Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Another piece off the easel

I just finished this 12 x 16  oil of a red fox.  I have a thing for sleeping fox - I've painted many of them, so it's hard to find a different pose for each piece.  I'm still working on the title which usually takes more time than it does to do the painting. 

Sunday, April 25, 2010

The #%*@ Cat is in the Doghouse

Call it Murphy's Law.  Yesterday I sat three paintings on a wide windowsill in the studio to catch the sun and hopefully speed up the drying process.  Minutes later, I turned around to see Molly, my almost-18-year-old-cat sitting on them.

I have never seen Molly sitting on that windowsill.  Why now?   Three paintings have to be repainted and I have phthalo footprints across the studio floor, down the hall and on the toilet seat.  Guess she was thirsty after all that work.  

Hmmm - my project is "75 for $75".  Molly is at least 75 in cat-years - so you can have her for $75.  Any takers?   It's probably going to take $75 in cleaning products to get rid of kitty footprints and perhaps a $275 vet bill if phthalo is toxic. 


I already repainted the chicken's face before I thought to photograph it.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

West of Sedona

Last week I spent a few hours painting with my sister  Joanne Hanson and friend Berta Riniker Ferguson.  It was late afternoon when we found this spot - west of Sedona at a scenic overlook parking area.  I'll remember the spot because the view was gorgeous in the late afternoon light.  My sister will remember the spot to as she was bitten by a no-see-um.


                                      
                                            "West of Sedona"

The Sedona Chamber of Commerce doesn't tell you about no-see-ums...but take it from one who has lived in the area for 30+ years - you don't want to venture out into juniper country in May and June without a liberal coating of insect repellent or Avon skin-so-soft.   They bite your forearms, your ears, around your eyes and in your hair....not that they won't go for any other part of your body that's exposed.  They disappear when monsoons start in July.  As it was only mid-April Joanne must have found the first one out for the season.  The next day her hand was very swollen.  I must take Joanne  painting with me more often....'cause I didn't get a single bite!

This is the 8" x 10" oil (on panel) that I painted plein air that afternoon.    Lately I've been working on canvas panels.  I like painting on them but the image isn't easy to photograph.  When it's 100% dry I'll put it on the scanner and get a better image.

Friday, April 23, 2010

Peck-a-Little

I'm trying to do one little 5" x 7" a day so that I have a backlog of pieces for my upcoming project "75 for $75", starting on May 15th and running for 30 days. 

This little piece is a 5" x 7" oil on board.  I grew up on a poultry farm in New Zealand so it's only appropriate that I paint a few chickens....or 'chooks' as they're called in NZ.   If you like this piece you'll find it on my website  -  click on PAINTINGS in the top navigation bar then go to "75 for $75" or click here to take you directly to the page.   I won't start selling the work until May 15th, but you are welcome to put a hold on a painting.   By then I'll have a little BUY NOW button so you can purchase through Paypal. 


                                            "Peck-a-Little"

Monday, April 19, 2010

The project is growing...

After yesterday's post announcing my project 'Summer Bird Count', my son called and suggested we make this a joint project.    Shane is a graduate of Art Center College of Design with a degree in illustration.  He earns his living as a freelance illustrator but would like to spend more time painting.  You can see his commercial illustrations at  www.blot.com.

When Shane was in college we would go out painting plein air together, but now he's so busy with his commercial work and raising three kids that we've not had the opportunity to paint together in a long time   I'll still be painting 5" x 7" birds and Shane will be doing 5" x 7" landscapes, specifically trees.


                      Trees #1      5"' x 7" oil  by Shane Rebenschied

So the project has a new name, "75 for $75" as the paintings will sell for $75 each plus $5 mailing within the contiguous U.S.     Our goal is to have at least seventy-five paintings posted on my website by June 15th.  We're both painting a few in advance (which we'll post)  so we have extras for those inevitable days when everything gets turped off - or when there's something else on the calendar that day. 

To see the growing collection go to my website then click on PAINTINGS on the top navigation bar, then go to "75 for $75".

This is going to be fun!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

An upcoming project....

I've been drawn to the concept of A PAINTING A DAY  as was started by Duane Keiser,  and perfected by Carol Marine and others.   But I already do A Painting a Day as I'm in the studio at least 8 hours a day/6 days a week.   A painting a day is my normal work day.

I've been looking at other blogs and this morning, my sister,  Joanne Hanson, told me to check out Marc Hanson's blog (no relation to my sister).   He is completing an April Painting Marathon.  By my calculations, he's done an average of 3.7  5" x 7" paintings a day for the month of April.  How can this not make someone a better artist?    In the book,  The Outliers: The Story of Success  by Malcolm Gladwell,  Gladwell points out that talent is a myth and that in order to become the best at what you do, you've got to do it at least 10,000 times.

I like the idea of a challenge that will push my abilities and have been mulling over several ideas for a  project along the lines of A Painting a Day  but with my own spin on it.


                                    Egret Study   6" x 8"  oil on board


Drum roll please....

