Category Archives: figure

Decollete

2012_decollete

French for a woman’s neck, shoulders, back and chest. The word’s origin is French decolleter: to cut out the neck (of a dress), from collet collar. Or to cut out the part of a dress covering a woman’s neck, shoulders, back and chest. Googling the term ‘decollete‘ brings up pages of Christian Louboutin decollete pumps, as in shoes. How did the term decollete come to … Continue reading

Je suis Toute (I am Whole), and French, at Last

Je suis Toute

The French language is a beautiful thing to learn, speak and hear. I spoke it fluently as a child (I’m told) and struggled through two years of French classes in high school. My teacher, Miss Golden, was a flamboyant, scarf-wearing, perfumed and bleached-blonde dynamo who scribbled verb conjugations on the blackboard at lightening speed. Alors, the fact my Dad couldn’t afford my share of a summer … Continue reading

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Je Suis Toute (I Am Whole)

Je suis Toute

She is calm and whole in a green and peaceful place. Our lives are an assimilation of family, culture, beliefs and experiences, leading us to believe in what we are. Discovering one’s self can be easier for some, than for others. For me, the process seems more like eliminating what I am not, in order to understand what I am. What a person is, is … Continue reading

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Hello Naked Winery, Goodbye Eve Series

nakedWinery_Sept2011_01

The people who run Naked Winery have been very good to me. They’ve been featuring my paintings on the walls of their Hood River tasting room for a couple of years now. Every time I go there, I like it a little bit more. September marked a significant event though. My three flagship paintings from the Eve Series were purchased. The owner will be picking … Continue reading

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Luncheon of the Boating Party – Part 3

2011_luncheonOTBoatingParty

Life is never as it seems on the surface. The decorating project to fill a niche in my kitchen that began last June is finally complete! I needed a sparkling, emotional, lively and color rich painting for the wall area above my sink. The masterwork, Luncheon of the Boating Party by Pierre Auguste Renoir was my choice. This magnificent painting hangs in The Phillips Collection in Washington … Continue reading

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Luncheon of the Boating Party – Part 2

triangles

Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party sparkles with life. Why? The atmosphere is one of timeless pleasure. Gathered around a table replete with wine, fruit, and shimmering tableware, the diners have just finished a satisfying meal. But what makes this painting work? I had to know before embarking on the almost impossible job of recreating it. Compositions that work for reasons that aren’t readily discernable … Continue reading

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Luncheon of the Boating Party – Part 1

Finished Study, 16 x 20, gouache on gessoed Cresent water-media board

Vive la moderne! What began as a decorating project has turned into in-depth study of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s 1870 painting, Luncheon of the Boating Party. The colors and mood of the painting convey exactly what I want to feel in my kitchen; people enjoying good food, good wine and good company on a light-hearted summer day. Yet the complexity and magnitude of the painting’s composition eluded me–until I … Continue reading

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A Birthday Gift: Natalie

Allan's Birthday Gift: an acrylic titled: 'Two Apples and a Cactus'

My family must be lucky, they always get art on their birthday! Hopefully someday that dusty painting or faded watercolor they stashed in their closet will be worth something. In my family there are those who know and love art, and those who realize it exists, but don’t care much about it. They’re busy with other things, and I understand that. My intuition will always … Continue reading

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Royal Dreams, the Long Road

2011_royalDreams-upClose

She’s sleeping after the long road I travelled to finish this painting. Fabric, flesh, fabric, flesh, it was a dance back and forth, until at last I could say she was done. The painting rotated 360 degrees, starting with her facing face down, then tall, and finally facing upwards. The background morphed from rug to floor to black to finally, this royal blue oriental patterned … Continue reading

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Pale Forest: Contrast in Color and Time

Pale Forest | 22 x 28 | oil on canvas

Painting skin tones seems simple, yet is unbelievably complex, like trying to put together a million piece jigsaw puzzle that is almost all one color. I think I was born in the wrong century (and continent). My idea of an artist would be to have been born Louise Elisabeth Vigee LeBrun, French Neoclassical painter and portrait painter to Marie Antoinette. By the time she was … Continue reading

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