think my direct report would let me leave early to go home and watch tv because of some unexplainable, phantom brain fart! So, I'll use the remaining work day to get organized for tomorrow. Just did a raspberry to the dread mahockiss and wet my screen all up. Nice!

And, I'm unable to send personal thank-yous to everyone who left a comment on the first ladybug...so please accept a great big unified THANK YOU for your very kind words.

What was it Scarlett O'Hara said about tomorrow?

THE LADYBUG INSTALLATION Number One

2011-09-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

8x8" oil on 3/4" cradled hardboard
$100

The bugs are back! Clearly the vision I had of myself courageously attacking the "Red Beret" canvas, paint brush in one hand, negative self-talk force-field shield in the other, has morphed into me as a quivering tower of jello, shield gone, with not a paint brush in sight. It's cool though. This too shall pass. Some day, real soon, I'll take up both brush and shield and finish that sucker, but for now, I'm giving it some space.

Which would explain my retreat to the safety of bugs. I'm creating an installation of 16 separate, 8x8 inch ladybugs painted on 3/4" cradled hardboard and this is the first one. They can be purchased separately at $100 each or as the completed installation for $1500. The group will be available by mid October. If one is sold separately, it will be replaced with a new pose with the entire 16 boards completed and available by October 15th. Bees next!

Back to work! Thanks so much for stopping by.

THE RED BERET in progress

2011-09-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas
in progress

After working on Deirdre and That Party Dress, I was sure I had this down. What I mean is, whenever I begin a new piece I'm confronted with a myriad of doubts, the biggest being...how do I do this again? I began and suddenly I was twelve, sitting a the kitchen table with my crayons, faithfully staying within the bold black lines with my colors! Grrrrrrrgh!

I let it sit for a couple of days and decided to just attack it. No hesitancy, no mind games, just paint what you see! I'm pleased so far. The reference is from a photo I took of a beautiful young woman who agreed to pose during the fair I attended last year with my friends from dighoarts.com, who were kind enough to give me some space in their booth.

I hope to post the finished painting by Monday next. We'll see what happens.

Thanks for stopping by!

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE September

2011-09-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

"That Party Dress"
18x24" oil on canvas
NFS

Ok. Let me explain. If I had a dress like this in my closet, I would have hung it on a nice hanger, placed it on a peg against a really interesting wall and had at with the camera. But, since I don't and I had exhausted every avenue that I could think of looking for concepts incorporating said party dress challenge, I remembered a page I'd saved from a paper company catalog ages ago and thought it would be just perfect.

The one thing I can't get over is that I found it! And attached to the canvas I had planned to paint it on. I mean, really? A challenge and the answer ready and waiting to go! I took it as a sign. And although I did change a few things to make it a little more my own, alas, my interpretation in oil of an incredibly lovely photo that I didn't take is all I can really lay claim to.

That said, please, we'd love for you to join the party (dresses optional)...

"Faire Dress"
16x12" oil on panel
©Robin Cheers
http://robincheers.blogspot.com/

"Stephanie"
12x6" oil on canvas
© Ruth Andre
http://apaintingday.blogspot.com/

"Party Dress on the Beach"
9x12" pastel on paper
© Vicki Ross
http://www.vickiandrandyrossart.blogspot.com/

"New Dress"
10x12"oil on hardboard
© 2011 Diana Moses Botkin
http://dianamosesbotkin.blogspot.com/

DEIRDRE WORKING 2

2011-09-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

18x24" oil on canvas
SOLD

This is the other version of yesterday's commission. Lesson learned. Ask the client. Gee Suz...ya think? I was sure this would be the preferred version, but the location of the reference photo has sentimental value so the background was significant to him. No worries though, happily they liked this version enough to give it a home. Himself was rather smitten though, so he's a tad sad to see it go. If I'm honest, I am as well.

Enjoy the weekend, stay safe.

DEIRDRE , WORKING

2011-09-09T04:37:00.000-07:00

18x24" oil on canvas

SOLD

This is one of the commissions I've been prattling on about. It was a pleasure to work on, the reference photo is amazing. I find I'm getting more comfy with non-human backgrounds.

While working on this, it struck me that the client might have wanted the figure to be more prominent, so I stopped work and began another view. I'll post that tomorrow, see what you think.

Enjoy the weekend, stay safe.

AN ARTIST IN NEED!

2011-09-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

A favorite artist of mine, Carol Marine and her family lost their home in the fires raging in Texas on Monday. The sad news has been mentioned on many of the blogs I frequent and since I've been so vocal about, what I considered at the time to be, my own close calls with nature's fury, I thought it very necessary to post, along with many others, a way we can all help Carol and her family at this very sad time in their lives. Thank goodness though, they are all safe.

Click here to help out if you can. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved with the Texas fires. Perhaps there's a way to "think" all this East coast rain in their direction!

GRAY SKIES

2011-09-02T16:35:00.000-07:00

12x24" oil on board

It looks like it might be a while until I'm able to post the painting I'm really happy with so I actually sat down and painted today! Since I've been working on the commission, which ended up being two different paintings from the same reference, it feels as though I haven't gotten anything done. Silly because I have, but nothing I can post.

Himself is home on vaycay, the clean-up from the storm is almost complete, and my brother-in-law, who drove down for a quick visit/jam session, along with his daughter Claire, have gone home. Time to relax with some wine, have a nice listen to what we played and enjoy the holiday weekend.

Thank you so much for your good wishes for our having made it safely through the storm, we appreciate them so much. So many are still without power, it's just amazing how much damage was done!

Have a wonderful weekend, a great Labor Day and thanks so much for dropping by.

GOOD FREAKIN' NITE IRENE...AGAIN!

2011-08-29T07:09:00.000-07:00

before

after

I posted this originally last night, but took it down because it became apparent that Irene was not quite through with us and I didn't want to have to amend the post with what could be more extensive damage before and after shots. Am I superstitious? Let's just say, I'm a little 'stitious.

After the rain and darkness passed, the wind persisted until much later in the evening. Clearly, my before and after shots pale in comparison to the endless photos of devastation in the media. We were very, very fortunate, however, sadly a lot of people weren't.

My shots are really to illustrate how little damage was done by the storm! We had power throughout and lost only large branches that only knocked a few slats out of our fence. The wind was vicious and loud and seemed like it would never end. The tornado watches were very unnerving, but not keeping vigilant and current with what was happening would have been a mistake. Still the dire warnings and incoming video and reports were very frightening.

We are so grateful and thank you all so much for your good wishes.

CRABBED AND AN ANXIOUS WAIT!

2011-08-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

5x7" oil on canvas
SOLD

I looked through my gallery to see if anything was suitable for this weekend's visit from Irene. Couldn't find anything but since there is a pretty good chance there will be a substantial amount of water around I thought she might like these.

Busy week. My very first earthquake and now a dangerous hurricane! I shouldn't even call it a quake, we just shook for a bit, but like everyone's first time, it does give one pause. And now, Irene. It's weakening and hopefully won't do too much damage although the warnings are dire and scary. We'll see. Mother Nature is not at all pleased. And who can blame her?

Enough! I heard a quote the other day while watching a documentary on mixed marital arts of all things. George St. Pierre is the UFC Welterweight Champion. He's a real gentleman, he doesn't trash talk, he reads Nietzsche, keeps a stuffed unicorn given to him by his late Godmother at his bedside and he is very, very focused. He lost his first title defense fight because he didn't take his opponent seriously and got caught up in the partying and the hangers on. That was in 2007. The day after that fight he was back in the gym. He hasn't lost a fight since. He believes in himself and he believes in hard work. He understands that everything originates in the mind. If the mind isn't focused, whatever it's doing won't be either.

His career and ascent was juxtaposed against a close friend and fellow fighter whose winning career was on it's way down. An amazing fighter, at times he would just freeze in the octagon and suffer vicious beatings. It got so bad he eventually had to quit fighting all together. Their two very distinctly different mindsets were fascinating to watch.

