Re-Exploration of the Ancient Walls Series

Ancient Walls Italian Series: Firenze III
20" x 20", oil, marble dust, gesso, paint detritus on panel

I recently discovered a source for marble dust and dry pigments, called Natural Pigments.

I was actually searching for something else, but came upon the marble dust and remembered an old series that I had abandoned, in part because I could not develop the texture of the surface the way I saw it in my imagination.

I began to re-experiment with adding marble dust to both the gesso and the oil paint. The result produced layers of paint, some transparent, some straight from the tube, some thickened with marble dust

Aegean Series: Aquarius II
14" x 11" oil, marble dust, iridescent pigment, paint detritus, gesso

You can see more at my website Sue Smith Fine Art. Let me know what you think.

New Work in my Etsy Store

"Down", oil on linen panel, 11" x 14"
©2011 sfsmith

I have recently reopened my Etsy Store
Paintings From the Oregon Outback by Smithart

This painting is offered for sale as well as a few plein air studies and larger work. I will be adding items over the next few weeks so I hope you stop by and see what's available.

Here is an excerpt from my profile information:

I am constantly evolving and pushing my work to the highest artistic standards in order to offer you, my clients, the best possible original fine art at an affordable value. Let your walls reflect your personality, or the environment you find most energizing. Art is fabulous for doing that - whether you're looking for color and design elements or a sublime distraction from the pressures of your hectic life - art can help you create the environment you want in your home or office.

My goal with this Etsy shop is to create one-of-a-kind small paintings that make fine art accessible and affordable. If all goes well, I will experiment with larger framed pieces. All work is finished with a UV protective varnish and (at this time) ready to frame - you have complete control over framing design and costs. Future plans include offering frames on the site but we're doing baby steps here. Anyway, I hope you stop by, click like or favorite and maybe fall in love with something special.

Solitude

This is a location that I have painted often - Rimrock Springs. The history dates back to early homesteaders, who settled in this valley because of the natural springs. The remains of the old cabin are still on the far shore but the area is now a wildlife refuge so public access is limited.

Each time I paint this location I find something unique, and I believe that each painting gets better in part because I am so familiar with certain elements that I'm able to focus on a single emotional statement. At least that's my hope.

"Solitude" oil on canvas, 16 x 16

Lily Pads at Hosmer Lake

Lily Pads at Hosmer Lake
oil, 15 x 30
Sue Favinger Smith @2010

Hosmer Lake is one of the most beautiful fly fishing and kayaking lakes in Oregon. Surrounded by marshes and snow capped volcanic mountains, it is a very spiritual place, one of renewal and contentment. Surrounded by birdsong, buzzing and flitting dragonflies, the bitterns, osprey and bald eagle - it's as close to the natural world as you can get.

Near Mitchell - Oregon

This is one of the images I've entered in the OPA Western Regional Show - I enter every year but haven't gotten in, a story so many artists understand. The competition is intense and the artists who do get in are at the top of their game. I do it because it keeps me motivated to push myself into better and better work, to not be satisfied with what I've done before, and if I ever do get in I will then know that all this work is only starting to pay off. I doubt if I will ever paint at the level I aspire to, but that doesn't stop me from constantly working toward that goal.

Perception and Imagination Opening November 6th, at High Desert Gallery - Bend, Oregon

Green Onions

Green Onions
16 x 20, oil on linen on panel
@the artist

I haven't been painting the small daily paintings for weeks, now - first, because my work hours increased (which is good) leaving me precious little time to paint ( which is bad). And secondly, I realized that by concentrating only on the small format, I risked losing compositional skills necessary for larger works.

"Green Onions" is on one of the linen panels I documented in an earlier post titled "How To Make Your Own Painting Panels." I really enjoy working on the oil ground, although it takes getting used to - it's not as absorbent as the acrylic grounds. At first I had a hard time with the "brushy" aspect of the first layers of paint, but I've been studying an excellent book by Bob Rohm, titled "The Painterly Approach," and I'm starting to understand how to use the surface to my advantage.

This painting underwent several major changes as I went along, including scraping off several red onions from the foreground. It will probably never venture out of my studio, but I enjoyed the learning process and will most likely paint a version of this composition again.

Copper Pot with Plum Tree Branch

6 x 6, oil on gessoed hardboard panel

at auction

I love the reflected light along the inner rim of this ceramic pot, flowing and reflecting up on the underside of the copper pot.

Pear and Roses

Collected
"Pear and Roses"
6 x 6
oil on Panel
@ Sue Smith 2009

I go through cycles - there is the thinking cycle where I spend most of my time doing "busy" work and otherwise distracting myself from the actual work of painting. Then there's the "preparing" part where I start to get motivated and gather together new subjects to paint. And then the actual "painting" part of the cycle. For the past week or so I've been caught up in the painting part and hadn't really wanted to stop long enough to photograph anything to post to this blog. Sorry :.(

But this is a funny story, here, so I'm happy that you're still reading along. My husband had asked me the other day what paintings were selling the best, and I said "Pears and Roses." So he pointed at this little painting drying on the table with that look, "Covering your bases?"

