Five Geese, 5x7" $30A Captive Audience #12, 12x12" $100

Sparrows, 28x11" $200The design of this painting came fully formed out of my head -- it doesn't usually happen that way but sometimes it does. I'm pretty sure it comes from an image I've seen before. Maybe a painting, maybe an illustration, maybe an ancient Chinese watercolor scroll -- I don't know.

I placed all the major elements on the canvas in paint, then refined the tree limbs, then found a few sparrow reference photos to refine the birds. I kept the neutral color palette but just had to add my signature spots or squares to the plain background (hey, it works).

I think the bird on top is the winner. Is that how that works?

Five Trees, 18x24" $300

This is a smaller version of my "Seven Trees" painting, which received a lot of positive remarks at various art shows. I had a feeling that a smaller version would work as well and have the added benefit of a lower price tag. I'm sure this won't be the last of this new series -- in fact, I think this image is ripe for postcards or prints. It's simple but compelling.

Update on 2011-11-28 07:18 by wessf

This one is sold.

Mason

After an off-handed comment the other day from the wife -- something about me not painting any new paintings for our own walls for quite some time -- I set about painting her an early Valentine's present. This, a painting of our son Mason, was meant to be a quick paint-sketch, but I kept going with it -- perhaps too far, perhaps not. It still has some of the "freshness" I wanted from the beginning though it lost some of the delicate brushstrokes in the face. The mouth, teeth, and jaw are probably a bit off as well, but I'm done with it and happy with it. Hard to look at it without tilting my own head to the right.

Mason 2-11, 12x12, N/A

The reference photo was of Mason and "his" dog Molly . . . his arm half-strangling her and Molly squinting and waiting patiently for release from the uncomfortable hold. It was cute, but I wanted a painting with Mason's head filling most of it, so I dropped the Molly part -- maybe in another painting -- and replaced her with a pillow of sorts [to explain the head tilt, I suppose]. The painting took around three hours, give or take -- hard to keep up with time when creating. Finished three other paintings yesterday -- I'll post those later. That is all.

one big one small

Louisiana Roadside, 25.5x36" $500 Red Boat, 5x7" $30

Update on 2011-11-28 07:19 by wessf

These are both sold.

Four More Paintings

Dragonfly on Green, 5x7" $30Sailboat #2, 5x7" $30Slow River, 5x7" $30Candy, 5x7" $30I wish I were more productive with my time. I am supposedly getting ready for the Palmer Park Arts Market (this Saturday in New Orleans), and it's taking me far too long to complete a few small paintings. I guess that's how it is though -- that's life. Still, four more paintings is better than none, and I have three more days 'till the event. That's all for now -- back to painting!

Update on 2011-11-28 07:19 by wessf

All four of these are sold.

12th Captive Audience Painting

A Captive Audience #12, 9x18" $120

Update on 2011-11-28 07:19 by wessf

This is sold.

2nd Bluebird painting

Bluebird #2, 7x5" $30

Update on 2011-11-28 07:20 by wessf

This is sold.

Bike Sketch

Art Markets this Month

I generally get sick by the end of the year and I'm usually too tired to think about showing artwork in January, but this year I intend to show at two -- count 'em -- two art markets this month. Come find me at the following locations (follow the annoying cough-cough-cough sounds to find my booth):

The Madisonville Art Market -- Saturday, January 15th (that's this coming weekend) on the Tchefuncte River
The Palmer Park Art Market -- last Saturday of the month (Jan. 29th) in New Orleans Palmer Park

See you there!

First Painting of 2011

I got sick somewhere between Christmas and New Year's, and I'm still living with a hacking cough. So my return to painting (or anything creative, for that matter) has been a slow one. That said, I am pushing paint around now and there are five or six canvases in my studio with the beginnings of paintings on them. The first one to reach completion is pictured below:

Bull Terrier Stare, 30x24", $300

It's a bit stiff in style, but that's part of its charm -- that, along with the color pallet and the textures -- and as the wife pointed out, bull terriers are a stiff and angular dog breed . . . and that's just how they look.

Touché, wife. Touché.

December Art Markets

I have two art markets this month

I will have a booth at the 7th Annual Christmas Past Arts & Crafts Street Festival in Mandeville on Girod Street (from Trailhead to Lakefront) on December 11th -- that's this Saturday -- from 9am to 3pm.

I will also have a booth at the Palmer Park Art Market on Sunday, December 19th from 10am to 4pm -- located at Palmer Park in the Carrollton Section of Uptown New Orleans (At the corner of S. Claiborne Ave and S. Carrollton Ave).

I will be at the Madisonville Art Market this Saturday (Nov. 20th) from 10am to 4pm. Stop by if you're in the area -- sorry for the short notice, I only just entered the show. Thanks, that is all.

Festival Aftermath

This is the day after the Three Rivers Art Festival. For myself, it is a day of reflection and recuperation. A day of somber aftermath which is echoed in the muted grays of the overcast day outside my window. It is not a sad day, however -- in fact there is much to be happy about. It was a great festival, and I made a good many sales and met some great people. The first day was long but busy, with nonstop foot traffic. The second day was overcast and rainy, but I still managed to sell a painting during one of the downpours.

