Bombshell

Bombshell                                   6x6 inch oil

The woman in red just tickles me!  She's "living out loud" and doesn't care a wit for what the other women think!  This piece sold to an east coast gentlemen who collects paintings of 1940-ish street scenes with people in them.  I'd love to see his collection!

I'm currently painting this scene as an 11x14 inch painting.

Pensacola Beach Sunset

Pensacola Beach Sunset                       8x10 oil

I painted this piece in memory of my mother-in-law who was buried in December.  She lived most of her life in Gulf Breeze, Florida, just a stone's throw from Pensacola Beach.  The evening before her funeral, my family and I witnessed this beautiful sunset on the beach and it seemed a perfect memorial to her.  It now hangs in our home to remind us of her.

If I seemed absent online in 2013, it's because my husband and I have entered a season of helping with family illnesses.  Besides my mother-in-law's Alzheimers, my father experienced a devastating stroke last April and my sister is battling breast cancer, so I've spent a lot of time in California with them and will continue to do so for a period of time.  

2013 also brought the early retirement of my husband and the pursuit of his "encore career."  David will be working with a non-profit that empowers poor women in mostly developing countries.  He loves international travel and will be doing a lot of it.  I'll be tagging along on a trip now and then, and am looking forward to the paintings it will inspire.  I loved painting portraits of the people of South Africa when I returned from that trip, and am looking forward to painting more beautiful faces.

Meanwhile, painting has seemed to happen in short bursts, and posting seems not to have happened at all.  In March, I hope to show you the pieces that I have accomplished since last fall.  The 2014 ArtWalk season begins next month, and you'll be able to find me in my studio on First Fridays.  I'm also once again participating in the Pikes Peak Studio Tour next September, so you'll have a chance to visit me in my home studio then.

Sorry for the length of this post--I've blatantly broken my "one paragraph post" rule, but I wanted to touch base with you all and assure you that I'm still painting and hope to be back on a regular basis when circumstances allow.

Thank you all for your encouragement and support!

My Kind of Man

My Kind of Man                                                         6x8 inch oil

I've had this Pillsbury Doughboy in my still life props collection for years now, but lost track of him for awhile.  When I stumbled upon him, I put him on a shelf and didn't even notice him for the longest time.  One day,  he winked and smiled at me, and I knew it was time for his portrait.

He's currently hanging in Abend Gallery's Holiday Miniature Show in Denver.  If you can't make it up there in person, call the gallery to purchase him.  Just mention my name, and the title of the painting.

Hambone

Hambone                                      6x6 inch oil          $150

Another painting of my pig friend, still splashing around in his puddle.  He is currently at Poor Richard's Restaurant in Downtown Colorado Springs.  Hanging along with him are many other small animal paintings, and my famous donuts.  You can purchase him through the Pay Pal link above, or by visiting the restaurant. 

Happier Than a Pig in Mud

Happier Than a Pig in Mud                    6x6 inch oil Sold

I'm in love with this guy. It was a hot day and he was luxuriating in his puddle. He actually had that smile on his face!

This painting is hanging in Costa Mesa, CA for the month of December, along with two other of my pieces.  Here's the physical address, date and time.  For prices and to purchase, contact Randy Higbee Gallery.  Mention my name, and the name of the painting that you are interested in.

Also in the show are:

Strawberries                   6x6 inch oil

Glory                        6x6 inch oil

Painting Sunflowers

Since my sunflower paintings are very popular, I thought you might be interested in how many of them come about. 

I like to work from life, but every time that I've bought a bunch of sunflowers this summer, I've made sure to photograph them as well. Sunflowers seem to disappear from my local markets in late fall, and I want to be sure to have photos to work from through the winter if I want. Here's a photo of the setup I worked from for this particular piece. Actually, I've used this photo for several different paintings recently and each is very different, as you will soon see.

Reference Photo

Following the Sun, 4 x 6 inch oil  SOLD

Red Warms My Heart 5 x 5 inch oil

The Yellow Rose of Kansas   6x6 inch oil

Now you know!  Don't be surprised to see more versions from this same photo!

No Particular Place to Go

No Particular Place to Go                 6x6in. Oil   $150

You can tell by looking at these two, that they are always together.  You also get the idea that the dog is often in charge....

This painting is hanging at Colorado Expressions in downtown Colorado Springs.  Stop by the gallery on Friday evening, Dec. 6th or on Saturday, Dec. 7th as part of the Downtown Holiday Stroll.  

Red Warms My Heart

Red Warms My Heart                         5x5"  $200

I must say, red paintings are tough to photograph, and my camera is malfunctioning, so this photo doesn't do the painting justice.  Good thing Santa is bringing me a new camera! (I've been very, very good this year).   You can see the original painting, along with two other sunflowers, at Abend Gallery in Denver as part of their Holidays Miniature Show.  I'll have 5 pieces for you to check out.  The reception is Sat. December 7th from 5 to 9pm and the show runs through Dec. 31.

A Touch of Gold

A Touch of Gold         8x8inch oil on panel, framed      $310

I'm beginning to think that either my monitor is going kapoot, or that my camera is losing it (it has shown other signs), because for the last few months, I'm had trouble getting the color right in my painting photographs...the color tends to be too saturated and I haven't be able to correct in Photoshop.

  I'd love for you to visit me during Art Walk on November 1st to see this painting in person.  It was something new for me in that the majority of the subject was in shadow, so essentially, that was where the most interesting color was.  I struggled with it for awhile, not going dark enough in the shadow area, and although I started painting with a brush, I switched to the palette knife about 3/4ths through.  In the end, it's now one of my favorite paintings. 

