After The Beach

After The Beach

8"x 10"

acrylic

SOLD

A recent commission painting I did for a client and quote from her:

           "Julep is my brown-eyed rescue, age 1-ish. Julep's little bestie and partner in naughtiness is Chance Jones, whose guardian is my best friend Suzy Jones. He is 2-ish.

Both dogs are the happiest dogs in the world. They love playing in all the beautiful trails and beaches of the San Francisco and Marin County and their very favorite is wrestling 'til someone yelps. Julep has brought me more joy than I can measure. I'm looking for a new house with a big fat yard so I can go back to SPCA and get her a friend to play with every day!"

Listening to while I paint:

Audio Books: "Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy" , by John Le Carre', narrated by                                  Michael Jayston

Podcasts: The Alton Browncast hosted by Alton Brown 

                 Social Media Marketing hosted by Michael Stelzner

                 Off Camera With Sam Jones , hosted by Sam Jones

Music: my iPod

Miles

Miles

10"x 8"

acrylic on gessoboard

This was a commissioned Christmas present. 

         "When Miles, a majestic dachshund-beagle mix, was first adopted in January of 2006, he had no idea he would grow to love playing ball so much. In fact, he didn’t even know how to play! Thankfully for Miles, that didn’t last long. His human got down on all fours and played with dog toys to show him how it’s done, and in no time playing became Miles’s favorite activity. Miles loves all toys, especially those that squeak, have stuffing to pull out, or resemble small creatures. Out of all of the choices, however, the ball is his favorite and, to this day, Miles and the ball are inseparable. Miles is well-loved and lives comfortably in Portland, Oregon, where his human pays his rent, takes him on long walks, and throws the ball for him tirelessly!"

Listening to while I paint:

Podcast: Oh, So Pinteresting, hosted by Cynthia Sanchez
                   American's Test Kitchen, hosted by Christopher Kimball 

                  Here's The Thing, hosted by Alec Baldwin

Music: my iPod

25 in 30

25 paintings in 30 days

Here is my "collage" of the 25 paintings I did during the month of January. 

About midway through the month, I decided to work in mostly black and white, doing value studies. An art friend told me, it doesn't matter which color you choose, just as long as it is the right value. 

Thank you so much for all the pictures you sent me! 

I am still working on some of them. 

Please continue to send me  pictures. For those I choose to paint, I will be sending my note cards and the first chance to buy the painting.

If you would like to send me a picture, email it to:   annie@anniesalness.com , and please include your address. 

Thank you!!!!

Listening to while I paint:

     Podcast: The Alton Browncast hosted by Alton Brown

                         Medieval Archives

                         The Lede from Copyblogger

                         Sherlock Holmes     Music: Spotify

Fred

"Fred"

8"x 8"

acrylic on gessoboard

SOLD

My friend, Barbara, emailed me this picture to paint:

" My dog, Pebbles, passed away at 15. I was super lonely so I decided to get another dog. I adopted Fred when he was 7 weeks old from the German Shepherd Rescue Foundation. He was the runt of the litter and is now over 60 lbs. You will find him waiting for me when I come home from work. He follows me everywhere and sleeps next to my side of the bed each night. I love my Freddie!" 
Barbara

It's not too late to send in pictures!  The people who pictures I choose to paint will be getting

my note cards and first chance to buy the painting!

If you would like to send me a picture that I can paint email it to:   annie@anniesalness.com . 

And please include you address. 
Thank you!!!!

Listening to while I paint:

Audio book: South of Broad, by Pat Conroy. Narrated by Mark Deakins
     Podcast: The Alton Browncast hosted by Alton Brown
     Music: Spotify

Green Glass, Satsumas, Two Birds

"Green Glass, Satsumas"

5"x 7"

acrylic on gessoboard

Click here to purchase.

Day 2

In January, I am participating in a "30 in 30" day painting challenge. I have asked people to send me pictures of what they would like painted. The people who pictures I choose to paint will be getting: 

                                                     -  my note cards and gift cards

                                                                             and 

                                                   - first chance to buy the painting!

If you would like to send me a picture that I can paint, email it to:                                                                                                              annie@anniesalness.com . 

And please include you address! Thank you!!!!

"Two Birds" 

5"x 7" 

acrylic on gessoboard

SOLD

Day 3

My friend was kind enough to send me the picture that I painted from. As a thank you, I am sending her some of my note cards! 

"That photo was taken from inside a barn on Sauvie Island. The birds were so cute together.  When I saw them I had to capture the moment!"

