Yellow Flower by Grant Schirpik

This is a 20x20 oil painting on cradled board. I discovered this flower in Santiago in a public garden. I'm not sure what type of flower it is, so feel free to let me know if you can name it. This is my second in a series of flower paintings. Thanks for looking.

Hibiscus by Grant Schirpik

This is a 20x20 oil painting on cradled board. The first in a series of flowers. How many I end up painting is anyone's guess. I bore easily. A challenge with all the red, but there is something about a Hibiscus that lowers the blood pressure. Thanks for visiting.

Danielle, by Sharon Hodges

This is another painting from my life drawing series.  The model was very interesting to draw, in that she was more Rubenesque in proportions, very curvy, so her poses had wonderful positive and negative shapes.  I painted this almost entirely with the 'gathered greys' from my left over palette paints from the past few months (I just scrape together all the left over paints and cram them into baby food jars) plus white.  I've ended up with some brown-grey, green-grey, lavendar-grey, blue-grey....very interesting tones that I could never mix again in a million years.  This canvas is 24x30x3 deep.  If you have interest in this painting or others, please contact me.  If you wish to see more of my work, please visit my blog or website.  Thanks for looking!

on my easel

This idea has been percolating in my head for a while. I am not finished yet, and do not know whether to market these as a "trio" or individually. I am also unsure whether or not to sign them on the outside since they can be placed upside down or sideways without ruining any idea that I might have had. Advice welcome.

Rhia 1 /Rhia with Yellow Chair, by Sharon Hodges

Top:  Rhia 1, 24x30, oil on panel

Bottom:  Rhia with Yellow Chair, 28 x 22, oil on panel

OK, so I am taking a life drawing class....I hated figure drawing in college...maybe because it was at 8 in the morning?  Whatever, but I have never liked figure drawing, all the while totally believing that it is a necessary foundation for any artist.  Ok, so I thought I would force myself to pay for the class and endure it.  Lo and behold, I really love this class.  Go figure (pun not intended).  The next step is unavoidable for me, and that is putting those drawings to canvas and adding paint.  What is a painting anyway but drawing with a brush, and then 'pushing' it with color?  So, here we go...it is a learning curve, to be sure, and there is much to learn.  I know, for example, that I have taken liberties with the hands and feet in these two paintings of Rhia...and, frankly, also in the thighs...she is very thin...I never aspired to be a realist, but I would like to get the gesture and the feeling commuted from my eyes/hand to the paper or canvas...so we will see how that goes.  Feel free to comment positive or negative, I am open to all opinions.  Thanks for looking!
If you would like to see more of my work, please visit my blog or website.

If you have interest in purchasing these or other works, please contact me.

Light Through the Canyon Mark Malone 36x48

This painting won 3rd Place in The Contemporary Fine Art International May Art Contest. To view this site, go to http://www.contemporaryfineartinternational.com/CFAI_Art_Challenge_Winner_Page.html This piece is currently hanging in The Dutch Art Gallery. Thank you for viewing this blog.