Any thoughts on my photo problems?

Chip

Rumors of me being lost in an absinthe fog are greatly exaggerated! I have had a lot of family activity, but have managed to keep painting as well.  I've had several dog portrait commissions, and thought that you might enjoy seeing one of those in process.

My subject for this portrait is Chip, a beloved pet who grew up with his college age owner, and quietly passed away last year.  I received some text messages with reference photos, and the quality of the one I wanted to work from wasn't optimal.  The pose was wonderful, but I couldn't tell if he was tan or grey.

I did have two other photos, but Chip's color was washed out by the camera flash.  They seemed to indicate that there was a lot of tan in his coat, but I asked some questions to make sure that was the case.

The finished painting would be 6 x 6 inches. You can see that I first toned my canvas with orange and then did the drawing, putting in most of my values as I drew.

Then, I began to paint.....

At this point, I sent a photo to my client to check on his color.  The photo was passed onto one of Chip's family members who observed that Chip was actually very grey.  I just corrected the color I'd created so far to reflect his grey coat.  After a check on his eye color, I completed the piece.

6x6 inch oil commission                    $85 unframed

Actually, I think I tweaked some edges and his ear shapes after this, and now I can see that I need to carve the sides of his face out a little (when the owner brings it in for varnishing, I'll have a chance to do that), but otherwise, you get the idea! I hope that you enjoyed this little demo!

Family Time

If you haven't seen blog posts by me for awhile, it's because I'm visiting my family in Northern California (Arcata.) I'll be back in my studio next Monday standing at the easel!

One of the pleasures of being here is the time I get to spend with my nieces, Emma and Abby.  The most fun that we've had so far has been playing with a photo program on my iPad.  I thought I'd treat you to a few of our self-portraits.

I can't move photos around on my iPad blog like I can with my laptop, so the format might remind you of your early computer days when everything was left justified!

Me of course.

Emma (doesn't she look like a Picasso painting?)

And Abby

With Compliments

With Compliments                                           6x6 inch oil Sold

Click to Bid in My Online Auction

As promised, I've experimented with a background color other than red and have decided to explore the compliments of purple and yellow a little more. I'm enjoying mixing yellows that give the impression of petals in shadow.

The starting bid for this painting in my online auction is $45. If you are interested in my "Buy It Now" option, the price is $85 unframed or $125 framed. Just contact me directly, and if no one has yet bid on the painting, I can stop the auction and guarantee that "With Compliments" is yours. Email me at juliekirkland@info.com

Turning Toward the Sun

Turning Toward the Sun                            6 x 6 inch oil

Click to Bid in My Online Auction

I can't promise that this will be the last sunflower on red, but I am moving on to a different background color tomorrow.  In this painting, I'm particularly fond of how abstract I got the background flowers.  I also love the light on the petal that drips into the flower's center.

Plenty of Sunshine

Plenty of Sunshine                         6 x 6 inch, oil

Click to Bid in My Online Auction

A few years ago, I discovered an artist online who painted thirty different compositions of three plums, and for some reason, that made a great impression on me.  I'm thinking of her as I work with my sunflower series, wondering if I won't lose interest before long...my red phase is drawing to a close, and soon I'll turn to some other background colors!  With each piece, I learn something new that I can do with the palette knife...

Berry Hunting

Berry Hunting                             8 x 10 inch oil, $390

A mother bear and her three cubs occasionally stroll through my yard looking for something tasty. On this particular day, they hung around long enough for me to get a lot of photos. They were actually very obliging as they modeled just 6 feet away from my sliding glass door. In particular, this young guy struck several classic bear poses for me.  

This painting is available for purchase at Colorado Expressions Gallery, 122 Kiowa Ave, Colorado Springs, (719) 258-9168.

719.258.9168

Sunny Faces

Sunny Faces                5x5 inch oil         Sold

 So far, this little piece is one of my favorites in the sunflower series.  I got really loose with it and love the  purple/yellow color scheme.

Sunflower on Red

Sunflower on Red                                    5x5 inch oil

Click to Bid in my Online Auction

I'm committed to my series on Sunflowers and am learning more and more about using the palette knife.  I'm also learning to quit sooner than a do.  I often leave the studio vowing to give up painting altogether given the "mess" I've made on the canvas, but am almost always surprised to walk in the next morning with a fresh eye and find that what looked disastrous the night before is actually quite exciting.  It's the "just let me add one more stroke" that leads me to reworking the whole thing, and in doing that I often end up with something more generic looking.  Luckily, that didn't happen with this piece!  Current auction bid is $40.

Red Makes Me Happy

Red Makes Me Happy                   6x6 inch oil

This sunflower was painted entirely with a palette knife and I've decided that is my favorite method of painting these flowers.  The strokes give the petals such energy and expression.

Currently not available for sale.  Please let me know if you'd be interested in purchasing this piece when it becomes available.

Radiant

Radiant                                                      6x6 inch oil

Click to bid in my online auction

Summer is here, and sunflowers are back!  I'm doing a series of them with thick paint, using a brush and/or a palette knife, and experimenting with different background colors.  I find it much easier to be more expressive with sunflowers than I am with many other flowers.  I think that it's because their petals are so pleasantly unruly.

Nesting Instinct

Nesting Instinct                              6x8 inches  oil

Click Here to Bid in My Online Auction

A while ago, I asked for some "creative input" on what to put in this crow's beak.  He needed to be holding something to balance the composition.  I had been thinking that an earring would be clever, but decided that the painting's style was a little too rustic for a shiny bauble.  Someone suggested that he carry a bit of nesting material, which seemed like the perfect solution.