Charcoal Tango - original charcoal figurative drawing

The tango dancers have danced my way again - this time they're on 14 x 11" Bristol paper.  I used vine charcoal plus General's new Primo Elite Grande charcoal pencil.  Very nice to work with.  Charcoal is probably my all-time favorite to use in my drawings - so responsive and so forgiving and the delicious variety in the strokes one can make with it are such a joy!   Thanks so much for stopping by! Sold
 

Tango Drama Again - original oil figurative painting

She definitely trusts him!  This is oil on Gessobord, 8 x 8".  Thanks for stopping by!

Jivin' on Seventh - original oil figurative painting

Listening to my jive music while painting this one - boogied at the easel, I did.  It's 8 x 10" on archival canvas board.  Thanks for stopping by!

On My Easel - Jivers Again - original oil figurative painting in progress

More work to do on this, but should finish tomorrow and will just replace this with the final version.
Love those jivers - they always get me going - it's 9 x 12" on canvas - thanks for looking!

Black and White Jive - original charcoal figurative drawing

This drawing is on Strathmore 403 paper, which is really formulated for oil pastels, although it's being touted as good for soft pastels, as well.  They should definitely mention that it's also a great and forgiving paper for charcoals.  I enjoyed drawing this one so much, not just because of the paper, but I had fun with my kneaded eraser.  I like to turn a drawing upside down to see if I like the marks and this one pleased me.  It's on 9 x 12" Strathmore 403 - thanks for looking! 

JiveHappy - original ink figurative drawing

My little jivers are back with a vengeance - well, actually, they are never far away.  I think all my little characters know I love them!  I've been doing lots of sketches that may or may not end up as paintings.  I'm a firm believer in drawing just for the sake of drawing - so whether they become paintings doesn't really matter to me.  This one is ink on 6 x 6" Bristol board.  Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Jumpin' Jive - original oil figurative painting

Well, I was trying to tone the bottom with a bluish-grayish color at the bottom - maybe I overdid it.  Ah the constant worry for artists - did I overdo? underdo? totally kill? - questions that zoom around in my head.  Oh well, there's always tomorrow.  This painting is on 8 x 8" Gessobord.  Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

Daily News Jive - original mixed media figurative drawing

Just fooling around here, using the stock pages from the newspaper as a drawing support.  I've tried many different ways of using newspapers as a drawing background - maybe it's the straight lines of the printed paper and the sober stock market news reporting vs. the squiggly ink lines of figurative drawings that attracts me.  Often, I will spray with 'make it acid free' or use various acrylic mediums over it to make it longer lasting.  For this one, it will be bonded to mat board with Studio Tac after spraying with the acid free stuff.  I used ink with some Crayola and oil pastel - it's about 4 x 9 1/2".  Thanks so much for visiting my blog! Sold

Little Friday Jive - original oil figurative painting

My little jivers - always cuttin' a rug - this time, on 6 x 12" canvas.  Thanks for stopping by!

Ink Jivers - original ink figurative drawing

I LOVE fooling around with these little jivers.  Here's one I did on 9 x 12" Bristol paper.  It started with a really thin ink line, then I put in some touches of a bigger ink marker and added water, which caused a softening of some of the lines, then I blotted in places and ended up with areas of pink here and there.  You might say this drawing is just one big accident.  But fun to do.  Thanks so much for stopping by! Sold

On My Easel -Sketch for Tango Practice - original oil pastel drawing

Here is a sketch for another tango painting - oil pastel on Pastelbord.  After fooling around with this one, I think I will do the painting in oil, full length, with the models using their arms in positions opposite this one.  Just afraid of losing the emotion, though.  It's 9 x 12" - a size I love to work with - thanks so much for dropping by!