On May 15th I will begin a 30 day project titled Summer Bird Count.
My goal will be to paint at least one 5" x 7" oil a day, hopefully more.   I will paint a variety of species but will repeat some of my favorites.  They will be quick studies capturing attitude/color/light.  Some will be painted in the studio, some plein air.   My friends own a B & B in Oak Creek Canyon,  The Canyon Wren Cabins,  that probably has more birds per square foot than any other spot in Sedona.  So some of the paintings  will be done on location in their gardens. 

This will be a challenge for me as, although I paint many birds - they are painted in detail.  I want to become proficient at spontaneous little birds studies.

Starting on May 15th, the Summer Bird Count paintings will be posted here and on my website - available for sale, unframed.   

Saturday, April 17, 2010

And it's not even my birthday...

My sister and brother-in-law are visiting from Colorado.   They surprised me with a new easel that brother-in-law Jim made for me.  WOW!  This means I don't have to sit on the floor when I'm painting the bottom of a large painting as the support that holds the painting goes up and down, but the easel doesn't (unlike my old one).  It's weighted so it's so much easier to raise and lower the height of the painting.


Jim is asking for input from me so he can tweak the design.  He's thinking of custom building easels for other artists.  So if you need an easel.....

Thanks Jim & Joanne.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Journey Into Light

This oil is fresh off the easel....9" x 12" on board.  The location is Ace Basin, about an hour south of Charleston, South Carolina - but it really could be anywhere.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

The Colors of Tuscany

I'm teaching a workshop in Tuscany in September.  It's a joint  Earnshaw/Garcia workshop taught in both oil and watercolor.  This is a small 8" x 8" oil of the view from Montelcino.


If you'd like more information on the workshop, go to my website; www.AdeleEarnshaw.com and click on WORKSHOPS where you'll find dates, etc. and a link to Sedona Arts Center. 

Monday, April 12, 2010

2010 Birds in Art Entry

This is a 28"L x 10"W oil (on board) of an elf owl in senita cactus....about a half an hour away from being finished.



The painting is untitled - if you have any brilliant suggestions?   The elf owl is strictly nocturnal and roosts in trees or cacti, often in cavities.  I would like a title that suggests poor planning on the part of the owl's part - as the morning sun has found him.

Edited to add:  Thanks to Joe Garcia, the painting has been named, 'Rude Awakening'.   Perfect!

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

"Contemplate"

I've been struggling with my Birds in Art Entry - so decided to lighten up my mood today by painting one of my favorite subjects.  This is Joe & Anne Garcia's kitty, Mouser (again).  Good thing I don't have to pay the cat royalties.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Join me in Tuscany!

I'm teaching a workshop with Joe Garcia in Tuscany this September.    This will be the second time we've taught there so I know firsthand what a fabulous experience it is. 

The workshop will be held at Villa Fattoria Bacio in the town of Certaldo, 50 minutes by rail from Florence (to the north), 25 minutes from Siena (to the south) and within viewing distance of the towers of San Gimignano.

             
                                                                     View from the Villa                                                             

We stay at Fattoria Bacio where the workshop is held in the villa's studio.  While we're painting, the villa's owner, Patrizia, is cooking fabulous Tuscan meals for us.. .washed down with the villa's own wine.   We will paint in the studio and plein air on the villa's grounds.

The workshop will be held from September 4 - 11, 2010, with room for only five more students.
Non-paintings spouses/partners/friends are welcome too.   For more details on the workshop (including cost) go to http://sedonaartscenter.com/visitingartistworkshops/categories/workshop-list.htm
then scroll down to September and click on Tuscany - Earnshaw/Garcia. 

Getting there is not difficult.  You can fly into any major city in Italy (Florence or Rome are good choices) then take a train to Certaldo, where a representative from the villa will pick you up.
 If you plan to see more of Italy before or after the workshop, there are many festivals in Tuscany in August.  Volterra celebrates with a medieval fair the last whole week of August and on the last Sunday in August, Montepulciano's  Bravio delle Botti  (barrel rolling race) takes place.   Eight neighborhoods compete for a Palio, a painted cloth banner.  The barrels weigh 80 kg each and are rolled uphill about 1800m along the main street of Montepulciano, finishing in the Piazza Grande.  Costume processions precede the competition and a street banquet follows.  The event dates back to 1373.  August is when all of Europe goes on vacation, so if you prefer cooler temps and fewer people, save your sightseeing for after the workshop in mid-September. 

On my last trip to Italy, Joe & Anne Garcia and I spent a week in my favorite part of Italy;  Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre, on Italy's west coast,   We spent another week in Montelcino, a hill top town in Tuscany.   We rent an apartment or house (often more reasonably priced than hotels) which gives us the option of cooking our own meals.  Half the fun is buying food in the markets. 



If Tuscany is on your bucket list, come and spend a week with us in Certaldo!
If you would like more information, email me.

adele.earnshaw@
gmail.com

(Written this way to hopefully foil spammers)





Bravìo delle Botti (barrel rolling race Montepulciano