First Chair

7x5 water soluble graphite original sketch

greeting card

$30 + $5 sh

Last night was our open studio event and it was a lovely evening. Better, I think, than if I had it at my home studio (which really is much too messy to allow people to safely enter!) With V.... there it was more relaxed and - well, just like our regular meetings but with more people!

It's so nice to meet new people and share my art with them. Thank you to all who came by!

So there are still some original sketch greeting cards available - and I love doing these so much that I will continue to create more and offer them either on ETSY or my own website (store is in the works maybe - more on that later. So many ideas and options!) ack!

Dominick the Donkey

5x7 water soluble graphite on paper (greeting card)
$30 + $5 sh

One of many small original sketches available at our "open studio" event.

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Wednesday -  November 20th - 4 -8 pm

Joel's Coffee House

11301 Lakeline Blvd, Ste 120

Austin, TX 78717

***

Upcoming Events: 

• November 20: Chocolate and Chiaroscuro Event, Joel's Coffee House, Austin
• November 29: Major's Fundraising Art Sale begins 
• December 6: Small Gems show dk Gallery, Marietta, GA

Mother and Child

7x5 water soluble graphite on paper (greeting card)
$30 + $5 SH

 

One of many small original sketches available at our "open studio" event.

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V....Vaughan said on her blog yesterday that we "solve all the world's problems" over yummy chocolate and coffee/hot choc at Joel's. Maybe its not as lofty as that, but it is extremely meaningful time for me to get to unwind, to talk shop with another full time, dedicated, hard working artist, and to play with new ideas. One of my favorite new mediums is the water soluble graphite. I love to sketch. Adding water to the sketch is almost cathartic... it reminds me of this great little art "toy" I saw at a museum once - the Buddha Board. But this is permanent.

Please join us tomorrow and watch us sketch a customer or chat with us about art and life, and enjoy Joel's treats - gluten and nut free wall of choices too! - as well as delicious chocolates made by Brad/Austin Truffle Co. 

Wednesday -  November 20th - 4 -8 pm

Joel's Coffee House

11301 Lakeline Blvd, Ste 120

Austin, TX 78717

***

Upcoming Events: 

• November 20: Chocolate and Chiaroscuro Event, Joel's Coffee House, Austin
• November 29: Major's Fundraising Art Sale begins 
• December 6: Small Gems show dk Gallery, Marietta, GA

Summer Halo

8x6 oil on panel
$450 framed

Available at dk Gallery

Today I am framing and packing my small works for the December show at dk Gallery. I am excited to get to attend the opening reception this time on Friday Dec. 6. If you are in the Atlanta area, I'd love to meet you at the gallery.

Today would be a good day to be wading in Barton Springs like this little girl. I bet its packed with people and dogs playing. Its near record highs today in Austin. Though earlier this week, it was near freezing overnight. I can move my plants back outside now I think.

***

 

Upcoming Events: 

• November 20: Chocolate and Chiaroscuro Event, Joel's Coffee House, Austin
• November 29: Major's Fundraising Art Sale begins 
• December 6: Small Gems show dk Gallery, Marietta, GA

 

Conductor Card

7x5 water soluble graphite on paper (greeting card) - sold

One of many small original sketches available at our "open studio" event.

****

Please join artists Robin Cheers and V....Vaughan at their "satellite studio" for gourmet chocolate and new collections of gift sized artworks just in time for the holidays. With Joel's offering amazing artisan chocolates, locally crafted teas, fresh coffees and seasonal treats, Robin and V.... will be sketching from life. So bring YOUR LIFE, a child or pet to pose for an original sketch by the artists...a truly original gift idea. Also available are original art greeting cards and small paintings. 

Wednesday -  November 20th - 4 -8 pm

Joel's Coffee House

11301 Lakeline Blvd, Ste 120

Austin, TX 78717

***

Upcoming Events: 

• November 20: Chocolate and Chiaroscuro Event, Joel's Coffee House, Austin
• November 29: Major's Fundraising Art Sale begins 
• December 6: Small Gems show dk Gallery, Marietta, GA

Zesty

7x5 water soluble graphite on paper (greeting card)
$30 + $5 sh
 

One of many small original sketches available at our "open studio" event.

