Willamette River in Autumn, Pastels

I haven't picked up pastels in awhile but they are so much easier to deal with when trying to capture something outdoors. Every year the autumn leaves start changing and all I want to do is sit around and paint and draw. This dream is rarely realized because every fall I still work full time and am usually taking classes part time. This morning was a rare treat with a dry autumn day, a homemade pumpkin latte in a to-go cup and my sheltie hanging out next to me while I attempted to get the artistic fires burning again. The blue flame is the hottest, I think I did okay for my first piece since summer. It was cold, and the crows were barking at us the whole time, which made it that much more of a beautiful autumn day.

Steel Bridge and Cherry Blossoms

I can hardly believe it, but I finished a painting. What's funny about the evolution of this painting is something that always seems to happen - I begin with something light, airy and pretty and end with something of a darker persuasion. It almost feels like a fall painting, although the subject is so clearly spring with those cherry blossoms. The Steel Bridge in spring, with it's heavy iron girders and timeless boxcar train running through:

Steel Bridge and Cherry Blossoms, 2013, oils on canvas, Fiona D. 

I've been thinking about Edward Hopper recently, and how all of his paintings contain such loneliness. I believe I heard him say in an interview once that he was a bit puzzled by the loneliness that came out in each painting. Then I see something like this and wonder what we 're all hiding from ourselves that only art can tease to the surface: http://www.edwardhopper.net/newyork-movie.jsp

It feels good to finally see what's been ebbing. I'm a happy person, but constantly in silent awe of the depth and complexity of the world around me. I don't find it overwhelming me with sadness anymore. I've finally learned to just let it flow through me and I'm finding that the contrast of the darkness makes my life that much richer.

While I stood on the waterfront getting the sketches that were the skeleton of this painting, I was passed and slightly surrounded by homeless people. When I looked to the left, there was a homeless encampment, like a modern-day hooverville, just under the Burnside bridge. When I looked down into the water, I could see floating hypodermic needles, empty beer bottles and other trash. So, I just looked ahead, at the dripping cherry blossoms and the peaceful river running under the bridge. Perhaps that explains the brooding feeling.

In any case, with this painting finally complete, I can finally breath a sigh of relief and take in a breath of inspiration as I look towards my next project...

A Winslow Homer Recreation for my Aunt

My aunt and her significant other love fishing, I'm talking die-hard fish lovers. I hear stories how he had no money and just ate what he could catch at the ocean. It just so happens that one of my all-time favorite paintings is a painting by Winslow Homer called, The Fog Warning. It's a beautiful image of a man heading out to sea in his little row boat. He clearly caught some fish this day and he looks over his shoulder at the approaching weather and powers forward. It's a beautiful statement and skillful work of art. I don't pretend to hold a candle to the likes of ole' Winslow, but that didn't stop me from wanting to study his method on this one, which turned into a lovely gift:

 

Poorly cropped, I know. What's your favorite fishing painting?

Follow My Art Board on Pinterest

I'm collecting all  my favorite art on Pinterest. If you're on there and love art, follow my board:

http://pinterest.com/feebird28/art/

If you've got a great art board on Pinterest, share in the comments. 

Sketches of Portland Bridges

I've been dicking around with sketching the Portland bridges. I'm starting to understand the fascination of other artists in town. The first one is the Hawthorne, on 8"x11":

Unable to get the detail I needed to really "wow" it, I brought a bigger sketchpad the next time. The Burnside, open for a cargo ship:

More to come!

OHSU stairs sketch

I just unearthed this sketch and figured I ought to share it... at the top of the giant staircase by the Nursing School at OHSU:

Korkage wineshop musician sketches

I've recently started frequenting this wine shop in Hillsdale called Korkage. This place is great - they have live music three nights a week with no cover and serve fantastic glasses of wine. Their taste is really impeccable, the music is always really lovely to listen to. For me, it's become a perfect place to sit, drink some wine and sketch my favorite type of subjects. Musicians are the perfect drawing models because they are there to be looked at, they stay relatively still and don't ever seem to mind that you're drawing them. The first sketch was of a duo called The Big North Duo:

I was told by the owner that people were talking about this sketch, which, admittedly, is not my favorite. Nevertheless, this week, I went there and saw Jeff Putterman on his seven string classical guitar. That was a treat and the sketch I was able to complete was more pleasing to me:

You should see that one up on the wall at Korkage with a reasonable price tag on it in the next couple weeks. I've already found a friend willing to make a handmade frame to put it in. I'm a lucky gal to find so much support for my art.

