Striped Mug and Company

6 x 6" oil on canvas panel    

 The Impressionists hung out in a cafe, the artists in Old Colorado City hang out at Jives, a local coffee shop just beneath my studio.  While getting my coffee last week, I spied this striped mug and asked to borrow it to use in a painting.  24 hours later, I returned to the coffee shop owner, mug pressed against my cheek to say, "We're in love.  My facebook status now reads "In relationship with Striped Mug."  I MUST HAVE THIS MUG to paint for the rest of my life."  And so, after a strategic trade, the mug is now mine. Expect to see it again!

Opening bid $25  Click to bid

White Peony

I live in what's considered an alpine desert climate with a short growing season.  Between that and the 6 or 7 deer who hang out in my yard, my flower options are very limited.  The jewel in my garden is a white peony.  It's so gorgeous, and I'm always torn whether to cut a bouquet to bring inside, or to admire them in the yard.  This year, I selected one to bring indoors to model for me.  This 6 x 6" canvas was painted with the flower on my studio windowsill.


Click to Bid

Mr. Pepsi Head

"Mr. Pepsi Head"   6 x 8" Oil      NFS

Today's post is just for the fun of it.  I painted this for a friend with whom 

I share a Pepsi One obsession.  Every time I run across a photo of this guy, he 

makes me happy.  I'm hoping that he'll make you smile today too!  I may need

 to paint a happy couple of Mr. and Mrs. Pepsi Head for myself....

To see more of my paintings, visit my website and my Daily Paintworks gallery.

Trimmed With Sunlight

I completed this painting several weeks ago, but have held off putting it up for auction because I wanted to enjoy looking at it for awhile!  

"Trimmed With Sunlight" is a 5 x 5" oil on panel.  Auction begins tomorrow on Daily Paintworks.  If you'd like to bid on it, click here.

Day 5

Carol demonstrated glass today and I enjoyed painting this little jar and daisy. I loved painting glass and reflective surfaces in watercolor, but have stayed away from those subjects in oil. I think I'm ready to get back to them now though.


I highly recommend Carol's workshop to anyone who enjoys painting still life, and if you are interested, she'll be teaching a streetscape workshop in San Francisco this upcoming October. The students going will include many of my classmates here in Sedona, and I can recommend them as a great group to paint and play with.


Stop by my studio on the first Friday ArtWalk (June 1) and see in person the paintings I did this week as well as the work I do between now and then.  I'm pretty excited to get back to work tomorrow!

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, click here:

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/julie-kirkland/trimmed-with-sunlight/62733

Day 4

I'm very happy with this strawberry painting and accomplished it on my own with only one comment from the instructor. Carol pointed out that the background strawberry on the left was blending in too closely with it's shadow, but that was an easy fix.


We did a color mixing exercise using the warm and cool primaries. Carol doesn't use the terms "warm" and "cool" though; she instead likes to talk about a color "leaning" toward red, green, blue or yellow. I talk to my students about this "leaning" when trying to explain what colors are warmer or cooler than others, but personally will probably always think in terms of warm and cool as I did when painting these strawberries. Cool reds in shadow and distance, warm reds closer and in warm light. If you look at the painting, you'll be able to distinguish reds with more blue in them and reds with more yellow.

Day 3

2 paintings today, but I forgot to photograph the second one. Carol's emphasis today was on brushwork and composition. Those skills are ones that I've spent a lot of time on, so I was able to focus on painting whites. I think that I tend to paint shadows and things in shadow too colorfully, so I struggled to neutralize my colors a lot more. In the end, I may just prefer sticking with luminous shadow colors, but the other students really responded to this piece, so I'n paying attention to that...


By the way, this was a brushstroke exercise. Every single brushstroke had to be a different color. No dipping into previously mixed piles; every stroke had to be altered somewhat. Looking at the photo now, I'm happy to see that my edges are coming along.

Day 2

After thinking more about why yesterday's painting seemed so easy to paint, I realized that it was because of the canvas panels and the brushes that Carol Marine recommends. Normally, I would take my usual canvas panels and the brushes I like to a class, but a few weeks ago, I was listening to the Internet radio show "Artist's Helping Artists.". The topic was how to get the most out of a workshop, and they highly recommended using the supplies that the instructor calls for, simply because you may discover something that you really like. Well, I REALLY like the smooth canvas Raymar panels and the brush Carol recommends! I think that painting has been easier the last two days because I'm not wrestling the paint onto the canvas; there's a greater ease in application. I'm definitely switching to the Raymar panels. If anyone is interested in buying my current supply of panels, let me know!