****

Please join artists Robin Cheers and V....Vaughan at their "satellite studio" for gourmet chocolate and new collections of gift sized artworks just in time for the holidays. With Joel's offering amazing artisan chocolates, locally crafted teas, fresh coffees and seasonal treats, Robin and V.... will be sketching from life. So bring YOUR LIFE, a child or pet to pose for an original sketch by the artists...a truly original gift idea. Also available are original art greeting cards and small paintings. 

Wednesday -  November 20th - 4 -8 pm

Joel's Coffee House

11301 Lakeline Blvd, Ste 120

Austin, TX 78717

***

Upcoming Events: 

• November 20: Chocolate and Chiaroscuro Event, Joel's Coffee House, Austin
• November 29: Major's Fundraising Art Sale begins 
• December 6: Small Gems show dk Gallery, Marietta, GA

 

Major Smiling

5x7 fine art card - sold

water soluble carbon 

This is one of my dogs, Major, enjoying the sunshine. He got to enjoy it today despite the cold and despite the fact that he is recovering from a very difficult surgery. Today is one week since they took out part of his intestines to remove two masses. 

He is really underweight and anemic since he was unable to eat/pass food for about a week before surgery. 

Today I had the first promising news. His blood work shows the anemia improving.  We've (I've) been nursing him and syringe feeding him and he is acting more like himself. But it will be a long recovery yet. We're loving on him lots and so grateful for all the vet care he's gotten. He's made a lot of friends who are pulling for him! 

Cards like this one are some of what V....Vaughan and I are going to offer at our "Chocolate and Chiaroscuro" open house November 20th. 

Friends who come to that event get the first opportunity to buy these fine art greeting cards. They are 5x7 watercolor cards and you can send them to a friend or that hard to buy for coworker - or keep them for yourself and put in a frame! The cards are unique, original sketches. Something I haven't offered before. 

Tyler Trumpets

A page from my sketchbook in casein

I've discovered a new medium thanks to James Gurney. I was intrigued by his use of casein in his sketches and wanted to try it. (you must look at and follow his blog!) I found a small set at a local art supply store and set to work last night. I like it a lot. For one thing, I can sit on the couch with my family in the evening and sketch. Casein paint is a water soluble medium made with milk proteins as a binder and it is permanent.

I've drawn and painted this man before so you probably recognize him. He is a very talented street musician in New Orleans. I thought of my nephew while painting this - he is a trumpet player in his high school band. Their band has had some wonderful opportunities to perform. Most recently during the Cleveland Browns football game. Unfortunately, my nephew is ill and was unable to join them. 

I still need to research casein more but I think I will like being able to sketch and develop painting ideas with it. I think I will need a couple more colors - a better red and green choice for sure. The Shiva set I bought has "Shiva" green (thalo?), an unusually bright ultramarine blue, rose red and Naples yellow as well as black and white.

Musse d'Art

 

 8x6 oil on panel

$450 framed - sold

Available at dk Gallery

Jenny and Jill Sketch

A page from my sketchbook

When I've had a few minutes to sit down lately - in between errands, chores, volunteering, dog vetting, party hostessing, decorating and undecorating, etc. - I've been sketching. Mostly with the water soluble charcoal. But after awhile, I felt that I had no finesse with it so I switched to a mechanical pencil. It may have something to do with my paper in my sketchbook as well. This is rougher than my last book... and I prefer smooth... just like my painting surfaces.

I was working from photos on the laptop this evening when I found these mules and liked their faces. I painted them awhile ago and the painting is still available at Castle Gallery.

Here is an image of the painting and the gallery's mobile site from my handy iPhone. 

All this work in grays has me craving color. I cannot allow so much other stuff (the computer/email especially!) get in the way of painting the rest of this week!

Chocolate and Chiaroscuro

Join us Wednesday, November 20th from 4-8 pm for an open "studio"
event at our satellite studio!

V....Vaughan and I frequently get together to work and talk over coffee and hot chocolate (and artisan chocolates!) at Joel's Coffee House in NW Austin. We consider it our satellite studio and are so grateful that they allow us to work there!  

This month we will have an evening reception to share some of our small works that we frequently create during our time there. We invite you to come enjoy some of Brad Payton's wonderful gourmet chocolates, visit with us, add some fine art to your collection, sit for a quick portrait sketch by one of us, and have a delicious coffee or tea. 

Both V and I enjoy working with water soluble graphite and plan to offer original art greeting cards for your holiday gift giving. We will also have some color (oil or watercolor) greeting cards and small originals. We look forward to seeing you there!

Joel's Coffee House

11301 Lakeline Blvd, Ste 120

Austin, TX 78717

512-349-9695

Wave Runner

6x6 oil on panel
$450 framed

Available at dk Gallery
  Wow my days are just flying by. I haven't had a chance to pick up a brush this week though I made some yummy and creative caramel apples this morning. Once the Halloween festivities are over, and Harvest Festival at school this weekend, I am sure things will settle down nicely. Remember those carefree days at beach not too long ago?

Exhibit Montmartre

8x8 oil on panel

Ask dk Gallery about this painting

I am packing again. This makes 3 out of 4 weekends I will be out of town this month. Its a little crazy! This weekend is a Girl Scouts camping trip and should be a lot of fun. Our weather is just beautiful now in central Texas.

Seafoam

10x8 oil on panel 
Ask dk Gallery about this painting

I'm working on some small paintings for the upcoming "Small Gems" show at dk Gallery which opens December 6th. I plan to attend that opening and am really looking forward to that visit. I'm taking my daughter because I could not go to Atlanta without her or risk her eternal disfavor! She desperately wants to visit the Georgia Aquarium - she has hopes of meeting Jeff Corwin and working there one day. 

Tis the season for small. A lot of galleries and artists turn to these tiny treasures thinking that people like to buy for holiday gift giving. What a lovely gift original fine art makes. I am painting quite a few in the hopes of offering some here, entering the 6x6" Squared show again at Randy Higbee Gallery, and putting together a little event at Joel's Coffee House where V....Vaughan and I work together so often. We owe Brad, the chocolatier extraordinaire, some payback for allowing us to use his space to paint large and small, and do some occasional teaching.

Here it is framed and ready to go!

I Feel Like a Rock star

Today I was invited to go to my daughter's school and do a demo and little talk for the entire 5th grade class (100+ kids). I had no idea what to expect and I spent most of the morning going through photos and trying to decide what to paint. Did they want to see something from start to complete finish? In 45 minutes? Or did they just want to see a start of a more complicated scene? Did they want a lesson? Something that goes along with their curriculum? I decided to do a kid on the beach - something that allows me to paint big shapes and is a single object that I could almost finish. I demonstrated working large to small, dark to light, and thick over thin. And I talked about impressionism and my style and what inspires me.

The above is a little out of focus (phone camera), but I have to say I am pretty proud of what I managed to get done. The kids were so nice and asked really good questions. I've know many of these kids since Anna started school there as a kindergartner, so it was good to have a friendly audience! With the oohs and ahhs and the round of applause, I felt like a rock star!

I will finish this up soon. I hope! When I looked around my studio today for complete paintings to take in to show, I realized I have a lot of almost done work. Time to get things ready to go to my galleries.

A Nice Surprise

8x8 oil on panel

Unfinished sketches 

Today I got the chance to meet Mike Rooney in Austin. We've known one another online only. We both have work at Tidewater Gallery in Swansboro NC  - in fact it was Mike who introduced me to them! (http://mikerooneystudios.blogspot.com/) He is here teaching a workshop and they invited me to come meet up with them at Barton Springs pool. (Thanks Anne and Diane!)

Mike creates wonderful landscapes in the Cape Cod school tradition. It was quite interesting to listen in and learn a little something new. 

While they painted a landscape/water view, I did several studies of swimmers. I think I will work on a series of these. I'll finish these and share them here soon. 

Plein air artists have lots of stories about meeting interesting onlookers while painting and today may be my most interesting to date. A young man came up and asked if he could use my cell phone to call his mother whom he hadn't talked to in several weeks. After sizing him up and asking point blank if he'd run off with it, I let him make his calls (long distance). Who could deny someone trying to reach their mom? He finally reached his dad and, as he sat next to me, I heard enough to know that he just got out of rehab and seems to be alone in the city. Since leaving the pool I've had two of his family call my number - worried about him. 

My prayers go out to them all for good things to come. Makes me wanna hug my daughter close when I see her this afternoon. 

There but for the grace of God....

No Water Crossing

12x12 oil on panel
Available at Kerrville Arts & Culture Center

Another of my paintings from the KOPE this past weekend.

This is a creek/river but it was completely dry this year. We've had more rains in Central Texas but they are spotty and while we might get an inch or 2 in town (or 5 in Pflugerville a couple of weeks ago) somewhere else might get none. And the lakes are filled from rains much farther upstream. I guess the rain hasn't been happening there as Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan are still only 33% full - combined!

The cottonwoods were just beginning to turn and placed so nicely against the limestone bluff that it provided a nice colorful scene despite the morning clouds.
I see things now that I'd change but I don't know....leave it as a sketch or make it more finished?

I tend to treat my plein air work as sketches. Some artists like to make their paintings complete and quite representational. But I strive for looseness in all my work and don't like to spend too long on one scene. The sun moves so quickly, too, that you really can't or you will be changing the work continuously. Better to start a new painting.

A lot of people don't realize this area of Texas is so hilly - the painting from yesterday is a good example. Here are some photos from the area. 

looking east Collins Ranch

West from Collins Ranch

View from Kerrville Hills Winery

Lovely Longhorn

  

Collins' Climb

16x12

Oil on panel

Third place Kerrville Outdoor Painters' Event

I was honored to win another award at the plein air event opening reception Saturday night. This painting was almost a sketch really. But that is more of how I approach plein air painting. The driveway into Collins ranch is about a mile and a half on caliche and goes up and down two crazy steep hills. I loved the view from top and bottom but finally settled on this view. It was late Thursday evening and the sun was moving fast. I started badly, wiped off and started again. My friend Terri Wells - http://www.terrimwells.com - was sitting next to me (we scrambled to catch the light and just sat in the road to work) and painted one of her amazing watercolors. 

What a fun weekend. Our judges, Joe Anna Arnett and James Asher, were lovely people. Many of our local plein air group were representing - taking 3 of the 5 awards! 

The sun didn't perform well in the mornings but was sure brilliant and putting out its strongest heat in the afternoons. A cool front came in late Saturday. We had really interesting sites again and the event staff and volunteers at the Kerrville arts center did a fantastic job!! 

Congratulations to Julie Davis on her much deserved first place!!

http://juliedavisstudio.com/

Kerrville Quick Draw

Is Paco in There?

12x9 oil on panel

I've been painting in Kerrville Texas this weekend and enjoying some spectacular hill country views. Last night was the quick draw event in historic downtown. I think I heard that 25 artists participated. 

It was hot. Very hot. And I chose a scene looking west into the sun. Not ideal but my painting worked out well. We had an hour and a half then put the paintings in frames and presented them for judging. 

I won again this year. Lucky 13, huh? Crazy! 

But I'm so honored. There are a lot of talented artists here and I saw many successful and interesting paintings! 

The title on this one refers to Paco, the owner of Francisco's restaurant. (Excellent food and lovely setting). Everyone who came by asked if I put Paco into the scene. "Where's Paco?" Would have been a good title too. 

 

This is the last day of painting and then we turn on work for the show at the arts center. Reception tonight from 6-8 pm. I better get out there! Cloudy this morning. And will be cooler thank goodness. 

Here is the setting I painted. This can't have been good for my eyes! 

Ooh - seeing that now I love the composition with the reflection in the glass!! Next time....

Plein Air Painting - Don't Fence Me In

Been pretty quite here. Well - in my art world. The rest of my life hasn't been quiet at all. I always swear I am not going to get too busy and let my calendar get too full, but its out of my control a lot of time. Since school started, its been one thing after another and this month is going to be nuts.

Starting off the month though, its me time! I'm heading back to Kerrville, Texas for their second annual paint out event. Last year, much to my own amazement, I won the grand prize for the painting below (still available!)

Don't Fence Me In
11x14 oil on panel

I'm excited to go back again and have access to some beautiful private ranches and spend time in the scenic hill country of central Texas with lots of other like minded people.

I haven't picked up a brush in a week or more. Hope I remember what to do when faced with the great outdoors and miles of options!