Coffee Break

6x6 oil on panel
$100 + $10 s/h via Paypal - sold
I really did not think I could pull this off... it was so involved for such a small space. But I think it ultimately worked out well once I determined to work through the ugly phase.

Bestseller

7x5 oil on clayboard - sold

Another in my coffee shop series. This is in Borders cafe - a great place to relax and leaf through magazines or dive into the latest bestseller.

Coffee With a Friend

7x5 oil on clayboard - sold

Friends in a coffee shop. This was from my sketching day at Starbucks last week? I can't remember... that was before this morning! Anyway, I think I will continue this theme with the other sketches this week. Stay tuned!

Lady Writer - Blue Mood

5x7 oil on panel

$100 + $10 s/h via Paypal

Lady Writer

7x5 oil on board - sold

This lady was sitting in such a perfect spot. It was fun to paint so I did it again, in a different set of colors. I will post that tomorrow. Below are examples of how I planned this painting. I rarely do a grayscale painting, but often do thumbnails. Today I was really concentrating on color and values which is why I tried this scene in another color composition. Check back tomorrow to see it!

Sweet Thing

12x8 oil on panel - nfs
My daughter in her tea dress. This was my husband's birthday gift.

Comfort Zone

5x7 oil on board - sold
I was in a summer mood today - even winter in Texas feels too long for me! I feel badly for the people in the midwest. Hopefully the sun will be shining down on all today.

Grand Dining Room

12x12 oil on panel
One of several special dining rooms in the Driskill hotel. I felt lucky to see it ready laid for an event. The glowing lamps and plush carpet gave the room a very dignified and quiet feel. I would have enjoyed dinner in here very much. But who I really picture dining here are oil and cattle barons with their big cigars and whiskeys.

Sketches

And now, for something completely different. I do not ever watercolor. And this is by no means true to the art... just some sketches I was playing with today. I took a break from my real work today because I'm in a rut of sorts and wanted to try something new. First, I went to the nearby Starbucks and sat in there with my sketchbook. Those were just ink gesture drawings but I enjoyed the practice (and the hot cocoa). And then I came home and thought I'd try some ink sketches with color... sort of like a friend of mine, Terri Wells, creates...do check out her work. MY "watercolors" are my daughter's little plastic trays... so that explains the colors. But I worked on compositions here that I want to paint in oils. So it was good practice and a nice change. These were done while I watched a Ken Auster DVD which was brilliant. According to him, not liking your own work is a sign that you are growing. Your eye is becoming more refined but it takes awhile for your hand to catch on. So my "rut" is perhaps a good thing! lol

Lunch Crowd at Jo's

5x7 oil on clayboard
$100 + $10 s/h via Paypal - sold
I've wanted to tackle this kind of silhouette image for awhile and really enjoyed the outcome. This is in Jo's Coffeehouse/restaurant on second street. The windows are framed with green and that, coupled with the trees outside, lend rather a yellow-green light to the front interior, the light reflects nicely off the aluminum countertop too. I like the casualness with which people wait for their orders to come up. I suppose if you're waiting for a good cup of coffee, its a pleasure.(note: as usual, the digital representation does not do justice to the actual painting)

Out to Lunch

7x5, oil on clayboard

$100 + $10 s/h via Paypal - sold

I spotted this woman heading into the Littlefield building and I loved her skirt and the light playing on the brass doors.

Love At First Sight

12x12 oil on gessoboard

This painting is based on a small one I posted here awhile ago. It is for an auction benefiting the Lutheran Social Services "New Life" home for girls. The benefit is Feb. 17th at Barton Creek Resort.

Empty Tables

7x5 oil on clayboard
$100 + $10 s/h via Paypal - sold
This is a favorite painting place... Halcyon coffee house in downtown Austin. They almost always have the doors open to the sunshine and fresh air, and the interior is warm with lots of woods and yellow walls. This is from the back looking towards the open doors where the cooler light of morning is coming in.

Figure Sketches

20 minute poses - 6x8's - oil on panel
I went to a figure session yesterday and did these two paintings. I decided to just focus on the faces rather than the whole pose. For those who are not artists or do not go to figure drawing sessions there is typically a period of warm ups where we draw quick 5 min. sketches and the model changes poses for each. After warming up, the model poses in longer periods which last up to an hour or even more in some sessions. Sometimes the model will assume the same pose at another session so artists can continue work on larger, more involved paintings. Its so nice to have facilities where artists can get together and share a model like this. And this session works out with my daughter's schedule, so I will be going again.

