Recent works from my sketchbook

sketch of my children

I did this sketch of my children a number of months ago. It's in white charcoal on black paper. Unfortunately the piece was damaged with a few drops of water (hazards of working around little children I guess). So the photo of this one is as far as this piece will go.

Mountain - updated

Here's the giant mountain painting that I posted progress pics on earlier. It's nearing completion!

Sea Scape

This is a sea scape commission I did this past month. The painting is very small for my usual work (8"X10"). I definitely didn't let the size inhibit my level of composition though. I used brushes much smaller than usual and spent as much time and emotion on this piece as I would if I had painted it in a much larger dimension. I really enjoyed this piece and hope to get to do more in this vein at some point. I love the ocean and getting to put a bit of it on canvas was very satisfying for me.

I'm still working on the large mountain scene now. I'll post new update pictures soon.

The Mountain

This is a commission I am working on right now. It is a very large mountain scene. The canvas measures 48"X60". You can see the roughing in of the various elements. I do large color blocks over the various spaces and then add detail. Things can look a little scary in the midst of the process, but once the layers are done, it will come together. I've also put a lot of 3D texture in this work. The only items that have been detailed in the last picture are some of the mountain faces and the clouds. I'll post again with more updates on this one. An entire wash of color will be going overtop of the mountain reflection in the water. Once the rock face details are complete, I'll move on to the forest details in the foothills and then the shoreline and finally the reflection.

Fashion pop art

A few more images modified from my sketchbook:

Old Trumpet

I have a small collection of old musical instruments that I've acquired over the years. I sketched my trumpet today and then graphically turned it into a pop-art style piece.

Artemis

This is a sketch I did today of a frieze from the Parthenon (from a different photo reference). I'm continuing my exploration of drawn media, as I have very little experience here outside of doodling on my notebooks back in high school. I tend to find myself doing profiles rather often any time I do people, rather than the more common frontal view. This habit is one I'm working on breaking, but don't have anything completed enough to post here as of yet.

sketch

Today I attempted a sketch of a male head. I didn't have an actual model to look at, but instead used an anatomical image of a musculo-skeletal skull (w/o skin) for my guide. I've been attempting to study anatomy from the perspective of an artist lately and this exercise stretched me a bit.

Image done with white charcoal on paper.

A Few Update Pics

Baby and New Works

I haven't posted here in a while mostly because I'm spending the majority of my time with my daugther and my new lovely baby, Grant, who was born Feb. 13. (Photos by the amazing Pete Bulanow of peterbphoto).

I do have some works in progress to share with you though, as I do eek out bits of time to paint here and there.

A few notes of interest- the painting of the solitary tree is of a 350+ year old oak tree on my parent's farm that I painted in plein aire. The blueberries are a part of a 12 part series on foods (you can see the other 11 prepped canvases in the photo). The set of 3 fields is probably complete but I plan on spending a while longer having it up on my mantle so I can be sure it feels 'done' to me. The piece with 4 fruits is a study using some gels that I've found to be rather tricky to create an effect I'm trying for.

New Piece

This piece is especially large (24"x48" on an extra deep canvas). I am hoping to finish it before I have the baby, but that could really be any day now. I'm posting a progression of the work in progress. It still has a good ways to go, but you can see how it is developing:

Update

Time flies it seems. The shows in November went well. Thanks to all who came!

I’ve been busy with commissions lately. I can’t post any of them until after Christmas because they were purchased as Christmas presents and we can’t have anyone getting a peak early! J I promise after Christmas I’ll post pictures!

I’ve been spending a good bit of time sketching lately. I’m pushing myself more on portraiture and human form. I’m also putting in a good amount of time reading art history and researching the artists in my family tree.

With my pregnancy now in the 3^rd trimester I’m finding myself heavily reflective on the art I’m creating more of. I’m in a bit of a vein lately and looking at the increasing constraints on my time ahead with a newborn, I’m wanting to become more focused in fewer directions. Narrowing myself in some ways and broadening myself within some areas at the same time. It would be very easy to be completely unproductive with a new baby. I’ve done this before so I know how little time I’ll really have. So in light of that I’m gathering my study materials, sketch pads, and canvases, and preparing to spend a lot of time in my apartment. It’s a good thing I know how to paint with a baby in a sling.

Later next summer I have several plein aire painting trips in the works. One is to a place I went to a lot as kid - Hearts Content in the Allegheny National Forest. It’s primitive camping (no showers, but they do have flush toilets - I’m getting one of those freestanding shower tents because I’m not that all natural). It’s a virgin forest which means it’s never been harvested – one of the few groves in the east. The trees are 3-400 years old and the forest floor is dense moss and ferns. Several other spots for plein aire creative time are in the works – I’ll post more as the details for those get more settled.