And here I am. The day after. The calm after the storm. The festival aftermath. I wonder how long this time of contemplation and recovery will last. I wonder if I will be up for another art market by the end of this month or the beginning of the next. I wonder if all that cold wet waiting I went through yesterday will lead to a sore throat or stuffy nose tomorrow. Anyway, I'll be sure to let you all know when I will resurface again.

Thanks to all those who made it out to the Three Rivers Art Festival. It was, on the whole, a fantastic event, and I plan to return next year if they'll have me. For now I have these two new commissions to complete for the holidays. Thanks again!

Name Your Price Paintings For Sale

UPDATE: These paintings may be still around, but I cannot guarantee that.

I'm getting ready for the Three Rivers Art Festival by clearing out some of my older paintings - paintings I will definitely not be bringing with me to the Festival in November. So these ten paintings (pictured in a group-shot down below) are up for grabs. I am not listing their original prices because that's neither here nor there - I will accept almost any amount. Name your price - keeping in mind I'll be paying for shipping and the fact that I'm a starving artist with a preschool kid and a wife to feed. Tell you what, if your offer is too low for me, I'll let you know - I don't want to lose any money on the deal - I reserve the right to refuse any offer.

Seriously though, this is the perfect opportunity to buy a couple of Christmas gifts. Click on the thumbnails to view larger versions. Let me know if you need exact measurements or any other information. Email me with any further questions and to place your "bids" (though this is not an auction - if your offer is acceptable then it's pretty much first come, first serve). I'll email you back to let you know if your offer is accepted or not and to let you know where to send payment, etc. My email address is wess at wessforeman dot com!

Thanks in advance!

--wess

My New H-frame Easel

I'm happy with the new easel I built. I haven't used it yet but it should work as advertized :-) I'm not quite done with it but it's basically finished - more on the easel and it's construction on my tumblr blog: wessf.tumblr.com. Pictured below is my old A-frame easel (obviously homemade) alongside the new one. It's definitely an improvement, but do you think this will improve my painting? Sadly, probably not.

Another batch of paintings

I had a tough week in terms of motivation and I ended up focusing on anything but painting for much of it. That said, here are four new paintings (well, I painted the gas pump months ago, just that no one's seen it yet).

New Orleans Street Car #10, 11x14", SOLDNew Orleans Landscape, 16x20", SOLDPremium, 30x24", SOLDAmerican Flag #6, 24x18", SOLD

Update on 2011-11-28 07:20 by wessf

All four are sold.

unfinished paintings

As a change of pace [and in penance for not posting any finished paintings yesterday] I figured I'd post a few snapshots of paintings in progress. Most of these are only initial block-ins of paint, lacking detail, but perhaps interesting to someone.

First two paintings below are birds-on-wire subjects [of course], both are 20x20". I plan to keep these simple and loose. Most of the work on these will be adjusting the "balance" of the birds in the paintings, and the technique I will be using will be to treat the birds and wire as negative space, whittling away at them by laying in the light blue/white of the sky around them, cutting into the darker shapes to form them. The first painting might need a few flying/landing birds to add more interest, and the second painting could probably use some detail in the house (like maybe some green slats on the face of it, leaving dark shadows between the slats).

I like the loose fingerpaint-feel of the streetcar painting below (11x14"). I also like the tone of green I've started with here - it's not quite the same as the reference photo but I'll probably stick with it. This one just needs a few choice details I think. (please forgive the out-of-focus-ness and odd lighting of these, by the way - I did call them "snapshots" on purpose, afterall!)

The next will probably remain the loosest of all these [I'm sensing a theme here]. I'll probably be adjusting some of the color in the sky a bit and adding more interest in the dark land mass below as well as laying in the white of the river in a thicker layer of paint. Other than that, I'm liking the abstract feel of this one. (you just have to trust me that the painting is ten times better in person than the representative snapshot here)

The last two here (both 14x11") are a bit less inspired. I'm painting the egret because I've had requests for egret/swamp type subject matter - it's rendered a bit stiff for me in its current iteration, so I'll be loosening it up some more, maybe adding some encroaching cypress branches or spanish moss or what-have-you. The cat painting is for cat lovers - who else - not sure how much more I'll work on this one. It's fairly interesting as is but I suppose it could use some more detail and the ever popular "what-have-you".

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Friday Paintings

Six paintings this time - two of these I painted a few months ago but I don't think I've posted online. I like the Lonely Milkshake paintings here - I suppose it's because I give bonus points whenever I can pull off good abstract painting - and that rooster is pretty intense, if I do say so myself [I might reduce those two "sharp" lines underneath the rooster's head though - they look out of place there]. The American Flag is probably the most realistic version I've painted [if a little soiled and dripping in mud]. I usually angle toward abstracting the flag series paintings, but I got to this point and figured it was finished.

A Captive Audience #11 - 11x14", SOLDDragonfly Parade - framed - 18x36", SOLDLonely Milkshake #3 - 30x40", N/ALonely Milkshake #2 - 30x24", $450Rooster - 14x11", N/AAmerican Flag #5 - 24x11", SOLD

I'll be posting my usual Friday post later on this evening - I've got at least a handful of new paintings from this past week. Right now I'm cleaning out the garage/studio. I'm fighting cobwebs and dust; wish me luck!