8"x10": oil on copper leaf on board
This is a tree, pond, and reflection more or less made up from my head, and as an old friend used to say, "There was still enough wood left to make a fiddle." I don't have much more to say other than, I'm painting obsessively, I'm painting obsessively, I'm painting obsessive......
I might need a life.
If you'd like to encourage or discourage me in my obsessions, please send feedback to me:
bcolorful@mac.com; likewise, if you'd like to purchase this painting ($600).
July 16, 2008
Reflection (copper painting #3)
July 15, 2008
Applegate Afternoon (Copper Painting #2)
Oil on copper leaf mounted on wood, 8"x10"
Here's another painting on copper foil. I've got a couple of them in the pipeline now. As I mentioned previously, the copper foil adds a real glow and luminosity, as do layers of oil paints (my new favs: Old Holland) glazed over a neutral-tint underpainting. Not to mention the damar varnish which gives it a rich gloss. All this may not be apparent in a low-rez scan. But it's there!
I need to charge what the gallery charges for my 8x10's; otherwise I'm essentially competing with the gallery: not good. Plus the time involved in doing these paintings is — in a word - lots.
If you've got comments on this painting, I'd love to hear them. It's always interesting and helpful to get feedback. And, if you're interested in buying it, it's $600.
July 10, 2008
Copper painting #1
Oil on heavy copperplate, 7" x 9.25"
I'm back from a wonderful week at Fiddle Tunes in Washington, with time-out in the middle for a fantastic workshop with Kent Lovelace of Whidbey Island: www.kentlovelace.com.
Did two paintings there. Here's the first (the second is still drying). Unfortunately, the scan gives only a hint of the luminosity and glow that painting on copper and then glazing with layers of transparent color achieve.
The process of preparing for the painting is no small effort in itself, but the surface is so much fun to paint on (albeit a challenge due to its slickness) and so beautiful that it's well worth it – at least at this point). I'd be interested in your feedback. And if you're interested in buying this painting, please let me know (bcolorful@mac.com).
June 24, 2008
N. Applegate Rd., Late Afternoon
6"x8", oil on canvas mounted on panel.
This style is a bit of a departure for me. Dunno where it came from; it just popped out. I'm not sure how I feel about it.
The scene was just lovely, though. Gold and pink light spilled out on the road, framed by dark trees. And, of course you can't hear it, but the sound of the river was to the left, and there was birdsong all around.
I'm somewhat guiltily aware that I haven't posted for a while. I've been painting away but keep revising my paintings, so they're always wet — too wet to stick on the scanner. There are eight in process right now. I'm going away for a week to music camp*, so they'll be dry upon my return. That'll be novel.
If you're interested in this painting or have comments, please contact me at: bmusical@mac.com.
*And, right smack-dab in the middle of camp, I'm taking a 2-day workshop from terrific artist Kent Lovelace, http://kentlovelace.com/, on Whidbey Island and going to learn how to paint on copper with gold leaf. Exciting!
June 15, 2008
Applegate vineyard, June
Here's a small oil in a heavy wide frame; framed, it's 8" x 8 7/8".
It's interesting to me how much one's immediate environment affects one's painting.
Southern Oregon (especially the Applegate Valley) which we've been visiting for 30 years and living in for seven, has imprinted itself deeply in my heart and visual cortex. These summer days and this landscape of rivers, barns, creeks and rich farmland: glorious. This is where I want to be and what I want to struggle to paint.
Yesterday was my birthday. Again. Darn. But I spent it in the company of family and friends and playing music for the Troon Vineyard Druid Fluid release event. The wind was softly blowing, the bagpipes were loudly being blown — and the view was quite mind-blowing. Definitely took the edge off of what is becoming a depressingly familiar event :-)
June 12, 2008
OUT FRONT 3 / Sold
Here's a 6"x8" oil in a 1" deep silver-gold floater frame. If you're interested in it, please contact me at bcolorful@mac.com.
It's been a while since I've posted, a time full of items of import, such as having taken a fantastic three-day plein air* workshop from gifted and knowledgeable artist Terry Miura (http://www.terrymiura.com/Terry_Miura_Studio/Home.html) of Sacramento, hosted at Leslie Lee and Dennis Meiners' wonderful studio/gallery/b&b, Hummingbird (http://dennismeiners.com), in the beautiful Upper Applegate.
And, more prosaically, having to get a new scanner.