Until then I may be spending a lot of time indoors so if any of my readership wants to donate their vacation photos or interesting shots you’ve taken for me to work from, you may see your images reinterpreted by my brush this spring. I am always looking for new things to sketch and paint and the hermit life doesn’t expose me to nearly as much as I would like. I’m thankful there are artist’s reference photos out there but it takes 10 photos to find all the elements I’m looking for in a pose or whatever I’m doing. Reconstructing what is in my mind from a bunch of different photos gets a bit complex, but I do enjoy being stretched. I should put together a costume party or something and convince all my friends to do all the poses I’m looking for. That would probably be the best option to get what I’m looking for.

Too many ideas… too little time…

You're Invited Sat. Nov. 4 and 11

The next two Saturdays I am taking part in 2 open houses. Three friends have home based businesses and are hosting a holiday open-house and all of my new pieces (13 new works!) will be on display at both locations. I'll also have my prints and other items there as well.

This Saturday (November 4) from 9-4 you can come to 6815 Malton Court, Centreville, VA 20121 and check out all the items available.

Then the following Saturday (November 11) we will be in Manassas at 9641 Looking Glass Ct., Bristow, VA 20136 at the same times.

Hope to see you there!

Red Alium Blooms

Gerber Daisies on Lavendar

More New Paintings

Here are 3 more paintings/ groupings that I have for the show this Saturday in Reston. Another pair is on my easel right now and just needs finishing touches. If I can get time, I'll post pictures of that set tommorrow. It looks like there are quite a few planning on coming to the show. If you are wanting to come and need directions, please email me @ rebecca@tiffanyarts.com

Upcoming shows

These new pieces show how I'm in the mood for fall to be upon us. Maybe it's just that I'm happy to see change. This pregnancy had me mostly in bed basically for 2 months and I'm glad to be up and about again. I also am posting a picture of my daughter and I painting together in Ohio. I was mostly ill that trip but thanks to my mom for taking care of my daughter, I did end up getting to paint a little there.

I have 3 upcoming shows in the next month. October 14th I'll be in Reston doing a home show. I'm also doing an event with 3 friends the first 2 Saturdays of November. The first week we'll be in Centreville and the second Saturday will be in Manassas. Click here to see the flyer and feel free to stop by anytime the day(s) of the show. I'll list the Manassas information when I have it but it will be the same show, just at a different location.

Back at the Easel

I've been a bit out of things lately. Wrapping up the end of a difficult first trimester to a surprise pregnancy and then a wrist injury, I haven't been painting much lately. But now that I'm getting back into the swing of things, I went out and purchased a bunch of blank canvases to work from. I'm headed to Bethany Beach this weekend  and then heading to Ohio to visit mine. I plan to do some plein aire painting in both locations.

So, hopefully when I'm back in 2 weeks, I'll have a lot of new things to show you. In the mean time, here are a few pictures from my last home show:

Home Show and New Art

The Doan Home Art Show is still on for this Saturday, July 15th, for those who may have been wondering due to some circumstances a few have been aware of. From 2-5 pm come enjoy a glass of wine and browse art in Chantilly, VA. For directions, please email me at rebecca@tiffanyarts.com.

The following 3 paintings are recent completions. All 3 are larger than my usual sizes. The 3rd piece is a commission so it is not available for sale. The others will be shown for the first time at the Doan show so you'll be able to see them in person there along with approximately 18 other paintings and 29 prints.

New York and Finishing Up

I’ve recently returned from my trip to New York, soaking in some of the art scene there. I have to say I was surprised at how friendly the city was in general. I’ve been in plenty of galleries in different cities and I’ve never received the consistently welcoming attitude as I did when browsing in SOHO in particular. I’ve learned that it’s worth it to know what type of art various galleries carry before attempting to submit, so the goal of my trip to Manhattan was to get a feel for different venues there. I’ve got my list of the places I liked and when I complete some of the projects I’m working on, later this year I’ll start submitting them (if I can keep new works from going before I list them as has been the trend lately).

In other news, for all of those who are waiting on your print orders – they are in!! I will be contacting you and setting up a time to deliver them to you this week.

I am also wrapping up the large commission piece I’ve been working on. It is a large abstract that I’ve been putting quite a few layers of texture into. Each layer has to dry before the next can be applied so it’s been tedious but I’m loving the light that comes through from the background to the top translucent layers. I’d post pictures but my digital camera batteries are dead and it appears I left my recharger in NYC.

New works

Last night I stayed up to 2 am working on a new commission I've recieved. It's a large 36 X 48" abstract that I'm really excited to see come together. I got the background colors in place and I'm going to study it's composition for a few days before proceeding. I often take some time in the middle of a painting and work on something else while I brood over the piece and basically wait for it to speak to me about what needs to happen to make it complete. (I'll post pics of it when it's done). I often work late at night and enjoy the quiet hours of uninterrupted peace.

I have quite a few pieces that I haven't posted pictures of yet, but I promise I'll put them up soon, hopefully some before I leave for New York on Thursday. Tonight's piece is what I've been doing intermittently with the commissioned piece. Often when I have my brushes out already and time to paint - when one canvas is wet and a section needs to dry before I can proceed, I'll take it off my easel and put a blank one on so I can stay in my creative flow. So this work in progress is not the commissioned one, and it's not similar to it either, but for me, it's the perfect interlude for the vein I'm in.