OIL PAINTINGS
Charlie as Peter Rabbit – January 2016, oil on aluminum, 4″ x 5″
Rabbits are very curious creatures, and exploring (and getting into trouble) is just part of being a rabbit. I listened to an audiobook of Peter Rabbit to inspire me when I started the series and Charlie must have been listening too to strike such a pose after knocking over the watering can.
Lucy, oil on aluminum, 3″ x 4″
I enjoy the searching process in a commission: finding out what my patron likes in my work, how they see themselves or their loved one, how I see them, and how I can portray that. The back-and-forth collaboration that finally materializes in a painting is such a rewarding experience, and I am so thankful for each person who gives me the opportunity to do such satisfying work.
From Carrie:
I absolutely love it! Thank you so much. I can’t wait for my parents to see it!
Later she let me know that her parents loved it too. Thank you, Carrie!
Snow Rabbit – December 2015, oil on aluminum, 3.75″ x 5″
Half of the proceeds from the sale of this painting will be donated to Special Bunny and Seattle Animal Shelter Foundation. Please visit my Facebook event to bid and to follow the auction over the next week. The auction will close on Sunday, December 13th at 5:00 PM Pacific time.
Thank you for your interest!
Studio Rabbits – September 2015, oil on aluminum, 5.25″ x 3.75″
I live on a quarter acre just north of Seattle and this is where you’ll find my studio, in a converted garage at my house. I love having company in the studio while I paint, and some of that company is very furry. My dog Mona curls up neatly behind me and keeps me warm (it can get chilly in Seattle), and rabbits Charlie and Ellie lie on the rug at my feet. It’s a good thing I wear grubby painting clothes anyway, because the rabbits nip at my pant legs to remind me when it’s dinner time. There are plants and birds to see out windows on two sides. Today there are stellar jays feeding on sunflowers.
Though they have the run of the house, the rabbits spend most of their time in the studio. When not under my desk, Ellie naps in her favorite blue chair. Charlie likes to flop on his side on a rug near the wall. And they both like to sit in the windowsill looking out. I love when I’m picking strawberries in the front yard, and I hear people walking by exclaiming, “Oh my gosh, there’s a rabbit in the window!” Sometimes I open the back door and let them roam the yard, but Ellie has become a cunning escape artist, so they’re on house arrest until the yard is better secured. It would also help if the neighbor behind us could resist tempting them with carrot treats.
At 17′ x 24′ it’s a big space for someone working so small, but it’s very full of framing supplies and tools, painting and drawing supplies, lots of art books, and printers. The walls are lined with finished paintings and works in progress. I usually have around six paintings at various stages of completion, in addition to handpicked frames and prepared metal surfaces for at least 20 more. In this month’s “Studio Rabbits” painting, you can see three paintings from my “Open, Closed, Away” series hanging in the background.
I finally convinced my soon-to-be husband (and editor, web developer and photographer) to move his office from a spare room to a corner of the space in here. It’s a big room, and he doesn’t seem to mind having a giant mat/glass cutter mounted to the wall in his area. So far it has been working great, but I hope we’ll be able to keep it warm enough in the winter. My little space heater can only do so much! But we’ll figure that out when the time comes. The bottom of his pants are as yet mostly intact. (There’s a cozy rug under my desk, and I give them more treats.)
Creating a pet portrait that communicates its personality is often a collaborative process with the owner that knows and loves them best.Leo was an ideal model for a pet portrait painting. He’s a very sweet and patient kitty that loves to be photographed. I spent an evening with him and took dozens of photos and I thought I had several that captured his happy personality. But for Liz, his owner, there was something not quite right, though we couldn’t pin down what. Two months later, Liz sent me more images of him, showing a very different kitty. His coat changes throughout the seasons, and it was now in full fluff! This was her Leo.
Leo, take one
It’s often hard to describe the little details that express the personality of a loved one, but you notice when it’s not there. Most artists have you approve the final design before they being painting and if somethings doesn’t seem right, don’t hesitate to let the artist know. It’s much better to rework the initial design than have an unhappy patron.
Want to learn more about the painting process? Take a look at the underpainting for Leo and see more detail and in-progress images on Instagram. And if you look closely in the wood chips, you’ll find a little friend hiding on a leaf.
Please take a look at my commissions page for information about commissioning your own portrait and visit the pet-portrait and portrait gallery to see more examples of past commissions.
An extremely social person and an engineer by trade, my father was my earliest influence as an artist, gardener, and animal lover (we had bunnies, dogs, and cats, a pig, goats, chickens, horses, pigeons, and probably more that I’m forgetting). Dad took art classes throughout college and always kept up drawing when he could. When I was little, I loved studying his drawing exercise books and sketchbooks. I remember one book in particular that had printed at the bottom of every page, “you learn to draw by drawing,” and that mantra has always stayed with me.