During the movie, Mr. St. Pierre made a quote that lit me up like a pin ball machine. He said..."I view my career more like a marathon, instead of a sprint. I am not defined by any one fight." Hello! It stuck a chord with moi because I keep thinking that there's this one painting, waiting in the wings, perfectly done that will define me as an artist. Besides making no sense, that's not really how it works is it.

In this era of instant celebrity one sees how easy it is to become famous and make lots of money for doing absolutely nothing at all. In a recent pol, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, 60% of the teens questioned chirped..."famous!"

That said, I think I've been sprinting. I think I need to train for my marathon.

I wish every single person, pet and home a safe passage through the storm and everyone else a great weekend. And, if we have power I'll "see" you all next week!

ZIGGY

2011-08-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas
SOLD

The pup commission is completed. Still working on the others but hope to post them both by early next week.

I'm still a tad rattled from yesterday's shake up. Um...WOW! I'd just sat down to the computer and began typing when the desk started shaking. The pull chains on the lamp were swaying from side to side so I looked underneath to see which one of the pups had decided to scratch himself while leaning against the desk. To my great surprise and subsequent dismay, they were both on the other side of the room. Hmmm. At that moment the phone rang. Tim was on the other end asking me if I was having an earthquake. Sick feeling. Hands shaking. Heart thumping. It didn't last long but I have never, in my somewhat lengthy life, felt anything like it before and hope to never feel anything like it again.

He had just been calling from work to tell me about his lunch with an old friend when he felt the building move and saw the blinds swaying. Freaked us both out. I haven't been the same since. I was going to write some thoughts I had about doubt with regard to artwork. I think I'll save that for another time. Right now, I'm trying not to wilt every time a big truck rumbles by.

URSULE & VICTOIRE

2011-08-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas
SOLD

I'm back in action!! It looked a tad scary for a while as the folks at the Genius Bar had to replace the hard drive, the logic board and the video card because everything they tried didn't work! You can be completely sure that I will be backing up EVERYTHING!! It's taken poor Tim all day to reinstall and locate and he's not nearly finished. You never think you'll need your bookmarks, all your passwords are gone. And gee, guess what? My password/address book must have sprouted legs and made good its escape because I can't find it anywhere. I should be use to it. At this point I've abandoned all hope that I'll ever be the tidy type, the type that always knows where everything is. Why stress? What's the point? It'll turn up and in a month or less we'll find our way back to all new stuff...which will, without a shadow of a doubt be backed up times ten!

The painting has been posted before. It was my first European commission. Just wanted to post something cuz every time my title page pops up there's a really great painting by Robin Cheers because I missed challenge this month!

I'm really excited about the commissions I'm finishing. I accidentally found the most amazing linen surface with a tasty tooth, and the application of the paint is bordering on the sensual, if you'll pardon the bawdy imagery. I'm actually feeling, dare I say, quite satisfied with my progress. I'll have to wait to post two of them as they're gifts, wouldn't want to spoil the surprise.

Anyway, thanks for listening and for the support during my time of computer interuptus. Hope the weekend is going well!

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE August

2011-08-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

I failed!

What with the temporary loss of my stuff (still nestled safely on an external drive) and no word yet from Apple as to when we can get the iMac back, I find myself a tad more confused than usual! And more importantly, with two commission deadlines looming, I was forced to forgo my challenge painting this month. I must say, as I write this I'm feeling rather left out, especially posting these great responses to this month's theme—paint "something in or on your car"—given to the group by Sharman Owings.

Heavy sigh! My sincere apologies to my challenge mates for punking out. Enjoy...

NFPD

"Aerodynamic" oil on panel 5x7"
© 2011 Robin Cheers
http://robincheers.blogspot.com/

"Old Mobile" oil on hardboard 6x6"
© 2011 Sharman Owings
http://sharmanowingspaintings.blogspot.com/

"Just Working" oil on canvas 6x6"
© 2011 Ruth Andre
http://apaintingday.blogspot.com/

"Rocket Girl" oil on hardboard 7x5"
© 2011 Diana Moses Botkin
http://dianamosesbotkin.blogspot.com/

"Cherry" oil on cradled hardboard 5x5"
© 2011 Vicki Ross
http://www.vickiandrandyrossart.blogspot.com/

THE BUGGY TRIO

2011-08-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

16x16" each oil on cradled hardboard
SOLD

The little creepy crawlers are completed!

Still no word on the condition of my Mac. I miss it. Funny how attached we've become to these electronic devices. Ever think of how lost we'd be without electricity?

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

THE ANT

2011-08-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

16x16" oil on cradled hardboard
SOLD

Here' Alvin. Obviously he's the ant. Those legs sort of creep me out but he's saved from ickyness, I believe, by his sassy pine cone shaped butt. I'm really taken by his colors as well. Felix the Fly is on his way!

The computer saga continues! I felt like I was living my own season ending cliff hanger the other day whilst watching Jon, the magic mac dude, ply his trade. He tried everything he knew and as each attempt failed to mount the hard drive, my heart sank as I envisioned myself starting all over again from complete scratch. Announcing he would try one more thing, he explained that if that one more thing didn't work, we could take it to the Apple Genius Bar where it would be fixed, for free (still under warranty), however they would most likely have to replace the hard drive and would not rescue my files or he could take it, open it up and rescue my stuff but our warranty would then be null and void. I mean really, ya just can't make this stuff up.

Happily the last attempt worked much to our unfathomable joy and my files were rescued! A happy dance complete with faux tapping happy feet was had by all! After everything copied over to an external, we then bundled the poor thing up and tenderly delivered it to Apple where it now is undergoing diagnostics and possible hard drive replacement. We were not amused when the techie told us he'd never seen a problem like this before. I hate being special.

At least I have my stuff! Thank you computer wiz, magic mac dude Jon! You are a genius!

THE BUMBLEBEE

2011-08-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

16X16" oil on cradled hardboard
SOLD

Happily a collector requested a trio of bugs and this is the first one I've completed...a very furry and somewhat jolly bumble bee! An ant and a fly to follow, just putting some finishing touches on them. I so enjoy doing these as I've said, however this is the first time I've painted them on the smooth velvety surface of hardboard and I think the little critters have found a new home! What a perfect surface for bugs to crawl on, I'm very happy.

That said, I'm sitting by anxiously as my iMac is in the intensive care unit right now and I'm beside myself. Did I back up anything? No. Is everything I need to function on the hard drive? Yes. Am I a putz of the highest order? Absolutely. Good thing my old mac is working so at least I can post this.

I'm hoping our "magic mac dude" Jon can retrieve all of my work, which includes every single photo I've ever taken with my new camera, all of my reference, all of my paintings, my endless folders of inspirational work and so much more. I'm fairly sick about it. Trying to be all zen and cool, it's only stuff, no one's ill, you can rebuild, but it ain't workin worth a damn. All the snaps of the pups from the day they came home up until yesterday morning! I've been sulking all day. We'll see. Hopefully he can save it all. A very difficult lesson learned.

Two words...BACK UP!!!

The really gut busting irony is that the external drive that I planned to back everything up on arrived today in the mail. Bite me!

Anyway, whining again. Apologies. I hope everyone has a great weekend and again, thanks so much for stopping by!

A HESITANT INTRODUCTION

2011-07-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

A HESITANT INTRODUCTION
24" x 24" (61.0cm x 61.0cm)
oil on cradled hardboard
$750 plus $25.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Almost done, just wanna spruce up the hair...I think. The background has changed color 3 times, the face has been retouched endlessly so I think it's time to take a break—or call it—not sure which. This is my first serious date with cradled hardboard and it's been very interesting. I think we have a future but we'll see. Let's put it this way...there was no kiss at the front door afterward. Not really sure how much I miss the "tooth" of canvas yet.

