Playa Grande, Costa Rica

 

Hello Friends:

I know this is quite a departure from portraits, but I couldn't resist painting this spectacular sunset that we saw on Christmas in Costa Rica. Lots of thin washes of paint gave what I hope is a luminous quality to the painting. It's alot larger than I usually paint, too-- 24"H x 30"W. It'll take up most of a wall! Once again, breaking away from routine is very refreshing.

Jenny

 

Hello Friends:

This portrait was painted in two sittings with Jenny at Mainstreet Art Centre. I was sitting on a bench below the model, which gives an interesting perspective since I was looking up at her as I was painting. I really like the tilt of her head and the faraway look in her eyes. I began the painting with lots of paint and a palette knife and then refined her features with a brush in the final stages. Many artists would think that my process is a bit backward, preferring to begin a painting with thin paint and ending with thicker paint for the final flourishes. But I'm enjoying this technique for now and I'll stick with it while it's working!

As Yet Untitled

Hello Friends:

I would like to enlist your help, if you'd like, to help me choose a title for this painting. I'm finding that different people have different reactions to the model's pose, expression, and setting. What do you see? I think it would be fun to find out what the viewer takes away from the painting, much like an ink-blot test. Your opinion may have more to do with YOU than the painting itself!

Study in Red and Copper Pot

 

 

Hello Friends:

I thought you might enjoy seeing two of my paintings from my recent workshop with Qiang Huang. The red painting was a challenge because I needed to create so many different varieties of "red" to differentiate the cloth from the apple from the grapes. The challenge in the Copper Pot was to make the copper look realistic without being overly detailed. Taking time out from painting portraits is always worth my while, since I learn lessons which can be translated to whatever subject I'm working with.

Thank you for your interest in my art!

Barb

Hello Friends:

It's been quite a while since I've made a posting! While I was away, I attended a workshop in Sacramento taught by Qiang Huang, a painter that I have admired for quite some time. I learned quite a bit from him about color and value relationships that I hope to incorporate into my paintings in the future.

This portrait was painted from a model sitting, and I approached it with lots of paint and a palette knife to start. Since the model was interested in purchasing the final product, I took it home and softened some edges with a brush, but tried to maintain a spontaneous, painterly quality.