S-t-r-e-t-c-h!

Doing some stretching today on this work in progress...out of my comfort zone...using an entirely different palette of pthalo blue, Indian yellow, cadmium yellow medium, permanent red medium, raw umber, alizarin crimson and white.  This palette is one used in a Nan Cunningham workshop a few years ago, so I thought I'd give it another go.  Man, it's like moving the furniture!  You get so used to the same mixtures and it can be so refreshing to shake things up.  These peaceful sheep...a sharp contrast to my color shake-up!

Going to the Chapel...And Painting the Reception!

About a year ago, I began to get requests to paint at wedding receptions and it has been so exciting to do these events!  I have to admit, at first I was scared to death!  I mean, it's a one-shot thing...you don't get to re-do this one!  I think what makes it so special is that it is done from life at the event and years from now, the couple can look back and see guests just as they were and know it was painted right then & there.  It's also fun entertainment for the guests who stop by to find out what in the world I am doing and then return later to see how it's evolved.  They love to spot themselves in it, too!  I really enjoy interacting with the guests - especially the children who love to be painted into the picture. 

This past Saturday I had the privilege to paint at the reception of the daughter of friends I used to go to church with.  Some friends of the brides parents gave this as a gift to the couple which I thought was a great idea!  I saw so many friends from my former church and met lots of people. 

I get to the event about an hour before all the guests arrive and start painting the "still" features - windows, flower arrangements - that will be included in the painting.  Then before I know it the guests are coming in and I start painting like crazy to include as many as I can!  Finally, the bride and groom arrive and they take their place in the painting.  The band is playing and people are laughing and dancing; the painting is falling into place and what usually starts out a bit on the anxious side for me turns into a real party and I'm singing and dancing a bit myself! 

Open Acres *SOLD*

"Open Acres" *SOLD*

12"x16"  (at the Museum Store at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts)

I've been working hard lately on several commissions and also preparing for an upcoming show at Stonehenge Gallery in Montgomery.  So, while I have paintings coming out of my ears, I can't post them because they're surprises!  One batch waiting for opening night; several others that are gifts and one that has just been finished, but the client hasn't even seen yet!  So that leaves me posting one that is not completely new - painted earlier this year - but new to the blog. 

I have been reading a lot about Claude Monet this past week and just watched not long ago "The Impressionists" a BBC production.  Highly recommend it if you're interested in the Impressionists!  It's left me with even more of a craving to be painting outside.  With so much studio work to do, I haven't been able to get out and paint as much as I would like. In the meantime, I'll look at this one entitled "Open Acres" and let it take me outside.  

Afternoon Break*SOLD*

"Afternoon Break"  4"x4"  $100.00

I've been working hard on several commissions lately and took just a little break this afternoon to paint this small skyscape.  I haven't painted one of these small ones in quite a while and I have to say it's one of my favorite things to do.  I hold them in my hand while I paint and this one had a close call as it tumbled and came close to ending up face down in a puddle of cadmium yellow deep! 

The weather is pretty nice today...a rare thing in August...so I am about to bust to get outside and paint from life!  Signing off and heading outside!

100th Post - all about Montgomery!

This is my 100th post to my blog, so I thought I would post a little something different to honor my town, Montgomery, Alabama, which constantly inspires me with its  history and beauty.  These are just a few of many, many paintings I've done of Montgomery landmarks, traditions and people.

Starting with the small group in the upper left hand corner, you'll find players on our home team, the Montgomery Biscuits; the neon glow of the Capri Theatre in historic Cloverdale; a scene from a baseball game at the beautiful Riverwalk Stadium, home to the Montgomery Biscuits; and folks getting their fresh vegetables and fruit and flowers from the Montgomery Curb Market, a longstanding local tradition.

In the upper right hand corner, you'll see the Harriott II, our riverboat on the Alabama River; lower right - the trolley car aka "Lightning Route" in downtown Montgomery (the cars have changed colors since this was painted!); and last, but not least, in the bottom left hand corner the view down Dexter Avenue in downtown which has been the scene of so much history!  Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as the President of the Confederacy on those Capitol steps in the distance and Martin Luther King preached a stone's throw away. 

I don't work for the Chamber of Commerce, but I could.......I'd rather paint!