Barbara Peterson - Art

New Blog - Art & Inspiration

2009-12-04T09:36:00.006-05:00

I'm beginning a new blog. My approach to small paintings has thus far been separate from my jewelry work, but I see a common thread in both that I want to journal about. The subject of what and why we paint has been on my mind for some time now. The new "Art & Inspiration" blog site is http://bpetersonart.blogspot.com

John's T-Shirt

2009-11-19T19:37:00.002-05:00

Oil on canvas board, 8" x 6".

I finished a couple of larger paintings for a show which opened this past Sunday! Yayyyyyy! The exhibit looks really cool! I had a great time meeting with some of the other artists and hanging the show. I'm looking forward to seeing the photos.

I casually threw my husband's tee shirt on a board and I liked the way the fabric draped -- so I painted it. It's funny how sometimes you find a composition that resonates with you right away and at other times you labor to compose something that inpires you.

"Upwards"

2009-10-28T15:50:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas board. 6"x8".

Another in the cloud series. Naming them is half the fun.

"Ethereal"

2009-10-21T17:54:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas board. 8"x6".

I've been working on a couple of larger paintings so I'm behind in my posting. It's good to do smaller paintings every once in a while for a change of pace. I'm missing the longer daylight hours already.

"Just Passing By"

2009-10-07T14:37:00.001-04:00

Oil on canvas. 6"X6"

Just watching the clouds passing by...

See Suzanne Berry's Work

2009-10-05T10:56:00.000-04:00

I don't know WHAT happened! I placed a link to Suzanne Berry's blog in the right sidebar and the whole link section somehow appeared on the bottom of the page. So, I think I've got it right this time. You definitely need to check out her blog at http://www.suzanneberry.blogspot.com. I particularly like her portrait series where just the facial features are painted in detail. Outstanding!

"Do They See The Clouds?"

2009-09-29T17:10:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas, 11" x 14".

Okay, so I like grass and trees and skies! I was out observing the clouds and watching as two people were walking towards me and were just about to step out of the shadows. I wondered if they had noticed the clouds, too. I decided to paint this one larger for an upcoming show. My mistake was to use an older canvas that I had painted with this weird ochre color. I didn't remember what I'd used to cover the canvas -- or why I'd used it. I began laying in this new painting with cool, dark colors. I spent a couple of days working on it and got it to this point (2nd photo).

Then, the horror! (Anyone remember that sock puppet?!) While moving the painting around, I accidently scratched the surface and the new paint peeled off! The oil stuck to itself, but peeled off the surface! Can you imagine? Actually, I'm glad it happened at this point. I would hate to think that the paint would peel after it left my hands. So, I'm only using new canvases where I'm sure of the ground from this point on!

I started over, albeit on a smaller canvas this time, and the 1st photo is the finished painting. Sorry, there's a bit of glare on the left.

"Above It All"

2009-09-22T17:15:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 8".

This view from a tiny bridge caught my eye. I think the building is part of a public utility company. Above it all, the sky is beautiful...

"The Watchman"

2009-09-11T14:49:00.001-04:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 6".
I was eating lunch in the park and geese came strolling by looking for food. This one in particular was keeping his eye on me...

"In The Spotlight"

2009-08-31T17:04:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 8".

I think I've been drawn to landscapes lately because I get to use two favorite colors together -- blues and greens. I get to use them in this painting too. I used a really dark background to heighten the drama.

"Cloud Cover"

2009-08-27T09:39:00.001-04:00

Oil on canvas board, 6" x 8".

I like how the cloud on the right is backlit by the sun. It was a glorious day for painting...

"Drifters"

2009-08-21T18:38:00.012-04:00

Oil on canvas board. 8"x6".
This is another parking lot painting. : ) Well, the cars driving in stirred up a cloud of dust around me so I did a sketch in pastel and took photos to finish up at home.

It was pretty cool the way the clouds in the sky were being blown by the wind. Reflecting at this point, I can see how this series of small format paintings has helped me in my approach to landscapes. Even though I did some landscapes for class assignments while in school and some on my own later, they always seemed so daunting. Whenever I went out to sketch or paint, my senses seemed to be overloaded -- and I always had so many questions: how do you pick one area to paint? what should you focus on? what should you leave out? etc. The smaller painting format helps me to focus on foundational issues of contrasts of values, shapes, etc. to make the painting work within the four edges of the canvas -- no matter what size. This is a great learning experience for me.