Table for Two

7x5 oil on clayboard
$100 + $10 s/h via Paypal - sold

This is a scene from Reed's Jazz and Supper Club in Austin. I love the warmth of the red walls and curtains with the tiny little table lights casting a glow all around. It was early yet in the evening and most of the tables were empty. I am working on a larger and more complicated scene from the restaurant and this "sketch" helps me work out composition and color.

One Thing Invariably Leads to Another

Hello all - I updated my google groups email recently and naturally had broken links from this blog which I overlooked. Thanks to a friend who wanted to sign up for the weekly emails and alerted me, I've fixed the links and the sign up process works again.
If you tried to sign up and got a message that the group did not exist, do try again.
Thanks! Robin

Sweetish Hill Bakery

7x5, oil on clayboard
$100 + $10 s/h via Paypal - sold

Three for Tea

7x5, oil on clayboard
$100 via PayPal/$10 shipping/insurance - sold
This little scene is in an old house converted into a tea room in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The room is full of light from large windows on two walls, but the light was very cool and I have discovered that I can't paint cool light very well. I painted this scene four times until I was satisfied with what you see here. Naturally, my digital camera does not quite do it justice. Once again, its the yellow/blue factor.

Art & Music

I wonder if all artists listen to music while painting? I suppose some might like quiet, but I prefer music and it really varies a lot what I choose. Sometimes I just leave it on a sort of "mix" radio station but rapidly tire of commercials. We have a really great NPR here - kut.org - and the morning host, John Aiely, (whose name I am sure I just butchered) plays a really ecclectic mix and frequently has sort of themed days. Say its summer and we've had a rain finally, he can find some of the most interesting and strange references to rain and play them.
Some music/songwriters create works that bring to mind all kinds of imagery. My current favorite is a new CD I just got by KT Tunstall - the one with "Big Black Horse and the Cherry Tree". Now that title alone brings forth some great images. I find that most of the music I like creates a great deal of visiual imagery and tells stories. I am an avid reader and a wanna-be author and enjoy being transported into other places. And I think that is why my latest works are so frequently of the perfect sort of reading nooks. Could be a latent desire to escape from a pretty hectic life, too, but we'll leave that to the psychologists out there to figure. Maybe someone who will write an essay on my life when I am dead (something I absolutely forbid btw). But who can resist a quiet corner to sit and catch their breath?
Last night in bed I was listening to my headphones to the classical station and they played Rachmaninoff's piano concerto #3. Needless to say, it took me an hour to calm down. Its an absolutely incredible piece and I have had days where its on in the studio and my brush is nearly out of control gesturing along with the cresendos and rapidly changing tempos. Other things often heard in my studio: Jamie Cullen, Mark Knopfler, The Blue Nile, John Scofield, any classic jazz, The Waterboys, WinterHours, Bowie, Sarah McLachlan, Joni Mitchell, Schumann, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, etc. etc.
Other selections might include the Backyardigans if my daughter is keeping me company.

Warm Welcome

7x5 oil on clayboard - sold
This is the entryway at Laguna Gloria, a part of the Austin Museum of Art. The home belonged to Clara Driscoll and sits in a lovely spot overlooking Town Lake. The grounds house the AMOA school. In this scene, the bright windows beyond the cool, dimly lit foyer beckon one to enter. More to come from here!

New Year's Plans
I think I am back on track to at least doing one small painting a week for posting/sale. I am actually doing more artwork - but I very much want to find some more gallery representation in another state and am building up more larger works in order to hopefully send some out. So keep in touch, sign up for email and look for me to post Sunday/Monday for awhile.
I also have a benefit auction I am painting for - Make a Difference 2007 for the Lutheran Social Services girls' home, New Life. Its a great charity and I am going to have 2-3 pieces donated for auction.
I want to express my very heartfelt thanks to those who have taken interest in my work. While I might not be burning up the blogs and ebay with auctions, I am really pleased with my growth in recent months. I've reached a much larger audience than I ever had before and am a part of a much larger community of artists.