Hmmm...

"Summer in the Park"
Oil on Canvas
24x30"
2008

It's funny how the more I blog, the more ideas I have for what to blog about, but when I take a break, I completely lose steam!

The good news is that I finally have internet access at home again, as of today. Sometimes I wonder how I ever functioned before the internet. I mean, I don't even keep a phonebook in the house because I know I can just look up phone numbers online. And I actually scheduled an appointment online today to have my carpets cleaned. And I do all my banking online. And then I have to keep my website updated. And on and on and on

Anyhow, the studio time has been a bit limited this week. Our house went on the market today, so I've been spending the past week getting everything nice and clean (as an aside - I can't believe we're moving AGAIN - wasn't it just yesterday that we moved into this house?). Tomorrow I've got a doctor's appointment, but then I'll be spending the afternoon painting - I'm hoping to finish a couple of smaller pieces and do some finishing work on an 18x24" that I did on Wednesday.

This painting is one I did last week. I think I might modify the water a bit - it's bugging me how the blue splits into two distinct paths near the bottom - looks like a road or something...

Getting Rid of my Frame Collection

Sorry for the interruption to my normal blogging, but I have this enormous pile of frames in my studio and I need to sell them and I need somewhere to post pictures for people so here they are. I promise I'll be back with a real post in the next couple of days!

I'm moving next month and trying to clean out my studio. I need to find homes for these frames, which are all in good condition unless otherwise noted, but just haven't looked right on my paintings. I figure that if I haven't painted anything to go in them in a year, I'm not going to, so it's time to get rid of them. I'd rather not ship these, since shipping would cost more than the asking price in most cases, so I'd prefer local inquiries only (I live in Highlands Ranch, fyi).

Individual prices are listed below along with description and manufacturer - prices are all well below retail price for these frames. All frames are metal leaf with finished corners, and in very good condition unless otherwise noted (there are a few scratch and dents toward the bottom). All of these are around 3.5"-4" wide moulding. I can send details if need be.

If interested, contact me at petersonstacey@yahoo.com.

16x20” Omega Moulding – Gold, scooped w/carved corners – $70:



18x24” Omega - Gold, flat plein air style with carved corners - $75:


Detail of corners:



16x20” Omega – Light gold, scooped with carved corners – $50:



22x28” Manny’s – Gold w/ribbed finish - $80: - SOLD



12x16” Manny’s – Silver with warm patina - $40:



16x20” Manny’s – Warm silver plein air w/carved corners – $60:



18x24” JFM – Gold w/ribbed finish – $50 - SOLD



16x20” JFM – Mahogany finish with gold liner – $30 - SOLD



12x16” JFM Enterprises – Silver with warm patina - $30:



9x12” Manny’s of Denver – Gold plein air w/carved corners - $35: - SOLD



14x18” Manny’s – Gold w/ribbed finish – (2 of these available) - $40:



12x16” Omega – Light gold plein air (metal leaf flaked off spot on side) - $20 - SOLD





12x16” Manny’s – Black over red with gold liner (two scratches on frame face) - $15 OBO



Detail of scratches:





16x20” JFM – Gold w/ribbed finish (blemish in ribbed finish) - $15 OBO:



Detail of blemish in ribbed finish:

Withdrawal

"Study - January Aspen"
Oil on Panel
14 x 11"
2008

Sorry I haven't been around much, but I haven't had internet service all week. I'm currently at the local bookstore catching up on email and updating my website.

It's probably a good thing - I ended up having a busy week trying to get some paintings out the door and didn't need the distraction of checking email/blogs/etc! The good news is that I got a few paintings done this week, so if I ever get my internet working again, I'll have something to post!

A Challenge

"Up the Hill"
Oil on Panel
24 x 18"
2008

Well, today was my first full day back in the studio since being sidelined by the crud last week. I lasted four hours until standing at my easel had totally exhausted me, then I spent the rest of the evening trying to be an interactive mom while lying on the couch. Hopefully things will go better tomorrow, because I don't want to waste the time when Aspen is with a sitter!!

Anyhow, I managed to spend an hour at the easel last week and finished this painting of aspens that I had started the week before. I don't know why, but I have the hardest time painting aspen trees. I swear, I've probably trashed more paintings of aspens than any other subject matter. They totally frustrate me because I would love to be able to paint them well - I love the way their white trunks just glow in the landscape and their knots give them character. (It also doesn't hurt that the galleries are always asking for them and they always sell!)

Anyhow, since I'm not under much pressure to meet deadlines right now, I've been tackling some scenes that are challenging for me, and this was one of them. For starters, it's got the aspen trees which I know are always hit or miss for me. Then there's the fact that there is no strong light and shadow pattern on the grassy hillside, which I have a hard time with because I'm so much more comfortable with strong value contrasts.

At last year's OPA national show, I had my work critiqued by one of the master signature members, and his main suggestion for me was to explore more intimate scenery and concentrate more on the character of the trees and plant life in the foreground of my paintings. So that's sort of what doing a painting like this is all about - it's all very organic, much more so than my usual subject matter of mountains and vistas.

I don't know if I really succeeded here or not. It looks nice in a frame, and I like the luminous color of the aspen bark, but I'm still not sure about the hillside. Oh well - I'm learning!

Make that a Sick WEEK

"Above Aspen"
Oil on Panel
12x16"
2007

Ugh. I'm now on Day 4 of the crud - no fun!

I felt so bad on Tuesday that I convinced Nate to stay home yesterday so I could lay in bed all day and attempt to recover. I finally got some decent rest and two nights of good sleep, and I'm feeling a lot better today. The body aches and fever are gone, and now I just feel like I have a cold. I'm still tired though, so I'm trying not to push it. Aspen's going down for her nap right now (well, actually, she's standing in her crib blowing rasberries) and I'd love to paint but I just don't have the energy so I'm laying in bed again.

The good thing about all of this is that I'm almost done pulling everything together for my 2007 taxes, which was a boring job I had been putting off for the past month. Being stuck in bed with nothing to do was all I needed to get it done. I'm also dying to get back into the studio - I was in the middle of a few new paintings at the end of last week, and I can't wait to get back in the studio and finish them and start some new stuff. I also think I found us a condo to rent while we build our house in Granby, which means we'll be moving to the mountains in just a couple of months!

Anyhow, hopefully I can kick this stupid illness for good. I'm running out of new images to post here, so I need to finish up some paintings and have a photo session!!

Sick Day

"Ten Below"
Oil on Panel
11x14"
2007

One of the joys of having a toddler is that I seem to catch every cold she catches, and since she seems to catch something every time she's around other kids, it seems like we've both been sick all winter. Anyhow, we were both boogery and coughing today, so it turned into a sick day in the Peterson household. When Aspen was awake we snuggled on the couch and watched Sesame Street, and when she was asleep I crawled into bed with my phone and computer and caught up on some business to-do items. I just didn't have the energy to stand at my easel. The day wasn't a total loss though - I ordered some frames, paid the bills, updated my website, and made some phone calls. Now it's 8 pm and I'm going to sleep!