"Sky View"

2009-08-21T18:25:00.015-04:00

Oil on canvas board. 8"x6".
As I watched the July 4th fireworks in our town at a park down by the river, I made a mental note that I wanted to visit this area during the day for a possible painting. So I came back another time, brought a folding chair with me, and set up in a dirt field. The sky and clouds were glorious and I liked the view of the trees lining the river (the water is obscured by the trees). Behind me were the athletic field house and baseball diamonds full of kids at little league and baseball camp. It wasn't until their parents drove in to pick their kids up that I realized that I had set up right in the middle of the parking lot! I certainly got a lot of strange looks from parents that day!

"Aerial"

2009-08-18T19:24:00.006-04:00

Oil on canvas boards. Each 7"x5".

I walked about 3 miles through a nearby park in search of a spot that I might like to paint. I found some fields which were beautiful when the sun peeked through the clouds. When it started to rain, I took shelter under a tree and did some quick thumbnail sketches. I painted these value studies back in the studio.

"Out of the Gray"

2009-06-09T17:16:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas, 8"w x 6"h.
Still making art! I painted this vase a few months ago. Though the colors in the objects were all black, off-white or gray, I liked how the defined pattern in the vase contrasted with the looser pattern of the fabric.

Oh, I definitely have to work on my blogging...

Love that green

2008-10-25T18:37:00.000-04:00

"An Apple A Day", pastel on paper (6"x8")
I wanted to use this green apple again because I loved its color. I started arranging a blue vase and this purple background with the apple so that the color throughout the painting would be intense. I didn't like the scale of the vase -- it was much too large -- so I added the plate instead for its size and lateral plane. The plate looked best centered so I thrust the apple off center to add visual interest. I think the purple was a good choice to contrast with the green and yellow-orange colors in the composition. What FUN it was to paint this!

What captures our attention

2008-10-25T18:09:00.000-04:00

"Three Of A Kind", pastel on paper 6" x 8".
I'd purchased some red apples but I wasn't particularly interested in them as a subject for painting. I wanted to paint these green apples because I liked their intense color. The green color begged for an equally intense background as far as I was concerned so I tried a variety of colored backgrounds and liked the turquoise color best.

I used a small viewfinder to frame and crop this composition. I was careful to make one shape of the apples and shadows. I enjoyed painting this. (The dark area at the top is the shadow from the easel and not part of the painting.)

Here's a closeup of one of the apples.

Contemplation

2008-03-28T10:49:00.000-04:00

I enjoy the contemplative process of painting (well, sometimes!). Sometimes I get into my "zone" and my thinking and movements just flow together -- and time doesn't seem to exist.

Reflections On A Gray Day

2008-03-16T19:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning as my husband and I headed south on the highway, John was driving and I was just watching the road. It was early and cars were spaced far apart. I could see a lot of the asphalt ahead of us.

The artist part of my brain arranged the scenery as if we were driving through a painting. I started squinting to isolate large shapes of dark, medium, and light tones. The highway was a mix of warm and cool medium-toned grays. There were beautiful green and straw colors in the grass on the side of the road as we passed.

The sky was an overcast mix of light gray, pale violet blue, and warm yellowish highlights in the clouds. Way in the distance, pale purple and pink met the bluish-gray haze of the landscape.

The tree line held the darkest shapes and the nicest surprises for me that day. Each time I opened my eyes wide, I was treated to a rich variety of dark grays, reds, browns, ochres, rusts, and mossy green colors hidden within that darkness. And at every turn of the road, the light, medium and dark shapes changed dramatically. I drew a couple of quick thumbnail sketches in a pocket journal.

Shortly thereafter, the sunshine broke through a bit. The sky intensified into a beautiful, soft blue. The silhouette of a hawk appeared above the trees and a flock of birds scattered like dark dots punctuating the expanse of sky. I remember thinking that it was a nice, gray day. And I thank God for bare trees and winter skies and clouds ... and sight to see them ... and life to enjoy them!

Taking Time To See

2008-03-13T17:55:00.000-04:00

The only place I like "drama" is in my art and jewelry. Beauty, inspiration, and yes, visual drama are all around us. We'd be surprised if we'd only take the time to observe...

