If Rembrandt were a football fan what team would he like?

This is a gift for my brother, who is a big Minnesota Vikings fan. I had the portrait all done- just as a Rembrandt copy of one of his self-portraits and I didn't like it, because basically what do you do with a huge painting of a guy who is not related to you. My DH, the eternal sports fanatic, suggested a viking helmet and giving it to the equally fanatical brother for his birthday. I thought the logo on the jacket added a bit of kitsch as well.

Little People are plastic preschool toys that represent people

They make bus drivers, doctors, firemen and normal people like I have painted here. The girl on the left appears a little bit Asian. The boy is lying on the ground. Was he beat up? Does he represent a gender or maybe a country? If he did what would be happening here? Is it a coincidence that the Asian girl stands triumphantly on a USB disk? Why is the clothes pin lying there? (This stuff was pretty randomly lying on my computer table and I just threw it together to create an interesting composition but WHAT IF I put a little more thought into it.)
Little people are fun to paint. lol

Betty White -- Entertainer of the Year

I love everything about Bettty, from her snappy attitude to her silky white hair and twinkling blue eyes. She would be Santa Claus if she were a guy.

Summer Landscape --because it started getting cold!

SOLD

My cat, Cocoa, who starred in our Christmas card this year.

Where has December gone?

This has been a really busy month. ELEVEN Christmas commissions-many of them from etsy, a few from word of mouth locally. I'll post a few of the more interesting pieces I have created this month.

This was painted from a couple of tiny cell phone photos- I think they were about 300 pixels wide. Some place in California.

11" x 14" OIL PAINTING OF JAKE, A DOBERMAN

This piece was created as a gift in memory of Jake, a beautiful Doberman who loved boating with his "dad".

Another pet portrait

This is Lonnie, a Lhasa Apso mix, who was commissioned as a Christmas gift for the owner, who misses his little dog greatly. He has one brown eye and one blue one, and a really cute little face.
8" x 10" oil on canvas

Judson, a Three Year old German Shepherd dog

Wow- this is one of the most beautiful dogs I have ever met. He was really scared when he came over to get his picture taken so I ended up using a photo provided by his mom. The picture showed him lying on the patio but I decided he would look better in a shady park setting.

 11" x 14" oil on linen

Sandy from the WC! Portrait Exchange

12" x 16" oil on linen

Highland Park paint out

We delivered some paintings to the Springfield show and decided to paint on Friday as well as Saturday when the regularly scheduled OPAS paintout was scheduled. It was a really cold day on Friday. I definitely wasn't dressed for the weather. We have been so fortunate to have this unusually warm weather for the past few weeks that I didn't even think about how cold it would be. These are the first paintings I have ever done wearing gloves.

Portrait of Merv Russell from the Saturday Morning Group

Merv modeled for two hours and I finished the piece from a photo I took at home. Here he looks like a bit like a bum but Merv owned a chain of Tuxedo stores back in the day... I think. Anyway- these are his painting clothes. He was nice enough to model when the person scheduled failed to show.

Two more house paintings

These two 11" x 14" paintings were completed from photographs supplied by the client. The quality of the photos plays a huge role in how the painting turns out. The three dogs were added at the last minute because her mom loves them sooo much. I guess I can relate to that. :)

Two pet portraits I completed this week

Christmas commissions are slowly but surely being completed. The tabby cat is 8" x 10" and the lab-dobie mix is 11" x 14"

Tipp City Ohio Paintout

I attended an OPAS paintout at Tipp City on Saturday. It was a great painting day because it wasn't too hot or too cool and the light was very consistent. I finished two paintings but didn't have enough energy to stay for the wet paint sale, knowing i had a two hour drive in front of me.

The Gallery Hotel 11" x 14" -- $450 framed in a silver plein air frame
and Country Wagon 8" x 10" -- $150 framed in a gold plein air style frame (SOLD)

Two Recent Cottage paintings-- 185 Lynn Ave and 184 Lynn Lakeside, Ohio

Fall Inspired Still Life Subjects

Fall Harvest 9" x 12"
I started this painting in acrylic during a class I was teaching and finished it in oils later.

A smaller painting -size 8" x 10", completed form life in my studio. I love this copper tea kettle and have painted it quite a few times.

Star -- a commissioned horse portrait

This beautiful quarter horse is almost 30 years old but he really looks much younger. 16" x 20"

Joey the Bat painting

The Joey T Bat project features dozens of paintings of Joey, a stuffed bat with a semi-neurotic history who travels the world and is photographed in unlikely places. Joey's owner accepted my bid to create a piece of art inspired by the little guy and I chose to paint Joey at Hudson Bay gazing longingly into the "eyes" of a tall green plant.

Home from the Lake

A long weekend at Lakeside Ohio for the OPAS Competition and I ended up with five paintings. These are my three favorites-- I am thinking about putting some gulls on the boat in front just in case it's not busy enough.

11" x 14" Portrait of Carmella -- a beautiful Italian Greyhound

This is T. & L. Torbet's dog-- quite a fiesty little thing with a wonderful personality.