By the time I went to college, my dad’s Multiple Sclerosis had progressed pretty far, but I know he would have supported me in my decision to be an artist. Above is a paining I did of him while in art school, when my style of painting was much looser (I’ve been painting on metal since my junior year). My passion for making things, and for nature bonds me to my father and keeps the sharp and lively man from my childhood strong in my mind and heart.
I love him dearly and I’m thankful to everyone back home that helps take care of him. Especially my sister, Theresa, who diligently and lovingly visits several times a week and whose FaceTime calls from the nursing home make him seen not so far away. My aunt Carla recently found and framed the certificate below for him from when he was the Art Club President in high school.
The White Rabbit
oil on aluminum
4 1/2″ x 3 1/4″
Until this past year, my social media presence was limited to a Facebook account with 5 posts, ever. But a lot has happened since then, and I’ve started a Facebook business page, this blog, an Instagram account and registered as a business on Yelp and Google+. Most recently, I have even started a Newsletter to help friends, fans and fellow artists follow my Monthly Miniature rabbit paintings or get updates on my blog. Phew!
I love people, but putting myself out there on the internet was an emotional hurdle. As a social media novice, the first few posts were extremely difficult, and the “post/publish” button would fill me with dread and anxiety. But with time and practice, it has gotten MUCH easier. Reading other blogs has taught me that consistency makes a huge difference and I’m finding it’s not just for the typical reasons such as people looking for new content. Constancy also helps keep me on track and allows me to think about meeting my goals instead of thinking about my fears.
Now I actually feel pretty good when I get something up. Connecting with people in a real world kind of way is part of what I live for. The sharing is starting to feel much less like I’m exposing myself and more like I’m connecting, largely due to all the support that I’ve gotten from everyone out there. Heartfelt thanks to everyone looking, sharing and buying, and to everyone enjoying my newsletter. And special thanks to everyone commenting and leaving reviews. It lets me know I’m on the right track.
If you are a beginning blogger or artist, or you are thinking about starting a blog, my advice is to dive right in. Do the best you can this time, and then do it a little better next time. There is so much to know that you can’t learn it all ahead of time, and so much is just conquering your fear.
Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614)-Self-Portrait in a Tondo, 1597, oil on copper
Paintings on copper have been made by European artists since the mid 1500’s. Many examples from those first few hundred years survive even better than their canvas and wood panel counterparts.
Then as now, copper surfaces are first lightly sanded, cleaned with denatured alcohol, and topped with an optional layer of garlic juice. Garlic juice etches the surface of the copper and it’s most effective if followed by a coat of lead white. The process hasn’t changed over the years, except many more artists today (myself included) avoid the highly toxic lead white paint.
Artists don’t often get to grow their own art supplies. The garden is another huge creative outlet for me, and now a tiny bit of it is in this painting.
My cat, Bală stalking in the garlic patch, Photo credit: Evan Grim
Check out Alberti’s Window, An art History Blog for an in depth discussion about Lavinia Fontana’s self-portrait above in reference to her being a female painter in the 1500’s.
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Mismatched Portrait (Bride of Frankenstien) Oil on aluminum, 4″ x 6″
A portrait commission of Elsa Lanchester in her brief but iconic role in the 1935 version of The Bride of Frankenstein is finished! The painting started out as almost entirely monochromatic in the style of my Mismatched Portraits, with a predominate indigo pallet but I added just a touch of dark maroon. When almost finished, I began adding bright cadmium red in the darkest blacks. I love adding straight cadmium red in very small brushstrokes. It’s a thrill to me that a color that intense can become rather subtle. It’s like a secret.
Thank you for the commission, Jennifer! I hope you like it! It was so nice to make it just for you.
This portrait marks a handful of firsts: my very first blog post, the first painting I completed this year, and, most importantly, my very first commissioned horse portrait.
Lisa, Shiloh’s person, is a close family friend. She and my mom are next-door neighbors in my hometown in Ohio, and it was through that connection that this painting came to be. Shiloh lived just a few doors down from Lisa at a little stable tucked away almost in the middle of the neighborhood. Unless you knew it was there, you’d never guess a horse pasture was hidden behind all those houses.
On a trip back home to visit family, my husband and I met up with Lisa to photograph Shiloh. With their help, I captured the reference images I needed to bring this portrait to life.
Although I’d painted plenty of portraits of people and I’ve painted several animals before as personal work, this was my first time taking on a commissioned pet portrait. I grew up around horses (we had five when I was a kid!), but somehow I had never painted one until now. Spending so many hours with Shiloh’s likeness in my studio reminded me how much I love painting animals, and it’s opening a new door for my work.
The finished painting was carefully varnished, framed, and then shipped to Ohio.
I’m deeply grateful to Lisa for trusting me to capture her very special friend. I’m also thankful for her unknowingly nudging me onto the path of pet portraiture.
You can see more recent examples of my work in the Pet Portrait Gallery.