Painting

The Finished Painting of Tolstoy and Beckett

The painting of the Great Black Poodle and the Russian Blue is finished and ready to varnish and ship. Since the owner's have told me i have been able to "capture" them and love the painting, it will go to it's home in Davis, Ca. When doing pets that are so close to peoples' hearts, it is essential that you are able to render the animal like the owners'see it and be able to feel satisfied with the end product. Since i paint out of my head for the most part, trying to paint from a photograph pushes my artistic abilites. Having never taken a drawing class I rely on shapes to make the painting work. Color is so important. I try to let the hues compliment each other in a way that brings the whole painting together. This is a large painting on linen canvas and linen is very lovely to work on.

day 4 pet portraits

so today it is sunny and i am painting on the screened in porch. I brought Tolstoy and beckett outside with me and i painted to classical music on NPR. I have brought the painting up to the point of adding more detail and getting everything right for the owners. In case you do not know, painting anything black is most difficult since you have to use layers of darks and lights to create contrast. So now i need to work on the curly hair of the poodle and give the cat another look.
Details will go the rug and the painting will be turned upside down to check the composition.

Tolstoy and Beckett on the easel... from Photo to Painting

The Creation of Pet Paintings

So today and for the last few days, i have been trying to figure out how to paint two very elegant animals that live in Califorina. Lucky Beckett, a black Standard Poodle and Tolstoy a very wonderful Russian Blue cat with green eyes have had to pose so i can see what they look like.

It is hard to paint from photos, since you cannot know the animal and it is hard to capture them unless you know them personally...i like to meet the animal i am painting but since i do not live in sunny California, i will stay here in Florida and do my best to get it right.

So here they are...

i decided that their color demanded red so i have started with a red chair and some other furnishings on a 24 x 36 canvas... and will see what i come up with...Last night i painted these to to Mozart. Seems fitting for these two.

new works

So, i have been back in the studio doing some paintings to take to a new chic store called VILLA VILLA here in St Petersburg. Last saturday while combing the antique stores i happened upon this place in what is called the Central area of downtown St Pete. This is an area that is on the way to the beach and several miles from the bay area. So the owner Rhonda has this wonderful place with chairs and sofas covered in linen and great bedding from Belgium and China from Portugal...and a place for children's things...beds and wonderful rocking chairs for moms.

She has paintings on her wall ...seascapes all in plein aire frames, painted by a NC artist.

So today i am taking her some paintings to exhibit in her lovely space in the children's area.

"The Big Red Chair" is a fun one of two dogs...and since we all love the cupcake paintings i did some more of these. Finally i did another painting of some flowers that i call "The Flowers of Casa Carmen"

TIME TO START PAINTING AGAIN

The weather gave us a short break and i set up my studio on the screened in porch to start painting again. I had several requests for more dogs on the beach paintings so i will start more of those this week.
The rejection email came last week from Temple Beth El Art Show in January. As many of you know i have not found a place for my work down in St Pete and although i know there might be a market for my work, this show did not want to take a chance on my ability to sell at their fund raiser. So, for all of you out there that get discouraged, we cannot let it slow us down for one minute when we are doing something we are passionate about! The creative experience
demands persistence, and persist i must. I am painting for the joy of it, and their opinion of me will not take away my joy...so the birds are singing this morning and the sky is that lovely blue ... paint i must...the spirit comes and goes and the spirit has come.

Back To St Pete

ok so 2 days on the road and i am back home. the weeds have taken over the yard but it is nice and the humidity and heat are gone for now...what this means is that my studio over the garage will cool off enough for me to paint in without the ac on, and the windows can be up with the nice breeze blowing as i paint to music.
Thanks to everyone who bought my work and who came by my booth at both Arts at the Meadow and Centerfest. While the Meadowmont show had a poor turnout i got to visit with folks who have bought my work and came back for more and added more customers to my list who have now adopted my paintings. Centerfest had lots of great painters and the crowd was large and friendly ...i enjoyed all the students from The Durham School for the Arts who came by to talk about making art. I was encouraged to continue what i do by so many people including two women who teach painting. So i will keep painting even though the economy is limiting what we can buy....of course i will always choose the things that make me happy, and i know of nothing that make me smile more, except chocolate.

why i paint

this week i got a wonderful note from the new owner of "Harriet's Bluff" one of my favorite painting and a real name of a place that i pass by on my way back and forth to Florida and North Carolina.
The painting is a gift to herself...how often do we allow ourselves to indulge in something that captures our heart? A work of art is something that stands the test of time and unlike a new dress or dessert, it is something to enjoy daily. The letters and notes i receive from people who buy my work let me know that what i do now, as a career in some ways, is what i did in my career in Nursing. I have always felt the human spirit needed nurturing and what better way to nurture that but to create paintings that bring joy. So thanks to all of you who continue to say to me that my work brings smiles to your faces...and often let me know exactly where the painting will hang in it's new home...

new date for arts at the meadow in meadowmont village

the storms are said to be headed this way so the event scheduled this weekend has been postponed until the next weekend, sept 13 and 14. So, hope the weather will cooperate since i am not keen on being huddled in a tent during a gale force winds and rain...wish for sunny days for Sept 13 and 14 and the following weekend when i will be at Centerfest...

End of August Paintngs

So here are the last ones i have finished before getting in the car...night paintings again.

The first is Courtly Birds. This painting is different for me. I used Golden liquid paints to create the background using copper and gold. It has a very Queen-King look i think.