"Sauvie Island, originally Wapato Island, is approximately 10 miles north of Portland, Oregon. It is the largest island in the Columbia River and one of the largest islands in the U.S. Located at the junction of the Columbia River to the east, Willamette River to the south and Multnomah Channel to the west, the island’s northern half is a wildlife refuge and the southern half is predominantly rural farmland with small residential enclaves."

I used some palette knife on the foreground and the background. That should make Leslie Saeta happy! :)

I NEED HELP with names of paintings. If you have any resources, email me! annie@anniesalness.com

Listening to while I paint:

Audio book: South of Broad, by Pat Conroy. Narrated by Mark Deakins

Music: Spotify

In a Engineers Home....

30"x 30"

acrylic on canvas

Here is the finished commission (custom artwork) I did for the couple that I mentioned here. 

They have a beautiful home, but they wanted more color in their living room. Her favorite flower was the Gerbera (gerber?) daisy and I agreed to do a painting of a floral arrangement.  I said, since I am doing this just for you, do you want to put some meaning into it?  Maybe a letter from a grandmother; photos; a memorable item; a vase? They decided on vases. The tall vase is from his grandmother, (all the way from Ireland) and the lady's head is from her mother. 
They loved it! 

Listening to while I paint:
Podcast:  Alec Baldwin hosts, "Here's The Thing"
                 Peter Sagal hosts,   "Wait, Wait.... Don't Tell Me!"

Audio Books:   Jules Verne author of Around The World In Eighty Days, narrated by the                                        FABULOUS  Jim Dale!

The New President of Corban University

24"x 30"

acrylic on canvas

I finished the painting of Dr. Sheldon Nord. He is the new President at Corban University in Salem, OR. 
I got to meet him before I painted his portrait. As he told us his story and his reason for taking the Presidency at the school,  he got very emotional about Daniel from the Old Testament in the Bible:

 " I get emotional about Daniel in Babylon because we are living in a post-Christian culture, and probably one of the most relativistic societies ever.  We must be about preparing the next generation of Daniels who know, respect and follow God's word.  Our children will face unprecedented challenges in being salt and light.  The issues of our day demand courage, boldness and resolve like never before.

To Christ be all glory!!"

I got very emotional too!

I read through the book of Daniel, looking for a quote, but I decided that what he said summed it up perfectly! So, I asked him to send me his quote in his own writing:

I ended up tracing his writing onto my painting using Derwent Inktense pencils. You can add water to the dry pencil or wet the surface to create a strong, clear color wash.

  " Inktense pencils can be used dry for rich, intense color or washed out with a little water to create a vivid translucent effect. Once dry, the color is permanent and can be worked over with other media." 

I drew it with a dry pencil and then added a clear water wash. 
I wish I had these!

 They are Sakura Koi Water Brushes. "A fine, flexible brush tip and a barrel handle with a plug to carry water." 

If you have any other ideas about how I could have put the writing on, I love to hear them!


Listening to:

Truth For Life- Alistair Begg - Daniel

The Alton Browncast

Splendid Table

"A Friend In Need"

36"x 48"

(my terrible picture!)

Original, "A Friend In Need"

by, C.M. Coolidge

commissioned in 1903

My client said, "Could you paint MY dogs playing poker"? 

"Sure!", I said.

I got a variety of, umm, "good" shots....like this one:

"Pepper" the one in the front left.

Okay.....

I did A LOT of research. I found this site which has dogs driving cars! Really!

I downloaded pictures of poker chips, berets, french cigarette holder, pipes, cigars, dogs, etc ........ whew!

They loved it! :)

10 in 30

I decided to participate in Leslie Saeta's "30 in 30 Challenge" for January, but mine will be "10 in 30". That's still good, right?

Here is #2:

"Something's Missing"

6" x 6"

acrylic on gessoboard

sold

And #3:

"A Vase!"

8" x 8"

acrylic on gessoboard

sold

#1 was "Perseverance"....

Can I Do It ?????

3 - 36"x 48"
stretched canvas

I have been given, by dicarli restaurant, the opportunity to display my artwork.
I said, "Great! I will give you three 36"x 48" cityscapes" (which I just started) "by June!"

Can I do it?

Of course!

Well...........

I will follow up!

:)

My Grass

My Grass
6"x 6"

acrylic on masonite
SOLD

  

Portland Streetcar 2

6"x 6"
"Streetcar"

acrylic on masonite

I do love the Portland Streetcars. Their ray of color always makes the day less dreary.

I took this picture, a year and a half ago, while cruising around Portland, with a friend, looking for things to paint.

This painting is going to be in the Randy Higbee Gallery 6"x 6" show. The opening is December 3, with a Gala Artists' Reception, and it will go until December 23.

