Portrait Sketch - Prachie

 

  Finally back to my weekly portrait painting.  A regular practice in painting (and other things!) is so important to keeping the skills sharp and to be constantly improving and moving forward.  Although I don't paint portraits as a business it is so valuable to my painting in general.  Hones my skills and feeds my soul.

Above is my painting and below is a close up.  Painting lips is my favorite part. 

This is how I ship a small painting.... most of the time

nfdp When a little painting sells, this is how I send it off to it's new home...

 The first thing to do is make a cardboard sandwich - this is to protect the painting and also to keep anything from touching the actual paint - I try not to ship wet or nearly dry paintings but I don't want anything touching the paint anyway.  I want my collectors to feel like they are getting a special little gift so I put a pretty ribbon around each package - add a thank-you sticker, some promo cards and thank you notes, the packing slip and put it in a priority mail box - stuff newspaper around the sides to keep it from moving and add a little 'lovely" to the address because ALL of my collectors are lovely!  It is not fancy but it works. 

Winter Branches

12x12 oil on panel

 After one of our resent snow storms I was outside taking in all the winter magic, photographing the snow on the branches.  They reminded me of the above paintings from February 1997- the very first oil paintings I had done in a very very long time.
  Being a mom of 3 boys, there wasn't a lot of time for oil painting. It was a busy time.  Folding laundry in my basement and looking up through the window at the branches...I had been thinking about painting for a while.  The branches and the play of light got me and since my boys were at school,  I dug out my old oil paints from college,found some wood boards and did these 3 paintings.
 It has been no looking back and unfolded laundry ever since! 

Benched 2 - swimmers series, Debbie Miller

Benched 2 - 20x20" oil on panel.  I believe these little dudes will be heading to the Vineyard soon.  This and "Long  Wait" will be available at the Eisenhauer Gallery.  

March beach, plein air, Debbie Miller

6x6" oil on panel

 Today is my teaching day - so no painting today.  But last week, I got to the beach and did a couple of quick plein air paintings.  It was 38 degrees and a little windy but I managed.  The above painting was my first.  Tomorrow I'll post the second I did - quicker and more simple - but I like it.

 my supervisor and my set up.  Sat in the sand with my box.  My french easel broke plus it was a little too windy.

Britney - portrait painting

Monday is portrait day - this was last weeks portrait.
Red hair is by far my favorite to paint

four. cupcake painting,blue,purple,cherry, debbie miller

6x6" oil on canvas                                                four.
gallery wrapped - ready to hang

two. cupcake painting, pink, chocolate, debbie miller

6x6" oil on canvas                                               two.

arist to watch - Rick Shiers



by Rick Shiers

New to the blogging scene but by No means a newbie painter!
Check out the work of a friend of mine from my RISD days: Rick Shiers.

A talented illustrator by trade he paints on the side and has posted them HERE

I especially love this still life - the monocromatic palette and the shiny objects  - just beautiful.
 It would look great in either a traditional or modern home.



Cupcake5 - daily painting,cupcakes,debbie miller

 6x6" oil on canvas -
 Started out planning a full day of painting in the studio
 - so of course its the cupcakes first -
But have to admit, just not feeling it today.

 Is this the most boring painting ever?!!!

  Maybe its the canvas thing.  Or...

    Maybe its my little friend following me around asking for a walk...

 Maybe its thinking about heading to the art store to get some fresh paint and panels....



(Seriously getting low on paint, right?) 

Maybe its time to rethink the day.... putting on THIS and prepping panels

OM - daily painting,beach scenes,debbie miller

6x6 oil on panel

Pink Today - beach scene, daily painting, Debbie Miller

6x6" oil on panel. Just got a new tube of "Radiant Magenta" by Gamblin - couldn't resist using it today. Also used just one brush - a #1 Bright. Later it will be a #6 Bright for tonights portrait. Brights are my go-to brushes - what are yours?

The Lineup - daily painting,cupcakes

6x6" oil on panel-


There are a million things to paint but painting cupcakes never disappoints. Swirling the oil paint on is JUST like swirling frosting on a cake. Plus they are so dang cute and perfect for these small format paintings. There is a little lineup of them in my studio ready to go - just right to kick of the sweet month of February.



If youve got a minute watch this video of the master pastry painter Wayne Thiebaud.


His paintings have always been favorites and remind me of the bakeries in the North End of Boston that my parents used to take us to as kids. - like this one


He doesnt always paint pastry - sometimes he paints women at the beach - a man after my own heart.

Red Stripe - daily painting,beach scene

6x6" oil on panel.

Beach week 1 - oil painting,beach scene

6x6" oil on panel. lets kick off a week at the beach shall we? here is beach week #1. such a little cutie

Furlough #1 - the chair - beach scenes,contemporary art

20x20" oil on canvas --- Furlough series - a departure, a vacation, breathing space -- painting the way I've been thinking about for a while now....still fascinated by people at the beach as a subject but now there are other things at play. Layers for one. Getting away from realism is another.
So take a little vaca with me, lets see where it goes

A Little Blue - daily painting, flowers

6x6" oil A Little Blue
painting a couple large ones today - in my kitchen - for a change...and AC.
this is a sketch done while taking a break.
Hydrangeas on the table - so summery.

Chris -portraits

14x18" oil. Chris - another portrait from my monday open painting group. First time ive had to tackle glasses and that was a challenge.
So fun painting people...

Warrior one - yoga poses, beach

6x6 oil.
Warrior One. I always paint on a surface that is not white. This little painting is a good example of that. See around the clouds - that orangey color showing through? - that is the color of the panel and I just love that effect.
Orange is my go -to ground color for most paintings - a habit picked up in art school that has never left. Many artists switch the background color to a warm or cool color depending on the overall tone of the final painting. Ex - cool blue background with a warm toned painting.
Not me - I'm happy with bright orange :) in most cases - the Sofia painting was painted on a very pale umber because a lightness effect was the point...
try it! experiment with different colored backgrounds - you just might like the results.

Derek -portrait,oil,figurative

16x20" oil. Derek. loving my monday night painting group. heres a link to one of the painters from the group Rob Rey