Settled in the Tin Shop

Today I moved into the Tin Shop in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado - where I'll be artist-in-residence for the month of July.  If you're in Breckenridge, stop by and say hello.  My studio will be open to the public most afternoons.

A Few Days Off....

I am in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.  Breckenridge will be my home for the next month as I am Artist-in-Residence at The Tin Shop, the town of Breckenridge's guest artist program.  What a beautiful spot to spend July!  The weather is gorgeous and the wild flowers are in full bloom.  Until I am set up in my new studio/residence, I'm taking a couple of days off.

My sister, artist Joanne Hanson, and I exhibited our work this past weekend at Meet the Artist in downtown Breckenridge where the annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer was happening.  It really is an amazing event where primarily women (but many men are involved) walk for a cure for breast cancer.  The walkers raise money by walking 39 miles for their sisters, mothers, daughters and friends - but they were walking for my mom too as she died of breast cancer. 

The Power of Women!

Great Horned Owl for Yesterday

I didn't have time to do a piece for my 75/75 project yesterday, so this afternoon I took a break from packing the car to paint this little study of the fifth Great Horned Owl for this project.  Funny but I wasn't crazy about painting birds in oil until I started doing these studies...now I'm really having fun with them.  I'm going to do a larger Great Horned Owl (at least a 9 x 12 - maybe bigger) for my gallery in Beaver Creek, Walt Horton Fine Art.

I'm packing the car to leave for Breckenridge in the morning where I'll be artist-in-residence for the City of Breckenridge for the month of July.  I'll live and paint in a cute little historic building just off the main street in Breck.  Looking forward to a beautiful month painting lupine and white puffy clouds!!

Great Horned Owl #5

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

( I really like this one!)

SOLD

Another Gambel's Quail for Today

Another Gambel's Quail for today!  Hoping to post another 5" x 7" shortly (not a quail) to make up for not posting yesterday.

Gambel's Quail

5" x 7" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Another Painting for Legacy Gallery

This is one of the oils I delivered to Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale yesterday for a group show, Legacy of the Southwest, which opens July 7th.   The majority of the work I do for Legacy is done on 2" deep Ampersand cradled gesso board which gives the work a contemporary look. 

 

Pivot Point

12" x 12" oil on board

"Close to the Heart"

Yes, there will be more 75 for 75 studies, but not for a couple of days.  I've got lots of irons in the fire!

This is a large oil, 40" x 30" on 2" deep Ampersand cradled board.  It's heading for The Legacy Gallery's annual group show Legacy of the Southwest which opens in Scottsdale on July 7th.  I would love to do a series of large.......I mean large paintings of agave and saguaro.  The big bold shapes make for exciting compositions and the textures of these plants intrigue me - especially the saguaro.  But paintings of agave and saguaro aren't new for me - I often painted them back in the days when I was a watercolorist.

Close to the Heart

40" x 30" oil on panel

Up in Arms

This is a 40" x 30" oil on Ampersand Cradleboard.  It's 2" deep therefore has the 'gallery wrap' look and doesn't need to be framed.  It's a more contemporary look that works well with my more contemporary Southwest paintings.  This piece is heading to Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

Up in Arms

40" x 30" oil on board

Available at Legacy Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona

Today's Study - A Gambel's Quail

My study for today is a Gambel's Quail.  They're a bird found just in the Southwestern states but they're very similar to the California Valley Quail - though more skittery.  Years ago I raised five baby Gambel's Quail from day old chicks...and they never did tame.  Though I knew someone who had a male and female Gambel's who were so tame, they lived in the house with them, uncaged.  The male was very defensive of his territory and wouldn't let me sit on the couch!

Gambel's Quail

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping

SOLD

Today's Painting - A Kestrel

This is the first kestrel for this year's 75 for $75 project.  They used to be called a Sparrow-Hawk but actually is the smallest of the falcon family. When you're driving through an agricultural area, you'll often see kestrels on the telephone lines keeping an eye on their hunting grounds.  I suspect they each stake out their own territory, about a mile apart.