Quality Time

Quality Time
8"x 10"
acrylic on masonite
SOLD

Portland Streetcar

7"x 5"
acrylic on masonite
sold

I loved the light filtering in through the trees and the color of the streetcar!

"The Portland Streetcar is a system in Portland, Oregon that opened in 2001 and serves surrounding downtown Portland....It is the first new streetcar system in the United States since World War II to use modern vehicles. " ( from Wikipedia)

Color Sketch For Shea Center Painting

5"x 7"
Acrylic on board

Here is a color sketch for a painting I'm doing for an auction for the Shea Center in San Juan Capistrano, CA.

"The J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center is dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities through therapeutic horse-related programs."

"The Center's staff is highly skilled in developing and delivering therapeutic programs to address physical and cognitive challenges. We have treated more than 70 physical and cognitive challenges including: cerebral palsy, spinal cord and brain injury, muscular dystrophy, mental retardation, Down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and hearing and visual impairment."

I was able to tour the center while visiting Southern California this summer and was very impressed with the facility and the services they offer.

Plus, my sister works there! ;)

The painting is of the open space in San Juan Capistrano and is done from a photo, with permission, from the Friends of Sam Allevato website.

Finding Paintings In Random Photos - Girl In Surf

Girl In Surf
16"x 8"
acrylic on canvas

I painted this little girl to go with the little boy painting I posted on 6/15/2010 . I painted them side by side to make sure that I captured the same color and light. I found both of these children while searching through random photos I took at Newport Beach in southern California.

The little girl is easy to see at the right side of the picture.


The little boy is harder to find, but he is also on the right side of this picture.

By taking random photos, I am able to capture spontaneous and natural postures that may only last a moment.

I am always excited to see what I have captured when I go searching through the photos after I've loaded them on my computer. I often find several moments to paint in each photo or combine elements from several photos.

Really, I'm not a very good photographer so I am THRILLED if I find something to paint! Taking 'random' photos is my cover for not taking 'good' photos! ;)

Early Morning Along The 5

5"x 7"
acrylic on masonite

I like to ride shotgun when I'm in the car so I can take pictures out the window as we drive. It's safer than when I'm driving! ;)
This shot was taken driving north on the 5, just outside of LA at about 8 a.m. The light was beautiful!

Where's The Balance?

16"x 8"
acrylic on canvas

May was a challenging month.

I was fortunate to be in two art shows, but needed to paint at least 10 pieces within a few weeks. I kept thinking, "I hope I can do this." "I hope this works".

That's why Seth Godin's blog post caught my eye:

" 'This better work'

... is probably the opposite of, "this might work."

"This better work," is the thinking of safety, of proven, of beyond blame.

"This might work," on the other hand, is the thinking of art, innovation and insight.

If you spend all day working on stuff that better work, you back yourself into a corner, because you'll never have the space or resources to throw some 'might' stuff into the mix. On the other hand, if you spend all your time on stuff that might work, you'll never need to dream up something that better work, because your art will have paid off long ago."

On the one hand, I was thankful for the shows and the deadline and the challenge to get the work done. I didn't have time to over think. I just painted. I produced more than I thought I could. In fact, I believe that two of my favorite pieces were the result of the time constraint. I was thinking, "this might work" and it did!

On the other hand, I sometimes felt that I was rushing the process and working just to get done and not taking the time needed to paint something great.

Yesterday, without a deadline looming over me, I found myself spending hours sifting through my photos, trying to decide on something to paint. Something that 'better work'. I looked and cropped and thought and doubted. Should I? Shouldn't I? Is it good?

I didn't get any painting done.

For me, there seems to be a fine line between having enough space to create the stuff that 'might' work (within which I find the stuff that 'does' work)

and

having TOO much space and time to, over think, over plan and never do.

Where's the balance?!

I need to use the time to paint and know that it 'might work' and if it doesn't, I still have time.

Afternoon Chat

Afternoon Chat
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas board

In the crazy, busyness of life as a homeschooling mother of 4 active kids, I find myself continually drawn to finding, contemplating and painting simple moments: appreciating and applauding those who find a way to slow down.

A recent painting for the show "NW Art Herstory" on June 4th.

End Of Day

End Of Day
8"x 24"
acrylic on canvas

One of the things I loved about moving from southern California to Portland, Oregon was the ability to drive west for five minutes and see beautiful farmland. This piece will be in the Art and Agriculture show at the Columbia Center for the Arts Gallery in Hood River in May.

Here's a detail of the above painting. I love the span of color I can get when mixing green with ultra marine blue, cobalt blue, raw umber, burnt sienna, nickel azo (one of my faves!), yellow ochre and hansa.