Ustream flop

Well, if you tried to find me on ustream tonight, you were disappointed - as was I! I wasn't able to get the camera and computer and website to work in tandem until after 8:30 p.m. By then I was exhausted from running around and rebooting and moving cables, etc etc. I did work on a couple old paintings while I waited for the computer to reboot (over and over) And it's an old laptop so it takes awhile every time it reboots. I started at 5 p.m. so I thought that I'd have plenty of time to get it going, but it took a lot longer than that!

The good news is that I have the bugs worked out and on Saturday I should be online painting live with no problems.

The two paintings that I fiddled around with were:

Teapot #3 - which I LOVE now

"Flower Pot"

Kitchen Series
Original Oil on Reclaimed Panel
$225

Or click here to email me about Flower Pot.

This is one of a set of 6 kitchen paintings - contact me to see all 6
They are available as a group for $950 with free shipping.

That's it for tonight - hope to be much more productive on Saturday!

Thanks for your interest, and please let me know what you think of the paintings.

Live Creatively!

Liz

Kitchen Series - Mixer & Dog of the Day - JB the Scottie

Mix it Up!
Kitchen Series - Kitchenaid Mixer
9" x 9"
Oil on Reclaimed Panel

Or click here to email me about Mix It Up Kitchenaid Mixer.

This is one of a set of 6 kitchen paintings - contact me to see all 6
They are available as a group for $950 with free shipping.

I am really happy with this painting. It was a challenge to get the reflections in the bowl, and of course, I made the color pop quite a bit more than it did in real life. The part that I didn't like was the mixer body, because it is a flat blue color. Fortunately, there are enough reflections in it to add some depth. I have used this mixer for 20 years, and it's a bit scratched and not as shiny as it used to be. I think it makes a great center of interest for my still life :)

Not sure if I'm going to leave the background that color, I think I'd like it better if it was bright orange - the complement of blue. In these 'fun' paintings, I like to do things a bit more dramatically than I do in my commissioned work.

Technical note - when I paint the 4"x 6" paintings, I prepare the masonite panel by sanding, priming, sanding, gessoing, sanding and then painting with a couple coats of shellac. This makes a very slick finish that allows me to manipulate the paints immediately. The painting today was done on a plywood panel that had been primed and gessoed. Gesso is very very matte finish. The paint does not glide, it sticks like glue and gets sucked in . . . it was horrible!! I took my remaining 10"x10" panels and coated them with about 3 layers of shellac tonight, so the next one I paint won't be so frustrating!

It's so nice to be back painting and productive again. Hope you're enjoying the artwork!

Today's Dog Painting

(click to enlarge)

JB

Scottish Terrier
4"x6"
Oil on Panel

I have a collector who has been commissioning paintings from me for years - just about from the time I started. He has one of my first paintings, and I'd really like to get it back and fix it up LOL. I painted this as a gift to him. It is one of his many Scotties that he has rescued and takes such extensive care of. I hope I come back reincarnated as one of his dogs! He does so much for the dogs, he deserves this!

The painting is signed, but the website copyright appears only on the internet.

Teapot #3

"Flower Pot"

Kitchen Series - Teapot #3
Original Oil Painting9" x 9"
Oil on Reclaimed Panel
$225

Or click here to email me about Flower Pot.

This is one of a set of 6 kitchen paintings - contact me to see all 6
They are available as a group for $950 with free shipping.

I've called it "Flower Pot" but actually it's a "Fruit Pot". It's covered with embossed fruit. This is one of my favorite teapots. I got it years ago at a yard sale, which is where most of my favorite things come from :)

The painting doesn't look exactly like this anymore, I was going to be a smartie and hang it up on the wall. Of course, it slipped out of my hands and when I caught it, I caught the wet paint, of course.

So it went back on the easel, and was touched up, and looks just a little bit different. If you're interested, I can post a picture of 'after the fall'

Are you ready for Christmas? I am (as usual) trying to make the majority of my gifts. As my son cals it "the realm of 'Mom-gifts'" . . . and I am nowhere close to ready! I haven't even started most of them . . . and the ones I have started, well, some have not been, how shall we say, spectacularly successful? It's okay, I still have a whole week, and only one more Christmas commission to finish LOL . .. oh and I haven't painted my Christmas cards yet, either!

Hope you have a great day! As always, thank you for your interest in my artwork and feel free to forward this to your friends.

Liz

Teapot #2 - Dr. Seuss Revisited

Dr. Seuss Revisited
Kitchen Series
9" x 9"
Oil on Reclaimed Panel with Painted Sides
$225

Or click here to email me about Dr Seuss Teapot.

This is one of a set of 6 kitchen paintings - contact me to see all 6
They are available as a group for $950 with free shipping.

I call it "Dr. Seuss Revisited" because it's kind of wonky and very colorful. It is painted on a 3/4" board, which is a very traditional medium, and besides I had some laying around :) The white lines on the upper portion of the painting are reflections from the grain in the wood.

It was done very quickly because I spent the vast majority of my day working on a commission - it's very large 30" x 40" and quite different from my usual work. Hopefully I will show you when it is finished and after it has been presented to the recipient.

If you want to use wood as a support for oil paintings, first put a couple good coats of gesso on it before the oil paints. Oil will deteriorate wood, so make sure you protect it. If you don't want to use gesso, and you're not creating 'archival' artwork, you can just paint it with a good latex paint or primer. If you want to paint in acrylics, you don't have to prime it first, but it does make the paint go on easier.

When I am at my easel painting, I carry on imaginary conversations with you - "See how I fixed that mistake?" or "This is a good way to . . . . " but when I am finally done with the day, and get a chance to sit down and write, I go completely blank - "Here is my painting, it is in oil, it is a teapot" LOL

Maybe it's because I know many of you personally, and I don't want to sound pretentious.

But, here is one thing I thought about while I was painting today - If you'd like to do something a little different with a still life or object, try what I did with this teapot. Set your object or still life up on some brightly colored backgrounds. They can be harmonious, or complementary. I like the purple and orange combination, but then I like purple with just about any other color.

The backgrounds can be fabric, construction paper, or as I used, some art foam stuff that they use for making stamps. The colors reflect onto the subject and add interest and more of a challenge to paint.

Til next time . . . .

Liz

Marilyn Monroe Teapot II

Well, here I am, I bet you thought you'd never get another painting from me! I've been busy with some commissions, one of a young boy that I can't wait to show you!

Marilyn Monroe Teapot II
Kitchen Series
9" x 9"
Oil on Reclaimed Panel with Painted Sides
$225

Or click here to email me about Marilyn Monroe Teapot.

This is one of a set of 6 kitchen paintings - contact me to see all 6
They are available as a group for $950 with free shipping.

Without further ado, here is the latest 'fun' painting - I just love this teapot! This is a quick study done on 3/4" plywood, it's 9"x 9". I had some small pieces laying around that I didn't want to go to waste. I will have to do something else to them though. I couldn't stand painting on this flat gesso surface, the brush just dragged! Usually when I paint on wood or a panel, I coat the surface with lacquer, a technique I learned from artist Joy Thomas It's a lot of fun to paint on a lacquered surface, the paint just slips and slides and you can do a lot of manipulation.

Live Creatively!

Liz