It really lends itself to smoothing so himself isn't harping. It's an amazing surface, I'm impatient to get this relationship off the ground. Ha. Impatient. Me? Na.

The title pertains to two things. First, the model is a friend from the job himself and I used to share. Her name is Laura and she was kind enough to agree to try out this modeling thing. I was paging through the book published on Andrew Wyeth's Helga series a few weeks ago and read that he would paint one subject consistently for a long period of time. Of course that was obvious but I never really thought of it that way. I'd stand on my head and paint if he did, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Secondly, she's just stepping into view, peering out to the viewer, with only a portion of her face visible. This represents my own hesitant commitment to a series of paintings using the same subject and my first dance with cradled hardboard. We'll see.

Anyway, have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by!

THE "MY SEVEN LINKS PROJECT"

2011-07-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

Blogbud and fellow artist Sandra Busby has tagged me! Oh my! Thanks so much Sandra!

Here's the deal...

The My 7 Links Project was generated by TripBase to "unite bloggers (from all sectors) in a joint endeavour to share lessons learned and create a bank of long but not forgotten blog posts that deserve to see the light of day again." Bloggers list their Top 7 Links in the following categories...  • Your most beautiful post • Your most popular post • Your most controversial post • Your most helpful post • A post whose success surprised you • A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved • The post that you are most proud of

...and then Bloggers tag others and so it goes on.

Well this is nice, an unsolicited opportunity to re-post some past work and wax poetic about moi! Let's go...

My favorite post: (or My Most Beautiful Post)...sorry...not really comfy with that.

BABY BLU 16x20" oil on linen

Clearly I'm besotted with my pugs and Blu is a supermodel in a fur coat, however I chose this particular painting because I really like it and if you follow my blog, you'll know that sentiment is a rarity for me. The messy toned background, muted palette, the looseness of the strokes except for his face (thanks for pointing that out Don!), where the focus is his incredibly huge innocent eyes that I get lost in every day. Sorry, can't help it. I'm hooked. On the pug, not the painting.

My Most Popular Post:

THE CAMERA 16x20" oil on canvas
I believe this post received the most comments so far, however it was a challenge post so I must give my colleagues credit as well. It was one of those paintings that, after the dust settles, you're left wondering just how you did it and questioning your ability to do it again.

My Most Controversial Post:

I try to stay away from controversy or debate on my blog and so consequently my work is pretty straight forward representational realism. While I certainly don't shy away from whining about my own every day struggles with confidence and direction, I feel that the more important lofty discussions are best had in person and over wine.

My Most Helpful Post:

Metamorphosis 24x24" oil on linen

I would have to say this one because it was done to celebrate International Women's Day through AyrSpace in Canada. The exhibit and sale was designed to observe the centenary of International Women's Day, bring together international artistic response and contribute to the relief effort for Haitian women and their children through partial proceeds from the sale of the artworks and 100% of contributions from visitors to the exhibit.

It also marked a possible new direction for me in style and concept that I hope to explore sometime in the near future. And, I would like to thank wonderful artist and new friend Nicki Ault for suggesting that I participate.

My Most Surprisingly Successful Post:

That Freakin Apple! 6x6" oil on board

This piece of fruit represents one of my first public bouts with that muse stealing virus, "The Dread Mahockiss." My long post of raw insecurity and doubt met with some really wonderful and kind comments! Clearly the apple isn't my best work but apparently it wasn't the drek I thought it was. Who knew?

The Post That I Feel Didn't Get the Attention I Thought it Deserved:

Princess 6x8" oil on canvas

If you are anything like me, halfway through a painting that you know is going to turn out well, excitement about posting and wonder about reaction is definitely on your mind. I was so stoked about this one, done as a daily in March of '09, but when I logged on the morning after, interested to see what the reaction was...there was none. It's really strange, sometimes a painting you would rather burn just for fun is really successful and the one you think will do it for you...whatever that means...is hardly noticed. Of course now as I look at it, it does look a tad cheesy but I still like the actual application of the paint.

The Post I Am Most Proud of:

The Exhibit (in progress)
24x36" oil on canvas

I'm most proud of this still unfinished painting because I was fortunate enough to snap this incredibly arresting vision at the Brooklyn Museum and get it on canvas in a way that feels right. The reference photo was a matter of pure luck. Can you imagine the visual fireworks that outfit would cause if there were paintings on the wall instead of artifacts? Anyway, I plan to do more figurative work in the near future.

And now the hard part. Who shall I tag? You're it guys!

R Garriott
Gwen Bell
Diana Marshall
Mona Conner
Don Michael Jr.
 Nicki Ault
Rick Nilson

MOLLY

2011-07-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

16x20 oil on canvas
SOLD

Meet Molly! Another donation certificate completed! The reference photo was taken in the winter, that white stuff on her coat is snow. Himself mentioned that it didn't "read" as snow, but I think it works. Or she could be a blushing June bride with a few lily of the valley sprinkled liberally about her coat and snout.

Back to work! Thanks for stopping by!

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE July

2011-07-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

HELEN'S EYES
12" x 12" (30.5cm x 30.5cm)
oil on canvas
$125 plus $15.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Summer is more than half over already! Amazing. This month's challenge, given to us by Diana, was to paint human eyes. So many possibilities and great subject matter, I just couldn't decide what to do. Then I remembered I'd seen a documentary last week that showcased old photos of a woman that stuck with me because of her haunting, piercing, yet hypnotic eyes.

Enjoy...

“Brothers”each 8x10” oil on canvas
© Vicki Ross
http://www.vickiandrandyrossart.blogspot.com/

“Just Thinking About You”
4x4” oil on canvas board
© Ruth Andre
http://apaintingday.blogspot.com

“Eye of the Storm”
5x3.5” oil on hardboard
© 2011 Diana Moses Botkin
http://dianamosesbotkin.blogspot.com/

“Lashing Out”
5x5” oil on hardboatrd
©Sharman Owings
http://www.sharmanowingspaintings.blogspot.com

"My Daughter's Eyes"
5x7" oil on panel
http://robincheers.blogspot.com/

JERSEY

2011-07-12T17:07:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas
private collection

Meet Jersey! A beautiful Greyhound that, unfortunately, is no longer with us. He's a donation certificate painting, I hope his family likes it.

CHEEK TO CHEEK

2011-07-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

CHEEK TO CHEEK
20" x 16" (50.8cm x 40.7cm)
oil on canvas
SOLD

Pugs, bugs...what's up with the "ugs?" I could make a cheesy joke about painting while decked out in a pair Uggs, but I won't. Don't own any anyway.

Back to work and feelin' better. Must be part of the creative process. Whatever, good riddance! The studio is feeling less like the fifth ring of hell and I've gotten two paintings started, plus this one, but I'm going to work over the weekend to make up for the days lost wallowing.

I really am enjoying doing the studies of the boys because it gives me a chance to paint looser, although this is a tad tighter than I wanted it to be.

I've missed visiting my favorite blogs and plan to do just that tomorrow morning with tea. Have a lovely weekend and thanks for stopping by!

THANK YOU!!

2011-07-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank everyone who left comments of support and wise advice for me during my very recent bout with the Dread Mahockiss.

I am so very fortunate to be a part of this incredible online artist community. I posted my feelings because I genuinely felt lost and useless. Each and every comment helped me pull myself out of the pity pot and put things back into perspective.

Although written with tongue planted firmly in cheek, I was feeling lost and I am so grateful for the light that came in the form of your very kind comments.

Thank you all so very much! Back to work!

THE DREAD MAHOCKISS

2011-07-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

A Dry Hot Night 24x36" oil on canvas

in progress

Well, it seems I finally got it. I've been chatting with a few colleagues online and reading some blogs and finding that a good number of us are suffering from a general feeling of ca-ca and a decreased desire to paint. I've dubbed this "highly contagious virus" The Dread Mahockiss. It was a name a co-worker gave to a lingering feeling of malaise we used to complain about years ago. I loved the sound of it and have used it to define that free-floating feeling of ickyness, pertaining in this case to an increased feeling of dread as one approaches ones studio.