Making Art

2008-03-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

Gosh. I know I haven’t posted in a l-o-n-g time. I take my hat off to those daily painters who consistently paint, photograph and post their work every day.

I went from painting and posting to just painting, to then doing a series of small pastel drawings and I was dissatisfied with the direction in which I was going. At the beginning of this endeavor, I was excited about what caught my eye each day – about what I would paint. Then I realized I was looking for “things” to paint each day. I could see some growth as I started focusing on getting better contrasts in values and developing the forms of the objects better, but I was struggling with improving the quality of the paintings themselves.

So, I’ve taking a step back and I’m concentrating on the basics of composition and values again. Without the pressure of posting, I’m doing a series of pencil drawings and pastel paintings and I’ve found a renewed energy in just spending time to “look” and see patterns of light and shadow and color that excite me.

I’ll draw every day, but I’ll only post from time to time ... and I’m not on a schedule. It feels good ...

Onions and Yellow Grape Tomatoes

2007-10-09T10:28:00.000-04:00

Pastel on paper, 5" x 6".
A study in yellow and round shapes. I initially thought the light was not bright enough to paint in, but I like the moody quality of the colors here.

Fork and Spoon

2007-09-24T21:04:00.000-04:00

Pastel on paper, 5" x 6".

The shadows and reflective surfaces caught my attention.

Mini Ginger Jar and Pear

2007-09-21T09:04:00.000-04:00

Pastel on paper, 5" x 6".

I liked placing the pear in the shadow of the jar, with the light illuminating only the back end.

Pear

2007-09-17T17:37:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 6".
The light is better today -- much sunnier. I enjoyed the looser brushwork while painting this pear.

Pear Still Life

2007-09-14T14:17:00.000-04:00

Pastel on paper, 5" x 6".

The value of the background was an important one in getting the contrasts correct. The pastel was good for making mental notes of colors and values to define the shape and weight of the pear.

Miniature Teapot

2007-09-12T10:03:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8".

I discovered this small teapot at a local thrift store. As I set up to paint it, I liked how the shadow areas shifted as I turned it in the light. It's funny how I didn't want to paint it turned another way, but at this angle it was just right.

Apple and Yellow Sphere 2

2007-09-06T13:30:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8".
I've painted the same forms -- this time in oil paints. I enjoyed the contrast of the two mediums and the subtleties of stronger lighting in the second picture. They were both painted in the same location near a window with sheer curtains, so the light was diffused. It was more overcast while I was using the pastels.
I'm reminded of what I enjoy most about painting in the smaller format -- learning something about the painting process and then carrying that knowledge on the the next painting. I liked blending in the values and applying lighter layers to simulate the effects of the light.

Apple and Yellow Sphere

2007-09-05T18:00:00.000-04:00

Pastel on paper, 5" x 6".

I knew I just wanted to paint the solid, thick form of the apple but not necessarily the outer skin. So I painted the apple white. When it was dry, I added the yellow sphere for color contrast. I quickly sketched in pastel, adding in extra colors and noting value areas.

3 Colored Spheres

2007-09-04T11:54:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8".
Although I haven't posted for a while, I've been doing some painting. Taking a break and stepping back, I saw that I needed to concentrate on strengthening the relationships of values in my paintings. In this painting, I've achieved a good sense of dimension as well as color within the forms.

Flower Pot

2007-03-20T17:40:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas 8" x 10"
It's a good thing these are fake flowers (polyester, I think). I've gone back to this painting on 4 days since I last posted. I've painted, scraped paint off, reapplied paint and repainted the entire surface again. I'm so done with this one. I'm moving on...

Flower Pot

2007-03-15T13:12:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas. 8"x10".
It's still too wet but I've made the paint more opaque, pushed back the background and deepened the shadows. I'll let it dry a couple more days and then work on it again.

Flower pot

2007-03-13T14:26:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas. 8" x10".

I started making mud with the wet paint, so I scraped some of the paint off and I'll let this dry.

Little Teapots

2007-03-06T17:21:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x8".

It's been a while since I've painted and posted. Today I painted these two small teapots which I purchased at a local thrift store.

Valentine Candy Message 2

2007-02-06T17:40:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7".

"Real Love. :) Love Bird."

Okay, I wanted to use the new brushes again.

Valentine Candy Message (still life)

2007-02-05T09:11:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas board. 5" x 7".