*My husband Kevin wants to know if they call plein air "ze painting outside" in France. He is an amusing fellow (or, as we say out here in Southern Oregon, un homme amusant).
June 05, 2008
OUT FRONT #2/ Sold
Here's a 5"x10" painting of our front view. If you're interested in it, please contact me at: bcolorful@mac.com. Thanks.
May 30, 2008
Valley View
A revision of an earlier painting. Please call contact the Living Gallery in Ashland if you're interested in it: 541.482.9795, 20 S. First St.
Zen and the Art of Daubing
A painting (approx. 7.5 x 9.5)I did yesterday of the fabulous model Dotty Damsel. What a face! What a nom-de-model! And she doesn't move when posing, even the smallest bit (except upon request). She is Mexican/Japanese/Irish.
There are so many decisions and thoughts in my head when painting, that I find it daunting to write about them. And all these decisions and thoughts are going on more or less simultaneously with being in a peaceful, relatively thought-less zone. Of course, that's when I'm not suffering angst and despair over a failed attempt!
Please contact me if you're interested in this painting. Thanks.
May 28, 2008
Bird
I'm waiting for another painting to dry for posting and am feeling strangely reluctant to start a new one today. So here's a fellow I did a few years ago. The gold-leafed frame is handsome, heavy, and 3" deep; it's also wider than what you see here but wouldn't fit in the scanner. If you're interested in this painting, please let me know (bcolorful@mac.com).
May 23, 2008
Bo (detail)
And a happy Memorial Day weekend to you all.
Have I mentioned yet that you can click on any image to enlarge it? (I know I've mentioned that you too can have your very own portrait from your favorite photo.)
FYI, because some of you who asked, here are the portrait bios, from top to bottom:
Nancy, I can say with absolute confidence, is the world's best combination flutist/musical saw player. As if that weren't enough, she plays a mean game of "Upwards"(three-dimensional Scrabble), is a peace activist, music teacher, nature-preserve worker, grammatical whiz, and is insanely sharp, witty, and droll.
Bo is a true artist/woodworker, a terrific composer, singer, banjo-mandolin-guitar-hammered dulcimer player, and I'm sure, player and doer of many other things I'm forgetting or don't even know about, because he's so charming and modest. Not to mention that he's got one of the great faces to try and paint, I think, of all time. And he makes terrific/awful (what other kind are there?) puns and wordplays which, of course, I find completely endearing.
And what of Kevin, my husband? Well, he's a wonderful marriage/family/child therapist and a genius musician who plays every kind of bagpipe (there are lots; I think he has about fifteen of them), most every style of fiddle music and fiddle, is amazing on the banjo and guitar, can pick up any instrument, wind or string, or percussion, and immediately excel at it, and on top of that is a fantastic storyteller. That was kind of a run-on sentence, wasn't it? But there's a lot to run-on about. He plays with two great bands, which you can google and listen to: the mighty celtic/rock fusion band, Wake the Dead (with an album out on the Grateful Dead label) and the great contradance band, The Hillbillies from Mars, of national (and beyond) repute.
Way at the bottom of this blog is my first entry, a portrait of our son Daniel playing the accordion. And, you think I've been wordy up to this point?!! But I'll save my thoughts about him until I can do a portrait and description of his lovely sister Molly as well...and embarass both of them at the same time. (What's a mother for, anyway?)
May 22, 2008
Nancy
Thanks very much to you who've kindly taken the time to write me about these portraits. I really appreciate it! Things have been busy around here, and the ol' emails are piling up. (I dreamt about them this a.m. Obviously, the guilt is piling up also.) I'll be answering you shortly. Meanwhile, please know that I am so grateful for your feedback and happy to hear from you.
May 19, 2008
Kevin
Another older piece, until I have time to get back to daily painting: A portrait that I did a few years back of my husband in a pensive mood.
Thoughts about expressions in portraits:
My self-portrait from yesterday (and many self-portraits in general) are rather grim. When you're so focused on getting getting proportions and values just right, and you're peering into a mirror, and then at a canvas, and then at your paints, trying to mix the right color....well, it's hard to say cheese. I even went back to my mouth on the self-portrait and tried to make put at least a bemused twitch of a smile in (on?) it. (Looking at it today, I see I was less than successful :-) And when people sit for paintings, they usually relax after a while, and their expressions become neutral.
May 16, 2008
Self-portrait
The thing about self-portraits is that you always have a willing and inexpensive model.
