Still life or real life?

I've been enjoying setting up some still life's in my studio.  My studio isn't very large so I have to limit the size of what I paint.  These are two of the ones I've done this week.  Ok, I admit it, I didn't paint the kitten from life.  My husband is allergic to cats so having one in the house would be out of the question - unless it's a painting.

"Here Kitty Kitty"

11x14 oil on panel

"Blue Vase with Apple"

11x14 oil on panel

Plein Air, Not!

This past week I joined a group of artists in Spring City, Utah to take a plein air workshop with artist Paul Davis.  Previously, the weather had consistently been in the mid 80's and sunny so I packed for those temperatures.  Fortunately I did pack a rain jacket and a fleece jacket.   The first two days we began painting outside when rain storms rolled in and shivering with cold, we had to cut each day short.  The third day the rain mixed with snow and the plein air workshop was moved inside.   We each set up some still life subjects and enjoyed the warmth of being inside.  These are what I painted.

"Blue Jar with Apple"

11x14 oil on panel

"Pewter Mug with Apple"

11x14 oil on panel

"Flowers in Blue Tea Pot"

11x14 oil on board

Oil or watercolor?

People ask me what I prefer, oils or watercolors?  I love both.  I truly do!  Each have their own unique characteristic.  I never know when I wake up whether I'll feel the urge to paint with oils or watercolors.  Here is a watercolor that I'm entering in the local chapter of the Utah Watercolor Society.

Busy, busy, busy

I have been busy - all art related - although not painting.  I, as you might know, have chosen not to participate in art shows and exhibits during the last year or two.  I wanted to focus on painting and getting more comfortable with all that oil paint has to offer.  I did, though, decide at the very last minute to participate in one of our local gallery walks.  This decision snowballed to the point where I was framing two dozen paintings with only minutes to spare before the show.  After framing came the decision as to what to put in the show as space would allow for only 9 or 10 paintings.  We hang the show starting at 3:30pm and the doors opened at 6:00pm  Phew!  What a race it was to set up as the room had previously been used for a banquet and that had not been taken down.  But, we did it and the show was a success!!  Three of my paintings now have new homes and I have more space in my studio to produce more work.

This past week I've busied myself with designing a lightweight wet panel carrier as I'll be plein air painting for the next week and need a place to put a dozen wet oil paintings other than spread all over the seats of my Prius.  That done, now it is whittling down my pile of "must have" art supplies to bring only what I absolutely require.  HAH - easier said than done.  Second will be pack clothes and lastly, food for a week.  I wish I could say I can survive on paint fumes alone but there comes a time when even an artist must put down the brush and pick up a fork.

As luck would have it, the weather is about to turn.  I've not seen more than a few rain drops since early June but storms are in the forecast for this next week.  I wonder where my umbrella is.

Storm's Coming

I love summer storms that bring rain to help cool down the hot days.  I especially love looking at clouds as they build and the sheets of rain that follow.

"Storm's Coming"

24"x36"  oil on canvas

Starting to cool down

The temperatures are beginning to cool down with the turn of the calendar.  The high today was 80 and evenings seem to cool off earlier.  This has been an amazing summer once it got started.  We had some days in the low 90's but most were in the 80's with low humidity.  I could adjust to living in this type of weather year around but when living at almost 5000' I know cold and snow are just around the corner.

This small painting reminds me of the color of the season and the darkness that is ahead.

Iris

The last of our Iris finished blooming today.  We brought some of the rhizomes with us from Portland.  They stayed in a bag for the first year or two before planting them in our garden.  They are blooming here as well as they did in Portland, sometimes standing almost five feet tall.  I especially love the bearded iris as they continue to produce blooms for quite some time.  I painted this to help keep bring a little of summer into the coming seasons.

Last Iris of Summer

16"x20"  oil on canvas