eLIZabeth Floyd Studio

Friday Inspiration: Books about Landscape Painting {Free Online}

2012-01-27T12:32:00.000-05:00

{the blustery sky today}

Today we are having an unusally warm day, I have the windows open in the house, and it is wonderful being able to air out the rooms and hear the birds chirping in the distance.

It is the end of January, but it feels like spring is just around the corner... which means I will be able to go out and paint en plein air soon! So with that in mind, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite landscape books that are available online.

Landscape Painting by Birge Harrison
{as a side-note, do not bother purchasing a re-printed copy of this book on Amazon because the scan is so poor. I did because I love to have a book infront of me that I can add highlights, dog-ears, and notes, but I was terribly dissappointed in the quality of the book and find the link above to be a much better quality, so I wasted paper and time with the purchase...}

The Art of Landscape Painting in Oil Colour By Sir Alfred East

Imagination in Landscape Painting By Philip Gilbert Hamerton

Brush and Pencil Notes in Landscape By Sir Alfred East

Light and Water: a study of reflexion and colour in river, lake and sea By Sir Montagu Montagu-Pollock

Landscape and Power By W. J. Thomas Mitchell

Have a wonderful weekend and see you Monday!

Liz

Three Cloves of Garlic {a new small painting}

2012-01-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

Three Cloves of Garlic

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Things have been a bit crazy lately, and I wanted to paint something simple, a limited palette, simple objects, and a straight forward composition. While life has been handing out zingers, I am striving to keep things simple and calm.

Pink Tulip {a new floral painting}

2012-01-24T19:49:00.000-05:00

Pink Tulip

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

When I was painting this tulip it continued to grow and by the time I had finished, the tulip stem had easily grown 1/2 inch longer than when I first cut it. They say tulips keep growing after they are cut but I had never experienced such eager growth before...

Mums and Apples {Bountiful Observations no. 4}

2012-01-23T14:55:00.001-05:00

Still Life with Mums and Apples

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

With this series, each new composition presents an opportunity to investigate new ways to convey the beauty and textural diversity found in flowers. In this painting I wanted to share the impression of a mass of flowers and stems surrounded by shiny apples, so instead of depicting the mums individually, I focused on the mass of yellow and how the flowers in shadow edged to violet.

Everything just seemed to fall into place, impressions captured and conveyed. It was a joy to paint.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

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This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Inspiration Friday: Some Memorable Quotes

2012-01-20T10:34:00.000-05:00

This week when reading the current issue of Fine Art Connoisseur I was struck by this quote and thought you may also like to know about it. It says...

"Art should be independant of all clap-trap -- should stand alone, and appeal to the arstistic sense of eye and ear, without confounding this with emotions entirely foreign to it, as devotion, pity, love, patriotism, and the like." ~James Abbott McNeill Whistler

And here are a few more quotes I have come across this week.

"Since an artist appeals to the intelligence and the emotions, his work can only give real pleasure to those in whom it arouses a consciousness of beauty similar to his own perception." ~Rex Vicat Cole

"The way to understand painting is to go and look at it." ~Pierre-Auguste Renoir

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better place than we found it, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded.” ~Walt Whitman

Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you on Monday.

Liz

Jonquils & Pear {a new small painting}

2012-01-18T09:59:00.000-05:00

Still Life with Jonquils and Pear

{7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Spring is not here yet, however the stores have begun to sell small pots of tete-e-tete daffodils and I cannot resist them... and then the lovely flowers end up in the studio and in a painting.

Peeled Lemon {a new small painting}

2012-01-17T05:55:00.000-05:00

Peeled Lemon

{5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Hello,

Lemons are a favorite subject to paint. Whenever I paint them I think of their place in the grand tradition of still-life paintings, especially those compositions by Pieter Claesz.

Persimmons {Bountiful Observations no. 3}

2012-01-16T16:42:00.005-05:00

Still Life with Persimmons on a Pewter Plate

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Framed painting: SOLD

I had the good fortune of being able to get these persimmons from River Farm, so the leaves and stem were still intact and they had been minimally handled, which meant the color of the fruit was more vibrant and unaffected. Often fruit purchased a the grocery store will have been handled a lot so the natural yeast often found on fruit has been rubbed off, which dullens the texture and color.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

.............................................................................

This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horticultural Society.

Friday Inspiration: Georgia O'Keeffe

2012-01-13T13:06:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, like close to seven, I read Full Bloom,a wonderful biography about Georgia O'Keeffe. For several months after finishing the book I was mesmerized by how prolific, how dedicated, and how determined she was to become an accomplished artist.