I started working on this large painting several years ago (when I was somewhat younger and skinnier.) I've gradually been revamping it, adding the occasional wrinkle and under-eyebag when I need a break from other work. I'll never run out of new wrinkles, chins, etc., to add; this woman's work is never done. (Dorian Gray in reverse.)
Anyway, if you're interested in it or a portrait of you or a loved one, do let me know.
May 13, 2008
Applegate Pond / SOLD
Hello, dear viewers. This little landscape (3"x3") is blurry because I stupidly glued the painting into the frame before I thought to scan it. There's a saying about oldtime music: "Better than it sounds." Well, here's a painting that is, I hope, better than it looks!
It sold, anyway, right before I had a chance to list it, but I'm posting it here in the hopes that, if you'd like a similar one, you'll let me know. (bcolorful@mac.com)
I'm working away — putting a bunch of work very soon in the wonderful Living Gallery in Ashland. Yay! I'm very happy about this. (I just typed "Ahsland", which given how terrific Ashland is, is appropriate, I think.) And, I'm showing pieces at several local vineyards during a couple of upcoming wine events. So my posts haven't been, and may not be, as frequent as usual for a while.
Spring. Wasn't it a wonderful day?! So long awaited, so lovely, so...short. Ahhhhhhhh. It's 103 right now. But, hey, the roses have started blooming. What more could this country gal want :-)?
May 06, 2008
Grape Portrait #4
You may also visit my eBay store at: http://stores.ebay.com/B-Mendelsohns-Painting-A-Day.
With frame: 3"x3.75", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
The last grape of the series. Hope it hasn't been the pits.
May 05, 2008
Grape Portrait #3
You may also visit my eBay store at: http://stores.ebay.com/B-Mendelsohns-Painting-A-Day.
With frame: 4"x4.25", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
And yet another.
May 04, 2008
Grape Portrait #2
With frame: 3.5"x4", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
I should have called yesterday's post "Sour Grapes".
I'm better now.
And in other news: The various members of my family (excluding me) are keeping their names after all. (However, my friend Sue is now considering changing hers :-) (And then there's another friend, William, who has about ten nicknames, each lovingly bestowed upon him at various points in his life.)
May 01, 2008
Little Landscape #1, custom-framed / SOLD
6"x6", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
I must say I'm very happy with this painting and love the wide silvery-gold frame. I redid a bunch of the grapes I wrote about (wasn't so happy with those, but they're better now :-) They'll be posted soon, as promised. Meanwhile I have no idea wha' happened yesterday with the old posts showing up, but I do apologize profusely for cluttering up your mail boxes!
April 20, 2008
Lime, Grapes, Gripes and Names / SOLD
You may also visit my eBay store at: http://stores.ebay.com/B-Mendelsohns-Painting-A-Day.
6"x8", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
Yesterday, as I was photographing an earlier incarnation of this piece outside, large icy globs of snow started falling on it, and within minutes there was a blizzard. Spring: I know it was here. I saw it for whole minutes at a time. The forsythia are blooming! Where did it go??? (Great gnashing of teeth and pulling of hair.)
Anyway, here's a colorful post in its dear departed honor. I'm torn on virtually any given day between using a subdued palette of tones or wild complementaries. But today, looking out at another dreary landscape, it was pretty clear what direction to go in.
Names. This has been fun and interesting! I've been getting a variety of emails. Who knew that some of you were named Debbie Sue or Bernard before I knew ye?! My friend Anna wrote, "When you think about it, the 'middle' name is more central, so perhaps closer to who we truly are?" And my best friend from high school Diana reminds me that, "I know you've always loathed your first name."
Anyway, as I wrote yesterday, you can call me WHATEVER you feel comfortable with (Lord knows I'm not comfortable with any of the alternatives at this point), but if you really wanted to call me Josie, you could!
April 18, 2008
New Nom De Paintbrush
You may have noticed that the name of my blog has changed. I've decided to go by my middle name, Jo, after a lifetime or so of being uncomfortable with my first name, Barbara, and feeling that it really doesn't fit me (name dysmorphia??). You may call me anything you want of course—within reason!—including, as my friend Kathy Kallick might say, a taxi. Phew, I feel better already. Okay, well, maybe I feel a little weird, but not too bad.
Jo (aka B, Barbie, Babs, Babette, Barb, Barbs, and of course, the dreaded....Barbara)
April 16, 2008
Pheasant Egg with Sugar Bowl
6"x6", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
I found this vintage sugar bowl and delicate egg at a wonderful store in Grants Pass, Home Economics. This painting was a departure, because I painted an larger version of it and then painted this; it's usually the reverse (small study/larger finished piece). I'm trying to codify how I get from here-to-there. Right now it's still pretty variable and intuitive (not to mention slap-dash and fraught with surprises, both welcome and not-so). I'd like to really know what I'm doing and then mess around! But that's why I'm doing this almost-a-painting-a-day project....or so I hope.
April 03, 2008
Green apple, Blue Bowl / SOLD
6"x8", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
It's been busy here (partially because I've been catching up after a month of the flu/a cold) and shows no sign of slowing down for a week or so. I'll paint and post as I can. Meanwhile, I'm posting this piece again, because the person who bought it sent it back, having commissioned another painting that's larger.
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
March 29, 2008
Bananarama: SOLD
6"x8", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
I don't know whether to call this a stillscape or a land life, but whatever the genre, it was really fun to paint!
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
I don't know whether to call this a stillscape or a land life, but whatever the genre, it was really fun to paint!
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
March 24, 2008
March 16, 2008
Tulips in a Brass Container / SOLD
8"x8", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
More tulips, this time done in a thick impasto with paint daubed on with a palette knife.
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it, by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
March 14, 2008
Noble Cow
8"x10", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
Here's a painting of a curious calf, certainly uncowed by my interest in her, who lives at the Noble Dairy down the road. I used an grey underpainting, glazed it with transparent tints, and then built up the image with opaque color.
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
March 11, 2008
One Red Tulip
8"x10", oil on archival, linen-mounted board.
Spring (at least for a day) briefly visited S. Oregon, and this girl's art turned to...tulips. (Plus much more. I've been waiting for several new paintings to dry so that I can scan and post them.)
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
March 06, 2008
Re today's post:
Addendum: I just reread today's onion post, which I've already put out into the ether. What I meant to say is that I love how the light bounces off of the ACTUAL onions, love their color, texture, etc. etc. I inadvertently ended up sounding just a wee bit self-congratulatory, eh? Oops...
Also: If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
Onions, #2 / SOLD
Here's another from what I hope will be my Onion Period series! (I hope you find it a-pealing and that my bad pun doesn't make you cry. Plunging me briefly in cold water has a remarkably subduing effect on my irritating sense of humor.)
I'm loving how light bounces off the onions. And how the color of the pearly yellow one is so complementary to the purply one. And how the texture of their rough tops contrasts so beautifully with their sleek skins.
March 05, 2008
Cold, frosty morning redux
I've reworked this painting some (with my luscious new paints), scanned (rather than photographed) it to better show the details, and reduced the price.
You may click on any painting to see an enlarged version. If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe directly to continue receiving the blog.
If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you. I'm at bcolorful@mac.com. Thanks for looking!
Onions, #1 / SOLD
This was fun to do. It's painted on gold foil, which I think adds a bit of a glow. I also really got into the texture; the paint is glopped on in some parts and scratched away in others. Just staring at the onions was a treat. I never realized how beautiful they are.
You may click on any painting to see an enlarged version. If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe directly to continue receiving the blog.
If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you. I'm at bcolorful@mac.com. Thanks for looking!
March 01, 2008
Tangelo Reflection #2
5"x7", oil on archival linen mounted on panel.Sorry, the link for this (yesterday's) post to EBay doesn't seem to be working for some folks, and my efforts to restore it haven't worked, so I'm re-posting. This should work. (
You may click on any painting to see an enlarged version. If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe directly to continue receiving the blog.
If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you. I'm at bcolorful@mac.com. Thanks for looking!
February 28, 2008
Portraits of Cody and Buster / SOLD
I thought I'd post a few pet portraits while I'm waiting for a small painting to dry. Buster is the cat (and the painting has been sold); the painting of Cody, one of our dear old dogs, is not for sale. Both paintings are quite large. I love animals and painting portraits of animals and gladly accept commissions (which I do from photos). Please contact me at: bcolorful@mac.com, if you'd be interested in discussing a painting of your pet.
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe directly to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
February 15, 2008
Tangelo Reflection / Reflections on a Tangelo / SOLD
5"x7", oil on archival linen mounted on panel.And here's what I was reflecting upon: Lots!
a) Painting—technical and aesthetic decisions.
b) Questions about subject matter: for example, still lifes vs.(?) landscapes or portraits/figures,
c) Musings about whether to pursue this almost-daily-painting adventure.
