Berkel Slicer Anyone?

This past, almost 2 years, has been emotionally and physically exhausting and trying on the entire family.  So much so in fact, I am surprised I got anything creative done at all.  I have a collector in Washington D.C. and he asked me a year ago if I would do a commission of a Berkel Slicer for his gourmet kitchen.  Ooookay.  Sure.

Yes, that was about a year ago.  I just finished the painting.  He is very, very, very patient.  I was not sure if I should start posting again here on Raisin Toast, or just let it slide.  As I said, it’s been a rough time for our family.  But, here I am.

So, without getting into the details of the last two years, let’s just say I want to celebrate the completion of this commissioned painting.  I don’t paint in realism, so this was challenging and fun for me at the same time.  I am very proud of the outcome.

Here is the final image of the painting.  ”Berkel Slicer” 36×24 Oil on hand stretched canvas.

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Sometimes You Just Need to Paint Cows

I love cows.  I grew up in the country in Maryland and there were always cows looking at us in the morning from the fields beside our home.  Of course, there were the ones who thought the grass looked greener on our side of the fence and would break it down and be watching us eat breakfast on our back porch. 

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Painting – Painting – Painting

Hello dear friends!  I know I haven’t posted here in about 2 weeks, but a lot has been going on.  Some good news – I am now represented by the Bellus Lux Lucis Fine Art Gallery in Clarence, New York, and I sent Bonnie (the gallery owner and director) 6 paintings to sell:

“Apples” 8 x 10 Oil on Panel (220.00 Framed)

“Garlic” 8 x 10 Oil on Panel (220.00 Framed)

“Haystacks” 8 x 10 Oil on Canvas (220.00 Framed)

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The Perfect Studio Tabletop Palette

Every artist is different, but for me, I like clean and organization, but when it comes to an artist’s studio, they are usually anything but clean and organized. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is the many different ways artists prepare their studio palettes.

For instance, this is the glass studio palette of artist Brian Kliewer.  A piece of glass over a light gray (possibly white) background – sometimes the way the camera captures color is tricky.  This is very much how my palette has looked in my studio for over a decade.

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Nell – Painting of a Dearly Loved Border Collie

I couldn’t help but be affected by Nell’s disappearance from Ree Drummond’s ranch in Oklahoma back in 2008. Ree (aka The Pioneer Woman) was very vocal and honest about her feelings of loss. So much so, that I know that there were thousands around the world, including me, (and I’m just around the corner in North Carolina), who were praying that somehow Nell would come back home – safely. It’s been a little 3 years since Nell’s disappearance and it left Ree and her family wondering what could have happened that she disappeared without a trace.

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The Mysterious Boat Commission

This has been a good year for commissions! I had not heard of the artist Odilon Redon, but I was asked to paint “The Mysterious Boat” by this artist. Bertrand-Jean Redon, better known as Odilon Redon (April 20, 1840 – July 6, 1916) was born in Bordeaux, France, and from a young age, enjoyed drawing and painting. He became a French symbolist painter, printmaker, draftsman and pastelist.  The painting above is my rendition of his famous painting.

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Certain Uncertainties Commission

Twice this year I have been asked to paint my rendition of the painting “Certain Uncertainties” by artist Christian Vincent. This painting can be seen in the love scene from the movie “The Thomas Crown Affair” with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. It is one of my favorite movies and the music is great too throughout. As the two are making love on the marble stairway, the camera pans up the wall and over a painting – Certain Uncertainties – where a woman in a bathing suit is sitting on the bow of a boat, colored in light on rough seas as a man in the darkness guides the boat at sundown. It is an interesting composition for sure, but a very nice painting nonetheless.

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