Woman on a Sofa ACEO - original oil pastel figurative ACEO

I had been working on a charcoal dancer drawing and was going to show the drawing's progress on my blog, but I got distracted somehow.  And the next thing I knew, I was working on this 2.5 x 3.5" piece.  These are so much fun to do - no pressure - simply cut loose and see what happens.  This little painting is done on illustration board.  Thanks for stopping by!

More Tiny Jive - original oil figurative painting

It's been awhile, but I'm back and am hoping all of you are having a wonderful start to the New Year!   This painting is on 5 x 5" Gessobord.  I could say that I've found a fabulous cosmic satisfaction in painting even smaller, but the truth of the matter is that I found some great sale prices on 4 x 4" and 5 x 5" Gessobord at Herweck's in San Antonio, Texas, not long ago, and I'm loving these very small supports.  They're fun!  Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! Sold

More Tango Joy - original oil figurative painting

More of my tango painting - I do get on these kicks.  This one is looser and I didn't worry too much with it.  It does have foreshortening with her left leg, which I love to do.  Always fun and challenging.  Painting these small dancers has been so instructive for me.  I can be more loose - now to try and translate that to larger paintings.  Thanks so much for stopping by - and I hope you'll check out my oil pastel blog.  Oh, and it's 7 x 5" on Gessobord.  Sold

Lost in the Rhythm - original oil pastel figurative drawing

This is a quick study of the drummer in a band that I saw recently. Musicians can't possibly "hold the pose", which is what makes drawing people in motion so exciting to me and, since they are constantly moving, a lot of what I do in these cases is done from memory. This drawing is on 12 x 9" Pastelbord. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Elena - original oil portrait painting

This painting was done today and is totally wet, but I decided to go ahead and post it.  Live dangerously, I say.  It's on 6 x 6" Gessobord. 
I've been hearing that some oil painters switch to acrylics during the summer, especially here in the Southwest - am wondering if any of you are doing that.  Hope you're staying cool.  Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Rockin' - original oil figurative painting by Connie Chadwell

This loosey goosey painting was done from gesture drawings of dancers and I thoroughly enjoyed painting it.  The drawings look kind of like scribbles - I think I've posted some of them before - but I can 'read' them.  You'd probably look at my gesture drawings and ask "Hunh?" and wonder how on earth I came up with the final product.  Gesture drawings are a kind of shorthand that you can build upon right on top of the drawing.  That's not what I did here, but building on top of the gesture is one of my favorite things to do.  Once you have the gesture, you can stop any time and have a finished product.

"Rockin'" is 6 x 6" on Gessobord.  Thanks for stopping by! Sold

Sketch of Helen - original oil pastel portrait sketch by Connie Chadwell

This portrait sketch was done on Colourfix paper with oil pastels and is 12 x 9".  I loved doing the line work along with the bits of color - much fun!  Thank you for visiting my blog! 

Valentines - original oil pastel figurative painting

This oil pastel on Pastelbord is 7 x 5". I loved doing this one and am very happy you stopped by! SOLD

"Runnin' Wild" - oil pastel figurative painting

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PLEASE CLICK ON THE OIL PASTEL SOCIETY LINK ON MY LINKS LIST TO SEE THE CURRENT MEMBERS' SHOW. I'm happy to report that I received third place in the show - the whole show is gorgeous and I'm so proud to be a part of the organization!

"Runnin' Wild" is painted on Pastelbord from one of my drawings of jive dancers. How great to just let go like that and put worries behind you, if only for a little while. It's 12 x 9". Thanks so much for stopping by!

Taking a Break - original oil figure painting

This painting is 8 x 8" on Ampersand Gessobord. Thanks for stopping by! SOLD

More Tea - oil pastel figure painting

This was painted from a little drawing I did at my favorite Thai restaurant (now closed, unfortunately). It's 16 x 20" on Ampersand Pastelbord. Thanks for visiting my blog!

Three Gals - original oil figure painting

Whew! Dealing with three women, even if they are at the business end of a paintbrush, is not easy - especially if they refuse to be controlled by yet another woman (me).

Of course, I didn't know what was in the photo they were studying, but there was much comment and giggling. This was one time I was glad to have my sketchbook with me, so that I didn't have to draw in the back of my checkbook or on a scrap of paper.

This painting is on Ampersand Gessobord and is 6 x 6". Thanks for looking!SOLD

Heather Again - nude painting in oil

Here's another rendition of Heather. This one's in oil on 9 x 12" Gessobord. I started out with a very limited palette - titanium white, ivory black, yellow ochre, burnt sienna and cobalt blue (which is kind of cheating in a truly limited palette, since gray next to red reads as a blue, but, oh well). After it was done, I decided that it needed a little more color, so I added a little cadmium red and yellow.

This time, not working from life, but from a drawing from life, the likeness isn't there as well as it was, but I am pleased with the painting because it's not really intended to be a portrait. And she still has that proud elegance to her, which is the most important element to me. If the gesture is right, then I'm happy. SOLD

Alone at the Bar - original oil figure painting

I guess this is sort of a series - bar paintings. Taverns, bars and such are a perfect place to observe people, because they really let their hair down there. However, it's a strange place for a teetotaler like me to be found, but since most people I know are not teetotalers, I seem to be in these interesting places on occasion and I make the most of it.

This painting is 7 x 5" on Gessobord. Thanks for visiting my blog!SOLD

The Letter - original oil figure painting

Gone are the days when a letter was the only means of communication across long distances, which is a good thing, but still, someone reading a letter is one of my favorite subjects to paint. I always wonder, was the news good or bad, was there tragedy within its lines, or did news from home just make them lonely? SOLD

This painting is 8 x 8" - a little larger than I usually do - on Gessobord. Thanks for looking!

Jivemania - oil figure painting

This is a quick little gesture that I painted today. I mainly used blues and oranges, but I am never totally happy unless there's a little green somewhere, so there are a few dots of viridian. It's 6 x 6" on Gessobord. Thanks for looking!SOLD

A Little Salsa - original oil by Connie Chadwell

Here's a quick little painting - not tango this time, but salsa. It's oil on Gessobord, 7 x 5". Thanks for looking! SOLD

Jive - oil figure painting

Kind of wild, but hey - jive IS wild - 6 x 6" on Gessobord. Thanks for looking! SOLD