Kelly 11x14 Acrylic

I haven't posted much in June due to my ever changing work schedule (which is finally settling down) and catching a lousy cold (as opposed to a nice cold), such is life. This was painted last night at acrylic class. It was a 3 hour pose, but I reached this point in 2 hours and a fellow artist said it was pure poetry, so I left the building for a while so I wouldn't go back into it and paint the poetry out of it.

Peaceful Afternoon 16x20 Acrylic

$225.

Working outside all afternoon, the conditions changed constantly from sunny to cloudy and back to sunny again. It made for interesting light dancing on the water.

Arleen 16x20 Acrylic

From life drawing class last night in Davenport, Iowa.

Crossing Over 9x12 Acrylic

An old trussle bridge crosses over the Mississippi onto an island where many paths crisscross through dense woods. It is a great place to walk and clear the head.

Wine And Roses 9x12 Acrylic

$45. + shipping

As artists, I think most of us are in the same circumstance, except for a fortuate few, who have to increase our income through so called 'regular jobs'. This causes a regular tug-of-war between making the regular pay check and making art. It really isn't bad unless we sometimes forget that the reason we are making the regular pay check is so we can make the art. Everything must be kept in persceptive.

This painting is available using Paypal on Daily Painters.com.

Trish 16x20 Acrylic

Every once in a while, a painting comes along that, when upon completion, makes one stop and wonder how each step came in line to bring about the finished work. This is such a painting for me. It was painted in a 3 hour life drawing session. It approaches what I want to accomplish in my art.

Mary 16x20 Acrylic

I hate to leave my blog for long periods of time, but life keeps coming at you. It is what it is. There has to come a time when you must dig in your heels and simply say 'ENOUGH OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD' and paint. The past year and a half has been very turbulant. This is not an excuse, or a pity party, but it is a reason for a lack of consistency. There are many artists who are no longer artists because life and responsibilities chew up all available time. Artists simply find a way to go on or they don't. I have no intention of entering into the 'they don't' category.

Mary sat before a group of students during a painting demostration.

Celeste (Demonstration) 16x20 Acrylic

This is a painting demonstration from Bucktown Galleries. For demonstrations, I paint very loose, mostly to encourage students to dive into their paintings without fear.

Nancy's Rose 36x48 Acrylic

This month, I have been working really big. This painting was a battle in the making, but it was still fun. Not for Sale

Hallie's Rose 36x48 Acrylic

This painting is a far cry from my usual paintings in both subject and size. But it was a lot of fun to paint. I loved working so big after working relatively small for a long time. Not for sale.

Natalie 16x20 Acrylic

This is from life drawing last night at Bucktown.

Teanna 8x10 Acrylic

On my blog profile, I mentioned that painting is a search. Well, life is also a search. The pieces seldom just fall into place. This is one of my biggest challenges as a Daily Painter. Life keeps coming at you, and one must weave this way and that. This past year, I have been doing a lot of weaving, hoping that everything works itself out. Life turns the way it turns. To make goals work out, one must really work for it, and it doesn't always come easy. But we don't hang it there and paint because it comes easy, we paint because we love to paint.

My entries from the last year have not been consistent because it has been a transitional season in my life. For this I apologise. Soon my schedule will do something it hasn't done in a long time. It will make sense.

Blue & Violets 11x14 Acrylic

In a biography of Doc Holliday (not known for his quotes), he said something very profound, 'There is no such thing as a normal life, there is just life.' I couldn't agree more. I keep waiting for normal, but I have this feeling it isn't going to show up. I guess we just better proceed with what we have.

Light In The Forest 12x16 Acrylic

This painting is the result of a quick demonstration before a group of 9 students. My first lesson is the most important one. 'Have no fear of your materials. Dive in and have fun and make something out of it. Work boldly. Act like you know what you are doing even if you don't.'

Brown Dress 16x20 Acrylic

I love working before the live model. You have to stay focused. Color and brushes moving rapidly to cover the canvas because time is running, and soon the moment will be ending.

The Poet 8x10 Acrylic

The model for this painting is a literature professor at a local college. She is also a poet. It suits her. The poetry is evident in her expressions.

Road North 11x14 Acrylic

The fields in Iowa in winter are both bleak and beautiful.

Andi 2 8x10 Acrylic

Earlier, I painted Andi in the bar where she works. In that painting, I was going for mood more than likeness. I just wanted to paint her as she actually looks. I think I am going to change the previous painting to match her likeness.

Facade 6x8 Acrylic

Fashion Designer 16x20 Acrylic

Jenny is a great model. Recently, she moved to Manhatten to study fashion design. She was in town over the holidays and was gracious enough to pose. This was painted primarily from life, with the exception of a few finishing touches. I like to retain the 'on the spot' atmosphere. I was working quickly on a larger canvas.

View From My Studio 6x8 Acrylic

Black Dress 6x8 Acrylic

What I love most about painting the figure are the beautiful lines and subtle detail. There are minor changes in the contour of the figure that add nobility to the form. When missed, the figure really has an incomplete quality.

Portrait Demo 16x20 Acrylic

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Andrew Wyeth today. I remember when I was in high school, I would look at a book of a collection of his work before leaving for school. The sensitivity of works like 'Weatherside' and 'Distant Thunder' somehow helped me deal with the nonsense of high school. It also helped me realize that painting is a high calling.

Thoughtful Moment 16x20 Acrylic

This young lady posed during the Tuesday evening class I teach at Bucktown Galleries.

Country Lane 8x10 Acrylic

Boy, the time does go by. I haven't realized how long it has been since I posted. The holidays were a whirlwind, and I spent time on commissions and teaching and here we are, into another year already.

Jenna 16x20 Acrylic

Jenna posed this evening at Bucktown. This is a sketch from the session.

In The Studio 16x20 Acrylic

I have had a hankering to work on a larger scale. So I am feeding my hankering.

Max 18x24 Acrylic

Sold

Due to colds and commissions, I haven't posted the past week. This is the finished version of the preliminary study posted earlier.

Out Of The Darkness 11x14 Acrylic

For almost a week, I've had one of those sore throat, head cold, chest cold thingamabobs. Good to get it out of the way early, but it puts a damper on the painting time. I hardly ever paint on a dark background like this for fear it come across like a velvet Elvis, but somehow today I just wanted a dark background.

I have been tagged and am supposed to come up with 7 unusual things about me (what about me ain't unusual), so stayed tuned.

Toward Sundown 11x14 Acrylic

I had to go up to Dubuque, Iowa yesterday. As I was driving home toward sundown, the brillance of the sun was shining even behind the clouds.