Wednesday, February 1, 2017

My Studio

I absolutely love seeing the work areas and studios of other artists!  We learn from each other what works well and what doesn't.  

If an artist works from a home studio, sometimes it starts in a corner of the room or dining room table (in my youth, it was always at the coffee table).  Sometimes an artist's home studio is in the garage, attic, or in a separate building altogether.  Sometimes it's in a spare room, often a spare bedroom.  I would venture to say every artist has modified or moved his or her studio from area to area to achieve just the right fit for them.

I started in a small spare bedroom in this house (which was a luxury).  Then, once I started doing the 30in30 Challenges and my experience grew and materials multiplied, my husband came up with the idea of converting the master bedroom into a studio (he rationalized it was easier and less expensive than moving or adding onto the house, ha!).   

At first it seemed odd to take a large master bedroom and convert it into a studio.  But, in our case it was the perfect solution!  The biggest surprise was how much we liked sleeping in a smaller bedroom ...it's actually much more cozy and romantic.  And, because we never fully utilized the master with it's beautiful fireplace, we didn't miss it at all.  But as a studio, the room is now a sanctuary!  It's right off the kitchen and utility room...making food accessible, cleanup easier and has it's own on-suite bathroom.

New Studio Before:




Recently, we updated the floors and got rid of the carpeting.  We also painted the ceiling and walls to a more neutral palette and I "decluttered" the room as much as I could.   Below is the "after" image.  It's a bit darker than usual because I took the photo in the early morning hours...my favorite time of day!
New Studio After:


At the other end of my studio is a lounging area with sofa, TV and fireplace.  A perfect place to start the day, read, reflect and be inspired!  


So that's my studio.  It doesn't always stay this neat and clean but I'm so very thankful for the space to create!



Monday, January 30, 2017

Jan 2017 30 in 30 Challenge



It's always a bit "challenging" just remembering how to get all the images for the 30in30 into a collage.  PicMonkey is a website that allows a free trial to do such a thing.  I'm grateful for a program that does the heavy lifting for me!  Even though it's tough to get the actual images laid out so a person can see the entire painting...this one above is close enough.  I thought it turned out nicely (all things considered).  


Sunday, January 29, 2017

Lavender Sky - Pastel

Lavender Sky - Pastel
12x12, soft pastel

Day 30 of 30....Lavender Sky is befitting of a final farewell to the 2017 Jan. 30in30!  Whew, I made it!  I'm ready for a short break. I hope you enjoyed them all, the good, the bad and the ugly.  Breaking into oil painting this past month was a lot of fun.  I certainly learned a lot and look forward to doing more of both oils and pastels after I get caught up on everything else that took a backseat these past few weeks (like laundry).   See you soon!

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Love At First Sight

Love At First Sight
6x6, oil on board

Day 29 of 30....Once again I found a really good reason to by a sweet treat at the grocery store.  After all, finding just the right prop is critical for a good painting.  It was all for the sake of art.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!  This little guy was gone before the painting was even finished.  


WIP:   I started with a drawing of an earlier oil painting I did of this scene.  Then I began washing the pastel underpainting down with alcohol when I noticed the initial drawing wasn't right....so, back to the proverbial drawing board for this one!  I wasn't paying too much attention...just playing around.  Oh well...live and learn, and learn, and learn!

Friday, January 27, 2017

Along The Shoreline

Along The Shoreline
12x16, soft pastel

Along The Shoreline is most likely my favorite painting during the January 30in30.  Unfortunately the photo doesn't really pick up the true blue and green colors in the water...I'm assuming it may be because of the strong red dominating the center.  Being much larger than the typical 6x6 paintings I often do for the Challenge, it took a week or so to paint.  Painting larger is easier for me if I paint each day, not expecting to complete it all in one go.  Of course, I like the variations of red...but I also like the water and all the trees reflecting in it that were along the shoreline....thus, the title.  I will surely hate to part with this one!

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Riffles

Riffles
10x8, oil on board

I actually painted this on Jan. 21st during a workshop conducted by Mark Davis of Boise.  Thanks for the reference photo Mark! The workshop was at Edward's Greenhouse which was a great environment for a mid-winter workshop.  We focused on painting water.  And, because I am new to oils, I thought I'd better get "my feet wet" with oils so to speak.

My husband (who is a fly fisherman) says these types of waters are called 'riffles"...thus, the title.  It was great to get out and about after so much snow!   Hope you enjoy it!


WIP:  This little guy below is quickly becoming one of my favorites.  I know, I say that all the time for the paintings I like...but really, this one has been absolutely painting itself!





Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Dog Days Of Summer

Dog Days Of Summer
5x7, oil on panel



Day 26 of 30 is a cute little scene.  It reminds me of the Oregon Coast trips we took with our dogs when they were still with us.  Running and playing on the beach was there very favorite thing to do!  I sure miss them!!!