Linda from our Saturday morning painting group

11" x 14" oil on linen over hardboard

Lake Waynoka Paintout

Here is the best painting I completed at the Ohio Plein Air Society Lake Waynoka Paintout held in Sardinia, Ohio near Cincinnati last month. This is 16" x 16" and I sold it the same weekend. It was a beautiful place to paint and I enjoyed staying with my hosts. The date for my Fall Painting workshop is set and it will be held at the Delta UMC, 1010 Northwood Dr., beginning Thursday, Sept. 30. The class is 6-8:30pm and will last six weeks. Here is a link to the syllabus: http://dancinglightstudio.com/painting-class.pdf

Lt. Col Tom Belkofer 11" x 14" oil on linen

This is the final version of Lt. Col Belkofer, of Perrysburg, Ohio, who died while serving in Afghanistan. I was told he was a strong Christian and a major Ohio State fan who took his OSU fanaticism with him wherever he was stationed. I placed a couple OSU icons in the background in an abstract way. Thanks for your service, Tom. May you rest in Peace!

Joel Gentz 11" x 14" oil on linen

This is the final version of Joel's portrait and I am pretty happy with it. I hope the family likes it. This was commissioned by the Legion Riders - a group of Harley-riding veterans associated with the American Legion. I am doing two of the Gold Star portraits for them for a Code of Honor ceremony this year. They take up a collection to pay me and whatever I get is fine.
I started the second one, of Lt. Col Tom Belkofer, from Perrysburg yesterday, and hopefully I'll be able to finish it by the weekend.

Gold Star Portraits

Here I am working on a portrait of 1st Lt. Joel C. Gentz, 25, of Grass Lake, Michigan, who was assigned to the 58th Rescue Squadron, Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.. Airmen Gentz, a 2007 graduate of Purdue University, and a 2002 graduate of Chelsea H.S. in Michigan, was an elite combat rescue officer in the U.S. Air Force, who was known for his strong work ethic and commitment to doing his best. Lt. Gentz died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan June 9, 2010. Joel Gentz lived by the motto of the pararescue men: "these things we do, that others may live." It's an honor to be painting this portrait, one of two I am painting that will be presented to the families at a Gold Star Ceremony October 3, 2010.

Jessica 11" x 14" oil on linen

This portrait was completed in two sessions at the Hyter Group open studio at Common Space 2, where I show up every Saturday morning- when possible.
Jessica  SOLD

Dawn 11x14 oil on canvas

Painted from the live model initially and finished from a photograph.

The Gambler 8"x10" oil on linen

There is a double meaning to this piece. Sure the elements are painted well and they are arranged in an interesting and compelling composition but the underlying meaning is not all that ambiguous when you consider the title. You're gambling with your life when you make certain life choices, whether it's drinking, smoking or playing cards (for money). Most of my paintings don't have a hidden social message-- I just thought this one might be fun to do and I actually can credit my husband Scott with the idea. We were on vacation and it was raining so I couldn't paint outside and I was searching the cabin for still life subjects to paint. When he saw me grab the pipe off a wall display he suggested the German beer bottle on display in the kitchen area. It all works well when grouped in a circular pattern and linked with the shadow shapes.

16x20 oil on canvas- The Smithie

I finished this painting last night and I will l probably enter it in a few shows if it doesn't sell immediately. I emphasized the light streaming through the window and how it creates a mellow contrast to the blacksmith's hammer and anvil. The background is interesting but not too much so. This is a timeless piece that could have been created at any time in the past 100 years.

Paintings from the Upper Peninsula

My family and I just returned from vacationing in the Upper Peninsula on Lake Huron. We stayed at a really nice place near Hessel, MI - right on St. Martin's Bay. With a lakefront view facing southwest we had truly awesome sunrise and sunset views.
I brought along standard size 8x10 and 11x14 panels to paint on just for the ease of transporting them in my wet canvas carriers. The first painting shows a view of the bay in the early morning. The second one was painted in late afternoon. Notice how the atmospheric conditions affect the view dramatically. We experienced days when the weather was quite humid and the lake was misty. When the wind picked up conditions cleared and the waves became choppy. It was a great experience for us as we live quite a ways inland.

St. Martin's Bay - misty morning

St. Martins Bay - afternoon

The Old Schoolhouse - oil on clayboard

I have had this clayboard lying around for quite awhile and I brought it with me to Dolores' farm yesterday. I was attracted to the old building they use for a garage and Dolores informed me it was an old schoolhouse that her husband's father had moved here when they were planning to demolish it. Her husband, who looked to be about 70 years old, had actually attended school in this one room building when it was part of the "Pike Public Schools District" An interesting history but what I liked right away was the building's character.
(sold)

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Two paintings form my recent PaintOut at Lakeside, Ohio (Both are sold)

A still life painting of a blue teapot and a wooden spoon. 8" x 10" oil on canvas.

Yellow Roses 16" x 20" oil on linen

I received a dozen yellow roses for my wedding anniversary. So I painted them -- of course! I also painted some daisies from my garden. 11" x 14" oil on linen panel.

16" x 16" Oil on Canvas Lily Pond

A plein air from yesterday. It still has a few rough edges but overall I like the feeling.