Tuesday's focus was on values and an afternoon of 10 minute paintings.

Workshop

Lately, I've felt I'd reached a plateau in my work, as though I was stagnating a bit. I knew that it was time for some new input. I've had a couple of terrific oil instructors on a regular basis, but their primary subject matters aren't still life, the subject that still appeals most to me. I've been following a painter named Carol Marine for the last six years and admire so many things about her work that her workshop was an easy choice. Easy to choose, not so easy to get into. She's an excellent instructor as well as painter, and her classes fill up rapidly. A year and a half ago, I registered for this May 2012 workshop in Sedona, Arizona, and here I finally am!


This afternoon's assignment was to paint anything that we wanted, just to give her an idea of our levels and to see how far we could get in an hour. I looked at my paint and the canvas, and decided that I'd forgotten
how to even hold the brush (I hadn't painted at all in the last two weeks and had workshop jitters.) I just had to close my eyes and go for it without thinking too much about it, otherwise I may have stood there paralyzed for the rest of the week. The resulting painting was actually a pleasant surprise. I don't think that any of my little paintings has been that effortless. Go figure...


I've come this week to learn more about color mixing, edges, and composition (as well as marketing.). After today, I've figured out that I could coast this week if I wanted to, but instead I'm going to challenge myself. I stopped at the grocery store this evening to buy a lot of white items to paint. White still stumps me, so I'll try to work on that this week. I'll try to post all of my paintings, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Forgive me if my pieces look like Carol Marine's, but I always start by trying to duplicate what the instructor is doing and then by using those skills consistently, it doesn't take long to make my own twists on technique and color.


Here's this afternoon's painting.

Africa Commission

11x14" oil on canvas

This is my newest painting from my experiences in Africa.  While in the villages, we kept our cameras in our bags unless we could ask someone for permission to photograph them.  One afternoon, we did have an hour in the market of Kwaggafontein with the freedom to photograph everyone and everything of interest to us.  The photo of this young shopkeeper was taken across the street from her with my zoom lens.  It's obvious from her posture and expression that her business didn't welcome any "monkey business."   I wanted to capture her youthful beauty and strength. 

To read a bit about my trip, and see all of the resulting paintings, please visit my blog  Painting By Heart

A Glimmer

It feels like ages since I last posted something.  I've been hard at work, but only recently am I wrapping up some "blog worthy" pieces.  I experienced a two week period where I wiped the paint off of every single canvas I touched.   It was a (thankfully) short, but very frustrating period that had me seriously doubting that I'd ever get anywhere with oils (I feel this way on a semi-regular basis!).  I took a day or two off, painted some more bad paintings, wiped them off and then suddenly had a few successes.  I have three paintings right now that are close to being finished, along with the one I'm posting today.

Sun Drenched Blossom,  5 x 5"            $75, unframed

This little painting was exciting to me for two reasons.  First, it was the first painting that I hadn't had to wipe out after 80 hours of painting and secondly, it's a glimmer of where I think I'd like to go with oils.  I love the glow and the expressive brushwork I achieved here, especially since I so often rely on extremely dark backgrounds to push the intensity of light.  In this painting it's produced by the warm petals on the cool background.

I'm looking forward to soon showing you the other paintings I mentioned!

Questions?  Contact me at info@juliekirkland.com

Sprinkles On Top

This week's challenge was to paint donuts.  It was pointed out that we could paint them instead of eating them.  Yea. Right.  The biggest challenge in painting these (besides not eating them until I was finished) was that the stack of donuts kept falling over.  The combination of the hot light I had focused on them and the weight of the upper donuts slowly crushing the lower donuts was evidently less than ideal donut engineering.  Did you know that when donuts topple over, they make no sound?  

This 6 x 12 inch original oil (unframed) is $175 plus shipping and applicable tax.  Don't hesitate to contact me at info@juliekirkland.com if you have any questions. I'd appreciate it if you'd "Like" this painting on Facebook (button below).