More Jivin' - original mixed media figurative drawing

Well, the jivers are still jiving and I'm still following them around!  Initially, I had planned to do something with Caran d'Ache watersoluble crayons, but all I could find at my studio were the wax crayons by the same maker, so the best laid plans etc. etc. - anyway, this quick little drawing was fun to do.  It's on 9 x 12" cold press watercolor paper.  I used ink, graphite and wax crayons.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Country Evening - original oil figurative painting

Here's a group of western dancers two-stepping their way through a Saturday night - on canvas, 11 x 14".  Not a bad way to spend the evening, either.  Speaking of evenings, I was lucky to see Huey Lewis and the News on Sunday night - they're still just wonderful and their a cappella singing is lovely (if one can use the word "lovely" when referring to a rock band) - it was a great evening!  Thanks so much for stopping by - I'm always delighted to see you here!

Joyful Jive - original ink and watercolor figurative painting

My little jivers showed up today in ink (applied with a very thin dowel) and watercolor.  Done quickly in order not to overwork, it's on 9 x 12" cold press watercolor paper. I know, I know, I could go back and make lots of corrections, but I'm not going to because I love crazy lines and there are definitely lots of them here!  Currently, I'm listening to Barbara Tuchman's The Proud Tower on audible.com.  I can't decide whether it's better to listen to something or to draw in complete silence.   Do most artists like it to be quiet when they draw?  That would make an interesting survey.  Any thoughts on this?

On My Easel - Jive Practice - original oil figurative painting in progress

Much to do on this painting, but I sort of like this stage - not finished and sort of raw.  Maybe there should be shows for unfinished works - could be called "Beginnings".  My fear is that this painting will be killed, so I'll set my timer and do nothing to it after the buzzer goes off.  Absolutely nothing.  I promise myself.  The surface here is 12 x 12" stretched canvas.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tango Snuggle - original charcoal figurative drawing

I told myself at the first of the year that I was going to post three or four times a week and look how long it's been!  Well, family things came up and for me, it's family first, but maybe next week, I'll be better at getting things onto my blog.  I'm in Austin at the moment and ahhh - the art supplies!  You can't tell how I'm enjoying the art goodies since I've posted another charcoal drawing, but as y'all know, it's just wonderful to wander through the aisles of paints, papers, art implements of all kinds, and dream of all the masterpieces to come.  I naively think - and deep inside I know it's not true - that if I just had a new something or other, I could do great things.  Oh well, it's pleasant to think on, anyway.  This drawing, which I scribbled madly just because I didn't want it too exact and even thought about doing a sort of abstract drawing, is on 17 x 14" Borden and Riley Bristol (vellum).  Thanks so much for stopping by! SOLD

On My Easel - Sketch for Flamenco - original oil figurative sketch

I should probably call this 'can you figure out what this is?' - a sort of shorthand, I guess.  I know how it should end, and I'm very hopeful, but the best intentions don't always turn out as one would like.  So I'm fully prepared, knowing it may join lots of others I've thrown in the garbage this week.  I find it hard to get rid of things that I once liked or maybe even just liked one passage in the painting, and keep them well past their prime.  Gotta be tough, I keep telling myself.  Thanks for stopping by and listening to my little rant or maybe it was a pep talk to myself.

Jive Kids - orginal ink and oil pastel drawing

Just scribbling in front of the TV, added some color and here is an 11 x 14" drawing on Strathmore's Mixed Media paper.  I haven't been posting for awhile, because I'm working on lots of things, but not one of them is fit to be seen, yet.  Thanks for stopping by! Sold

Her Blue Boots - original oil figurative painting

I just finished watching the Olympic ice dancing - SO gorgeous and they make it look so easy, which, as someone who can barely get around the rink, I know it can't possibly be!  Now back to art - this 5 x 5" painting is done on Gessobord.  I've seen some really beautiful turquoise blue boots lately - luscious, really - and just couldn't resist putting them in my painting.  Thanks for stopping by!

Two-Steppin' Romance - original oil figurative painting

 



Here are a couple of sweethearts on the dance floor. I had such a great time painting this - I guess it was feeling free with the brushwork or maybe the turquoise boots - I don't know exactly. Sometimes it just happens. Check out my oil pastel blog, too, if you have a minute, and thanks so much for stepping - uh, stopping - by!