" True love and bear hug. How nice. :) "

This is another candy painting that took more time than I imagined it would. I used my brand new tiny sable paintbrushes -- I couldn’t have painted it without them.

Valentine Chocolate Cherry Candy (still life)

2007-02-04T08:20:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7".

Although the painting is small, I had to paint this in three sessions (three days) . When I painted "wet into wet", I wasn't getting the effect that I wanted so I let the paint dry a day or two and adjusted areas with exact strokes of color.

Apple & Ceramic Pot (still life)

2007-01-06T14:54:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8".
I spent more time working on this one, about three hours. There are areas I could continue to work on, but I think one of the benefits of the small format paintings is that I don't have to spend a lot of time reworking the same painting. I can apply what I'm learning to the next one.

Cut lemon & Bowl (still life)

2007-01-02T16:28:00.000-05:00

Well, it's quiet after the holidays... time to paint again.

Navel Oranges (still life)

2006-12-21T16:19:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8". (Sold.)
I was carrying this box of navel oranges in my kitchen when it struck me that it might make a nice painting. (The oranges are delicious, by the way.)

Lemon Peels (still life)

2006-12-16T13:42:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8". Sold.

Vase & Lemon Peel (still life)

2006-12-14T17:04:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8". (Sold.)

Lemon & Grapes (fruit still life)

2006-12-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas, 6" x 8".
I'm finding that I like painting on canvases with more undercoatings of paint. I also like the paint a bit dryer -- the second day it's laid out on my palette is the best. It seems like I'm sculpting the subjects as I manipulate the paint with my brush.

Still Life with Lemons no. 2

2006-12-07T16:26:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas. 6" x 8".

I painted the three lemons again. I used the paint from yesterday, so it was a bit dryer. I like the paint at the thicker consistency.
I changed the background colors and I was able to begin the painting earlier in the day, so I had natural light to paint by and to take the photo.

Cracked Egg

2006-12-03T17:32:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7".

This painting is part of a community project for daily painters. Each artist at the Daily Painters Gallery is painting the same subject, an open egg, for online publication at the gallery on the same day, Monday, December 4th.

It was fun to do this -- thank you Micah, for the "heads up".

I didn't post the first egg painting I did today for the gallery. My first painting of "deviled eggs" took 2-1/2 hours and looked like a goofy pair of comic book eyes when it was done. As the natural light was fading fast, I started with a fresh raw egg, and painted this study in about 40 minutes. I like it much better.

Wedding Favor

2006-11-25T18:41:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas board, 5" x 7".
This bottle of wine, complete with its jordan almonds and organza, is a favor from a not-too-recent wedding. It was satisfying to paint this one. My last painting, on which I spent two days working, will be painted over. At least it will make a nice surface for another painting.

Hmmm, maybe there's a site where daily painters can post the paintings that don't make it to their blogs.

Cranberries: Before & After

2006-11-21T15:28:00.000-05:00

Oil painting on canvas board, 5" x 7".
Cranberries or cranberry sauce always remind me of Thanksgiving. I guess they're okay with turkey, but they're not my favorite dish.

I painted this study in two days to allow the initial application of paint to dry. I wanted to put in just enough detail to portray the can, but not enough for the painting to be an advertisement.

Blue Jar, Pitcher & Fuyu

2006-11-10T14:26:00.000-05:00

Further developing this painting, I've laid in the pattern on the pitcher. I'm going to put this aside for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes. I hope I can find a new fuyu when I'm ready to start to work on it again.

Lesson Learned

2006-11-08T15:50:00.000-05:00

What I have to show for the last two days are a couple of canvases with the paint scraped and smeared across their surfaces. I was anxious to "squeeze in a painting" and to try to "catch the light before sunset". The paintings just weren't working.

The most successful paintings for me are those in which I learn something in the process -- where I learn about the subject and how it absorbs or reflects light, or what makes it appear the way it does. Or I learn about the range or limitations of the paint itself. Or I learn about brushes and brushstrokes. Or I successfully make corrections.

I was too hurried to really be involved in the process of painting. So I think I'll keep one of those canvases around to remind myself to slow down... paint... and learn!

