New Commission Painting, "Mother and Son"

The client's wish was to create a portrait of her and her son that would convey her deep love for him. Being a squirmy, inquisitive 7-month-old made the photography challenging, so I combined several photos to create this pose.

The client and her son were a joy to work with. Each time I visited them, he had learned a new baby trick, and he was walking when I delivered the final painting. It was such a satisfying experience to be able create this intimate moment between a mother and son.

Beauty Strength Reflection: Five Perspectives on The Female Form

Paintings are finished! Now on to the nitty gritty of an exhibition: planning; promotion; details; with a little worry thrown in. Are the dates right on the postcards? Did I remember to invite everyone? Will I have the work framed in time? What about the opening reception?

It's all part of the excitement and flurry associated with exhibiting your work. Luckily for me, I am part of a fantastic group of dynamic, talented women. We have had so much fun getting together to plan the show; and many late nights at the Naked Grape. It has been so rewarding to see all the pieces fall together.

If you are in Pittsburgh, I hope you will join us for the opening reception on Friday, April 1st or the Gallery Crawl on Friday, April 29, both from 5:30-9 pm.

The show is at Shaw Galleries, 805 Liberty Avenue, in the heart of the Cultural District and runs through April 30.

Re-working a Boring Painting

It happens. You start out with lots of thumbnails, a careful design, and a plan to create the best watercolor known to man. Then, wow, you think...this is a boring painting.

In the case of "Gar May Market", I started at a demo for an art group. I usually don't create my best work at demos since I am there to show the artists something they are interested in seeing, a particular technique or area of the face.

As the painting progressed, I found myself losing interest. Why? Because I lost sight of my original intention--to create a painting of a woman at a Chinatown market; a place where she was comfortable and familiar on a sunny morning. What I had created instead was a rather generic portrait of an Asian woman.

I thought about ditching the painting and moving on to something else, but wait, that's when it gets fun. I had nothing to lose by jumping in and making a few changes.

 
I reworked the background several times until I ended up with, what I think, is a more interesting painting.

New Watercolor, "Steppin' Out"

"Steppin Out", watercolor 21 x 13"



I'm scrambling to finish up three more paintings for "Beauty. Strength. Reflection" a group show featuring five perspectives on the female form. I find beauty, not just in the traditional notion, but in all sorts of shapes, sizes and attitudes of ordinary people. The show will include a variety of women from all walks of life. The othe four artists participating in the show are Christine Swann, Claire Hardy, Barbara Kern-Bush, and Jeannie McGuire.

The exhibition, which will be held at Shaw Galleries, will run April 1-30. The opening reception will be Friday, April 1st from 5:30 to 9 pm. It's free and open to the public, so I hope to see you there!

Shaw Galleries is located in the heart of the Cultural District and our show will be part of the Spring Gallery Crawl on Friday, April 15th.