Wicked, daily painting, Debbie Miller

She is so Wicked.
10x10"
oil

Seriously Mother Nature, what's up?

pet portrait commissions, Debbie Miller

6x6" oil sold - Just going through my photo files and came across these 2 cats - commissions from last year.  You know that orange popped of the screen at me right?  loving it.  and...
I LOVE to do pet portraits. see more HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE oh and HERE
 They make GREAT gifts.
 It's not too early to start thinking about the Holidays people!  Get your commission orders in now before I get too busy. 
***free shipping and cute little easle to prop them on too***

Little Green Monster, daily painting,cupcakes,Debbie Miller

 6x6" oil on canvas
Sooo many Halloween cupcakes out there.  Seriously, with all that candy do the kiddies NEED cupcakes too?  You betcha.
 
Where's the orange?  Its there, see it peeking through?
 But not so much in the trees around here this year. Those Swamp maples sure didn't put out this year.  This tree is usually a nice deep orange.  I miss it.

Portrait Study,Debbie Miller

 10x10 oil
With my portrait studies, I use a pale orange ground, usually a burnt sienna thinned with turp. 
 Then I block in the lights and darks with an umber.
But my favorite part is getting to use that delicious cad. red light.  Nose,ears and corner of eyes.

 Here is the model.  Tomorrow the finished painting will be posted on the About Face blog.

 More Orange... "Woman on Orange" by Kerry Smith, here is an invite to his show.

Orange. Do you love it or hate it?

 6x6" oil on canvas.
Orange is one of those colors that people feel really strongly about. 
What about you? Do you love it or hate it? or is it just a 'meh' color to you?

 I happen to love it - especially for a ground for my paintings.  I've tried to paint with other grounds...even just white.  But nothing gets my juices flowing like a deep orange background.  HERE is an old post showing the background orange.

 Painting with it is super fun too.
 Check out THIS painting and THIS painting.
  


Sometimes the orange doesn't have to be the main event to pack some punch, like in THIS painting.

Last but not least: THIS is one of my favorite plein air paintings from a few years back.

So what do you say?  Enjoying some orange this week?  Share it with a link in the comments, we'ld love to see it!!

A Gathering - plein air, daily painting, debbie miller

6x6" oil
So great seeing everyone during the Warren Walkabout today!

OPEN STUDIO! SUN.12 -5

The Studio is all spruced up and ready to go.

Sunday 12 - 5
30 Cutler ST.
Warren RI

Yesterday we filled  the gallery space  with lots of art from all the talented people in my building.
 Many of us will also have our studios open.
 It really is a treat to take a peak into the work spaces of artists.
Come on by!!

It's All About the Pink - daily painting, cupcakes, Debbie Miller

6x6" oil on panel
Couldn't let the month go by without painting a pink cupcake
 - Don't forget - get "the girls" checked! -

Chris - portrait painting, Debbie Miller

Chris - 12 x12 oil on panel.
Missed portrait painting this week - hate that.
This one is from last week.  You can see more HERE OR come by this Sunday and see it
and all the portraits in person!! 
Yay! open studio!   Sun. 12 - 5
directions HERE

Speaking of birds.....

nfdp

Owls, Owls everywhere! 

This one in my studio , and it seems everywhere else...., we watch the Owl cams in the late winter and Ive got the Audubon Owl app on my iphone.  Yup, we are Bird Nerds.

... so naturally I couldn't resist doing an owl project with my kindergarten art class.
Heres a sample of them ....

 This is my kind of project for this age - direction at first and then they take it where they want to.  I am never dissapointed with the results and neither are the kids!



Barn Swallows - Debbie Miller

30x30 oil on panel  NFS
  Lately Ive been all over the place - going from one thing to the next, trying to figure out what it is I want to paint ...or DO for that matter.
  It happens. 

So what do you do when this occurs?  Taking a break helps, a change of scenery helps
 But then keep going,  and keep doing.
Or in my case keep painting.

Painting is the one thing that I know I WANT to do - its the 'what kind of painter' that Ive been struggling with. 
Sometimes after pushing through something good comes of it - a spark of an idea that excites. 
This painting is that for me  - this is something I can get excited about right now.
Rock on.

