Portrait of Delia, and Hanford Cloudscape by Laura Gable

"Delia" oil painting sketch on 8x10 canvas, ©Laura Gable

"Clouds Above Hanford" 8x6 oil painting on oil paper, ©Laura Gable

Working on the daily paintings allows you to paint all manner of things. My artist friend Delia popped by the studio yesterday, so she sat for a quick portrait sketch. The light from the window shifted quickly, so we wrapped it up after about 1.5 hours, but it was fun to capture the nuances of color on the beautiful high cheekboned planes of her face. She did a lot of chatting, as she filled me in on her life, so I'm not quite sure that I got the smile on her lips to move to her eyes. Oh and as John Singer Sargent said, "There's something about that nose that's not quite right." (Or did he say it the mouth??) Yah I do like portraits and will give it another go soon.

The other painting is a small one I did on a piece of Arches Oil Paper, which I mounted to gatorboard.  It's from a photo I took up around the Hanford site near the Ringold entrance... a great spot to go do some storm watching. Working with the paper is interesting. It has a soft vellum texture and holds up to oil paint and washes surprisingly well. According to a few "how to" sites, it's best to put a thinned wash of oil paint down first which seems to keep the heavier strokes of color from absorbing totally into the paper. I've got a few spare pieces sitting about, so let me know if you want to practice on it. ;-)

Happy creating!!

Portlandia, I'm Coming

Ah, on Saturday I'm boarding a plane to Portland Oregon, the city I was born in.

I adore Portland, it's a city full of passion. Passion for food, passion for art and passion for music. And.. beards, plaid, tattoos, recycling, and "putting birds on stuff". Portlandia, I'm coming, just you wait!

Before I leave I have been working on my Sister painting, or Taste The Rainbow painting. I'm absolutely STOKED about how well it's coming along.

Stay Artsy & DFTBA

Sarah Bosserman

A snowy day, Warm up paintings, Tweeking

The nest is taking form here in my home studio, at least I have uncovered the paint tubes so I can paint with fresh color. I'm standing at the drafting table, with reflected light off snow easing it's way in through the north facing windows (at least it was yesterday ... didn't get this posted then). Darn it, but the colors are way too intense on the orange mandarin and the greens. I chose not to paint the red wall behind it, and today I realized that's why my colors were so intense there. We continue to learn when we aren't even near the brushes. ;-)  Anyway I stylized the images in Photoshop because I liked Michael Rastovich's postings so much...this is an attempt towards that level of effortlessness: "Olive and Mandarin, after Rastovich"

Some sort of green "olive-ish" form, stylized with "paint daubs" setting in Photoshop

Screaming orange mandarin "Look at Me!" stylized with "paint daubs" setting in Photoshop