Flanders poppy

It practically killed me to pluck this from our front yard in order to paint it last night. It was sacrificed in the name of art.

$115.00 - Flanders poppy (Ready to Frame)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Untitled 40

A strong one.

Hate how when images are uploaded onto the blog, they sort of wash out and blur a bit. Has anyone figured out how to correct that yet? I know we're all waiting...  This is a lot more vibrant in person.

$115.00 - Untitled 40 (Ready to Frame)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Echinacea

The Husband just bought a few of these to plant near our deck. I love the sort of droopy yet elegant shape.

Sold.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Ann

My dear, dear friend Ann came to pose for me the other night for three hours. (Yes, I paid her. I don't abuse my friends...too much.)

She'd like you all to know that she "doesn't always look that tired." :)  

It was hard to figure out a setup in my home studio for a model and lighting and everything. (Plus putting a DVD movie on for her to watch while I painted her, so she wouldn't die of boredom.) In the end, we went with what sort of worked, though it was far from ideal in terms of physical arrangements, space, and lighting. I made sure to give her a very uncomfortable hard chair so she wouldn't fall asleep. ;)

I tried a new surface and a new technique. I keep experimenting because I'm still unsatisfied with results. Perhaps someday, if I have three or four more lifetimes, I'll figure it all out. Or not.

Amazingly, though, it did capture, remarkably well, something ineffable about her.

$325.00 - Ann (Ready to Frame)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Poppy bud

I love it when those inner petals start just peeking out... This is one of those pinkish-salmon-colored ones.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Out Walking With You

...in the rain. The rain, the rain, the rain! Aaaaaghhh! Someone make it stop!

$115.00 - Out Walking With You (Ready to Frame)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Untitled 39

It has been raining here all weekend. I think this is something like 8 weekends in a row now...unheard-of for here. I'm tired of my humidity-hair (Jewfro). My paintings aren't drying. The Husband still hasn't patched our roof. Anyway...

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Peony / Noblesse Oblige award

Carrie Jacobsen has given me this Noblesse Oblige award. Thank you, Carrie! You can go visit her site and look at her wonderful animal paintings and read her fun posts (especially the most recent one about alizarin crimson... Oy), and see a more detailed description of the attributes an awardee should possess. But in brief, it's that the more "power" you have, the more you are expected to give back. In art blogging terms, this has a lot to do with sharing process and solutions.

I in turn pass this award on to Loriann Signori, Leslie Saeta, and Karen Phipps. 

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Sonja

This was the last alla prima portrait from a few weeks ago, before my instructor stopped teaching it. I was pretty happy with it, although as you can see, I never resolved one eye. Thought I'd post it anyway, especially for those of you who also do alla prima portraiture.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Change of pace / Pace of change

And now for something completely different (as they said on Monty Python)... 

These are some awesome shots from The Husband. (Yes, he's an artist too: acrylic, encaustic, photography; though he makes his living as a management consultant, which generally pays for my art supplies.)

See lots more wonderful photog from The Husband at his site Haiku Expeditions.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com