Then in 2010 the Phillips Collection had a wonderful exhibition that focused on her abstractions. Again I came away from the experience of seeing the exhibit with awe and wonder.

As an artist myself, I tried to view the exhibition as an admirer and also as a technician, disecting how she applied paint and worked. Though I do not paint many abstract compositions, I admire her skill in compositions and I own two books that focus on the compositional concept notan that was so important in Georgia O'Keeffe's work, they are:

. Notan
. Composition by Arthur W. Dow

Sometimes I will flip through the pages of these books to get ideas and to learn a bit more about compositional design. And when I am really stumped about coming up with some painting ideas I will flip through the catalogue raisonne of Georgia O'Keeffe's works.

Here are a few spreads I photographed to share with you today.

And I thought I would leave you with a few of my favorite quotes by Georgia O'Keeffe

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for. ~Georgia O'Keeffe

Objective painting is not good painting unless it is good in the abstract sense. A hill or tree cannot make a good painting just because it is a hill or tree. It is lines and colors put together so that they may say something. ~Georgia O'Keeffe

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing.” ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

The last quote is my favorite, and really sums up the drive of why I paint, the journey of art making is the most important.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend,
Liz

Garlic {a new small painting}

2012-01-11T18:09:00.004-05:00

Still Life with Garlic, Pitcher, and Bottle

{5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

This head of garlic has been languishing in our kitchen for several months {since Naomi was around 6 weeks old} because I have had to take drastic measures with my diet to keep her happy. As I cannot cook with this garlic, I figured it might as well star in a painting...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BTW, here is a recent photo of my little one, she has been getting about on her belly, I figure in the next month or so she will be crawling...

Tulip and a Tea Cup {a new small painting}

2012-01-10T18:04:00.004-05:00

Still Life with Tulip and Tea Cup

{5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for Sale via an Online Auction

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Today has been a very fun and busy day, I was able to get a lot of painting in {close to 5 hours} which is almost a record since Naomi was born. So I am particularly happy tonight.

Have a wonderful evening,
Liz

Red China Asters {Bountiful Observations no. 2}

2012-01-09T15:35:00.001-05:00

Red China Asters

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

Hello,

This is the second painting of my Bountiful Observations series.

One of the reasons I like painting still lifes is that it requires me to slow down and really observe an object or objects. Through this concentrated effort of learning how something really is, I learn that things are not always as I think. Close observation forces me to think about the objects before me and to leave my pre-conceptions behind.

With this painting, this is what I needed to do in order to capture the form and mass of the flowers while also recording the reflective nature of the pewter cup. When I think of pewter, I think of gray, where in reality there are areas that are dark black and others areas that are light blue, pink, yellow, and of course gray.

Each time I paint more experience is gained in how to observe and also how to let go, something that I believe is very freeing.

Thanks for stopping by,
Liz

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

.............................................................................

This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horiticultural Society.

Friday Inspiration: Resolutions for 2012

2012-01-06T17:04:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

It is that time of year when the urge to make annual resolutions occurs. This year I sought out some quotes to help me find some direction in setting my goals this year. These two quotes are my favorite of the many I read online...

. The most important thing about motivation is goal setting. You should always have a goal. --Francie Larrieu Smith

. The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get. --Jim Rohn

So I think over the weekend I will work to outline some specific goals this year that can be monitored and assessed periodically.

What kind of goals are you planning to set this year?

Liz

Alstroemerias {Bountiful Observations no. 1}

2012-01-02T12:48:00.005-05:00

Alstroemerias

{8" x 8" (20.3 x 20.3 cm) – oil on canvas panel}

Available for purchase via Online Auction

Framed painting: $300.00 starting bid + S&H

Hello,

Here is the first painting of many to come in the Bountiful Observations series. I am so excited about starting this project. I am anticipating that having the goal of posting a new painting each week will help me establish a regular routine this year, helping me balance being both an artist and a mother.

This painting was completed from life over a number of days. Alstroemerias keep for a long time if you keep the water full and refreshed, so I was able to focus on each bloom and utilize some glazes to capture some of the soft pinks in the petals. I also soften all the edges of the flowers that were more in the background, thus heightening the focus on the flowers that were centered and forward.

Every painting in this series is available for sale framed.

{14" x 14" (35.6 x 35.6 cm) with frame}

.............................................................................

This is a painting from my Bountiful Observations series, with 25% of the net proceeds of each sale being donated to the American Horiticultural Society.

Bountiful Observations {a new series}

2012-01-02T12:45:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to introduce Bountiful Observations, a new painting series, all still-life paintings inspired by the seasons and simple objects found in our everyday life.