Blue Jar, Pitcher & Fuyu

2006-11-03T15:20:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas 14"x18".
Here's my progress on this painting. I'm not finished yet...
Session 1:

Session 2:

Session 3:

Sunglasses

2006-10-30T17:44:00.000-05:00

Oil on canvas 8" x 6". Sold.
I picked up these sunglasses and hung them on a thumb tack as I was cleaning off my work table. I liked the shadow they created, so I set up my easel and started painting.

Door Knob

2006-10-26T19:36:00.000-04:00

oil on canvas 6" x 8".
This old handle on a closet door caught my attention as I searched for a subject to paint.

Three Tea Lights

2006-10-23T16:31:00.000-04:00

oil painting on canvas, 8" x 6".
Using a lighter environment and looser brushwork, I again used two days (two sessions) to paint these tealights. I was going to paint only one, but I liked the three lights and the irregular shapes of the holders together.

Blue Jar, Pitcher & Fuyu

2006-10-21T12:43:00.000-04:00

oil on canvas, 14" x 18".
I started this painting in class on Friday. I knew I wanted to paint the persimmon because I liked its bright color. I then selected the jar and pitcher from a closet filled with old knick-knacks. I'll continue to work on the painting and post its progress here.

10/27/06
In this session, I've layered the paint and refined the masses.

Tea Light no. 1

2006-10-19T11:08:00.000-04:00

Oil on canvas, 8" x 6".
This was painted in two sessions. I applied the dark paint in layers to create the mood.

"Onion Skin"

2006-10-14T21:23:00.000-04:00

oil on canvas 6" x 8".
I was going to paint the onion but its delicate, translucent skin seemed to be a better subject.

"Avocado and Pit"

2006-10-12T11:58:00.000-04:00

oil on canvas 6" x 6".
As you really observe what you're painting, you're learning about your subjects in the process. I could almost feel the creamy texture of the avocado and the slick surface of the pit as I painted them.

"Jar & Green Mango"

2006-10-11T10:30:00.000-04:00

Surprisingly, I spent more time making adjustments on the lid than I did painting the jar or the mango! However, I like the final rendering. I also liked using the square format of this canvas.

"Fig, Leaf & Flat Stone"

2006-10-09T11:29:00.000-04:00

oil on canvas board 5" x 7".
I made quick color and value decisions so I wouldn't get caught up in the details.

"Key"

2006-10-09T11:09:00.000-04:00

oil on canvas board 5" x 7". (Sold.)
I like manipulating and painting the shapes of shadows. I hung this key up on a screw and adjusted the angle and distance of the light until I got this irregular shadow shape.

"Red Onion"

2006-10-09T10:55:00.000-04:00

oil on canvas board 5" x 7".
The deep red color attracted my attention. I pushed the onion back to intensify the shadow.

"Yellow Onion no. 1"

2006-10-08T19:31:00.000-04:00

oil on canvas 8" x 10"
I painted the onion very softly, like the music I was listening to. I'd initially placed the stem in front so that it cast a shadow across the front of the onion, but I wasn't pleased with the placement. I twisted the stem up again and removed the cast shadow.

"Conch Shell"

2006-10-08T19:25:00.000-04:00

pastel 10" x 12.5"
I particularly enjoyed painting the inside and back part of this shell. The warm peach glow mixed with the cool parts of the shadow colors remind me of the warm caribbean sunsets we experienced on vacation.

"Bananas"

2006-10-08T18:58:00.000-04:00

pastel 10" x12"
Now on to the small format paintings. This is the challenge that I’ve taken on to regularly paint a picture in one sitting on a small canvas or board. I started my smaller format paintings using pastels.

The vibrant color of the bananas and the curvature of the planed surfaces caught my attention. I intensified the drama by deepening the shadow.

Currently...

2006-10-08T18:45:00.000-04:00

I began this painting a little while ago. I’ll come back to it and post its progress as I continue to work on it.

12" x 16" Teapots

A Little History

2006-10-08T18:30:00.000-04:00

I joined a weekly figure drawing class at a local art institute before I began my jewelry company in ’01. I worked initially in pastel because it was a new medium for me and I wanted to experiment. I now have a nice collection of pastel portraits which are neatly stacked in an archival storage box. (This was the cost effective way to preserve them as an alternative to framing each painting behind glass.) Here are 2 portraits which I’ve framed. Both are 20"w x 25"h; one is a charcoal drawing and the other is a pastel painting.