Here it is in its new home - my mothers blue living room.  Btw - how cool is it that my Mom had the guts to paint her room this color??
 Still needs a frame (something simple) but it sings against those walls AND my mother loves barn swallows so we're all happy

The idea came from the pink bird painting that was on the cover of last months House Beautiful, tried to find the artist but it didnt give one.

You rock!

Thank you, thank you to all my friends/collectors - old and new- that braved the wind today on Benefit St.  for the RISD sale.
What a fun day!
and to my brand new friends - Welcome! 

fyi - open studios in Warren RI next sun from 12 -5....come visit my studio - suite 210 in 30 Cutler St.
and I'll be at the RISD holiday sale in Dec.
Yay!

RISD sale THIS sat.!!

Yes its raining - but don't let that scare you away from the RISD sale tomorrow!!!

Benefit St. will have a great big tent :) Yay!!

I'll be at table 159 - down near George St.

Total visual overload for me on my morning walk - I LOVE a rainy October morning!!  Saturates the colors - and this year they need all the help they can get.

   The past summer's weather and Hurricane Irene really sucked the life out of our Rhode Island Fall Foliage this year.
But still soooo many pretty scenes today! and now that I have my new iphone I could take pictures as I saw them! 

 and fog too!  be still my heart.  And...
One wet little dog!  His little legs trotted along for over an hour - he was happy for the photo breaks

 and I was happy that there was a towel in my car for those wet paws! 

See you at the sale!

Long Board - daily painting,debbie miller

6x6" oil on panel.
Back to a beach scene.  Sometimes when you're in a funk its good to go back to something familar.

RISD Sale this saturday

Look at my painting in the "I" 
Come see it and more in person at the RISD alumni/student sale this sat. on Benefit St. Prov.  10 -4
I'll be down the end near George St. - with lots of little daily paintings -
 (all $100 or below - a GREAT way to start collecting real fine art!! or give as a one of a kind gift)
also some prints and cards and a few larger paintings too.

Get some holiday shopping done early!!! 

What did you do last weekend?

 6x6 oil on panel. 

 Who doesn't love a 3 day weekend in October?  and bonus beach weather too!  
Did you get some projects done?  Make something or go apple picking?  Or knit something like this woman did? 

I actually spent 3 FULL days in my studio. - Its been a bit over a year since I got this space.  - and I still have to pinch myself and remember that its real. 

Ya know what else is over a year old? 
These cupcakes.
Yup thats right.  Thats why I love them as props...they are like hard little cupcake sculptures.

BTW - my studio will be open during the Warren Walkabout - Sun. Oct. 23, 12-5.
Come by and say Hi.  - 30 Cutler St. suite 210
I promise to have fresh cupcakes.

Little Pitcher - daily painting,debbie miller

 8x8 oil on panel - another very traditional still life - and here is why:
1. Ive been completely uninspired lately, not knowing what to paint and how.  Empty canvas syndrome,self doubt,why bother...the works.
----just plain Burnt Out.
2.  My son asked me to paint this.

-  I had my travel paints still in the car after going to Open Portrait Painting.  (which I love)
Seeing last weeks portrait sitting on the mantel drying, my son asked "How do you do that? Show me" - and well...he is not one to take no for an answer so I agreed.
 - BUT we were the only ones home with noone to paint...so we improvised with the pitcher of flowers.

Got me thinking that it might be interesting to post my process sometime OR make a video - stay tuned!

Blue Teapot

8x8" oil on panel. 
yawn, right? 
I know.  I know.
 Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward.
I love this teapot, so I'm going to paint it from time to time.

Any ideas on what I should paint this week?  Totally uninspired.   

Däna - portrait painting,Debbie Miller

10x10 oil on panel
Very happy with this one....and my new ability to put those 2 dots above the a!
check out more portraits HERE

A Sweet Match - daily painting, cupcakes, Debbie Miller

6x6 " oil on panel
Apples used to be hard for me to paint.
Now they are fun ....amazing what happens when you paint a lot :)

and Did you know Granny Smith was a real person? ...I didn't until just now!
check out THIS ARTICLE