Studio clean-up in progress

Your eyes do not deceive you: that's a griddle, slide projector, sewing machine, pool noodles, 10+ year old paintings, cardboard boxes, clip lights, and sooooo much paper.

This is a before picture of my studio with existing mess plus the full contents of the closet. Self-shaming is a useful tool. I've been chipping away at it, trying to establish order and banish all the things that simply do not belong in that room. How does this happen?!

Beginning March 1st, I am joining Artists Working Group International member Jean Wilkey in a 30-day Spring Clean Studio Challenge. She will lead us in a proper spring cleaning and purge of our studios. Join us and make your studio a little bit of heaven, too!

SIGN UP HERE

Photographing artwork

I took photos of all my new work on a nice bright day last week. The paintings are signed, varnished, titled, and photographed. The custom frames will be delivered in 2 weeks.

And now I'm off with my family to the Hudson River Valley of New York for 10 days. Hooray! I packed my sketchbooks and gouache, so look for photos of my vacation sketches on Facebook and Instagram.

Have a Happy 4th of July!

Add a duck!

Some progress shots of another river painting in the works. While I was working on it last night, I showed it to Robb for feedback. He said, "It needs something....why don't you add a duck?" He was being (at least half) serious, but I giggled so hard that I'm afraid, "Add a duck!" might become his standard response to all future painting questions. I will post the finished painting in the next few days. Probably without a duck.

Cleanup project of the week

I took on my main work table last week, so I would have space to tone canvas panels. The next mess to tackle is the Hoosier cabinet. Acrylic paint and mediums and my heat guns live in the top section. They are in pretty good order. But the tabletop has been overrun with preschooler artwork, knitting books, yarn, finger paints, address books, fabric, a hammer, old frames, tissue paper, a kitchen scale, business cards and God knows what else. I just need to dive in and start putting things where they belong.

Good morning

Today I was up before the sun, coffee in hand, making some notes about the winter sunrise.

This week in the studio: prep work!

I have been toning canvas panels to get ready for painting season. Toning is the practice of using color to deaden the white of a canvas. It adds depth and complexity to paintings by peeking through the finished scene. It also forces the artist to create a wide range of values within your painting. And when working outdoors it cuts down on the reflected glare off the canvas from the sun.

Most people who tone their canvases choose a light or medium color and apply it lightly, as a wash. I go for full saturation. The Rose Madder color on all of the panels to the left is my number one favorite color to tone with. My paintings often feature a lot of greenery (like fields, trees, grass, etc.), and the reddish underpainting is a nice contrast. But I also like working on Prussian Blue (the navy blue ones). And I prepared a few with Burnt Sienna and Light Ultramarine to experiment with.

3: Ocean City Harbor scene

"View from The Shark" - 5"x7", acrylic and china marker on canvas panel, 2015.



One of my high school teachers asked me if I had any beach or boat paintings. When I told him that I'm mainly into farms and trees, he said I needed to expand my repertoire. Thanks for the challenge, Fred Husman! Using a picture he took of Ocean City Harbor looking toward Assateague Island for inspiration, I made a series of sketches. The painting above is my first stab at it. And I'm working on a looser, larger version as well.

Cleaning up and back to work

My husband and daughter gave me a fabulous gift for Mother's Day this year: several hours of uninterrupted studio time. Aahhhh.... So I cleaned up the work table and got to work.



I got a lot of panels prepped for painting. I have been using a color called Process Magenta as my base coat lately. It works the best for me because it creates nice contrast with all the green in my palette. You can see it peeping the finished pieces. And speaking of finished pieces, here are a few that I wrapped up this week.


"Dandelion Breath" - acrylic and china marker on canvas panel, 5" x 7", Barbara Mowery, 2014.


"Meadow Study" - acrylic and china marker on canvas panel, 6" x 4", Barbara Mowery, 2014.


"Mosquito Cut" - acrylic and china marker on canvas, 6" x 12", Barbara Mowery, 2014 - Sold.


"Third's a Charm" - acrylic and china marker on masonite, 9.75" x 12", Barbara Mowery, 2014.

For as busy as I've been, you might notice that my Etsy shop doesn't have any of the new work in it. I am concentrating on building inventory right now. Ann Coates invited me to submit several small paintings for a "smalls" feature wall in June at Bishop's Stock in Snow Hill, Maryland. So I'm painting my little fingers off to put together a cohesive group for that show.

In other news, I am increasing my prices as of June 1, 2014. The most significant change will be to the 5" x 7" sized paintings. If you have had your eye on something in the shop, now might be a good time to purchase.

Studio tour

Just a little look around my work space. I took these photos right before Mo's birthday party in January when we had a lot of company coming, and the studio was looking its best. It is rarely this neat.