Where's Petey?

Petey was nowhere to be found when it was time for him to go to his yard and his owner had about given up finding him on their ranch. It wasn't until she decided to go ahead and leave that she walked out to her truck and found Petey, ready and waiting. Petey obviously had other ideas.


What is it about cars and dogs? "Wanna go?" is all I have to say to my dog and he tears out to the garage as if he's afraid I might change my mind if he doesn't hurry. I wish it was that easy to get the kids into the car of a morning!




Petey, Ready to Go
9x12 oil on canvas, private commission, nfs

Dragonfly Pond

Grab your book and a blanket or just sit quietly and wait for a dragonfly to land nearby. The photo this was painted from was taken in Colorado. Talk about a peacerful, serene setting. It's been a long time since I've been to Colorado in the summer - I much prefer it over winter trips. I hope we can go again sometime soon.

Dragonfly Pond

12"x16" oil on canvas, $220

Stealing Second

My boys are always asking me to paint something for their room and it was this quote that finally inspired me:

"You can't steal second if your foot is still on first base." ~Author Unknown

Taking that first step away from a place that feels safe and risking failure applies in a lot more places than just the ball field!

This was a different painting for me, not only in subject matter, but also because I really tried hard to stick with a looser style. I did this by forcing myself to use large brushes and not obsessing over detail like I usually do. What a blast I had doing it.

"Stealing Second," 18"x24" oil on canvas, not for sale

In Step, On a Stroll

I have one of my dear friends to thank for this image. We worked together a long time ago in a creative environment and when she sent me this photograph, I knew I would paint it eventually. I like the fact that it came from her because I see her eye for creativity in it and it reminds me how much fun we used to have when we worked together. She was one of the first people to ever believe in me as a bona-fide artist, not just a hobbyist. We had a discussion about filling out paperwork and I always cringed at the occupation part (I was home with kids) and she said, "You're an artist, of course!"

An artist is always looking for images that tell a story or engage the viewer to finish the story. That is something I am still working on developing. It's fun to do a painting that asks questions of you. Are they on a quick stroll? Is she walking the dog for her own sake - a need to get out - or for the dog's? Are they in a park or near a busy street? Maybe she's a dog walker and it isn't even her dog! I doubt it - in my mind, these two are buds.
I've always enjoyed cropping photos a little differently and placing them on a dark background. I hope I didn't do this one a disservice by doing so. I think it will look nice in a black frame and will almost give it a matted effect. Here's an adorable close-up of their feet.

In Step, On a Stroll 12"x12" oil on canvas, will be available on my website at www.artbymj.com

St. John's Anglican Church, Richmond

Last week, I had my first experience painting "en plein aire," French for "in the open air." For those of you who have never heard of that, it means that the artist paints outside, exposed to all the elements, straight from life. Let me tell you, it's very different from painting from a photo...mainly in that there's no cropping feature when you've got a wide panorama in front of you. I rely on my computer far more than I realize. I loved experimenting with the much looser style than I am used to painting indoors. You also have to paint quickly enough that you don't lose track of your lighting from when you started the painting.

A friend that I paint with from the gallery was kind enough to organize this for us at the Old South Plantation in Richmond. Located on the plantation is this quaint church, St. John's Old South Anglican. The plantation home was built in 1890, but I neglected to find out the history of the church itself and now can't find anything about it online.

I chose the angle from the pond across the road as I wanted the reflection of the church in the water. Strange noises which members of my group identified during our lunch break as ALLIGATOR made for a less than relaxing finish to my painting day. I was constantly looking behind me to make sure nothing was back there. I'm pretty happy with my first attempt, even if I did rush the end!

Study After Fragonard - Finished

I finally finished my version of Fragonard's "Young Girl Reading" with J. as my model. I was nervous to show her after I finished the face, but when I pulled it out of the car to show her, she said, "Mom, it looks just like me!" Whew! As one of my best and most honest critics, I knew she wouldn't let me get by with less. I think I solved the problem of the hand by staying true to Fragonard's version, but trying to make it a little more realistic.

