Nursery Mural - Where the Wild Things Are

It's been a while - getting pregnant and having a baby sort of threw me off my artist game. While I haven't been broadcasting, I have been working where and when I can. The big pregnancy project was the nursery mural.

Maurice Sendak has an interesting illustration style - it's rough, emotional, jagged and yet still fluid. I learned this by trying to mimic his pen strokes with a brush. I did okay, but leave it to the master to come up with such an interesting landscape.

Acrylic on white walls. Max is about 4'x4', the monster is about 5'x7' and the forest is a wrap-around landscape about 10'x15'. It took all my paint! Wore down my brushes and I spent about five, eight hour days on it. As we're entering toddlerhood, my daughter has begun pointing and talking about it.

Want a nursery mural? Pick your images and I'll put in on the wall free-hand. $35/hr plus cost of supplies.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Restoring an Old Watercolor

I don't usually do this but a friend of a friend had some water damage on an old watercolor that they wanted fixed. It took me a lot of time blending, dry brushing and manipulating watercolors on a very old piece of paper. I was unable to use any water, which would inevitably pull all the paint up off the old paper. Here is what I was given to work on:

And here is what I was able to do to fix it:

I might still try to do some more blending, but we'll see. I'm about ready to move on to something more creative.

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.

Sustainability: "Leaves in a Pot"

I'm taking this class on Sustainability, which is a great class but happens to fall on the same days as the art classes I want to take.

Well, I finally got to spend my limited homework time painting anyway. "Leaves in a Pot" is painted on piece of wood off a broken cabinet. It's about 18"x18" and done in oils. The idea is mimicking nature's process of refertilizing the soil. When we copy nature, things usually work out for the best.

This was a quick painting done from life.

Two Angles of a Seed Pod

The title speaks for itself. The seed pod was in Pennsylvania, by Lake Lenape. They are both 4"x6" and done in oils on canvas board.

Painting on the Porch

I've been painting on my porch lately. The first one was Tomato-Basil and now I have this one. I suppose it would be called "Sunset wall". I painted it on a piece of wood that came from an old cabinet that we were throwing away. I think the size is 10"x15" and it's done in oils.

Reflections of the Past

I'm not sure why I never posted this one. I completed it early last year I think. Oils (of course), 24"x30" canvas. The title is "Reflections of the Past."

Tomato-Basil

The tomatoes are not red yet, but that purple basil sure is striking.

Oils 12"x12"

My Kitty Died Last Christmas

...It was kind of a horrific experience. We thought she had a urinary tract infection because she kept peeing on the floor uncontrollably. After medicating her for weeks on anti-biotics, I was sitting on my computer and I saw her piss right near the litter box. She looked completely tense and just let out a tiny bit. I realized something strange was going on, it looked like she was having a seizure. My theory was confirmed as they progressively got worse throughout the day. I could not stand to watch her suffer. It seemed like with each seizure she was losing her brain. She seemed out of it and unable to balance. I felt certain that we needed to put her down.

When we were in the vet's office, he offered us alternatives. We could medicate her without testing and see if it helped, we could get a $150 test done to rule out poison, or we could continue as planned to put her down. The decision was too hard to make in 1 hour, which was the time we had until the vet closed for the day. So, we took the medication, Quaaludes, and tried to keep her sedated for 24 hours. It was the longest 24 hours ever. Not only did the seizures continue and get progressively worse, but the medication made her even more drowsy and braindead. She didn't even know who we were. I can't go into anymore detail than that, it's all just a nightmare that brings me to tears to think about.

The next chance we got, we took her to the humane society, where they kept her alive and drugged her until they determined in a matter of days that she was unable to be saved and put her down. It's good to know that she's finally at peace but it's taken us awhile to heal from the experience. I don't usually paint just cats, but it helped me to immortalize her in some way.

Gemini

Birds in Flight

I did these late last year, I believe, and the whole point was to paint little stuff that I could sell for cheap... but here I am hoarding them. Birds are my obsession right now. Until I can sufficiently dive into their existence, it's impossible to let these little bursts of spirit go. They are all 6"x6" and they vibe off each other in this really nice way, so that you could place them in any hanging configuration and have them be playing off each other. Eventually, I'll sell them for less than $50 a piece. For now, they're living the good life on a shelf in my art corner where I can covet them (weirdo! yes, definitely.).

Fantasy Diptych

This started as a magazine collage, using mostly National Geographics. The collage was turned into a painting and the second painting is a continuance of the first. A bit of storytelling seems to have come out. It's a dream of mine to write an animated movie and these images sent my mind into some uncharted territory:


Oils 24"x36"

Oils 24"x18"