It started late last week when I felt my momentum begin to slow down. Then those uncomfortable glances into the studio began starting a butterfly migration in my stomach. Thankfully, I was just finishing up some certificate and commission work when it started so I'm in good shape deadline wise. I thought painting folds would be prevention perfect and stave off any lasting effects, but alas, it was too late.

I stopped in mid stroke, let go with a few choice expletives and put my brush down. I cleaned up, turned everything off, stomped out of the studio and took to my bed with the remote, a cup of tea, and a very convenient Burn Notice marathon on cable. That was Tuesday.

Nothing since. I've read that this illness is best treated with copious amounts of red wine and round thin potato disks deep fried in oil. Himself is being very kind as he's seen this before and knows it won't last too long. We'll see.

And...the boys got out again!! Thank God, I'm insanely vigilant and always look out of the living room window just in case—even though they're behind locked gates in the backyard. As I glanced out I unexpectedly spied a certain chubby little pug butt clear across the street in the neighbors flowers! Horrified I ran outside and again spirited Raz out of the street, put him safely in the house and headed out to chase Blu who went around the other side of the neighbors house. Happily he had strutted through their open gate to join the landscapers there hard at work and he was easily retrieved. That side gate now has a padlock on it. I'm stumped as to how it opened, we never use that side.

Anyway, despite my self-indulgent, bratty moodiness, I'd like to wish everyone a safe and happy Fourth!

HONEY, I'M HOME!

2011-06-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

HONEY, I'M HOME!
20" x 20" (50.8cm x 50.8cm)
oil on linen
SOLD

Get it? Honey? Home? Hive? Never mind. I'll just sit here and bask in the illusion of my own cleverness for a bit.

Back to work! Thanks for stopping by.

RAZ 2 in progress, and some relief!

2011-06-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas in progress

Posting this so just I can get little suz out from under the bed. The less said about that self-portrait the better. And wouldn't you know it, the contrarian really likes the damn thing. Figures.

Happy weekend and thanks for stopping by!

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE June

2011-06-15T11:50:00.000-07:00

10x10" oil on linen

This month's challenge was a self portrait. What can one say? I claim occupational disorientation. You know how the carpenter's home is sometimes unfinished and chaotic? The hair stylist's hair occasionally unkempt and unattractive? Well this one's about the artist that can't paint herself!

A few unpleasant situations came to mind as I toiled away on this just now. Root canal. Waiting rooms. I would gladly endure either one of these insults at any time, than to have to paint a self portrait. Not a fan of the self portrait. Never have been.

You can imagine the state of little suz. Off somewhere sulking I'm sure. She's threatening never to speak to me again if I post this! Right! If it were only that easy. I was going to paint the "towel over the head with the glasses on" gag, but thought better of it as this is a serious group and the challenges are meant to...well...challenge, but this! This was not at all fun.

With a new set of luggage taking up residence under my eyes each morning, furrows and lines staying put long after my smile fades and the occasional single strand of hair turning up in the oddest of places, this is the last thing I wanted to do. Hmmm...vain much Suzanne?

Actually....Yes! But contrary to popular family opinion...I am a willow. I can bend.

enjoy...

“Robin”
10x10” oil on linen board
© 2011 Robin Cheers
http://robincheers.blogspot.com

“Lady in Red aka Me at 60”
8x8” oil on hardboard
©Sharman Owings
http://www.sharmanowingspaintings.blogspot.com

“Morning Light”
10x8” oil on canvas
© Ruth Andre
http://apaintingday.blogspot.com

BABY BLU

2011-06-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

BABY BLU
24" x 20" (61.0cm x 50.8cm)
oil on linen
$450 plus $25.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

It looks like that pug blog is looking more and more like it might become a reality. I can't seem to stop painting my pugs! There's one almost done that I couldn't bear to work on today so I did this instead. I'm carrying my camera everywhere with them. I'm addicted.

Blu is the alpha, Raz the enforcer. If you hand them a little treat Raz comes rushing up so fast he impales his little face on your hand. Blu? He's more like...if you bring it over here I'll give it a sniff and let you know. If sitting down and leaning forward, too far away from him to take up residence on your shoulders and rest his head on yours, he'll climp up, stand on your shoulders and gently paw at your scalp until you sit back and accommodate him. He insists on being let in the shower while you are in there so he can watch the water go down the drain and he and his little bro still nurse under Tim's neck after every meal before they go down for their nap. Amazing.

It seems the reference determines the brush strokes. I went for loose and spontaneous but there so much detail I found myself smoothing with my pinky again. Oh well. I'm pretty pleased anyway.

I have a few commissions, a few donations and a challenge to get done but I've given myself two days out of five to work on what I want to. It's helping. I seem to be getting things done! Of course my challenge painting might be a tad late, but we'll see.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT MY "THANK YOU'S!"

2011-06-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Clearly mom and dad might have overdone the "be polite" thing, as the last few months of my individual "thank you" emails might have illustrated.

I've been spending more time thanking folks for comments than I have been painting. And since my appreciation is beginning to border on obsessive, I think it might be a good idea to do what everyone else seems to be doing... thank everyone directly on my blog and spend more time visiting the sites of those who left comments. Um...duh!

Like I've been sayin', nothing gets past me!

THERE'S ONE IN EVERY CROWD!

2011-06-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

36x12" oil on canvas

SOLD

A contrarian. The dictionary defines this person as someone who takes an opposing view, especially one who rejects the majority opinion. I am, in point of fact, married to a contrarian, which makes life, as one might imagine, quite interesting. It works out really well actually. I'm your basic cosmic muffin, he's completely grounded. He keeps me from floating off into space and I've loosened his stranglehold on reality. Am I repeating myself? Anyway, once I got past the need to be right all the time, I found our discussions quite illuminating and I've come to the conclusion that if there isn't one in every crowd, there should be.

THANK YOU JULIE BECK!

2011-06-08T06:50:00.000-07:00

Drunk on the Train to Chicago by Julie Beck
NFDP

Seriously, I am astounded that other artists like my work enough to feature it on their blogs. You know the feeling, the grass is always greener or in this case maybe the paint is always arranged better. When I'm low on creative fuel, I pull up to the computer and visit other artist blogs to fill up on pure, clean inspiration. There's a folder I keep on my desktop called Inspiration, oddly enough, and it's chock full of art that I've pinched from various websites. I look at what's inside almost every morning just to get the creative juices flowing...and it always seems to work, even in severe drought conditions. There are several Julie Beck's there. You see where I'm going with this I'm sure, so I'll dispense with the "aw shucks, who me?" stuff and just say thank you, Julie Beck, this feels very, very, very good!

Julie has an "I Heart..." series on her blog: http://juliebeck.blogspot.com/, and the June 6th post she "hearted" moi!! I'm bowled over, completely! Bowled over and so grateful! Julie's work is right up my palette. Poor analogy, sorry, it's early, but I've visited her site almost every day since I first discovered it. Her work is incredible as you can see from the example above. I love the attention she pays to the atmosphere surrounding her work, I love the subject matter she chooses, her style of painting and even the design of her blog. Her name in script in that very tasteful soft wedge wood blue just makes me happy. And the fact that she liked my work enough to "heart" it has made me downright giddy!

Please visit her site, you'll be glad you did! And Julie, thank you from the bottom of my paint covered, insecure little heart! Your generosity is as boundless as your gift.

THANK YOU BRUCE SHERMAN!

