Chinatown Market

16x12 oil on linen

Available at Loretta Goodwin Gallery

You got a glimpse of this painting below on one of the pages of the book. It was a really busy painting... and I worked on it for a couple of days. As usual, I didn't like having to work on it a long time and felt like it got bogged down and heavy. But after some time away and looking at it with fresh eyes, I really liked the results. Working "bigger" is definitely out of my comfort zone. I am finding that I have a very small comfort zone. ;-)

Farm to Market

12x9 oil on canvas panel

Gallery info to come.

Another look at this lady harvesting lettuce at Boggy Creek Farm. She would pick them and take them up to the market stand to sell. Can't get much more fresh than that. I bought some, and it was delicious. Boggy Creek has market days Wed. and Sat. mornings in East Austin.

The title refers to many of our road names here in Central Texas. FM1431 or some such is a road that led from the outlying rural areas into town.

I'm adding "pages" to my blog so you can see what is available at each of my galleries and contact them if you are interested in any of my artwork. Its taking me a little time to update, but its on the right column.

Restocking

12x9 oil on panel

Ask Studio 47 about this painting.

Another grocery scene. Another great frame from Glaser Frames. Today I shipped 3 more paintings to Vermont and can't believe its for the opening this weekend! I think I can finally relax now. And just think about what to wear.

Greens Keeper

8x6 oil on panel

Ask Studio 47 about this painting.

This subject began to intrigue me during a trip to Whole Foods with my daughter's Daisy troop. We had a little tour through the market and as I looked around, I just fell in love with the bright colors and contrasts in the grocery. There was something about the strange florescent lighting too. I've done several grocery store scenes for this show. Below I've included a photo with it framed. Its in a gorgeous handmade, hand-finished, 3 1/2" pale gold frame. Really beautiful!

Last of the Lettuce

6x8 oil on panel

Ask Castle Gallery about this painting.

I totally forgot about this painting! I did a couple of new things to send off for a summer show opening in Indiana earlier in the month. This was one. These are a couple of ladies working at Boggy Creek Farm cutting some of the last of the red leaf lettuce. I bought some that day. Along with fresh beets and a couple of other things. No one here likes beets except for me. They were yummy. The contrast of that brilliant purpley-red and bright spring green in this scene was too good to pass up.

Produce Stand

11x14 oil on panel

This is the one I've stewed over for a week. I had done the gray scale version of this in order to figure out the values. The majority of it being in shade threw me apparently. I know that I respond to and am inspired by strong contrasts of light and dark, but this scene really struck me with the backlighting and softer, subdued foreground. And I knew it could work, I just had to get what I envisioned out of my head and through my brush. And man, did it feel great!

I struggled last week with time... always something lately interrupting my studio time. The week before, I was struggling with brushwork ... trying to define too much, paintings looked like patchwork quilts. It all came together in this.

I actually went on to paint two more lovely paintings yesterday (if I do say so myself!) And one today. Hopefully the weekend will not disrupt my new-found creative spark. We have just one week of school left now too - so I have to be busy next week! I wanted to have all my work done for the show in July so I could just focus on framing and such, but dragging my feet the last two weeks has put me behind. My daughter very kindly says she will let me paint. We shall see how that works out. She doesn't have a camp set up until mid-June and then later in the month, we are off to Florida. I look forward to posting all my show paintings leading up to the opening in Vermont. Sprinkled in with some Florida beach scenery. Ah, summertime!

Village Market

8x10 oil on linen

I'm still playing and experimenting. I'm trying a few new colors. Playing with shadows and light and values. I've been reading Kevin Macpherson's book Landscape Painting Inside and Out. He has some really interesting exercises in there that I am also going to try, even if its not landscape painting.
This scene is from a farmers market in the West Village a couple of years ago. I bought the most delicious peaches there. Who knew!? I thought Georgia was the peach state, but there is a rival in New Jersey for sure.

Monthly Challenge Group

a page from my sketchbook

EGGPLANT!
What a fun idea. Definitely a challenge. And I had ideas... but ran out of time. So my contribution is a sketch of a farmer's market in the West Village. There on the table, see the eggplants! Really!
Ok - I did this tonight. Late. Yes, I sketched from a photo. And it was very fun and so relaxing.
But let us see everyone else's wonderful interpretations!


It's Just A Big Ole Eggplant - 14x10
(c)2009 Dianne Mize

Eggplants - 8x10 oil/canvas
(c)2009 Silvina Day



Eggplant - 6x6 Oil on Board
(c)2009 Mike Naples



Eggplant? -11x14 oil on gessoed panel
©2009 Vicki Ross

Huddled Eggplants - 11x14 oil on canvas

(c)2009 Marie Fox

Attack on the Eggplant - Oil 6x8

(c)2009 Diana Moses Botkin