Spring Still Life with Egg

It's only March, but it feels like spring here in the Rockies.  Of course, every March, Mother Nature coaxes us into believing that winter is over--the days grow warm and the trees begin budding and leafing out.  And even though anyone who has lived here anytime at all knows that it will turn cold and snowy in an instant, we all like to believe that we've seen the last of our parkas until next winter...


I'm celebrating spring today with lighter colors that reflect the season. The color of this vintage tablecloth is a perfect compliment to this blue robin's egg.  My favorite part of this painting is the dogwood petals and the multiple colors I used to paint them "white."


Buy it now price on this painting is $85 unframed.  It goes up for auction tomorrow on Daily Paintworks with a starting bid of $30.  Click on the link to my Daily Paintworks Gallery in the right sidebar of this page.


www.juliekirkland.com
info@juliekirkland.com


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Cottontail

I loved the backlighting in my photo of this bunny, especially the way that the light highlights her tail.  This 6 x 6" oil can be purchased unframed through my Daily Paintworks auction that runs for 7 days starting today.  Starting bid is only $25 and, as usual, if you are able to pick up the painting in person, I will refund shipping charges that are added at the end of the auction.  To view the auction, cut and paste this address into your browser:

 http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/41609

Questions? Contact me at info@juliekirkland.com and to see more of my work, visit my website at http://www.juliekirkland.com

"Fluffy"

"Fluffy"                      12x12in.                oil on canvas panel

I've just finished a commissioned portrait of Fluffy, the beautiful pomeranian that you see above.  As usual, the eyes and the tongue were my favorite parts to paint.  I've painted mostly short haired animals and found Fluffy's fluff to be a challenge that turned into pure fun.   This week, I'm turning my attention to another commissioned portrait of a young African girl with lots of dreadlocks.  The overall shape of her hair is not unlike Fluffy's, but the texture is definitely different!


I'd like to point out a new feature on my blog, and that's the Daily Paintworks Widget that you see on the right.  The widget constantly rotates through my painting gallery on DPW, and gives you a link directly to the painting that you click on (and then into my entire gallery as well).


The piece that went up for auction today is "Satsuma Gold," a 6x6 inch oil.  As promised, I've continued to paint tangerines, and they continue to keep me interested.  In this particular painting, I focused on having softer, cooler edges and, just for fun, created that "hot" shadow.  Starting bid is only $25, and again, if you are local I'll refund the $10 shipping to you when you pick up the painting.  Check the rotating widget I mentioned and click on the painting image to go straight to the auction.

Satsuma Gold            6x6 inch           oil on panel

P.S.  If you know of anyone that might enjoy seeing my art, I'd love it if you told them about it and sent them a link to subscribe to my posts!  And, if you are on Facebook, I'd appreciate you clicking "Like" to share it with your Facebook friends.  Thanks, friends!  (Starving artists need all of the exposure they can get!)

Tangerine Challenge

Tangerine on Turquoise,  6 x 6" Oil on Canvas Panel  $75 unframed

I've been true to my word and have kept at the challenge of painting the same object multiple times.  I have actually kept a total of 6 of the tangerine paintings (the others were best wiped off.....)  Everyone who visits the studio seems to have a favorite, and this one happens to be mine.  I love the complementary color contrast of the orange and blue.  I'm still enjoying the subject matter and the infinite variety of things that I could try, so expect to see more of these!

This painting, "Tangerine on Turquoise" is currently available in my studio and will be sold through a Daily Paintworks online auction that starts tomorrow, Jan. 17.  Visit my DPW gallery http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/jkirkland-51 and click on the painting image to take you to the auction.
You can see more of my work at http://www.juliekirkland.com Questions about this painting, or any of the other tangerines?  Contact me at info@juliekirkland.com.

New Year, New Goals

"The Fruit Gets Sweeter As It Ages"    6 x 12 inches   oil on panel

Are goals and resolutions the same thing? 

   goal

  noun

1. the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.  2.  the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result; the destination of a journey.
RESOLUTION noun    1. a firm decision to do or not to do something.