Duh...yes, even though the colors and shapes DO look good together, better than the tangerines and roses, which was another "base covering" idea...hey, when they want chocolate you're wise to give them chocolate and not offer broccoli instead, as the marketing guru's would say.

So my question is...does this count as a "formula" painting? Because according to all the uproar a few months ago over on Ancient Artist, formula paintings are "A Fate Worse Than Death!"

Still...I think it's a pretty little painting. I've found that for me and the way my eye/hand works best, with flowers I will paint the value form first, checking with my hand mirror to make sure it reads the way I intended, and finish with a few gestural strokes using a small palette knife. The key for me is not to think about it too deeply, just "draw" with color, one or two quick marks, following the direction that the paint gives. If I try to be too exact and purposeful with this step I ruin it.

When this is dry, it's destined for ebay. Wish me luck.

Yellow Rose

Yellow Rose
6 x 6, oil on panel

Collected

I bought a dozen of these yellow roses and kept them in a cool room for a week while I got up my courage to attempt this painting...or rather, the painting I was going to do - four or five roses in a vase, maybe on a white cloth.

However, after long consideration, I decided that this small format was more suited to just one rose. It was a wise choice. The task of capturing this image took me longer than expected. Several of the flowers had to give up their little yellow petaled lives during the process, for which I am grateful. Although I do feel awful about it. The flowers, I mean. Spending their last moments under hot lights without benefit of water...it is a cruel life we lead.

Red Mum

Red Mum
oil on panel
6x6
click here to bid

Okay, so maybe this painting says Fall rather than Spring. I've been exploring flowers - which I've discovered can be complex forms - but I'm not of the right temperament to render a photographic image. Rather, I try to communicate the essence of what being a flower is all about. I was particularly happy with this mum - I used a palette knife for the final few strokes to get that element of fresh immediacy into the flower.

Tangerines

"Tangerines"
5 x 7, oil on panel
Collected

This is another of the Daily Paintings that I posted to eBay. I was thrilled when someone bought it immediately.

Several months ago I bought one of those three tiered wire carts from the Big Box Hardware/Everything stores - when I was on an organizing kick and trying to be space efficient. The cart is on casters, which makes it easy to move around. I keep all my paints and supplies on the lower shelves - and it works great for this.

Once I decided to paint still lives, I realized I needed more space again. The cart came to my rescue... I moved my palette to the table in front of the easel and set up my still life arrangements on the top. This cart is high enough that I can place something at slightly below eye level, as in the painting above, and also stack up a box and an old painting panel to lift the arrangement up to eye level. For lights I sometimes use a cheap, goose neck desk lamp with a 60 watt bulb. Low tech to be sure, but it works.

Red Onion, Amber Jar

Red Onion, Amber Jar
7 x 5, oil on gessoed bristol

This little painting started out as a real challenge. In fact, half way through I was sure I was going to have to throw it away. The jar looked opaque and not at all transparent, the light reflections looked like smeared fingerprints. The onion wasn't making any visual sense at all. But it's just gessoed bristol, I'm telling myself, no great cost if I throw it away, just keep painting to see what you can do. And then something happened, I'm not sure exactly what, but the jar started to resolve itself. Transparent - yea! highlights looking -- real -- double yea! But that onion...I have a bad habit that whenever I feel that a painting is just boring I pick up the palette knife, load it up with lots of color, and then just go for it. Sometimes...it's like frosting a cake and just adds to my misery, but sometimes it's the perfect ending to a nice little painting. Anyway, I like it a whole lot more than I did half way through painting it.

Between a Rock and a Blue Plate

"Between a Rock and a Blue Plate"
6" x 6", oil on gessoed panel
@Sue Smith, 2008

There's no reason we can't have a little fun with our current economic situation, is there?

This painting sells for $100. If you are interested in purchasing it, please email me and I will put it on Etsy and send you the link. Hopefully. I'm still trying to figure this all out.
Oh, and the paint is still wet.

Lost Horse Lake Revisited

While I was pleased enough with the finished painting I posted previously, as I kept looking at it something just felt "off." I finally figured it out, and went back to make corrections. I think that this view feels more "comfortable" now.

Small Work

SOLD
"Appeal"
6" x 8"
oil on canvas panel
Still wet, so the paint is shiny in the upper right corner. I have been interested in the "A Painting A Day" movement for some time, and although I work and can't always produce work each day, this was fun and I intend to do more.

Mesa Series #3 Lament

This is the finished version of Mesa Series: Lament. For those of you who have seen this painting on my Ancient Artist Blog, you won't notice much difference, but I did add a "cliff" element to the lower left corner in keeping with the rest of the paintings in this series, and I darkened some of the clouds on the distant horizon. It's amazing how adding that one element in the lower left corner pulled the painting together. I know, I've read a thousand times about having three corners similar and one different, and I hate using "formulas" but what I think is happening here is that I've created a visual gateway that pulls the viewer's eye easily into the painting and changes up what was otherwise a rather boring little space.

Mesa Series: Lament
Oil on canvas
40 x 60 on 1.5 stretchers
$2400