2011-06-07T04:29:00.000-07:00

NFDP

"Lost in the Sixties" by Bruce Sherman

About a week ago, I was joyfully surprised by a comment that pointed me in the direction of Bruce's blog: http://awbrucesherman.blogspot.com/, explaining that he had mentioned my work, specifically "The Camera," in his post! What I read there damn near bowled me over! Bruce explained, in some extremely flattering prose, how that painting had inspired his, which is featured here. After seeing this painting, I explained to Bruce, his finished product is what I had been aiming for! The soft, loose brushstrokes combined with the laid back attitude of the musician and the beautiful treatment of light and shadow make this one of my very favorites of his.

I am extremely grateful to Bruce, not only for his beautifully written and thought provoking posts and his incredible paintings, but for his very kind and generous mention of my work on his blog. I cannot express my appreciation in words that I feel explain how much his kind reference means. And learning that a painting I did inspired another artist to create is a very humbling experience, especially for me as I'm sure frequent visitors are familiar with and most likely a tad tired of my notorious insecurity. Please take trip over to see Bruce, his incredible work and meaningful posts, you will leave with a smile in your heart.

Thank you again Bruce, you are a kind, gentle, generous, and extremely gifted artist!

HE SLEEPS!

2011-06-02T12:31:00.000-07:00

SOLD

Here's Raz, aka Razoo-Dazzoo, as he cops a few Z's on the couch sometime during the holiday weekend. We set up a speaker cabinet in front of the screen door so the boys could rail at passersby to their hearts content without going through the screen while we jammed. They ran themselves ragged running back and forth from the front to the back door, thinking that anyone who walked, biked, ran or drove out of their view would inevitably end up in our back yard. Adorable. However it was nice when their batteries ran down and they needed a rest.

Clearly the Moses Botkin Challenge this month has had an effect on moi. Growth spurt!! Stayin' in the lines is so much fun, however this new brush stroke freedom thing is quite exciting! I believe, more than anything thus far in my born again art career, the challenge group has forced me to grow...kicking and screaming all the way...but grow nonetheless.

Plus, I spend so much time watching these two little monkeys interact, seeing the shapes of their heads, their folds and wrinkles, and beauty marks, not to mention the near constant hi-jinks, why not take advantage of them? Clearly, I'm standing on the shoulders of giants here...see http://tweedles-georgie.blogspot.com/...Through the Eyes of Tweedles...to enjoy the most incredibly poetic pug ever...but I was thinking of incorporating little pug anecdotes, pug drawings and pug paintings into another blog. We'll see, it might be fun.

My apologies for the late thank yous that are on their way to everyone for the wonderful comments you were all kind enough to leave for "Now What?" A short vaycay, finally moving the studio to the den along with the boys, their little playpen and insane collection of toys has taken it's toll. I was so anxious to begin anew in my new space I just dove in today. Thank you for your patience and please don't think me rude. What fun would it be if no one saw my work? Gak!

NOW WHAT?

2011-05-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

WHAT NOW?
36" x 12" (91.5cm x 30.5cm)
oil on canvas
$350 plus $25.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Apparently he took that inch and look where it got him! Now what?

MOVING RIGHT ALONG

2011-05-22T19:39:00.000-07:00

16x20" oil on canvas
nfs

Whew! Finally! My apologies to a very kind and extremely patient person who was kind enough to allow me the time I needed to complete this painting

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE May

2011-05-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

THE CAMERA
16" x 20" (40.7cm x 50.8cm)
oil on canvas
$350 plus $25.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Time again! I can't believe...never mind. It flies. So what. Anyway, it was my turn to choose a subject for this month. Not fun for me what with little suz chirpin away in my ear about subject choice. I wasn't as forthcoming as I should have been so when I saw Diana's email requesting a decision, I looked around, saw my camera sitting next to the computer and thought, why not!

When it came time to start the painting...last night...yes, late again...I thought I'd just set up my camera and shoot it from an extreme angle or positioned in some cool way. I actually had it in my hand when it dawned on me. Really Suzanne? How?

Nothing gets past me! So I dove into my reference archives and found this shot that I've been wanting to do. Clearly it's a quick study which himself is over the moon about. "No smoothing!" All night long, even before he drifted off..."Are you smoothing?" Woke up, groggy around 3AM and crackled...."no smoothing right?"

This time, I'm in full agreement, no smoothing! I want to try more quick oil studies but little suz is dead set against it. We'll see.

And with no further ado:

“Study”
5x7” oil on hardboard
© 2011 Diana Moses Botkin
http://dianamosesbotkin.blogspot.com/

“Bite Me!”
8x10” oil on panel
© Vicki Ross
http://www.vickiandrandyrossart.blogspot.com/

“Photo Play”
6x6” oil on canvas
©Ruth Andre
http://apaintingday.blogspot.com

“Sure Shot”
5x7” oil on canvas
©Sharman Owings
http://www.sharmanowingspaintings.blogspot.com

TRAMPOLINE 1

2011-05-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

16x20 oil on canvas
SOLD

I'm working on a donation painting that's been a bit of a bear to do and himself has been rather adamant about me posting as much as possible so I thought I'd haul out some older stuff in the meantime.

This is from '08 I believe and is the first in a series of three paintings of a girl jumping on a trampoline. If I had it to do over again I certainly would tone down that shadow. Ouch!

PEACHES

2011-05-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

PEACHES
24" x 18" (61.0cm x 45.8cm)
pastel on paper
$450 plus $29.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Still cleaning! I found this blast from the past in the closet in the hallway downstairs. Even found my old portfolio from FIT! I thought I wanted to be a fashion illustrator at the time. Great school, amazing fine art department. I often wish I had been more attentive during my time there.

Anyway, this was from my pastel period. I was a Daniel Greene devotee. Even interviewed to be an assistant at his studio farm upstate. Trial husband had just left and I wanted to lose myself in art. It would have meant quite a reduction in salary, a little shed to sleep in and trip to the main barn to use the facilities. I wasn't chosen anyway but if I were younger at the time and didn't own a home that I wanted to keep, it would have been amazing. Accommodations aside, one on one instruction from Mr. Greene was part of the deal!

But that would have meant no Tim and that is just unacceptable.

GIVE 'IM AN INCH

2011-05-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

SOLD

...and he may or may not take a mile. If, indeed, he did decide to take that mile, it could take some time. I wonder exactly how long it would take an inch worm travel 5,280 feet?

Nothing like paintin' a critter to get the spirits up. Back to work.

ALLIE

2011-04-28T13:50:00.000-07:00

12x12" oil on canvas
SOLD

Meet Allie. Another commission done! Albeit a tad behind schedule thanks to a lovely surprise from Tim which included spending precious time away from the easel. Combine that with a touch of the flu a few days before and we've got drama. I hate drama. I hate disappointing anyone, especially clients. Heavy sigh.

GOLF DATE

2011-04-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

18x24" oil on canvas
SOLD

Another commission done! I'm a tad proud of my productivity if I don't say so myself. Back to work. Thanks for stopping by.

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE April

2011-04-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

One Duck in 7 to 15 or 16.5 Strokes
10x10" oil on canvas

Well, it is a challenge after all isn't it? Little Suzanne was not happy about this particular one I can tell you. Robin Cheers, whose brilliant paint strokes I covet, came up with this beast of a challenge. I'd like to say thank you Robin, but I'm still on the mend from this morning's trauma.

The challenge was to create a painting in 7 to 15 strokes of the brush. Seems simple enough. Behind in my work as usual, I arrogantly thought I could do this in minutes so of course, again, I started at the last minute yesterday. After abusing 4 good canvases, I decided to switch to paper until I got the jist of the exercise. Ten pages later, with one swift melodramatic sweep of her arm, everything on the table went crashing to the floor to the strain of some extraordinarily excessive expletives. I stepped back and watched Little Suzie carry on about scribbling with a brush and not posting something she'd be ashamed of... yada, yada, yada. She eventually took to her bed, spent from the tirade, while I was left to pick up the pieces. I tried to assuage her bruised ego by assuring her she'd come up with something by morning.

The above is the result. Not thrilled, but at least relieved the object was at least recognizable, Little Suzanne finally granted permission to post, but only after promising to have a word with Robin and the rest of the group about avoiding any challenge that even hinted at attempting to pry her loose from the safety and familiarity of complacency.

Enjoy:

“7 Stroke to Place”
13x9” oil on canvas
© Vicki Ross
http://www.vickiandrandyrossart.blogspot.com/

“7 Stroke to Apple”
4x5” oil on canvas
© 2011 Diana Moses Botkin
http://dianamosesbotkin.blogspot.com/

TOUCHDOWN!

2011-04-10T11:19:00.000-07:00

TOUCHDOWN!
36" x 24" (91.5cm x 61.0cm)
oil on canvas
SOLD

I think the bees are a tad more fuzzy and cuddly, disregarding the stinger of course, but for some reason, I suddenly find myself smitten with wasps at the present. We have a family of these critters living underground by the patio on our back yard. Since the day I saw one fly...make that lumber... by, looking a bit like a small bird in a bumblebee suit, we thought it best if we just left them alone. We are however planning to keep a close watch on the pups, wouldn't want one of them picked up and carried off.

STILL GOING...

2011-04-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

24x36" oil on canvas
in progress

It's been a while since I posted this in progress and then put it away. This past week, each time I passed it in the storeroom, I felt excitement at the prospect of working on it. I usually need a building to fall on my head, but I took this as a sign and guess what I did? I worked on it. And, oddly enough, this is the first painting that I have felt really intimately involved with.

I know that sounds rather silly, but usually I'm trying to match color values and temperatures or get a likeness. And I am, but I'm also self editing the reference to create a more interesting composition. And as I progress, it's obvious that the real exhibit is the visitor and that amazing outfit she's wearing. Whatever is on the walls pales in comparison to the figure watching it.

And so, I'm left pondering a name for this painting that says just that. I don't have too much left to complete and I must say that the background isn't nearly as exciting to do as the figure, but I'm going to keep working on it until it excites me as much as the figure does. We'll see.

MAN DOWN 2

2011-03-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

8x24" oil on canvas
SOLD

A finished commission! Happily a client requested a smaller and similarly composed painting of the original Man Down. It was a fun revisiting these critters.

LINEUP

2011-03-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

LINEUP
46" x 15" (116.9cm x 38.1cm)
oil on canvas
$1,500 plus $25.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Double dippin' again. Actually, triple dippin' in this painting's case. I've committed to 2 paintings a week minimum, which by daily painting standards ain't all that, but my rationalization is that I'm using larger canvasses. And, I'm working on two commissions right now and even if they were done, posting before they are gifted to the intended giftees wouldn't be prudent so meet the line-up. Again.

Enjoy the weekend and thank you again for dropping by.

LICENSE AND REGISTRATION SIR!

2011-03-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

LICENSE AND REGISTRATION SIR
11" x 14" (28.0cm x 35.6cm)
graphite on paper
$95 plus $10.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Methinks this might have been the expression himself wore last week when he was forcibly invited to attend a speed trap party by the nice police officer waving the big red stop sign in his face. There were at least 15 unhappy attendees at this particular soiree and I imagine a good time was not had by all!

As for the drawing...Tim found an artist online that we had no knowledge of. His name was Nicolai Fechin and his drawings took our breath away! Literally. Google him if you dare and hold on tight. In my humble opinion, Sargent was the best I'd ever seen. Apparently I was wrong. Ever since digesting his work, all I want to do is draw! The man had mad skills.

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE March

2011-03-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

SUNNYSIDE UP
20" x 16" (50.8cm x 40.7cm)
oil on board
$450 plus $15.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

It's that time again! This month, our challenge, chosen by Ruth Andre, was to paint an image on a black background. I love black backgrounds. They're dramatic, really showcase the image and are incredibly simple to do.

Enjoy:

HOLDING PATTERN

2011-03-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

SOLD

Just waitin' for clearance from the tower.

I painted this critter before but much smaller as a daily. It was fun taking my time on a much larger scale. There is a distinctive difference between a wasp and a bee I wasn't aware of. I thought if you had a yellow and black stripped bum you were a bee. Who knew?

CLIFF

2011-03-08T11:29:00.000-08:00

16x20" oil on canvas
SOLD

Say hello to Cliff. A just completed commission, the portrait is a gift to Cliff's owner who is heartbroken over his recent passing. Such an amazingly beautiful beast and so very sad that he is no longer with us.

The passing of a pet is made all the more heartbreaking by the concept that he or she was just that...a pet. An animal. Everyone is different and handles grief the way that works best for them but for me, losing a pet is like losing a family member. Period. My heartfelt condolences to Cliff's family. He was stunning and I know he'll be missed.

We had a big wind come through the other night and knock down a new section of our stockade fence. I let the boys out after breakfast for their toilette and went to put a load of laundry in. I'm a worry-wart and usually check the fences before letting them out in the backyard, but this morning for some reason I didn't. When I got the washer started I went to the back door to check on them and didn't see them. Figuring they were around the side of the house I went to make sure and saw the fallen section of fence and discovered, to my horror, they were gone!

I was frantic, screaming for Tim, running through the house and out the front door calling their names. We live on a fairly busy street, it was the beginning of rush hour and there was a lot of traffic going by. My neighbor must have heard me because she was out and coaxing Raz from the street. He saw me and ran over. Scooping him up, I was scanning the yards and streets for Blu, when my neighbor pointed him out, three houses over on the front lawn. Thankfully the traffic seemed to have disappeared as he crossed the streets safely when I called him. Happily behind the front door with our two bundles of love, I collapsed in a heap as they jumped all over me, snorting and showering me with kisses. I am so grateful they were alright.

I will be checking the fence, constantly, from this point on.

MALE 3

2011-03-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

MALE 3
36" x 24" (91.5cm x 61.0cm)
oil on canvas
$2,000 plus $25.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

I think it's done. Still not sure. So much fun playing with that hair. I'll let it soak and see.
Enjoy the weekend and thank you so much for stopping by.

MORNING WAVES

2011-03-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

MORNING WAVES
36" x 24" (91.5cm x 61.0cm)
oil on canvas
$1,500 plus $25.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Peaceful, soothing and joyful. These are good emotions. I like feeling good. Toward that end, I see more of these, some perhaps even larger, in my future. This was just pure fun to work on.

The shapes and folds, attained simply by mushing the sheet about by hand, begin to take on their own identity. Some start vaguely resembling the human form and then morph into the petals of a flower, an outstretched arm, a head of lettuce or a stack of paper. The possibilities seem endless. I'm very happy.

JENNY

2011-02-25T08:50:00.000-08:00

24x36" oil on canvas
NFS

Busy working but feelin the need to post, or re-post in this case, this lovely young lady is Tim's cousin, Jenny. I posted this in my very first shaky weeks of blogging back in '08 but the painting itself was done at least five years before then. I hadn't been working at home at all on art at that time. Exhausted and fried at the end of the day creating campaigns and ads for the newspaper, the last thing I wanted to do when we arrived home was work. I thought I'd seen the last of personal creativity. However, the addition of a new colleague, in our department at work, became the catalyst for reigniting a creative desire I hadn't felt in years.

Young, passionate and gifted, the new employee returned one day from lunch loaded down with canvas stretchers, tubes of paint, brushes and rolls of canvas. I was instantly smitten and I decided I wanted to get to know her better. Our new friendship eventually resulted in the formation of my very first art club. We'd meet once a month, at our respective homes, to present whatever we had worked on. We were responsible for one creation per month for the year, the rules stipulating a fine of $50 would be levied each time you arrived empty handed. The club consisted of only Tim, myself and our new friend but it was incredibly inspiring and lots of fun. The meetings eventually morphed into what could be called parties and eventually died out altogether, as did our friendship unfortunately, but I credit the time I spent painting for the club to be invaluable as a stepping stone toward the work I do today.

So, thank you Patty.

LADY IN RED TOO

2011-02-17T13:00:00.000-08:00

LADY IN RED TOO
36" x 24" (91.5cm x 61.0cm)
oil on canvas
$650 plus $25.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

Buggin' again!

What is it about the lady in red? So not threatening, so sweet, so beautifully dressed. And classy. Not too overstated. The perfect amount of spots and adornment. What can one say? She's hot!

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE February

2011-02-15T09:21:00.000-08:00

BIG RED
24" x 24" (61.0cm x 61.0cm)
oil on canvas
$550 plus $15.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

"Why don't you just throw out the shoes and use the boxes?" Poor Pop. Big Wal just couldn't help himself. He'd make that comment every time I got a new pair of shoes and being the dutiful daughter I was, I always laughed heartily for him. (I took the starch out of his imposing parental mystique by calling him Big Wally.) He was tall and sometimes very dark and very angry, however, being his only daughter, I somehow got away with my somewhat casual nickname.

Digressing. Back to the shoes. As an adolescent, each time they bought me shoes, my feet were growing at such an alarming rate, Big Wal surmised the boxes might prove to be a better fit, not to mention providing a much needed rest for his weary wallet. My feet, however, finally did stop growing, at size 10, much to everyone's relief. I thought it was neat. I was 10 and so were my feet, although I was haunted by the possibility of their size matching my age with each approaching birthday. But, happily, I had recently read a article listing the shoe sizes of various and sundry celebrities and I was, I reckoned, in very good company.

Of course, now, as we all know, being a, shall we say, somewhat mature adult, my feet have begun growing again. I have no comment on their present size.

"Paint your chucks!" was Diana's rally cry for this month's challenge. Wonderful subjects! Thank you Ms. Botkin! My only problem was finding mine. It was years ago. I'd just seen Rainman and thought Tom Cruise's squeeze in the movie was adorably sexy in her high top sneakers. I bought them but somehow adorably sexy didn't translate. I looked like a suburban woman in a pair of red sneakers. I was undaunted and happily, I still love me some high tops.

Not wanting to tempt fate and get an early start, I painted my canvas black this past Sunday evening, turned up the heat downstairs and closed it off in the hottest room in the house with my 20th Century Fox wind machine, cleverly disguised as a fan, keeping the air briskly circulating about the wet surface. And subsequently, when I began painting the next day, I had so little time to complete it before forwarding it on to my challenge mates, I was forced to paint rather quickly. This was a good thing. I began to see the difference between rendering and creating...again. Still haunted by the belief that chops make the artist, I again got a much needed glimpse into the process of the artist I long to be. I plan to make much need visits to that vision as often as I possibly can. And yes, I know, you've heard that all before. Baby steps.

And now, without further prattling, savor these sneakers.....

MALE 3 in progress

2011-02-08T14:48:00.000-08:00

24x36"
oil on canvas
in progress

Himself has decreed this painting finished. As usual, I disagree. So, I'm going to post it and then finish it and we'll see. It's not so much that I need to be right....I'll believe that if you will...it's more my never ending trek away from fear and toward that luminous lovely light at the end of that proverbial art tunnel I've longingly labeled spontaneity. What?

I want to think about each stroke of the brush and give it meaning. I find I'm still bringing brush to canvas, hoping what I leave there will work. Staying in the moment is very important. The more I stay in the moment while I work, the easier it will be to do that when I'm not. I'm going to pay attention to every stroke, every temperature change, every value change, and the shape of every shadow and highlight. Where am I rushing to?

I'm looking forward to finishing this.

I remember a long time ago, after trial husband left, deciding it would be an amazing adventure to be married to an artist. I can now say, unequivocally, I was soooo right. Tim's insight and support has been invaluable and it's time for a great big juicy thank you! Despite all my whining and disagreeing, he's usually right about what I can't seem to see and I am beyond grateful for his input. And his presence. Happy Heart Day dude.

COOPER

2011-02-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

16x20" oil on canvas
private collection.

And this is Cooper. Again many thanks to yet another patient owner.

Working on another 24x36" portrait, "male 3" I guess this one will be. Very excited about it, but of course himself as deemed it done and I'm nowhere near where he's coming from. We'll see.

TOBE

2011-02-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

16x20"
oil on canvas
private collection

Meet Tobe! And many thanks to a very patient owner.

MARIA

2011-01-31T14:19:00.000-08:00

24x36" oil on canvas
private collection

This is Maria, the leader of our art group and wife of Eric. I hesitated to post this portrait as I don't think I captured Maria's spirit at all. I was going for the same light, limited palette feel of Eric's portrait, but somehow it just didn't happen. I really labored over this, put it away for several weeks and reworked it, but it's just not a love connection, at all.

I told myself I would post a painting even if I was uncomfortable with it so I am. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

A WEEKEND WITH FAMILY

2011-01-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

This is our niece Claire. We just returned from spending a wonderful weekend with her and her mommy and daddy. It was incredibly cold but we were all snug, with our two pugs, wrapped tightly in a rug. Not really. It rhymed. But, we were snug and we did have the two pugs. We've been out of touch so it was an incredible time getting to know this little one. I brought my camera and took not one snap! Putz!

I had planned to paint this snap of Claire instead of the painting I did do of her with her baseball cap on backward. I mistakenly identified said cap as her dad's. It wasn't as she so gently informed me.

This lovely child with the ginger hair is quite the character. You know when you realize that small children know so much more than grown adults about certain subjects and they just say something that leaves you with your mouth agape? That happened. A lot. And, after one particularly insightful pearl, she launched into a perfectly pitched rendition of Happy Birthday.

Himself, now dubbed a very proud and adoring Uncle Tim and moi, heretofore known as Auntie Suzanne, the painter lady for art, had the most wonderful time. It was a very good thing to feel good with family again.

And the boys enjoyed the trip as well, although Blu gets car sick. Claire is a little unsure of the jumping Pugs but she really likes them. This is sounding a bit like "what I did on my vacation" so....

back to work!

ERIC

2011-01-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

24x36" oil on canvas
private collection

This is Eric, also a member of the art group himself and I are happily a part of. I took a bunch of shots of the group members and have collected so many possible painting possibilities.

With this portrait I decided to limit my palette—that took quite a while—and see what happened. I used cadmium red, white, black and a bit of ultramarine blue.

DIANE

2011-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

16x20" oil on canvas private collection

Meet Diane. She is a partner in dighoarts, a custom design firm and guiding member of the art club himself and I belong to. I was fortunate enough to pick Diane's name out of the hat passed around for our year end portrait project. I decided to paint her on a primed raw canvas with a predominately blue/magenta palette. Happily she was pleased with the results.

We had a lovely meal comprised of member prepared dishes followed by an unveiling of each portrait this past Sunday.

It was a delightful evening, made special by great tasting vittles, the Jets' victory and really incredible works of art. Ranging from representational realism to abstract concepts, the works were a wonderful conclusion to a very creative and exciting year.

FLY ONE

2011-01-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

24x36 oil on canvas
SOLD

Buggin again! So much fun to paint, however I would suggest, for the purposes of this painting being attractive enough to enjoy, that we put aside our knowledge of where these puppies land and what they do when they get there and just try hard focus on the lovely array of color on it's back.

Try. Try really hard. I am. Ick!

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE January

2011-01-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

SOLD

It's that time again, and in a new year! I'm ranted out regarding time flying by, so Iet's just move on shall we?

This months' challenge was to paint whatever we wanted to, but it must begin with the letters—pi and it was given to us by Sharman Owings. Very cool.

I can relate to the little Piggy I chose to paint on so many levels, the most obvious being the internal and external aspect of his round pinkness. Save more money, spend more calories. Enough said. As a new friend is fond of saying...Gak!

Please enjoy the group response to the "pi" challenge.....