In a continuation of Sister Wendy's opinions of "Young Girl Reading," she states: "What Fragonard seeks here is to show us the innocent bloom of young beauty, and its capacity for reverie." You'd have to ask J what book it is that she'd like to be reading.

I can't wait to get it framed as soon as it's dry! I hope you have enjoyed seeing the entire process of how this painting came about.

"Southern France," Study after Andre Derain

Another "Study For My Study," Andre Derain's Southern France, was also found in my copy of "Thousand Masterpieces" by Sister Wendy and inspired me to see what I could learn from doing a study of it (The colors also go well with my decor!) These are great learning experiences for me. I really wanted to see what it would be like to do a landscape without getting all stressed by the details as I am prone to do. This was thoroughly enjoyable and I had a much greater appreciation for the artist as I tried to understand why he made the decisions he did in painting it. When I first saw it, I didn't really like the white, blossoming trees; but as I progressed, I understood why they needed to be that color for the interest of the overall composition. I'm hoping that this study helped me loosen up a little so that when I do my own landscape in the future I can apply what I've learned.

24"x36" oil on canvas, collection the artist

Progress On Study After Fragonard

I thought some of you might like to see how I progress with a portrait. This one is a little different since I am painting it after a master painting by Fragonard that has already been done (see earlier posting). I'm very happy with the first layer of color, but there is still a long way to go. I'm not sure why Fragonard decided to do such a "cartoon-y" looking hand holding the book(at least from my point of view). I'm not sure if I will leave it or paint it in my own style. The other issue I'm debating about is whether I will settle for it being a representation of J. with her as the model for the girl or whether I will go ahead and try to make it look like her (it really doesn't yet). If I decide on the latter, it will likely mean 6-7 more layers in trying to achieve that likeness. Next time you see it, it will be done!

Study for My Study

I have a spot in my study that was really begging for a painting so I pulled out my "Sister Wendy's 1,000 Masterpieces" in search of inspiration. When an artist paints a copy of an old master, it's called "a study." Fragonard's "A Young Girl Reading," c. 1776, caught my eye (perfect for a study!), but I wasn't satisfied with simply duplicating the original. I persuaded my teenage daughter to pose for me and I used my computer skills to stick her head on top of the original. Here you can see (l to r) the original, the computer revised version, and my first go around with paint as a value study

"J" and I discussed why the artist chose to put a small head and hands on a stocky body (probably hard to see here - I think if you click on the image above, you will be able to see it even closer). and she came to the conclusion that it was most likely a sign of wealth to be on the stocky side back then. "I bet you're right!" I said. Close examination reveals a very strangely large body compared to the size of her hands and head. I also moved the composition over a bit - I didn't care for the way the book went right up against the left edge (sorry Mr. Fragonard) and I had to imagine what the rest of the chair would look like. "J" says the middle one with her head on it is "terrifying" but she likes the value study and so do I. Let's hope that the results will be as satisfying when I start laying in the colors. I'll post it when I'm done.

This could be a lot of fun. The boys now want me to paint their heads on body builders - I don't think so! I offered Gainsborough's "The Boy Blue" (times two!) but they said, "That doesn't sound cool." (I've seen it at the Huntington, and it is cool, but I don't think they'd let me hang it in our house).

John 14:27 - Peace

Calla lilies are another one of my special favorites when it comes to flowers. I snapped a photo of this one in my sister's garden on my last trip to California. As a youth, we had six or seven very large calla lily plants and it was not unusual to cut a bouquet of 20-30 to place in a vase for the house. I was always impressed by their fragile beauty.

As I painted this calla, I ended up with an empty space in the lower right hand corner of the composition and wasn't sure what to do about it. Happily, I thought this might finally be my opportunity to incorporate scripture into my artwork. I thought about the graceful, fragile calla lily and what scripture would be a suitable companion for it. "Peace" was the word that came into my mind and John 14:27 was the match. I think that it's important to remember that the kind of peace the world offers may be a fragile kind of peace whereas the peace that Christ offers is strong and lasting, as noted by the continuation of verse 27: "I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."

"California Calla," 36"x36" oil on gallery-wrapped canvas, now available on www.artbymj.com