Motley the Yorkie, in his PJs

Motley in his PJs, 11 x 11" mixed media on paper

Yorkies are such little charmers. This one belongs to the owners of the Dream Home for the Fall Parade of Homes here in the Twin Cities. His portrait -- two of them; this is the first -- will be on display there.

Watch it Happen

This is at La Patisserie in St. Paul. A 4 x 5' canvas showing the building as it was in the early 40s. I started it today and this is how far I got; will continue tomorrow afternoon. 

Landscape with Freight Cars

5 x 7" sketch from yesterday, oil on panel. Playing with somewhat more vibrant colors. Available, $50. This will fit right into a standard 5 x 7" photo frame; no custom framing required.

For the "blocking in" stage I used a thin wash of transparent iron oxide and quinacridone gold, intending to cover all of it. Then toward the end, someone remarked that they loved the orange color at the lower right, and I decided I did, too. So I left it, and I am glad I did.

Today I am out the door to La Patisserie, my favorite bakery in the Twin Cities. I'm working on a four-by-five-foot canvas for them, based on a photo of the building taken in the 1940s. I'll post work-in-progress photos tonight.

Mounds Boulevard Bridge

Mounds Boulevard Bridge, 6 x 12" oil on canvas

Today was overcast, not unpleasant though. A softly lit day and a grey curve of road that reflected the sky.

I wanted a soft, loose treatment so I painted this almost entirely with a palette knife.

Off to the Horse Show

With the new promo piece I just put together:

... and my camera, and my field kit for drawing and painting on the spot. I'll be at the Reining Futurity at the State Fairgrounds later today and much of tomorrow.

File under: Living less safely.

Cattails Number Two

Cattails No. 2, 6 x 12" oil on canvas.

On that note, I am going into the studio, but the first thing on the agenda is: put a big sheet of newsprint paper on the wall and write down all my pending projects so I can pick one and do that one, instead of flailing around going AUGH SO MANY THINGS TO DO I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START.

I do not suffer from a lack of creative ideas. I have so many that I drown in them unless I throw myself a lifeline.

Phlox

Little Phlox, 7 x 5" oil on panel

This was today at Derek Davis' class. A little experiment in loosening up and in leaving some areas really thinly painted.

I'm having such a good time.

Done! Now I can make that BLT.

In It Together, 10 x 10" oil on canvas, $275

Apparently, as a still life painter, I'm nocturnal: this was finished around 2:45 this morning.

It has about a dozen titles. I'm only telling you one of them because I want to see what people come up with on their own for what it could mean and what might be happening in the little narrative, here. Everyone's answer will be right; that's what I love about these little paintings.

Here's where I have to credit my inspiration: this painting would never have happened if I weren't friends with Jennifer Lowery. <3

This does get my "living less safely" classification, mainly because it's never "safe" to make art. But I was also challenging myself. Those background greens and violets? All looked like mud on my palette. And I think painting deep red objects is about the trickiest thing there is. It's even harder than getting landscape-greens to work, and that's saying something. I knew that, and chose to paint tomatoes anyway.

So I'm happy. And drinking a lot of coffee.

I wanted to stay home

but I didn't.

Downhill to the River, 8 x 10" oil on canvas, $145

Day Four, outside

Cattails, 6 x 12" oil on canvas, at Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary today. $145

 This was today at Derek Davis' class. It rained on us for a while, but we were undaunted.

Making art rarely if ever feels "safe" to me. Particularly if I'm making art of a kind I don't usually make, such as a painting of reflections on water. So this was today's first challenge, and the second one will be going back out to meet Derek and the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota at Murphy's Landing (I've gotta Google it; I have no idea where this is) and go for round two.