Travel painting
I just published a post about making artwork while traveling on my new website: www.debandersonfineart.com. Hope you can check it out 🙂
Coming Rain, plein air oil painting
Here are paintings I completed for the 2019 Prairie Plein Air Competition. I’m looking forward to seeing the other 48 submissions at the reception on Thursday, May 24 from 6-8 p.m. in the Herb Aigner Gallery inside the Al Larson Prairie Center for the Arts building located at 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg. If you’re in the area I’d love to see you there, too 🙂
I hope to do more outdoor painting soon. First, I have a few studio pieces I want to finish for the Old Town Art Fair coming up on June 8 and 9.
I also posted this on my new website – come on over and check it out.
Painting practice: abstracts on paper
Sometimes it’s hard to get back to painting, especially if it’s been busy and I haven’t done it for a while. Last fall I started doing these small works on paper as warm up exercises. They feel very free and experimental. Sometimes I like the outcome, sometimes not. I try to go into it without a fixed idea of where I’m going. I tape off a six inch square – I love taking off the tape when the painting is done.
I’ve posted some of these small paintings in my shop, and you can see more of them on my instagram. I’ll also be bringing some to the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago on June 8 and 9 (booth 079).
Prairie Plein Air
We’re already halfway through the 2019 Prairie Plein Air Competition in Schaumburg, Illinois. Between this week’s heavy rain and my work schedule I haven’t been out to paint yet! Hopefully that will change next week. This is the painting I submitted last year, along with some photos of my plein air supply kit, which tidied up last week. So far I’ve only used the reading lamp for predawn set up, but I hope to do some night painting sometime soon.
This large camera tripod was found at a thrift shop, and the mast and palette are simple diy projects – I’ve been using this setup for a couple years now and I’m pretty happy with it.
I’ve been making progress on my new website, which includes a shop where the Celandine Poppy painting is available for sale, as well as other paintings and handmade prints. I’m getting ready for the Old Town Art Fair coming up on June 8 and 9. Hope to see you there!
Lake and Sky Paintings
Here are three recent paintings of the sky over water.
I heard recently that vertical paintings reference the figure or portrait, even if the subject is landscape. That applies to these three paintings, each 16 inches wide by 40 inches tall. There is an interesting mental twist that happens while painting. The subject (for me often plants, water, and sky) draws me out of myself, and then reflects me back to myself. I explore the nature that surrounds me, in an expression of my own inner nature. I’ve had a similar experience when connecting with another artist’s work. That resonance says something about the artwork and something about the viewer, who is connecting with it.
I’m working on my new website, and I’m trying to decide whether to link this blog to it, start a new blog, or both. Anyone have suggestions for me? Ideally I’d keep this one going at the new site. I’m looking into the logistics. I want to keep things pretty simple.
I hope you are all well. It’s spring again! Plants are coming up.
Lilypads, Diptych
Things have been quiet on this blog, but happily busy in the art room and beyond. These two lilypad panels were a real experiment, using a palette knife and a favorite “catalyst” shaper to scrape paint into varied facets of green, and then carving out water, leaves and light.
I’ve been teaching at Insight Fine Art Studio for over a year now! It’s been wonderful and energizing – a great, creative community. In addition to weekend classes for kids (6 to 18), I just started teaching an adult class on Fridays from 9:30 to 12:30. There is room available in that class, so check out the Insight website, or let me know if you’re interested in joining.
The time has come for a new website! It’s not complete yet, but I’m busily building it out at debandersonfineart.com. Eventually it will have a shop and a calendar of upcoming art events. For now, I’m preparing new work for the Old Town Art Fair on June 8 and 9, 2019.
I’ve taken a new leadership role as president of the Glenview Art League. This group has been an encouraging community art makers for me since I joined almost 10 years ago. We host art demos, an annual Youth Art Fair in February and Summer Art Fair at the end of July, an exhibit program where artists showcase their work with local businesses, and more. For more information about that, check out the GALÂ website.
Oil Painting: Sunset, Duck Lake Beach
November already! We had our first snowfall today. This sunset painting is inspired by a summer trip to Michigan back in July. I’ve kept busy painting indoors and out, and teaching at Insight Fine Art Studio, among other things. I post more frequently on Instagram as debrhapainting, but I’ll be bringing this page back up to date over the next few days.
I’m looking forward to showing work with  fine jeweler Dora Winchester on November 27 in Glencoe’s Guild Hall. More details coming soon.
I’ll also be updating my etsy shop with quite a few new pieces including a series of works on paper that I’m having so much fun with… soon, very soon!
Enjoy the weekend, friends.
Zinnia, oil painting
Beautiful summer – I love this time of year. Here’s a zinnia from the garden. I’m pretty sure it’s done, I might glaze over the leaves today. I’m getting ready this painting and many others ready for the Glenview Art League Summer Art Fair this Saturday and Sunday. I hope to see you there.
Deb Anderson, painting 