Paint Fumes and Chai on Etsy!

If you've ever wanted to easily buy a painting from me, I've set up shop on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PaintfumesandChai

If you are interested in a piece but are hesitant on the price, please contact me. I'm willing to negotiate and even barter. Plus, if you are local to Portland, OR, we can forgo shipping costs and meet downtown.

Thanks for your support! More paintings to come.

Fuck Yeah Party Art Show

A couple of friends of mine have started a promotion company called PopCycle Events and they just hosted their first event last Friday. I would say it was a great success. Six artists, including me, were asked to show. There were three bands that played, a DJ and a full bar. Outside there was a candy bus, selling every candy you could possibly imagine.

The venue itself was a little tricky to find, down an alley and upstairs in the middle of an old grain silo. However, the inside of it had been tricked out with tiny wood paneling, installation art and a half pipe, which is where the bands played. Check it out:

I was one of the first artists you saw as you walked in:

Although, the artist that I think really took the cake was this guy Zach, who wasn't really part of the show. He shares the space with a few other folks on a regular basis. I was super impressed with what he did:

I wish I had more pictures of the event as it happened, but I was too busy socializing with the likes of these guys:

Thanks again to the two mythical sisters that made it all happen:

The Back of the Flower Stand on Graduation Day

This painting originated from a sketch. There was a graduation ceremony next to the farmer's market and this Asian family was working hard to keep up with demands. The workers breathed a sigh of relief when they were able to go to the back of the stand and arrange the bouquets. This painting was done in oils and it's 10"x13" on stretched canvas.

Guitar Player on the Steps

Turning sketches into paintings. Guitar Player on the Steps is 8"x10" in oils.

Portland Sketches, Mostly Musicians

Keeping up my weekly routine of sketching at the markets in Portland on the weekend. I sprained my ankle so I had a painful time getting around, which meant I couldn't spend as much time as I would've liked. In any case a captured a few decent ones.

First up is the didgeridoo (?) player, who I have not done justice to:

 Kids and adults alike are endlessly fascinated by this man. His sounds make sketching easy to fall into.

I then traveled over to the main stage, where a pretty good singer-songwriter was crooning. I caught her on her last song, so the sketch didn't go very far:

The last one I did was the best and unexpected. I was just waiting for the bus for 20 minutes and happened upon a decent sketch of a Portland street:

Summer is still here! Soak it up!

More Sketches of Portlanders

These busy summer markets in Portland are a free education in life drawing. I can't think of a better place to capture real, beautiful scenes.

There was a graduation ceremony at PSU, so the flower stand was especially busy and full of flowers:

At the Saturday Market, there was a band that called themselves The Homeless People, who were playing their way back to Oakland, CA. They were really enjoyable to listen to. This little brunette that's not in the picture was playing the washboard and singing with some serious soul:

Apparently, there is a big chess tournament in Portland this weekend, which is where this gentleman was on his way to. For $100 you could play a woman who is one of the greatest female chess players, Susan Polgar. She was ranked the number one chess player in the world at the age of 15. 

Paintings to come.

Tiny Self Portrait in Oils

"Here form, here colours, here the character of every part of the universe are concentrated to a point; and that point is so marvellous a thing..." (pg. 19)

The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci are thick with knowledge and exercises for artists. I've been on Vol.1 for longer than I care to admit. I keep stopping because I want to experiment with these suggestions he supplies. For example:

"Experiment [showing] the dilatation and contraction of the pupil, from the motion of the sun and other luminaries...The pupil of the eye, in the open air, changes in size with every degree of motion from the sun; and at every degree of its changes one and the same object seen by it will appear of a different size..." (pg.23-24)

I began with the idea that I would just paint the eyes over and over again, changing the light each time but I got wrapped up in just finishing a portrait instead. It was the right thing to do for the composition on this tiny canvas, even though I'm told I'm not this "pointy." 4"x6", oils, wet-on-wet.

Dill Gone to Seed

You can stop the dill from flowering, so that it will continue growing the spiky leaves that do so well with cucumber salad, fish dishes or soups. But the yellow bursts of their flowers are difficult to resist. Plus, the seeds are easy to save if you just let the plant run it's course. This one was tough to do so small. 4"x6" in oils, wet-on-wet.

Cucumber Salad
1 sliced cucumber
1/8th of a red onion, minced
2 dashes of fresh dill
1 1/2 cups brown rice vinegar

Mix the ingredients in a bowl or shake up in a jar. Keep refrigerated for a cool, summer salad.

Nasturtiums on tiny canvas'

Nasturtiums are a complex flower. These bright bursts of beauty are like a cross between a morning glory and a tiger lily. They grow in any kind of container, wrap around any object nearby and despite their weed behavior, they have a lot to offer.

My mother gave me seeds over a year ago and I finally had an extra container to plunk them into. As they grew, I learned that they are an effective deterant for aphids. Plant these beauties next to your nibbled on roses and those tiny green guys will be gone in no time. Although they are an effective pesticide, they are edible to us humans. Put the flowers in your salad to beautify your meal, they add a fairly intense but sweet flavor.

It is these things and the way that the plants exploded on one side of my container garden that has fascinated me. So, per the usual, I painted them in oils. All I have to paint on right now are these little 4"x6" canvas boards.

Music to Paint to

There are two artists that I've been painting to lately. They're addictive, their albums are very long and they seem to get more interesting the more I listen to them.

Cotton Jones:



Moon and Moon has this incredible album, that's really just a singular piece of art in itself. I don't know how it will translate as just one snippet, but here you go:

Corporate Ivy (Updated)

My newfound obsession has already been documented here. I'm finally putting my thoughts into images. I completed this sculpture for my Sustainability class. It combines my thoughts on English ivy with the concepts laid out in the books Affluenza and When the Rivers Run Dry. The basic concept is that corporations like Coca Cola, por ejemplo, are working overtime to manipulate communities of people for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they want to make money off of water supplies that should be free to the people, or sometimes they just want to sell a product. The global offenders that I've glued to these English ivy leaves have all taken part in trying to manipulate the public in some way. They do a disservice to society as a whole and set us back leaps and bounds through money-backed legislation and taking advantage of those who are ignorant to their methods. If you're reading this, I'm sure you know all this already.

The sculpture is made of red clay and is situated on a recycled piece of wood from an old cabinet. No live model was used. The ivy was pulled from the forest around my house. This little guy is about 8" tall, with a base of about 10". He inevitably will deteriorate with time, and I hope to update this post with the continuing status of his decay.

UPDATE: The Decay...

Faith in the Kitchen

I love being in the kitchen. It's pretty much always my favorite room in a house. My sister is a chef, my mother used to be a chef and both my parents are excellent cooks, who have a passion for creating great dishes. I also love to cook and bake myself. When my parents owned The Deer Head Inn, we spent an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen. My mother was the chef and both my sister and I would either help or just hang out and chat there. That kitchen was the hub of the business and became the hub of our family in a lot of ways. As is typical, this vibe was not lost on our cat. Faith enjoyed perching on high places in the kitchen to observe the action and perhaps see a small scrap of cheese or turkey thrown her way. This painting is 24"x30", painted with oils.

Oil Spill Birds

I started a painting when the oil spill off the Gulf coast happened last year. The images that were coming back of animals drenched in heavy tar balls were bringing me to tears. This is the image I needed to get out and was finally able to complete:

Oils, 24"x18", raised canvas.