Valentines - original charcoal and pastel drawing of tango dancers

I know it's kind of an odd name for such an intense drawing, but I actually meant to post this on Valentine's Day and got sidetracked.  I drew this one with charcoal, graphite and soft pastel. It's been awhile since I posted at all - have been busy with a landscape painting course as well as getting my garden going.  Am soaking Hyacinth Bean seeds for my new arbor, planting another couple of tomatoes today, as well as some squash, corn and beans.  Roses are looking wonderful - but it's spring.  We'll have temps in the 90's and above 100 one day this week so my lovelies will be suffering soon.  Thanks for stopping by!

            
 

Solace - original oil pastel figurative sketch

Listening to Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder as I post.  Love all that talent. Never paid much attention to bluegrass 'til I lived in Virginia and there was a bluegrass program on Sunday afternoons  - can't remember the station now.  Anyway, it wasn't long before I was hooked.  Sort of got off-subject here - this oil pastel is on Pastelbord, 7 x 5".  Thanks for looking!

Whispers at the Bar - original oil figurative painting

It seems like months since I've posted.  I've been away, then much wonderful company for the week of spring break.  So now I'm back with another result of my spying at the bar.  This is about 9 x 9" on gessoed panel.  Although I didn't post for awhile, I was actually doing art - just not sharing, I guess.  This painting was originally 9 x 12", but I didn't like part of it, so just sawed it off.  I've done things like that before.  One time I was in an art show where I had originally planned to submit a complete figure, but I decided I only really liked the top part of the figure, so I just tore everything off from the arms down.  It worked - looked lots better than if I had included everything.  Plus, much cheaper to frame! This one, you can probably tell, I did in a hurry.  And meant to, so I couldn't kill it with my overworking thing.  I just sort have to force myself to let it go.  Sigh.  Art is hard sometimes.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Sketch of a Little Moment - original oil pastel figurative sketch

The resort where I spent Thanksgiving provided a wealth of subjects for drawing and here are two that I observed in a private moment.  Although they were wrapped up in each other, they were really in the middle of everything, so I felt it was okay to draw them. They held this "pose" long enough for me to get the bones of the sketch done, then filled in from memory, striving to keep the sketchiness that I intended without overworking.  I had just bought a new set of Caran d'Ache Neopastels, which are perfect for use on Judson's Guerilla Painter carton board.  Neopastels are a less oily form of oil pastel and not my usual go to brand, which is Sennelier, but Neopastels are great, too, and many oil pastelists prefer them.  This drawing is on 12 x 9" carton paper, but it's cropped here to about 11 x 7" - not really physically cropped, but just for blog posting.  Thanks so much for stopping by! SOLD

Two Step Night - original oil figurative painting

I know this 6 x 6" painting is similar to another of my two step paintings, (which is currently at Artworks) but I always love it when they're cuddled up like this couple.  Sweet to watch - and to paint.  While doing this painting, plus working on three others, I listened to the late, great Roy Orbison, the inimitable Jerry Lee Lewis and the fabulous young musician, Andy Leftwich.  What a great afternoon!  Thanks for stopping by!

She Loves Her Cowboy - original oil pastel figurative painting

This painting began as a sketch for an oil painting, but I ended up enjoying it so much, I just decided to post it - kind of abstract, but gets the point across, I think.  This painting is on 5 x 7" Pastelbord.  Thanks for stopping by my blog! 

Happy to See Him - original oil figurative painting

I am interested in painting a tango dancer with her hand on her partner's face - like here - and although these two aren't necessarily tango dancers, it just seemed to me to work here.  Last weekend, I was in a coffee shop with the most gorgeous green paint on the walls.  I love green and I've been thinking about that paint color, so here we are - hand on face, green on walls.  
As always, though, there was red paint involved.  Cadmium red.  The worst offender.  It seeks me out.  It finds me.  It attaches itself to my skin, hair, clothes and everything else it can find.  And it's not just cadmium red that bedevils me.  For years, I painted with only ivory black, yellow ochre, titanium white and Indian red.  Indian red is much the same, I can tell you!  Does this affect anyone else?  Am I the only one?  Sigh.
This painting is 6 x 6" on Gessobord.  Thanks so much for dropping by!

Lovers - original oil figurative painting

Actually, this is a work in progress - a quick little (6 x 6") painting on panel that came from another painting of couples dancing.  They were dancing in the background and I decided they are worth having their own little painting.  Tomorrow I'm going to finish the background by putting a little more paint on it.
Thanks so much for stopping by!

Favorite Table - original oil figurative painting

This painting is on 7 x 5" panel - thanks for looking!

Tango Kiss - original oil figurative painting

SOLD

This is a little more loose than usual and loose makes me happy. It's 6 x 6" on Gessobord. Thanks for visiting my blog!

Apres Tango - original oil figure painting

Tango is not just a dance, but a passionate embrace set to music. As much tango as I've watched, I'm still a bit surprised when the dancing couple simply parts and walks back to his and her respective chairs, as if they had merely passed each other on the street. As you can see, this couple isn't just parting and walking back to separate corners. This painting is 6 x 6" on Gessobord.

Thanks for stopping by!