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Sunday, March 10, 2019

Pink Tulips on a Snowy Day



The big blizzard they predicted only produced a small amount of rain followed by snow this time. We're seeing a true "Winter Wonderland" this morning - the trees are painted with white, the new snow covering is clean and bright, the sun is shining, and the sky is blue! Time for me to paint some snow!

These delicate pink tulips were a Valentine's Day gift from my husband. I chose soft pastel this time (instead of oil paint) because I tend to paint faster with pastels and I knew the blooms wouldn't last long, and I was eager to paint them before they faded away.

An artist's challenge is to find inspiration in the perfect scene or subject to paint, and sometimes a painting opportunity just presents itself and you have to jump on it before the moment passes. With still life, you can usually take your time (because the subject isn't moving, and the lighting is controlled). With flowers you need to act fast.

This painting is currently on display in the juried Floral Exhibit at Studio Pintura Gallery, 1500 Jackson Street NE, Minneapolis. Opening reception is Saturday, March 16 from 1-5pm.

Friday, March 1, 2019

Better late than never...

I missed a lot of blog time, and realize I never posted my paintings from the Plein Air Grand Marais last September (2018).

As always, the 9 days at the beautiful and inspirational North Shore painting in the competition flew by and I covered a lot of miles, and a lot of canvas. Here are my painting efforts:

(P.S. I promise to post more often!) 


 Yellow Doors 
11x14, oil on panel

 


 Fly Fishing at Lutsen
14x11, oil on panel




Quick Paint
(90 minute timed painting)
9x12, oil on panel

 

Bally Blacksmith
Nocturne (night painting - yes, I stood out on a street corner and painted in the dark!)
11x14, oil on panel
AWARDED BEST HISTORICAL PAINTING 
by the Cook County Historical Society




Superior Shoreline
14x11, oil on panel


Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Making Lemonade Out of Snow


Making Lemonade Out of Snow 
... snow...
... and more snow!

Shown above, from the archives: "Blue Lemon Lime", soft pastel, private collection

 
Last weekend my husband and I ventured out in the snow to run errands. After several stops, including lunch and a visit to Grand Hill Gallery to see fellow artist Tom McGregor's show "Big Paintings for a Big River", we drove around and happened upon a sign enticing us to a "sale" at a beautiful old Victorian duplex. As you can imagine, the rooms were filled with beautiful crystal, pottery, kitchen ware, furniture…when…wait, what's this on the table? Art supplies!!! You can imagine whatever had my attention up to that moment was forgotten as I was drawn towards my new-found treasures. An unused box of 72 Prismacolor Nupastels $10. A box of Sakura oil pastels, only a couple of them had been "tried" - $20. A boxed set of Prismacolor colored pencils, set of 120 for $10 (only the lime green pencil was sharpened and barely used), a 14x18 Arches watercolor block (with a partial sheet torn off) $10. Tube watercolor paints (mostly Old Holland, some Windsor-Newtons, retail $6-15 each) 40 tubes in all for $5 including a cute little plastic box to keep them in. I asked the gentleman at the register if the owner was an artist. He told me she just "dabbled". Well, she certainly dabbled with quality materials. When I got home I researched the retail prices and figure I got over $800 worth of art supplies! All of this cost me a mere $55. 

If you're looking for me the rest of winter, I'll be in my studio playing with my new toys.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Catching Up! Cedarburg Plein Air June 2018

The summer flew by and I failed to blog about my adventures. Where do I begin?


Cedarburg, Wisconsin 
Plein Air Competition June 2018


June brought travels to Cedarburg Wisconsin, which is a quaint little town north of Milwaukee. I was honored to participate in the annual Cedarburg Plein Air event again this year. The weather was great, and we revisited some favorite restaurants, so we ate well too. And our wonderful host family made us feel comfortable and welcome.

As with all of these plein air events, a lot is expected from the participants, and it seems all I did was eat, sleep, paint, eat, sleep, paint…repeat. No awards at Cedarburg, but I was happy with some of my paintings. Here are a couple of my entries, and I promise to catch you all up with the rest of my summer adventures. I have a lot of news to share! Stay tuned.


Grist Mill at Cedarburg
Oil, 14 x 11 inches 
 






Cedarburg Peonies
Oil, 12 x 9 inches


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Friday, March 23, 2018

Left Behind

Left Behind (Jeff's Nova)


Our good neighbor at the lake had a passion for this weathered old '73 Chevy Nova. It was a beauty in its glory days and he kept saying he was going to fix it up some day. Well, some day never came. Jeff passed away very suddenly at only 51 years. His prized Nova still sits under the big tree on the property behind the cabin he lived in. 
 Rest in peace, Jeff. We miss you.

Oil, 12x9 inches, painted plein air with some studio touch-up.

Monday, February 12, 2018

I'M AT THE GRAND HILL GALLERY!

I am honored to be one of 4 women artists showing at the Grand Hill Gallery in St. Paul, MN through March 31.

We have all known each other for many years and regularly paint together, indoors and out. There are over 50 original paintings gathered and displayed, all are available for purchase. It is a privilege to be able to show our paintings together in this wonderful gallery setting!

YOU ARE INVITED!!




The opening reception is Thursday, February 15, 2018, 6:30-9 p.m.
GRAND HILL GALLERY
333 Grand Avenue #101
St. Paul, MN 55102
(At the Junction of Grand, Ramsey & 35E)
651-227-4783

FREE ADMISSION, lite snacks and beverages provided.
The show continues through March 31.

Invite your friends and head over for an evening of art and fun. I hope to see you there!

Monday, January 8, 2018

A New Year and New Art!

It seems my studio has gone to the dogs...

...which is not a bad thing, considering how I loved painting these precious pets! 

To start things off during this cold Minnesota January, here are a couple of special studio projects I worked on in November and December. Since they were commissioned as gifts, I couldn't share them until now.

Chevy, Dazy and Maddie are all pastel, and measure 8 inches wide by 10 inches deep.


 Chevy



 Dazy



  Maddie

I am currently working on paintings for a couple of upcoming gallery shows. And my goal this year is to blog more often, so you will be hearing from me again, soon! 

Happy New Year!!
- Chris