METAMORPHOSIS

2011-01-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

24x24" oil on canvas
SOLD

Ok, take a deep breath Suz. I'm feel like I'm at the first dance recital I never had. This obviously isn't in my usual style or subject matter so, clearly I'm very uncomfortable.

I'm fortunate to be part of 100 plus women from around the world exhibiting works in International Women Celebrate!, the 100 Woman Art Exhibit at AyrSpace Gallery in Canada. The works are the artists response to IWC.

A new friend and very gifted artist Nicki Ault was kind enough to suggest my name and I became part of the exhibit soon thereafter. Thank you so much Nicki for the suggestion and the emotional support. You can see Nicki's incredible work at her blog: http://nickiault.blogspot.com/.

We were asked to include a narrative of our work with submission of the piece, so I guess I'll include that here...

My journey through life as a female has been incredibly illuminating. I’ve grown from a position of feeling hopelessly dependent to a place of feeling joyously liberated, creatively alive and deeply grateful. And, oddly enough, in looking back, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My response to International Women Celebrate is one of metamorphosis in keeping with my own experience as a woman. A time spent in deep confusion gave way to a time of spiritual cocooning and finally liberating freedom. My power is now my own to lose and my wings are weak still, but I envision taking flight any day now.

Well, there you have it. Of course I'm riddled with self-doubt, don't think it's nearly good enough or thought through. I'd like to use the excuse of only having 3 days to complete it due to a full schedule, personal mishaps like not keeping up with the requirements and a cold from hell. It's a beginning. At least I stepped out of my comfort zone.

That said, I'm feeling much better and can't wait to see what everyone has been up to.

BREAD

2011-01-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

18x24" pastel on canson paper
NFS

Another painting from the past. I'm closing in on a very tight deadline right now, working on a painting for International Women Celebrate! I joined the group late, started my painting late and just hope I can get 'r done by tomorrow, the deadline for electronic and narrative submission. If you are interested in learning more about the project, the blog address is: http://iwcelebrate.blogspot.com/

Anyway this is a pastel, from back in the day when I worked exclusively in that medium. I couldn't sell this because it was done from an incredible photograph taken from a Pottery Barn catalog. At that time, I was so insecure it never occurred to me that I could set up paint my own still life, so I would scour catalogs etc. for photos to paint from.

I was seeing a therapist at the time, finding my way out of fear and dependence. She was adamant that I continue painting and even suggested that I set up my own compositions and take my own reference photos. A revelation! Seems so obvious now, but I was more than a little confused back in the day and rarely if ever thought beyond my own self-imposed limits. The results of that advice were very satisfying. I'll look for some snaps to post.

I was so thrilled with the therapist's interest in my work that I offered her a choice of paintings that resulted from her guidance and advice as a gift when our time together came to an end. She chose this one. I so didn't want to let it go, but I knew I could never sell it since it wasn't my composition, so reluctantly, I let it go.

Her parting words to me were in the form of a dire warning that I should continue painting and not stop, because if I did, I might never start again. I ignored her advice, stopped and subsequently didn't work for the next fifteen years. I used to regret that lost time but I now believe that what we choose to do has to be the right thing simply because we chose to do it. It's not like you can go back and see what the results would have been if we'd made another choice. During that time I worked as a graphic designer, learned valuable lessons in design, used computer programs that are an integral part of my work today and met himself.

And now, I'm painting again. I wonder where she is?

STEPHEN

2010-12-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

18x24 pastel on canson paper
Private Collection

A painting from my past! I found a snapshot of this painting yesterday and was thrilled. I thought I'd never see it again. It was done waaay back in the day, but I'm not sure exactly when, although the feathered bi-level cut screams the eighties. The shot was a tad out of focus, sorry 'bout that.

I think about working in pastels again but I'm just beginning to get comfy with oil. Maybe someday. I like the coverage of oil but the preciseness of pastel if that makes any sense.

Anyway, I'm silly busy and haven't had the time to stop by and see what everyone is up to. And I'll be catching up on thanking everyone who stopped by and left a comment, so please don't think me rude.

MALE 2

2010-12-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

24x36" oil on canvas
SOLD

This isn't the finished portrait, as I worked on it right down to the wire. The client picked it up after family festivities late Christmas Eve to present to his wife and mother of the subject on Christmas morning.

I'm really beginning to feel more comfortable with the larger format canvas with regard to facial features, brushstrokes, color and value transition. It feels as though a concept is beginning to form. I think I'm looking for the feeling that we, the audience, are watching through a window to the stark white canvas, on which we are all in the process of painting our lives. Every so often, a subject walks by and sees us watching. He or she then steps closer to the window to look back at us. The expression, stance and demeanor of the watched subject give us a quick glimpse into a moment in his or her life and we are open to surmise the details as we choose. If i can hear the echo of the footsteps taken to reach my voyeuristic position, I've succeeded in reaching my goal.

A goal that is still quite hazy but a goal nonetheless. It's a slippery slope...how do I take my work more seriously while at the same time smile, non-judgmentally and compassionately, at my need to impress and succeed?

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2010-12-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

NFDP

Tis the season. Again. I've been waiting for something insightful to show up. Been waiting for days now. Nothing. I'm taking it as a sign. No list of emotional, creative or life changing epiphanies this year. No! This year I think the silence from command central can mean only one thing. Listen! I should listen much more than I speak.

And I think the silence also means that striving to be kind, quiet, gentle and compassionate with myself and everyone I come in contact with or even think about might also be a good idea.

I hope everyone had and is having a wonderful day, whether you are observing that very special birthday party or not. And I hope that the new year brings joy, success, good health, new friends, creativity and peace to everyone.

Thank you to everyone who stops by, your comments are a huge part of my process and I appreciate your kind words so very much.

Sleep tight, good night, good health, peace and joy.

REINCARNATED?

2010-12-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Tim Berry and Great Great Grandfather, John McClelland
NFDP

I just had to post this comparison photo I put together. This is himself, circa 1992, juxtaposed against a photo of his great, great grandfather John. The family is putting together a beautiful bound book of its history and when Tim's aunt saw this likeness she sent it along to show us. We were stunned! And Tim's brother, Conor, looks even more like his great, great than Tim does!

Spooky no?

MOSES BOTKIN CHALLENGE December

2010-12-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

GOOD, BAD OR INDIFFERENT
30" x 10" (76.2cm x 25.4cm)
oil on canvas
$200 plus $15.95 shipping and handling in the US
E-mail me for International shipping rates or other inquiries.

I have no one to blame but myself. The theme this month is entirely my responsibility, and I thought I had this one in the bag...oooo...I could have used that! Anyway, we were to paint our favorite cliche, game or phrase. I even bought this neat reference book of cliches and still managed to be stumped. Possibly because, instead of conceptualizing for the challenge, I stayed up late night painting bugs. Fortunately or unfortunately, I ran out of the larger canvases—they're on back order—so I guess for now, that train has pulled into the station. Another cliche!

And when I did finally decide what I was doing, in hindsight, I noticed that the expressions read—"indifferent, bad or good," instead of "good, bad or indifferent!" Oh well. I really enjoyed doing the floating faces with oil instead of graphite...is it really that uncool to call it pencil? The shadows were infinitely easier and much more fun to do. Floating faces...larger canvas...hmmm? Yes, I know, my floating faces challenge failed to garner the crowd I was hoping for so, it's on the back burner. Yet, another cliche!

A word about an artist that I've admired and found, recently, much to my horror, that I hadn't added her blog link to my list! I always enjoy a visit to Kelley MacDonald's blog and I'm sure you will too! Toward that end, I've added her link to my list. I covet her spontaneity and brushwork and am particularly in love with her paintings of jelly donuts! And thank you Kelley for your kind words!

Feast on the group paintings for this month's challenge:

“DoubleMint Twins at the Paris Metro”
12x6” oil on panel
©2010 Vicki Ross
http://www.vickiandrandyrossart.blogspot.com/