Nude in Mixed Media - original mixed media drawing of a nude

This is a drawing that I did from life several months ago and just forgot about.  I came across it today while I was going through and (I hope) organizing some of my things.  (This project is endless, I tell you.)  The gestural lines were drawn on Yupo, using wax crayons (Caran d'Ache Neocolor I).  I added a little watercolor - which, of course, doesn't adhere to the wax lines, then applied touches of watercolor crayons (I LOVE those things!) and just generally had a great time.  It's about 12 x 9".  Thanks for visiting my blog!

Saturday Night Two-Steppers - original oil figurative painting

Was I actually there tonight?  Well, no, but back in the day . . . .   This one is on 6 x 6" Gessobord - thanks for looking!

The Nude in Watermedia - original painting of a nude in watermedia

This painting is one that I did from an old drawing while I was watering the lawn at my studio.  We can water twice a week and this was my day.   Having been away for several days, it was nice to be back  -  there's no place like studio!   I used mostly watercolor sticks with touches of pan watercolors, and a couple of ink lines.   It's about 11 x 17" on Yupo.  Thanks for stopping by!

More Tango Luv - original oil figurative painting

This one was tricky, but she insisted on that position with her left hand - she loves touching his face while they dance.  So, what was I to do?  When a woman's made up her mind, well. . . .
Painted in oil, it's on 7 x 5" Gessobord.  Thanks for looking!

On My Easel - A Modern Tango - original oil figurative painting

I probably should say 'original oil figurative experiment' - but that seems to be my approach to my artwork.    One of my painting teachers told me not to fiddle with the work - just start another painting.  Must remember that, must remember that.
This tango position is one that I see a lot now, but I don't think it has much in common with the original Argentine tango - a lovelier dance there never was - but it is definitely dramatic!  Sorry it's so shiny, but I wanted to get it posted and in a couple of days, I will post a bit drier version.  This one is on 7 x 5" Gessobord.  If you get a chance, please check out my oil pastel blog.

Tango Moment Again - original oil figurative painting

 

The second of my series of three 14 x 11"  tango paintings that I've done recently.  They will be available at Artworks in Austin, Texas.   No matter what else I may paint, I always come back to tango - just the beautiful way the dancers move in unison.  The steps are gorgeous in themselves:  He knows his part and she knows hers and they work beautifully together.  

Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Tango Drama Again - original oil figurative painting

 

 

It's actually raining here - I was beginning to think it would never happen again!  As if it had forgotten how or something.  So, I'm going to go to bed and just listen to the beautiful sound of rain and feel so happy that I got all my pinks planted today!  This painting is on 14 x 11" Fredrix paintboard.  Thanks for looking!

Tiny Geisha - original oil pastel ACEO figurative painting

I did this little ATC or ACEO while listening to The Last Gunfight by Jeff Guinn.  Delicious.  It's a bit of the hard truth about the Old West and pretty much nothing like the western movies I loved in my childhood, nor even much like my all-time favorite movie, Tombstone.  I could watch that movie endlessly, I think, if I didn't have a ton of other things to do.  Tomorrow, I'll be back in reality, Old West style, listening to the last half of the book while I paint some tango dancers.  I realize westerns and tango dancers don't have much in common, but it's fun to lose myself in two entirely different worlds! 

Now a bit about my little painting.  Although tiny, these little ones do take time and some effort to get into the picture plane everything you want to say.  Sometimes, though, I just crave sitting bent over my table to work on these minis.  It's on 3.5 x 2.5" illustration board.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

Three More - original charcoal nude drawings w/touches of white pastel

This is a drawing that I did over several weeks, one model one week, then another model a few weeks later, then the third model maybe a month or two after the others.  Different models elicit different responses from the 'drawer', I think.  Instead of gray, the support is actually light green Canson Mi-Teintes board, which I love, but it's hard to find.  Thankfully, ASW still carries it.  It has the textured side of the Mi-Teintes paper adhered to board and I always find the textured side encourages looseness.  The drawing is 16 x 20".  If I don't post before Sunday, I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!  Thanks for stopping by! 

The Spanish Model - original oil pastel portrait sketch

The model was originally from Spain and had a sort of playful quality - really great at holding a pose, too.  This was a quick one, of course; these short sketches have to stand or fall on what's put down on the surface in a short time.  I think quick studies can be one of the best drawing improvers, plus show a bit of the artist in an unguarded moment.  It's on 7 x 5" Pastelbord.  Thank you for visiting my blog.

Geisha with Flower - original oil pastel figurative painting

This is a really quick one - not because I was in a hurry - but it's just better for me so I don't kill it.  Did this on Pastelbord - just the right grittiness - and loved every touch of the oil pastel on the surface.  Yum!  It's 7 x 5" - thanks so much for stopping by!

On My Easel - original mixed media figurative drawing

Ten days since I've posted!  Bad girl!  But I've been sketching like a maniac - everything in sight - but nothing really finished.  Well, of course, this one isn't either, but it has a little color to it, and I haven't put anything on my blog for awhile, so here it is.  This drawing is one that I sketched with charcoal in a life drawing group and I decided tonight to add some color with oil pastels.  Don't know if I'd do it again, or if I will even "finish" this one, but these experiments are good for the soul and sometimes lead to great discoveries.  Re the orange under the chin - it really was more orangey, but I scraped it off.  I was inspired by an actor on TV tonight with this marvelous orange color under his chin maybe from what he was wearing, I don't know - could not look at anything else - don't remember the show - just orange!  Anyway, hope y'all had a great weekend and thanks so much for stopping by!  Oh and it's charcoal and oil pastel on oil pastel card, 14 x 8".

Woman with a Fan III - original oil figurative painting

I've been working on several things today - especially since I've decided to spend 5 to 6 hours a day on art.  Without getting distracted!!!  Such a noble ambition, I hope I can accomplish it!  Always the good intentions, then - a phone call, something in the garden, nice weather - a million excuses.  This painting is 20 x 16".  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! 

A Little Smile - original oil pastel portrait sketch

Here's more of my portrait sketching - this one using Sennelier oil pastels on carton - a newish surface that I love, reminiscent of the tan card used by Toulouse-Lautrec.  Lovely to work on, it's available from Judson Art.  This sketch is 12 x 9" - thanks so much for visiting my blog!

The Participant - original quick portrait sketch from life

This young woman was a participant in a life drawing group I attended recently and I did this little sketch while the model was getting into the next pose.   My subject would have made a fantastic model!  She had a beautiful face that reminded me of a Renaissance painting and it would have been great to sketch her when she turned her head my way, but she seldom did, so I have to rely on memory.  That's one of the things I love about life drawing groups, it's always so relaxed, and between poses, there are people sketching the other attendees, the room, the easels, you name it!  It's a life drawer's fantasy.  I drew her with vine charcoal on 12 x 9" Strathmore drawing paper.  Thanks for stopping by!

The Barrel Racer - original oil figurative painting

It's been awhile since I've posted anything because I've been felled by cedar fever, which is a common and sometimes debilitating complaint here in central Texas.  It's an allergy to cedar, which is what we call juniper in this area.  Today has been better, though, so I'm back to my blog.  This painting was done from a drawing I did at a rodeo some years back - really just one of my scribbles - but I let it alone after I finished - huge though the temptation is to fool with it.  On Utrectht archival canvas board, it's 8 x 10".  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Oil Sketch of Deb - original oil portrait drawing

This is kind of dark, but I wanted to paint on an ochre stained canvas for a change and just had to go with it.  Deb's quick little sketch is painted on Utrecht archival canvas board and is 12 x 12".  Thanks for looking!

Reclining Nude - original oil painting of a nude

This painting is still so wet, but I wanted to post something tonight, well actually, it's morning, now.  I did this very quickly from a life drawing - set my timer and didn't go back to correct a thing.  I painted this while listening to The Day of Battle by Rick Atkinson - it'll probably take another day or so to finish this interesting book.   I just ordered An Army at Dawn from audible.com, which is the first in the trilogy.  I am so used to listening to books and love it because I can do other things - like painting or drawing - while I "read".   I highly recommend it!
Thanks for stopping by!
 Oh I forgot - got so carried away with the book I'm reading that I almost signed off for the night before I remembered to say it's 8 x 10" on archival canvas board.  Sweet dreams.

The Mandolin Player - original figurative oil painting

 

Although I'm not really finished with this painting, I just decided to go ahead and post it tonight.  It's on a 12 x 16" archival canvas board.   I'm going to make some changes, but I just don't know what they'll be, yet.  Sometimes, if I just forget about a painting, then weeks later, I'll pass by it and think 'oh yeah, I know just what it needs'.  The back burner is the place to put things when I need to figure out what should be done.  We'll see if it works this time.  Thanks for stopping by Hackberry Street Studio!

Lexie's Despair - original figurative oil painting

The inspiration for this painting was my model, Lexie, taking this pose with her face in the sofa pillow.  It appeared that she was in despair, as if things just hadn't worked out for her.  (And maybe she was tired of posing?  Could that possibly be?)  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Black and White Flamenco - original ink and stick drawing of a dancer

I did this drawing on Borden & Riley Paris paper for pens, 9 x 12", using a balsa wood very, very thin dowel - so thin that it could almost not be called a dowel, with both permanent and non-permanent inks.  It's so important to work quickly doing this even though it's far from perfect, because I seem to lose the momentum if I slow down.  I did a lot of scribbling plus some brushwork, too.  Thanks so much for looking!

Chaos - original charcoal life drawings

Sort of weird, I know, but I just like to draw the model in really short poses over other really short poses.  Previous poses are often obliterated, but I'm mainly interested in line variety. This is vine charcoal on Strathmore drawing paper, 18 x 24".
More about the knowing people through drawings thing I mentioned in my previous post.  When I said I was looking for line variety in the above paragraph, it's one of the things that thrills me about drawing.  When I was little, one of my aunties - I loved her dearly - would always draw for me 'the old, poor cow' and laugh and make fun of her inability to draw. Well, I LOVED those drawings, but I didn't know why.  Now I understand that she had just naturally and unknowingly used a weighted line.  The 'old, poor cow' was simply beautiful!
Thanks for visiting my blog!

Sketch of Sandra - original charcoal portrait drawing

 

I think vine charcoal is ideal for portraits - it has such a soft look, but it can also make a sharp line.  This model was done fairly quickly, as I was going to also paint her and I had only so much time to do both.  Although I like to paint, drawings are my favorite.  Every time I attend a master painter's show at a museum, his/her drawings attract me first.  Often, I will spend most of my time with the drawngs and only a few minutes with their paintings.  Drawings are like fingerprints to me - that's how I sort of "know" the artist.   This is vine charcoal on 14 x 11" Strathmore drawing paper.

 When I was very young and people came to visit my parents, I always asked them to draw a picture for me.  That seemed so natural to me, but to people who don't draw, it must have been like being asked to sit down and play the piano.  One time, my mother said that a friend - I suppose someone that she and my father hadn't seen in a long time or that they didn't know well - was coming and I was NOT to ask him to draw a picture for me.  The guest arrived and settled down in his chair and I simply climbed up in his lap with a paper and pencil and asked him to draw a picture.  I remember that I was careful to face away from my parents when this was taking place. They must not have been too pleased, although I don't remember any comments after their guest departed.  I didn't mind very well, did I?  But I did get my drawing.  Sold

Tuesday's Pose - original charcoal nude life drawing

Oh my gosh, I loved this model - her poses were ones that I'd like to spend a lot of time drawing.  Somehow, I never felt that I captured her the way I wanted and I hope the next time she shows up, I'll be there for another try.  Drawing from life is the very best and it helps me - and I'm sure everyone who does it - in so many ways.  I always think I know how everything fits together, but I always get my comeuppance in life drawing groups when I can observe.  It's all about seeing, really, and I'm still working on it. 
This was done on Strathmore drawing paper and is 24 x about 16".  A note about a new discovery - well, new to me, anyway, is Utrecht vine charcoal - I bought the assorted pack and it's great.  They weren't kidding.  There are so many thicknesses and such variety in the sticks, although they are all a pleasure to work with - haven't found one yet that's too hard or scratchy.  Thanks for stopping by!

Red Floor - original oil pastel figurative painting

One of my favorite haunts - cafes.   Much like bars, except people don't generally loosen up in restaurants the way they do when it's late and the booze is flowing.  Nevertheless, a great place to observe people.  
This painting was done on 7 x 5" Pastelbord with mostly Sennelier oil pastels.  I love using these juicy sticks against the gritty Pastelbord.  It really grabs oil pastel and holds it for several layers before the tooth is filled. 
Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Sketch of a Seated Nude - original oil pastel drawing of a nude

Hi All - I'm back from my trip to Italy and ready to get back into my drawing/painting groove - not a rut, mind you, but a groove!  Happy New Year to all of my friends out there in the Blogosphere!  This drawing is done on Strathmore 12 x 9" oil pastel 403 paper (now marketed as Pastel pad) which I absolutely adore - it's my go to surface.  It's been around for years - mentioned in Kenneth Leslie's book on oil pastel.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Dance Party - original charcoal figurative drawing

Happy 2013 everybody!!!  Hope this is your best year ever!  Right now I'm waiting for my plane to Italy, so if I don't post for awhile, you'll know I'm busy sightseeing and drinking in the art.  Have a great time tonight and the rest of 2013!  Oh and also, this drawing was done with vine charcoal on Strathmore drawing paper - it's about 14 x 16".  Thanks for stopping by!

Dancers at the Winery - original oil figurative paintings

Here are some of my dancers on the wall at Junction Rivers Winery in Junction, Texas.  It's a not-to-be-missed place for wine (of course), bistro food, gifts, and conversation in my hometown on the Llano River. 
I hope everyone's having an enchanting Christmas Eve and looking forward to a joyful Christmas Day!  Thanks so much for stopping by - and Merry Christmas!

Bailoras - original charcoal figurative drawing

Bailoras (actually it's the same one in different poses) from sketches I did years ago.  Vine charcoal on Strathmore 14 x 17" drawing paper.  Thanks for looking!