Paintings in Progress

Dane

2' x 5'

oil on canvas

Angel Descending

oil on panel

Here are some paintings I'm working on. 

I have been invited to be in a show at Wesleyan College next year with 3 other artists and will be working on about 11 large paintings - this is the first. I wanted to incorporate an abstract in the background, not sure why, maybe because the dane looks confused or maybe because he's in black and white and I was just wanting some color. In any case, abstract is very difficult for me, I find I face a lot of self doubt when attempting these types of paintings, not sure why, but it is something to explore. 

The second is a painting I've been working on for a long time, maybe this will be my "Mona Lisa" painting that I work on my whole life and never finish... let's hope not, because the client has been extra patient up until now, which I greatly appreciate!

Pet Portraits Clinic this Saturday by Clair Hartmann

I forgot to post where I'll be on Saturday!!
Here it is:


Old Books on Front Street
249 North Front Street
Wilmington, NC

Pet Portraits Clinic this Saturday!

I wanted to let you know I will be doing a pet portrait clinic downtown, Wilmington which basically consists of me demonstrating how a portrait is painted, answering questions, etc. If you are interested in having a portrait done and don't have photos for me to use for reference, I will be taking photos as well.

Please drop by, bring your pet and have a delicious cup of coffee and a sweet treat from SUGAR inside the bookstore.

249 North Front Street
Wilmington, NC

Go here for more info:
www.petportraitsbyclair.com

Carolina Jasmine II

9" x 12"

Oil  on canvas

Carolina Jasmine

9" x 12"

oil on canvas panel

view in shop

This jasmine is blooming everywhere here along with everything else. It's so beautiful. 

Green Pear

5" x 7"

oil on gesso panel

$65

view in shop

I keep trying to get the color right on this pear. I've painted it a few times through out the past year and I am getting close. I think this is the best one yet, which is good.

Persimmon II

7" x 5"

oil on gesso panel

$65.00

purchase

Spring Pansies III

7" x 5"

oil on gesso panel

$65

purchase

O.k., this is the last pansy for a while. I'm just so excited about spring and I also wanted to keep painting this subject until I felt comfortable with it. Flowers are tough and this came out exactly the way I wanted it to. 

I have this painting up for auction on the Daily Paint Works site to help victims of Japan. The starting bid is $75. Get a nice painting and help someone out that may have lost everything. Every little bit helps.

To see all the beautiful paintings on auction go here:

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenge/FC50B15D-5016-4E5E-87F2-87C3F79BA65B

Spring Pansies II

 11" x 14"

oil on canvas

$150.00

purchase

Spring Pansies

5" x 7"

oil on gesso panel

$75

purchase

Lavendar Fields

You may have noticed a lot of purple in my work lately. It's because I have recently discovered Quinacridone Magenta. Not sure how to pronounce it, but it sure is beautiful and it makes a great purple mixed with ultramarine or cobalt or both!

You can see here I have recently gone on a lavender rampage.

They are all on 

archival rag paper

15" x 11"

oil and listed on Etsy for $35

 

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Hydrangeas

5" x 7"

oil on gessoboard

$100

purchase

Summer Azaleas

20" x 30"

oil on wood panel

I decided to re-do this painting using my new color knowledge - I think it's much more soothing.

Brown Cow

7" x 5"
Oil on gessoboard
$75
purchase


Workshops are a lot harder than I anticipated. By the time I left I was sooo ready to take a nap! I didn't even get a photo of what I worked on. By the time I left my head was so full of information. The main thing I learned was I need to know the color wheel like it's my second language. It was all about color, value, temperature, so much I can't even explain.

I definitely got out of it what I needed. Tomorrow I go out to find a color wheel.

Workshop

Today was my first day at the Susan Hecht workshop and I really learned a lot about mixing color and "seeing" the subject. She says 90% of painting is being able to see, really see colors, shape and value. The first hour I spend mixing colors and it helped me to see colors where I didn't used to see them. The second hour I painted a still life. I was so excited when I left I forgot to take a photo. Tomorrow I go back and I will take some for you.

Here is a video I watched this morning. I found it incredibly inspiring. I hope you do too.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/221157/tedtalks-jrs-ted-prize-wish-use-art-to-turn-the-world-inside-out?from=fb_share

Lincoln in Blue and Brown

8" x 10"

wood panel

This is the challenge painting for this week - to paint this portrait of Lincoln in Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber which, surprisingly, creates a nice gray.

I really like these challenges because for one, I learn something new every week and I decided this is my year of learning. Monday I am taking a three day class with an artist, Susan Hecht in Apex, NC. She has a wonderful sense of color and technique, which I would like to expand on. I took a few classes in college about 25 years ago, which got me on the path. Now that I have "some chops", I feel there is so much more I need to learn as far as color and different techniques. It's doesn't mean I want to change my style, just "round it out" a little more.

Later in the year I was lucky enough to get into a four day workshop in Boston with Duane Keiser, the guy who started this whole painting a day movement and someone I admire very much.

Oh, and back to why I like these challenges so much - Two, I love to see all the different interpretations in the paintings - it's absolutely fascinating.

You can see them here:

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenge/A478B026-D8AE-4D2A-83A3-FA3BBE810231

Spring Daffodils

10" x 8"

oil on wood panel

$100

purchase

I was sitting on my couch having coffee this morning thinking about what to do and this caught my eye on the kitchen table. I HAD to take a photo - it was just calling out to me "PAINT ME, QUICK!" So I listened and did. 

All these daffodils have been randomly popping up in the backyard and they are just perfect. I love it when something just happens unexpectedly like that. I didn't plant the flowers, they just happened. I didn't plan the painting, it just happened.

And after that everything just seemed so beautiful. 

Fancy Hat I

10" x 14"

Mixed Medium

I decided to do something a little different - I haven't worked in watercolors in a while and Chumley in a hat is my favorite subject to paint. Unfortunately he doesn't let me put hats on him - I have to take a photo of him separately and put the hat in myself. I think he just looks so distinguished and he really is a dashing looking canine if I say so myself. Except on the occasion when cutting an apple - then he's reduced to a desperate, frantic, adolescent puppy.

I recently started a Facebook group called "One-A-Days in March" for "creatives" that want to post photos of their work on for that day. It doesn't have to be painting, it can be anything - cooking, haircutting, ceramics, tattooing, whatever you're passionate about and you've completed a project for that day or even in progress of a project, this is the group for you.

Summer Azaleas

20" x 30"

oil on wood panel

Windowsill Shell

 10" x 8"

oil on wood panel

$100 

purchase