Goals and resolutions both involve a directed effort at something, but a resolution seems focused more on just the end result, while a goal acknowledges that the journey along the way is just as valuable (or more so) than the destination itself.   I've never been one for making New Year's resolutions, but I have gotten into the habit of setting new goals to promote growth in my painting skills.  My goal this year (or for at least a few months!) is to paint the same item everyday for a week.  Initially, I thought of doing this as a way to become more confident in my color mixing--mixing the same colors for 5 days in a row might help me mix color without having to think about it so hard.  But the exercise is evolving into something even better:  a journey that unfolds before me as each little painting suggests a new thing to focus on in the next.
I found a Satsuma tangerine at the market a few days ago and, feeling inspired by it's eloquent leaves, decided that it would be my first subject for the year.  I've done three versions so far in the last three days at the studio.  With the first, I focused just on getting the color correct.  I set the Satsuma on my windowsill and got to work using definite brushstrokes and angles to create a graphic look:

Satsuma 1      6 x 8 inches  oil on panel

That led me to experiment with doing the next version with softer edges:

Satsuma 2      6 x 6 inches  oil on panel
For painting number 3 (top of the page), I set the goal of trying to turn the edges of the fruit and leaves using temperature (cooler color at the edges making the edge recede).  That was my initial goal, and I did think of it occasionally, but mostly I was just having so much fun painting that I forgot to focus on that and just enjoyed the process of painting it!  What do you know--I had already begun to think less about how to mix the colors involved and was just doing it!   I'm still interested in focusing just on color temperature tomorrow, and I'm sure that will lead to trying something else the next day.  In fact, I'll need a minimum of 10 days to even scratch the surface of possibilities.  I'm picturing the public coming into my studio at the next Art Walk:  they'll see a wall full of the same tangerine and carefully back out of the room so as not to provoke the lunatic artist.
And so, I prefer goals to resolutions.  Goals involve a journey.  I'm on a road trip where I can pull off to see everything that intrigues me from serious learning experiences to huge balls of twine.  From day to day, I don't know where a painting will take me, but it will always be exciting. 
A note on the title.  With Satsuma's, the older the tree, the sweeter the fruit it produces.  In fact, the most flavorful fruit comes from trees that are at least 50 years old.  That encourages this old tree!
"The Fruit Gets Sweeter As It Ages" will be sold through a Daily Paintworks online auction.  Visit my DPW gallery http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/jkirkland-51 and click on the painting image to take you to the auction.
You can see more of my work at http://www.juliekirkland.com  Questions about this painting, or any of the other Satsumas?  Contact me at info@juliekirkland.com
Happy New Year!

My Christmas Peeps

The last month has had me busy working on commissions that were ordered for Christmas. One day though, I did feel the need to break out and just be silly, thus "My Christmas Peeps." Just something to entertain myself! I especially love the cool fresh feeling of the blue background and how it complements the blue on the peeps. If you are interested in bidding on this 6 x 8" oil, the starting bid will be only $25, and the bidding begins tomorrow at www.DailyPaintworks.com. Just click on the auctions tab, then search for my name. If you have any trouble finding it, contact me at info@juliekirkland.com

A New Beginning

Blue eggs enchant me more than white or brown, or even green ones.  And blue SPECKLED eggs are even more intriguing.  I imagine that they hold some exotic promise--much the same way I view the beginning of 2012.

The auction for a "A New Beginning" (3x4 in. oil on stretched canvas) begins tomorrow with a starting bid of $25.  The "buy it now" is $45.  It's a small gem that shows handsomely on a table top or mantle, and just the right size to tuck into an intimate corner.  Follow this link to the auction: 

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/30011

If you're interested in buying it now for $45, contact me at info@juliekirkland.com

Raven

The Raven, 6 x 6" oil on panel

I haven't painted much in the last three weeks.  I had a lovely vacation in Charleston, South Carolina with my husband and then returned just in time to move my studio at The Second Floor Studios into another room, and then paint the entire space and put it together in time for Art Walk and our Holiday Open House the next day.  I had exactly 3 1/2 days to accomplish this, and somehow pulled it together enough to make it presentable!   There's still a lot of stuff to finish, like a second coat of paint on the woodwork and weatherproofing the windows now that it's colder, but I'm tackling that only a little bit each day in order to turn my attention back to the easel!





"The Raven" is the last little painting I did before I left for Charleston. I especially love the little bits of orange popping up around the edges. You can buy "The Raven" now for $80 plus $10 shipping, or you can visit my daily paintworks auction that begins on November 17th. Starting bid is only $35.00! http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/23850

www.juliekirkland.com