Two Commissions And Two Masks Off To The Galleries

"Pears In A Row" 10 x 20 Oil On Panel

I just finished this one for Scottsdale Fine Art's Annual Holiday Show
The gallery specifically asked for it so I considered it a commission even though it is available for sale.
$3,500.00
Available through Scottsdale Fine Art - (480) 990-3100

10 x 20 Oil On Panel

When a client asked for "plums, brie and figs" the first thing I thought was that none of those things are in season right now, except for the brie because as far as I know there is no "cheese season". The second thing that occurred to me is that those items would make a rather flat painting. This gave me three problems to solve. One, where to find figs. That one was easy, the grocery had them. OK, one down. The second, was not so easy. No one had plums...no one. I searched about a dozen different grocery stores, markets and specialty shops. nothing.

Finally, I mentioned it to my grandmother, who just happened to have some plums in the fridge from the summer! What are the odds! She said they were a little shriveled, I said, they won't be in the painting, ship em out! So she mailed me three month old plums.
Problem number two solved. To solve the last problem of the flat composition, I moved the objects in and out as much as possible and then sliced one of the plums for a variety of color. The client wanted a lavender background so I knew in advance that this painting would have a very harmonious color scheme. All of these things were on my mind when I delivered the painting but the client loved it, and that's all that matters!

"Reels" 28 x 32 Oil On Canvas
$10,500.00

Berkley Gallery in Virgina has decided to hang "The Jester" And "Reels"!
For info:
Berkley Gallery

40 Main St, Warrenton, VA 20186

(540) 341-7367

"The Jester" 18 x 24 Oil On Panel
$4,500.00

Yorkshire Wensleydale With Cranberries And Other New Minnies!

 "Yorkshire Wensleydale With Cranberries" 6 x 8 Oil On Panel

With Christmas so rapidly approaching I went to the market looking for something that would have Christmas colors in it, but could also be hanging all year round. As soon as I saw this cheese, I knew I wanted to paint it!

 

Scottsdale Fine Art in Arizona requested Pears, so the above two paintings are available through them! The paintings below are available at Berkley Gallery in Virginia.

 The cheese was fairly expensive so the more paintings that can be made from it, the better. Originally I had wanted to do it on a reflective surface, and I still plan to..but time and the Christmas rush just didn't allow for it.

The above "Hanging Grapes II" was a request from the Berkley Gallery because they sold the first one so fast!

Here is a story I probably shouldn't tell...Sometimes I get bored with painting painting I have already done. Scottsdale Fine Art had requested the pear painting pictured above and so when Berkley gallery also requested pears I thought, I really need to do something different.
I had purchased too many pears to begin with, so I ate one. I took a look at after a few bites, and thought it looked really interesting just like this - I loved the shapes the bites had made.

Since I am always looking for a story, I pointed all of the stems of the other pears as if they were looking at the one who had been eaten, like he had nothing on.

I decided to title it "What Happened To Stan?"...I think the gallery is going with "Pears"...I'm not sure they found my title as funny as I did.

Just Sold!

Just Sold out of Scottsdale Fine Art in AZ!

All are 6 x 8 Oil on Panel

And The Winner Is...

....And the WINNER of the First Annual Blog Minnie Giveaway is Peg Becker!
Congratulations!!!!
Please leave a comment, if we don't hear from you by next Sunday, I will have to assume you don't want it, and pick another name.

A Variety Of Pears

I was really happy with the way the apples turned out against the dark background. Pears really aren't in season I am told, and so the market didn't have quite the selection they said they would have in a few months. I am planning on doing a few more like this, same size, 10 x 20, with a dark background.

Peaches, grapes, and oranges, and watermelon could be in the near future. I am also thinking mushrooms would look good against the dark background as well...I am also taking requests on these, but I will ask that you do not request an item unless you are considering bidding on it. 

When I took the photo of this set-up, the painting was finished, which means that the pears had been sitting out for over a week. Normally I take a picture of the set-up during the drawing stage that way the fruit looks the same in the photo as it does in the painting. As I look at this now, I almost wish I had started a second painting from the same pears. I like how they have turned different colors as they have rotted. Oh well, next time.

"A Variety Of Pears" 10 x 20 Oil on Panel
SOLD

Two Pears

 

Lately I have been posting two different types of paintings. Sometimes I like to paint a still-life with little or no background, and call it done. These are my favorite types of paintings! The other type is to put a really dark background on them, and put in the reflections, which seem to do better when up for auction. I will continue to make both types of paintings and alternate them!

"Two Pears" 6 x 8 Oil on Panel

Up for Auction

SOLD

"Baby Pears All In A Row II"

For anyone watching the first auction, it is probably no surprise that I made a companion piece to it. I usually do anyway. Produce can be expensive, and I hate to waste it so I try to make as many paintings as I can can from what I have before it rots. Sometimes I only get one painting, it depends on the type of fruit. Apples for example I could paint for weeks but I usually don't because part of what I am going for is the personality of the fruit, and I get bored quickly painting the same thing over and over. At least if I am going to paint apples again, I can paint different apples.

6 x 8 Oil on Panel

Baby Pears All In A Row

  

I seldom see these tiny baby pears when I am at the grocery store or market but this week they had them!

I usually try to make at least two paintings from them but I have so many projects going on right now, I just had time for one.I took the title from the Eagles song "Pretty Maids All In A Row"...I have no idea where that came from either.

The Blueberry Waltz

I painted this one in December of last year and it was accepted into the 2012 annual juried show at the Ridgewood Art Institute in NJ. The idea of the painting was to try to create motion with still objects. Another one of my paintings where the objects in the paintings are characters on a stage.

The title "The Blueberry Waltz" was suggested by a good friend.

10 x 24 Oil on Panel

SOLD

Palm City Painting Demonstration

I recently did a demonstration at the Palm City Library. There was a great write up in the paper on it and a pretty big turnout!

Here are some shots from the demo, the painting is up for auction!

Click Here to Bid

Pairs

I painted this one in 2008 for the Salon International Show in San Antonio. It got in, along with two others which have already sold!

Pear Demo

6 x 12, Oil on gesso panel. This is the first of a series of step by step demonstrations I am planning on various fruits and vegetables. The first step is a drawing painted with the brush in Burnt Umber and White. The middle step is the end of the first sitting, painted wet into wet. The last step is the finished pear, with a bit of glazing and added highlights.

This painting is SOLD but if you would like a painting of a pear done like this(or any  piece of fruit) Please send me an email.

Mixed Grapes and Pears

I have never painted green grapes before. I saw the pears first. I instantly loved the character of the one which is hunched over....like he was born to be in one of my paintings. Green always looks good with brown and purple so I thought the green grapes would go well with this one.

SOLD