The next painting is one i have created for my grandson Eric. He will be 4 very soon and told me this summer, when all my paintings were all over our apartment in Chapel Hill, "Grandma Joan, I love these pictures" ...

Folk Art Cafe

As many of you know i love folk art and see myself as more a folk artist than a traditional painter. I have done a series of artist cafe scenes where i paint another artist painting into my painting and name it after that artist. All of these paintings have found wonderful homes.

Several years ago i discovered an artist, probably not very well known, and paid the antique store $25.00 for an old tattered book about her. Her name is Theora Hamblett and it is said she painted "with a child’s directness in all their intense color and emotional power." The book contains a wonderful painting of cotton pickers that i painted for this particular painting. I love her bold colors and the subject matter having grown up in the Georgia , I remember this scene as a child. So check out Theora and see what wonderful work she created in her lifetime.

The Road back to Chapel Hill

"Blue Hen "

It is time to pack up the paints and all the new paintings to return to Chapel Hill . On Sept 4, I will take down the show at the Mad Hatter and get ready to exhibit at the two art fairs coming up in September. If you have not been to Arts at the Meadow it is a great show , lasting two days with music and lots to do for all ages. Each year loads of talented artists converge on the town and we spend frantic mornings setting up for the show and putting up the tents that are not easy to get up despite their name of "ez up" The day begins at 6 am and your booth must be ready for customers by 9 am. Lots of organization is required to make this happen.
The night before we meet to mark off all the spaces and block off the village for the event.
I hope you will take time to come and visit me there and
enjoy the music and work vendors have to show you.

Happy Paintings to Happy Music

For the past two days i have been working a large painting (30 x 40) to take to Temple Beth El this week for them to review my work for their annual art show in January each year.It is a great show with loads of talent, not only local but from both coasts.

In addition to painting the paintings, i have been busy painting the edges of the canvas and varnishing them to take to the North Carolina for two upcoming shows ; Arts at the Meadow in Meadowmont Village and Center Fest in Durham, both in September and both two day events. My show at the Mad Hatter comes down September 4...and glad to say i have sold 8 paintings there this summer, and have promise of a commission.

So here is where i am with a new one called "Sweet Mountain", It is about 85 percent done

(i think) and so far i am pleased with it. Since i paint out of my head, it takes alot of thinking to compose and imagine these places i paint...but i know they are good, restful places, where one can truly sit and ponder and enjoy life. As usual, music dominates while i paint and it is often Jazz, Latin music, all upbeat to get the colors to dance with one another.

More Flowers and Birds

It is rainy here in St Petersburg and the flowers are happy with all the moisture and are blooming in many colors...This painting was inspired by the happiness of color covering a landscape somewhere in my mind.

It is 16 x 20 on Gallery Wrap canvas that is very wide and does not need a frame

"Wildflowers Hill"

$400.00

Paintings for this week

All Dog Band and Singing The Blues

This week Billie Holiday and Tango music played in the studio and so two of the following paintings were inspired by the music playing at night when the temperature slowly cools.

both sold at meadowmont in sept

San Miguel Flowers

This painting is now "DONE" and i like it and hope you do too.
It is a long narrow painting perfect for a smaller spot
acrylic on canvas 12 x 36 $350.00
SOLD AT CENTERFEST IN SEPT

"Yes I do"

 

This Painting is of two Dog Lovers, I think the brown one is saying he loves her and they will now eat the cupcakes and live a wonderful life together
16 x 20 acrylic on canvas framed $450.00

red flowers on table

 
this painting is a 5 x 5 on linen canvas $65.00

Blueberries

 

Blueberries in a Fish Bowl on water color paper framed in black frame $150.00
I have been eating lots of blueberries lately and eating and painting often go together in my studio above the garage. At night the street lamp glows and I have the music on and paint.

Late Night Paintings

Last night i painted two new ones since i am going out of town without paints

Red Table with Lilies and Italian Village (Italian Village bought by Bonnie)

Red Table is 8 x 8 on Linen Canvas $150.00 plus shipping
Italian Village is 8 x 18 on Canvas $250.00 plus shipping

another little cake

This tasty cake is on Gallery wrap Linen canvas 5 x 5
$50.00 plus shipping

Flowers from San Miguel

I am going to Mexico this winter and wanted to get a start on painting the bright colors that dominate Mexican culture. This painting screams
"Hang me on your Wall"...especially if you have a space that is lacking in color.

cupcakes

sold

Lots of cupcakes

cupcakes...small cupcake paintings 5 x 5 acrylic on canvas
with archival paper
$ 35.00 each or 3 for $100.00 plus shipping
the cupcakes found a home ...maybe in a cupcake bakery...

Paint it Red: Daily Paintings from the Red Door Studio

Studying art and how the great artists painted is a wonderful way to learn about art and what makes a painting work...but for me turning the painting upside down to look at the composition, how the positive and negative spaces create a whole, is my standard method. My painting teacher said, and i agree, "you have to love every inch of a painting" so that is my painting goal: Love the painting and love it as if you could not possibly part with it. I use acrylics(no patience for oil painting since i change my mind too often and paint out of my head), you will notice how the color red seems to find a place in my painting subjects. So that is how my blog got it's name. For this blog of daily works i am painting, as i do, for the love of painting...I hope you like and possibly love what i do .If you want to purchase a painting please email me at jvande2020@aol.com