Answers in brief:
a) In this painting, I tried to capture form and texture, struggled with the background color, and played with a combination of techniques: i.e., glazing and direct application.
b) A respected teacher, Richard McKinley, said the other day that still life was the best thing to practice, because you've got an unchanging subject (as opposed to the constant effect of the movement of light/color for example, on a landscape), and you can paint simpler subjects and isolate the various challenges of painting. Hope I'm quoting him relatively correctly.
c) Yes.
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving a post of this painting/my blog, please feel free to forward it by clicking on the little envelope icon below. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself to continue receiving the blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
February 13, 2008
Odalisque / SOLD
SOLD
8"x6", oil on archival linen mounted on panel. I began this painting by glazing thin transparent color over a grisaille (greyish tonal underpainting) and ended up by slavishly slathering saturated shades and tints on top. (My husband just read this over my shoulder and said, "You've been hitting those art magazines again, huh?" Well—yes—and I do always adore any alliteration....)
If you think a friend might enjoy receiving these posts, please feel free to forward them. Your friend will need to subscribe him or herself and can do so by going to www.bmendelsohn.com. If you have any suggestions or feedback for me, I would enjoy hearing from you at bcolorful@mac.com. And thanks for looking!
February 05, 2008
Moody Mountain
16"x16", oil on canvas.I'm having a fire sale (or, more accurately today, rain sale). I've been painting a portrait of the neighbors for several days now, so I'm a bit behind on my nearly-daily-small-painting resolution. In lieu of a little piece, I'm posting this. (It's done from a photo in an old book I found in a second-hand store; if you're the photographer, please let me know so I can properly credit you). Since it doesn't fit in (see my last entry) with my new Applegate Oeuvre :^), I'm letting it go starting at the low, low price of $275. (No ginsu (palette or other) knives included.Here, I was trying for two different lights to contrast with the dark shadows and sky: the cold white of the icy river stream and the warm sun across the tops of the mountains.
January 21, 2008
Time Out...
Just a brief note to let you know that I'm leaving Thursday for Seattle, and I probably won't be able to resume painting/this blog until next Monday or Tuesday. It's been about two weeks since I started doing this, and I feel as if I've already learned a lot. Thanks very much for visiting this site—and thanks so much to all of you who've written me with encouraging and supportive comments.
January 17, 2008
Core Values / SOLD
I realized last night that this blog could be an outlet not only for my paintings but for my apparent need to make frequent bad puns.
In this painting of an apple, I spent quite a bit of time trying to distinguish among the subtle differences in temperature (warm/cool) and value (dark/light) of the three planes of the apple.
January 14, 2008
"Shaker Style" / SOLD
Here you see a salt-and-pepper set from Target (no product placement here, really!) that I saw the other day and thought was pretty charming. I had to paint it! I tried to contrast the shiny, steely coolness of the caps and bases with the warmth of the background—while trying in addition to keep it unified by using a limited color pallette.
.January 13, 2008
The Long and Winding Road / SOLD
8"x8", oil on archival, cotton-mounted panel.I painted this on top of a gold-leafed background, and I think that the gold-leaf gives the painting a bit of a glow. It's interesting to see how various initial tones on a canvas can greatly affect the overall feel of the painting, even if the tone is essentially covered up with subsequent layers of paint. Today, after a hiatus of a few days, I'm back to painting again. It feels good! Hope you're doing well, too.
January 08, 2008
"Dreamboat"
8"x8", oil. Linen mounted on panel.
This was painted from a photograph. It's hard to imagine being outside at this moment—it is, indeed, a dark, stormy (and very cold) night. I hope you are all warm, cozy, and dry. And now, onto further blog-posting adventures and misadventures....
This was painted from a photograph. It's hard to imagine being outside at this moment—it is, indeed, a dark, stormy (and very cold) night. I hope you are all warm, cozy, and dry. And now, onto further blog-posting adventures and misadventures....
January 07, 2008
Shot glasses / SOLD
I saw a shelf full of beautiful, variously-colored, inexpensive, little glasses in our local hippie emporium and couldn't resist bringing a bunch of them home. Here is a painting of two of them.
It's only taken me about an hour to post this day's blog versus it being a fulltime job to do in the past few days. I'm still making mistakes—I have a feeling you've been getting multiple, incorrect posts this past hour—but fewer, I hope! Still, I'll be happy when I can stop thinking so much about computers and start thinking more about painting!
