"Coming and Going"

"Coming and Going"

9"x12" oil on linen panel

©2012 Denise Rose Fine Art

I have been working on painting boats lately in preparation for a fun painting trip I have planned to the Forgotten Coast of Florida in May. I am traveling there and will be there for 10 days to paint and observe the invited artists to the 2012 Forgotten Coast Plein Air Event. I am so looking forward to seeing some of my favorite artists paint there and meeting some that I have admired their work for a long time! It will be a great experience for me and that area offers so many great and inspiring places to paint. 

Above is from a reference photo from my mentor, Lori Putnam, and I felt like "Coming and Going" describes a lot about this painting and also the way I have been traveling lately! 

Stacked and Sliced

"Stacked and Sliced"

8"x10" oil on linen panel

©2012 Denise Rose Fine Art

This is a still life painting that I recently completed in my second workshop with artist Nancy Franke. I loved the beautiful colors of the little bowls and the gorgeous yellows of the meyer lemons in the set up. Because of this, I had a great time painting this little scene!

 I traveled to Chattanooga, TN, to take a workshop with Nancy at a relatively new art school there, ArtWorks Chattanooga, owned by the talented Lisa Seego. I love studying with Nancy because she focuses on painting in the style I love. She is also such a person of energy, that you just feel inspired the entire time you are in her presence! I also got to paint with one of my artist friends, Kathy Cousart, from Georgia, and that was fun to reconnect with her and paint together again. We first met last year during the first Nancy Franke workshop I took in Atlanta. 

Nancy does not teach often, so if you have a chance to be in one of her workshops, take it. She enjoys traveling with her husband and painting and visiting her grandchildren, so although she is an excellent and inspiring teacher, she does not spend much time doing it. You can see her work here.

This painting is available for purchase on my website.

"Just Docked"

Just Docked

9"x12" oil on linen canvas panel

Just a quick post to share a painting I recently completed. I took the reference photo when I was in the St. Simons Island area last fall and have wanted to paint this little boat that had just docked before we arrived at this spot to paint. It ended up being too windy to paint that day, so I took down a few notes about the day in my sketch book and took a photo so I could remember what attracted me to this scene while there. I loved the colors of the marsh grasses in the foreground and background, along with the yellow color of the boat itself. Might have to do this one larger! 

Dawn Whitelaw Workshop

Momentary by Dawn Whitelaw

First, NO, this is not my painting! I wanted to share some of the beautiful work of the fabulous Dawn Whitelaw who is coming to my area today to teach a workshop. The workshop is going to be held at a local gallery, Artreach Gallery, in Germantown, TN. If you are an artist or an art patron and have not seen Dawn's work, make sure you click on the link and enjoy the feast for your eyes! 

This will be my third workshop with Dawn, and to be perfectly honest, I will never miss an opportunity to spend time painting with this fabulous artist and most importantly, fabulous teacher. Being a teacher myself, I am more aware than most about what makes a "good" teacher and what does not. As you know if you are one of my regular blog readers, I have enjoyed every workshop I have taken, but some artists make better artists than they do teachers. However, let me emphasize here that Dawn is, indeed, a "great" teacher. She has the gift of being able to inspire, encourage, and lead a student to discover things on their own and develop those problem solving skills that will serve them so well in the future. Aside from all that, she has a gentle spirit and is so encouraging to be around. Her excitement about her work and her teaching is infectious, which makes it even more fun to be around her. If you are an artist, and you ever have the opportunity to study with Dawn, take it!

"Garden Bridge"

Both of the images above are versions of the same scene of tulips at our local museum and gardens, Dixon Gallery and Gardens here in Memphis. They plant thousands of tulip bulbs each year and I made sure last spring to visit and have lots of great reference photos to paint from that visit. It is a fun subject when days are short and gray in winter, even though we have had no snow or really cold weather this year.

In my mentoring with Lori Putnam, I am working on edges and paint application along with composition and all of the other aspects that make up a good painting. I am having so much fun and we have such a fabulous small group of artists that I look forward to it each time we meet! Plus, I am positive it is the first time in my life I can't wait to get home and do my homework! Lori is challenging us and helping each artist work on their specific goals in painting. Fun times!

"Black-Eyed Susans"

"Black-Eyed Susans"

10"x10" oil on gallery wrapped canvas

I painted this painting of the black-eyed susan flowers that bloom each year at the friendship entrance to my house. I love them when they are blooming and they bring such sunshine to our side door for guests to enjoy as they come to visit. 

It was sold during and event at the Memphis Botanic Gardens called "Incognito." At this event, 80 Memphis area artists were asked to create and donate a 10"x10" painting with a botanical theme and NOT sign the front of the work. Gala attendees then bid on these paintings during the evening and at the end (after auction was over), the artists went to their respective paintings and signed them! Also, we were asked to "play along" and attend the event in disguise to go along with the theme of "buy what you like not who you know." So fun! I included a photo of my "disguise" along with my cohort (or fellow female Blues Brother!), artist Judy Nocifora. Also a photo with the happy art patron who purchased my painting.

I will have to say here that even though I looked goofy all night walking around with my hair stuffed in a hat with feathers and dark sunglasses on, I had a blast! I met other artists that I didn't know (which is always fun!) and saw lots of friends from the community who are art and Botanic Garden supporters. Great evening and a successful event for the Botanic Garden!

One Year Blog-aversary!

"Sunset on the Marsh"

8" x 10" oil on canvas panel

I wondered yesterday how long I had been blogging and remembered it was right about now last year when I "took the plunge" and started a blog. It turns out TODAY is the one year anniversary of the "birth" of my blog! Yay! I don't know why that is so exciting other than it is something I started that I actually stuck with, which isn't always the case with things I begin! However, I love to read other blogs and learn so much from other artists "out there" that share their painting journeys with all of us "out here," so I feel the need to do the same. Not that I have tons of knowledge that others do not, but I just feel the need to give back and hopefully bring a little bit of encouragement and information to someone who reads these posts. 

I also have "met" so many more nice artists and received so much encouragement through this blog. That is the main reason I keep doing it. No, I don't post everyday. And I don't even have a posting schedule like some of you. I am not a daily painter, but I really admire those who are and support them through my encouraging words on their blogs, and through my purchases of their art. My studio wall and office wall is lined with beautiful art I have purchased and I plan to continue to add to that in the coming years. 

The painting above is a plein air piece that I did in Apalachicola, FL this past October in a workshop with Lori Putnam. As I have mentioned before, I will begin a mentoring program with her next week, and I am so excited about being able to concentrate on certain goals I have for myself in relation to my art. I will certainly share my progress with you all along the way!

And let me once more send out sincere thanks to all of you who offer encouragement and advice and kind words to me through this blog. Happy Blog-aversary to Meeeeeeeee!!!!! (I wonder if this occasion calls for cake??)