Mountain Brook Art Association

Thanks to everyone that stopped by my booth at the Mountain Brook Art Association spring show to visit and/or buy some paintings. I was so excited to win Best in Show from judge Donny Finley!!

In Between Cows...

I'm one of the featured artists this Friday night at Artists Incorporated in Vestavia Hills. So in between painting cows, I've done some figures that I'll be showing there. Stop by from 5:30-8:30 if you're in the neighborhood! (More cows to follow!)

"Interlude" -  9"x12" oil on linen AVAILABLE

"Lost in Her Thoughts" - 11"x14" oil on board AVAILABLE

Flo

Flo - 5"x7" oil on board AVAILABLE

Another little 5x7 cow. She just looks like a "Flo" to me!

Timothy and Walter

Here are two new 5x7 cows. I really like the "up close and personal" faces. I'm working on lots more cows since I've had such a great response from the Better Homes and Gardens article, so look for many more cow posts!

Timothy - 5"x7" oil on board - SOLD

Walter - 5"x7" oil on board - SOLD

Better Homes and Garden magazine

I have some exciting news to share! The March 2013 issue of Better Homes and Garden magazine published an article about a kitchen re-do in the home of someone who bought one of my cow paintings several years ago. One of the pictures in the article (p. 64) shows the painting hanging over a bench in their kitchen, with a nice credit to me. As a result, I've had many emails from readers inquiring about my cow paintings. Thank you BHG! Here's a shot of the cover and inside article.

Blue Dress

"Blue Dress" oil on linen

I'm working on another figure and thought I'd post the "in-progress" piece. Normally I'll work over the entire canvas a little more, but for some reason, once I got the figure well underway, I started the background and worked my way down the canvas. Once she's finished I'll post the final picture.

James

"James" - 5"x7" acrylic on board

This cow is painted in acrylic. I wanted to get the same painterly effects I get with my oils, which is a little trickier with acrylics. I use the Golden Open acrylics and add extenders to my regular acrylics to slow down the drying time. I learned this from a friend and wonderful painter, Melanie Morris. She paints beautiful landscapes using only a palette knife.

Figures

"Girl with Green Pear" - oil on linen panel 11"x14" AVAILABLE

I wanted to share a few figure studies I've been working on. It's much more difficult for me to be loose when it comes to figures. I haven't had near as much experience painting people as I have cows, so that's probably part of the problem!

"Stylish Hat" - oil on board  9"x12" AVAILABLE

Millie

"Millie" - 5"x7" oil on panel  AVAILABLE

This cow just looks like a "Millie" to me. She's another 5"x7" and I love her inquisitive stare.

Three Persimmons

"Three Persimmons" - 6"x18" oil on panel  AVAILABLE

I paint with a wonderful group of ladies once a week, led by the amazing Barbara Evans. A few weeks before Christmas Sharon Gates, another wonderful painter, brought in some persimmons for us to paint, but I wasn't able to paint them that day. So I bought some later and decided to do a few studies. This one includes a little turquoise pitcher that has been around forever. I think it came from a trip to Williamsburg many years ago. It pays to hold onto things, at least for a painter!

Alvin and Oreo

"Alvin" - 5x7 oil on panel  SOLD

"Oreo" - 5x7 oil on panel  AVAILABLE

I've painted several 5x7 cows lately, and have several more underway. Sorry that these aren't the best  photos. I took them with my phone so I could get a post out more quickly. If anyone is interested I'll send better pictures. The lower cow is a breed called a Belted Galloway, but they're nicknamed Oreo Cows for obvious reasons!

Here We Are!

"Here We Are!" - 18x36 oil on canvas  SOLD

These three cows look like they've been called to a meeting and and are waiting to be told something. I painted this painting at the Mountain Brook art show in December and was a little nervous since it was in front of spectators. But it worked out fine and I got it done in about five hours. It's amazing what you can do when you have a time limit!

Sassy

12"x24" oil on linen - AVAILABLE

Stripes are so much fun to paint. I love how folds can be implied just by varying the width and direction of the stripes. I painted this figure on raw linen because I liked the natural way it looked. It was a little more difficult to paint on, but I was happy with the end result. And I call her "Sassy" because she has attitude! If anyone is interested, this painting is at Artists Incorporated in Birmingham.