 Kestrel

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

A Red-tailed Hawk

This isn't a 5" x 7" but rather a 12" x 9" oil on board that I did using the same technique as I've used for the little studies.  I'm pleased with the way it turned out and can see that the 75 for $75 studies have really helped my understanding of edges and broad brush strokes.  The still untitled piece will be going to one of my galleries.

The Second Piece for Today - Red-tailed Hawk

I really like this study and may use the idea for a larger gallery painting.  I'm out of the boards I've been using for this project so resorted to a board with a slightly smoother/slicker surface - which resulted in some fun textures. 

Red-tailed Hawk #2

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

A Little Egret for Today

I was at the easel at 5 this morning with the goal of finishing a 75 for $75 by the time the sun came up. I try to squeeze these little studies in between the pieces I do for galleries.

This study is radically different from the others.  One of the reasons I'm doing this project is to work on strong, broad brush strokes.  The Little Egret started out that way but he was too hard edged and screamed to be softened so using my favorite watercolor mop brush, I softened edges.  Much softer and the bird would disappear into the fog.  But I like this piece and might do a larger painting from this study.  Many of my 75 for $75 studies will end up as larger more complete paintings...these little guys are only studies that help me work out color, value and edges.

Little Egret

5" x 7" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

A Barn Owl

I think this is the second barn owl I've done for this year's 75 for $75.  They're strange looking birds....which perhaps is why I've not painted many in the past - but they're fun to paint.   Especially the little dots and pure white on the bird's face and chest.

Barn Owl #2

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

An Egret for Today

I like painting egret but I probably turp out as many as I paint.  There's something about the beak and location of the eye that is hard to get just right.  I wasn't sure about this study - the colors felt too warm.  I photographed it and looked at it in Photoshop....flipping it horizontally, which gives me a different perspective (same as looking at your painting in the mirror)  and decided I really like it! 

The entire reason for my 75 for $75 project is to loosen up and get bolder with my brush strokes.  Generally I use Silver Bristlon #4 flat for the backgrounds on these studies...but the other day I bought a Connoisseur #4  flat (#265).  It's a much softer brush which works well for softer parts of the painting but it's difficult to get bold brushstrokes with it.  I tried painting the background on this egret study using the Connoisseur and ended up having to forget 'bold' and go for 'soft'.  I softened the background even more with a watercolor mop brush.  I know I sound like a broken record, but I have learned so much from this project! 

Egret #2

5" x 7" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Another great horned owl!!

Yet another Great Horned Owl!    I enjoy lining them up and seeing the evolution from one to the next.

Great Horned Owl #4

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

(and I do believe the time it took from posting to SOLD broke all records...thanks Sarah!) 

Another Great Horned Owl for Today

 

Great Horned Owl #3

Oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

 SOLD

I really enjoy painting Great Horned Owls...maybe it's because I've figured out that I don't need to paint all the detail on them.  Just a suggestion of the markings, a few broad brush strokes and dashes of white and it's finished.

 

I lined up the three owls I've done for the 75 for $75 project to see how they look together - and to make sure that each painting is different.  I like the way they look together.  Hmmm - this gives me an idea for a larger painting....  

(the left owl is sold, middle owl is available, right owl is on hold)

Today's Painting - A Great Horned Owl

I've had a week off, but only because I've  had a house full of grandkids for the past six days.  It is the only thing that keeps me away from the easel!  I had really good intentions to post daily - I even painted ahead - but by the time the day was done - so was I.  But come to think of it,  I didn't promise that my 75 paintings for $75 would be painted on 75 consecutive days! :-)

I've had lots of requests for more Great-horned Owls....so this piece is on HOLD.  If you like it, check back in a day or two to see if it has sold.  If you request a specific species, I'll give you first-right-of-refusal.

  Great Horned Owl

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping

SOLD

A Cactus Wren for Today

It's late and I'm tired so I will not get too chatty about this piece other than to tell you that it is an oil study of a cactus wren.  If you'd like to see the rest of the small studies I've done for my 75 project (I think this is #18) you can scroll down on my blog or go to my website where you can see them as a group. 

Cactus Wren

5" x 7" oil study on board

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD