"Thoughts of Spring"
Every artist has a favorite model and Amber is without a doubt, mine. She has beautiful bone structure and at the same time a certain softness about her that makes her a pleasure to draw and paint. I did this portrait from a photo that was taken some time back when Amber was pregnant with her son Joshua. It was a rainy, cold day and Amber was standing at the window on a short break. It was the perfect shot so I asked her to hold still while I adjusted the camera. I took hundreds of photos that day but this one was the best. I prefer to work from life, but often my budget or time do not make that possible. Photos can sometimes lead to a stiff or an unnatural looking portrait. This is because when you work from life, the model moves. So the work tends to be a composite of many poses which come together to lend the portrait a certain sense of life. Photos, on the other hand, don't move and this can cause the eye to focus on each portion of the photo separately making for a hard lined and fragmented painting. I think, however, that I managed to retain Amber's special qualities as well as her quiet moment of hopefulness in this portrait.
"The Way Home"
I love that time of day when the light is low and shadows are long. The violets and reds in the landscape are especially prevalent and the shadows warm. This piece was done largely from imagination. It's really one of many places I have built in my head and where I go when I need a litle peace. Hope you like it.
Currently NFS because I need to build up some images for this year's studio tour in July. Giclee prints are available in sizes to order. Email me if you're interested.
"Solitude"
SOLD
I've been forced to take a five hour drive home from my Tuesday Atelier class in Seattle due to the temporary closing of the Hood Canal Bridge. This usually brings me to the Hamma Hamma River and the adjacent salt marshes about sunset (we have long days here in Washington now). I haven't had my camera with me but I've pulled off the road and tried to take some mental notes that I could translate into a small study. Here's my first one. The water looks a bit greener here than in the actual painting. I guess I need some work with photoshop.
"Crystaline Tea Pot"
Hooray! I'm finally working out some of the kinks in photographing my work with my digital camera. This never used to be an issue but lately it seems I've had a horrible time getting a good shot with it. So today I spent an hour or two figiting with the manual mode and the (OMG) user's guide. It's a good thing I have a Master's Degree. I needed it. Anyway, the research helped and I have a much better image to show for my time.
Most of you will recognize this Tea Pot as it's been the subject of many paintings. I first painted it in pastel about 10 years ago. I've shown that painting here before and you can see it below as a comparison. I've never been able to capture it quite a well as I did in that pastel, but I think I've come close here. I've been working on this piece as an entry for the Oil Painters of America Western Regional Juried Show. I've taken it as far as I think I can. Now I'll just hold my breath. It's my first attempt so I don't have high expectations, but I can dream can't I? Here's the old pastel. What do you think? Did I do a good job with the oil? The light is, of course, different. In the original pastel I used warmer artificial light and in the recent oil above, I used natural north light. Additionally, the cool green against the warm red cloth and background do make the pot appear a bit brighter and more colorful although I've done my best to play that down a bit. Groan...I'm perseverating.
"Draped"
By now you probably think I've lost my mind. This is a pastel done of the same figure I've been working with. I've changed the colors quite a bit here and played around in layering and glazing some pastels. I had some 2 ply cotton rag sitting around the studio and although it's not generally used for pastels, I realy like it because it allows me to layer lightly and glaze one color over the next. Look at the cloth and the bottom of the painting, for instance. See all those lovely colors playing off each other? You really can't get that with a lot of the newer pastel papers on the market. They're very good for handling a lot of the medium, but they don't allow you to put light layers on like this. I'm beginning to see the merit of working in a series because it actually has been giving me quite a few ideas for other works I'd like to try.
This is a favorite theme of mine by now. I've done it in a couple of sizes and have been searching out color schemes. I recently purchased about 20 frames in standard sizes and this one looks great in a plein air mahogany frame. As I have a large studio tour coming up in the summer and also hopes of gaining entry into the Belvue Arts Museum Fair or Belvue Arts Fair, I'm trying to build up inventory. This is for sale, but you'll need to e-mail me if you're seriously interested.
On another topic, I've discovered something that surprised me about myself. I started as a serious realist painter in pastel and gravitated to oils a couple of years ago as a primary medium. Even when I started this blog, I was heavily into sharp realism. I've noticed that when I look back over my work and how it has evolved over the past two years, I find that I have made a foray into the arena of impressionism or expressionism. I'm still heavily representational and still interested in realist work, but something has shifted. I'm presently attending atelier with Tenaya Sims, a remarkable realist painter who studied directly under Juliette Aristedes and also teaches at Gage in Seattle. I feel very honored and awed to be under his tutelage and have to smile at the new quandry I find myself in. Tenaya seems not to be bothered by any of this indecision or vascillation and reassures me that it's all the "same" in the bones. And this I agree with, but I'm still wondering what the next few years will bring in my development. Should be fun to find out. Stay tuned.
"Letting Down Her Hair"
I started ploughing through my collection of photos today. I have hundreds of models I've worked with that never see the light of day. That's because they often don't catch the light or ambiance I'm after. As I take dozens of each pose just slightly different, that amounts to a lot of unused photos. I decided this pose of Julie would work pretty well. I wanted to try some ideas I had on color temperature. Overall, I like the way it came out. Some things I think warrant changing but I think that I may do a larger piece of this same pose. Any thoughts?
"Angie II"
This smaller piece was done from the same reference material as a much larger version, but here I was playing with the temperature a bit and also changed some of the colors. Not sure I'll use linen again for small pieces. While I enjoy the texture of the canvas, it tends to soften the edges on small pieces too much for my liking. While I can work around this with thicker paint and sometimes do, I didn't want hard edges except in a few places where thick paint just got in the way of flow. Paint and learn.
"Matinee"Currently NFS
Ho hum. Another Sunday afternoon. I'm going to be focused over the next few months in turning out some work for the summer festival season. If you see something without a price but have an extreme itch to own it, send me an email and I'll let you know if I can part with it. I try to make nearly everything available for sale but this sometimes works against me and I end up with nothing available and having to scramble to get work together. I intend to be unruffled and ready by the summer season. Yeah, right.
SOLD
I actually painted two paintings today but decided to rework the other a bit in the morning. I was striving for just the right tone in the background here and more texture on the vase.
"Full Bloom"SOLD
This is a recent commission I completed just yesterday. I really enjoyed getting my teeth into something big again. The painting was done in layers for the most part although there are some wet-in-wet worked areas. My collector loves it and that's what's most important. Hope you enjoy it too! To see how this painting was done, click here.
"Repose"Email me to inquire about this painting.
You probably think you've seen this one before. And you have - sort of. This is a large painting of the earlier small format figure study I did. I painted it in glazes and started with a full monochromatic under painting to make sure that the skin tones will glow more as the painting ages. I wish there were some way to really show this piece off. Photos just do not do it justice. As you turn the light up or down on a dimmer, the painting takes on a brighter luminescence that emanates from within the piece. There are some corrections that I can see still need to be made, but overall, I'm happy with it. Funny how things become apparent when you take a picture. No matter how much I look over my shoulder with a mirror, putting paintings on camera always reveals new things to my eye. I won't bore you with the changes by posting the painting again. But you can always check back to my website at www.susanspar.com in a few weeks to see if you can notice any subtle differences.
I'm not sure if I'll get the time to publish over the holiday, but just in case I don't, let me take this opportunity to wish all of my collectors and friends out there a very happy Chaunukah and a very merry Christmas. Above all I wish you health and prosperity in the coming new year. I'd also like to take this opportunity to say a heart felt "thank you" to my collectors and customers who have purchased from me over the past year. Your purchases are always a compliment and so very much appreciated.
I hope to be able to provide you all with lovely new and exciting pieces as the new year progresses.
"Floral Study in Red"
SOLD
I'm still suffering from a tooth ache today. But I managed to tackle this little floral. Hope my pain didn't show in the work.
"Figure Study III"SOLD
This one was great fun! In fact, I liked it so much I've done another larger one. I'm planning to do this image in 24" x 36" or similar size format and I'm trying to work out color and lighting. This study and the one I'll post tomorrow are in warm light, but I'm also planning to try a couple in cool light. The model is Angela who posed for this piece about a year ago so I can't claim that this one is from life, though I've painted Angela enough times to feel like I have a sense of her skin tones and postures.
I've decided to post most of my paintings for sale direct through this blog and http://www.dailypainters.com/ for awhile. Things are slow on eBay and since most of my collectors come to me through DP anyway, it makes good sense to avoid the eBay fees. Except for an occasional test piece, no more bidding for awhile. If you're interested in having a larger version of this or any of my small format pieces, just e-mail me.
"Gavillan Springs"
SOLD
Today was one of our first "fall" like days with rainy weather and cool winds. Although I prefer the warmer weather (I'm a California girl in mourning), I do like the fall. In a way it's a good excuse to rest and slow down from the summer pace that keeps me in a dizzy race to accomplish things that can't be done in the cooler wet weather. It seems that I've been off my pace a bit this year, though, and can't seem to find my rythym. It's not that I haven't been painting - I have. It's just that I'm not happy with what's been coming off my brush. I'm in a curve where I'm learning new things but having trouble integrating them into my work. I'm working on a painting of roses now but couldn't seem to get it done today and that's just as well. Perhaps it will be better for the slower pace.
Here's one from a yesteryear. Gavillan Springs is a seasonal pond that only comes to life in the winter in California. I used to go there with a dear friend to paint and this was one that came out of such an excursion. It's made me think of doing some landscapes again. I've been remiss to start new projects because my studio is under construction (we're expanding) and things are such a mess. I walk into that studio and can't seem to get started or organized. I'm hoping to get back to some landscapes in the winter once everything is done. I'm going on a trip to the Mediterranean in a couple of weeks for a month. Hopefully I'll come back with some good material and the studio will be nearly finished.
"Lightstruck Reconsidered"$125
Click here to e-mail me in regard to purchase.
I actually painted this piece earlier last month but wasn't happy with it. I've kept it around the studio and finally figured out what it lacked. The blooms are more abundant now and the canvas looks integrated. I adjusted the light on the vase and the plums shadows were deepened. More loose blooms adorn the table top and the light has more of a glow. I first put a separator coat of varnish on and then painted the second layers in glazes. It really made a spectacular difference in the painting. My husband was walking past the studio and just glanced in. He did a double take and said -"Wow...is that new?" Guess I succeeded! There is, of course, generous paint on the flowers. The varnish really makes the colors brighter and things just glow! Think I'll be doing more of that. It's really hard to see the effect in a photo. You'll just have to have some faith. See the detail below. Enjoy.
"The Brass Pitcher"
Click here to inquire about purchase.
This is another painting from my show collection. For a long time my specialty was reflective objects and glass. Brass and copper are still favorites and often show up in my more recent work. I love the warm glow and the way objects both reflect the color and are reflected by the metal. In this one, the roses pick up the warmth of the brass and at the same time they add a much needed balance of coolness. The nectarines bring top the piece with yellows and reds. While I have other pieces in the show, they are awaiting some professional photography before I can show them off. I'm working on a small one for eBay for tomorrow, so stay tuned.