Around the time my daughter Naomi was born, I began to develop a concept for a new series of paintings. At first, I was not sure if the idea would be possible because motherhood was requiring a lot from me and I questioned if there was enough time in the week to dedicate to painting regularly. Then as the weeks passed by and Naomi and I began to develop a rythem, I realized that by standardizing the format and size of the series it would be possible to develop a series and debut the painting here on my blog.

So here we are, the first week of 2012, and I am happy to share with you the first painting of the Bountiful Observations series. Starting today I will offer for sale a framed 8" x 8" still-life painting through an online auction. Each Monday in 2012 a new painting from this series will posted here on my blog and website.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T14:03:00.000-05:00

{From our trip to the Okanagan Valley last week}

Happy New Year!

I am so excited about 2012 starting, and cannot wait to share with you a new project that is about to begin. Tomorrow I will post more information about it and debut the first painting of the series. Please stay tuned...

Thank you for making 2011 so wonderful,
Liz

Friday Inspiration: home pleasures & the year in review...

2011-12-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

Here we are again at the end of a busy and blessed year. I find this time of year to be the best time to stop and contemplate the pleasures that are found at home. Yes, I am a home-body and I enjoy simple activities such as sitting on the sofa in the evening with my love, or reading cook books and this is the best time of year to do these things...

However, as I am preparing to pause and spend some quality time with my family I also feel compelled to reflect on all that has occurred this year. It has been a year of gifts, activities, and new opportunities.

In 2011, I experienced the joy of finishing my first copy of a master's painting at the National Gallery of Art. And getting the opportunity to participate in several member exhibitions at the Salmagundi Club in New York and the reward of collectors choosing to purchase and live with those paintings.

This year was also a year where I grew as an artist and made some friends that led to the development of a new project that will debut in January 2012. I am so looking forward to sharing with you this new series, so please stay tuned for what is to come...

And by far the greatest addition this year was the birth of our daughter, Naomi, and all the new experiences that go along with being a new parent.

May your holidays be filled with laughter and enjoyment, and spiced up with love!

Thanks for making this year so wonderful, Liz

{Naomi is now five-months old!}

{some baby oriented presents under our tree}

{Slim next to a blooming amaryllis}

Still Life with Alstroemerias and Bottle {a small floral painting}

2011-12-14T20:17:00.003-05:00

Still Life with Alstroemerias and Bottle

{6" x 6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Please email me to purchase, contact[at]elizabethfloyd.com

Framed painting: $225.00 + S&H

Hello,

Here is another framed 6x6 inch painting. Sometimes it is important to see the paintings framed, so when I painted these still lifes I also had some frames assembled so I could see how they would look framed.

Still Life with Lemon, Aster, and Bottle {a new small painting}

2011-12-13T17:18:00.003-05:00

Still Life with Lemon, Aster, and Bottle

{6" x 6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Please email me to purchase, contact[at]elizabethfloyd.com

Framed painting: $225.00 + S&H if not local

Here is another framed 6" x 6" painting with a composition that has everything I love, reflections on glass, a floral element, and an ongoing challenge - the lemon. I find lemons to be particularly challenging because of the light value of the yellow, the rough texture of the peel, and the variations in color temperatures and the nuances of colors I see in the yellow rind, yellows tinted towards orange, green, blue, and purple... sometimes I go overboard when painting them and I lose the "gist" of the lemon.

With this painting I worked to simplify while also using the texture of the linen to emulate the rough surface of the rind.

Thanks for stopping by and reading,
Liz

PS, here is how it looks framed.

Still Life with Concord Grapes {a small painting}

2011-12-12T14:11:00.000-05:00

Still Life with Concord Grapes and Alstroemerias

{6" x 6" (15.2 x 15.2 cm) – oil on linen panel}
Framed Painting: SOLD

Hi there,

This is a small format I have been experimenting with this fall, square and where I paint the composition edge to edge in anticipation of framing it in a custom-sized frame where the painting floats on a black background. I think it presents a clean look that emphasizes the painting.

I like how the framed painting looks so much that I am incorporating this method with a new project starting in 2012. I am pretty excited about it and will share more soon!

Friday Inspiration: Books and Friends

2011-12-09T11:48:00.001-05:00

{a pile of books - either gifts or borrowed from friends}

Last week I shared with you how friends are a great source for inspiration. For me, books are often paired with friends because of the sharing, giving, and receiving of books that occurs.

One of my favorite joys in life is getting to read. One never knows where inspiration will come from, and I believe through reading I am able to gain insight beyond my experience or knowledge.

Before Naomi came into my life I would wake up an hour earlier than required so I could have uninterrupted time to read, now I am not so lucky, especially as I am always on the edge of being sleep deprived, but when I do get to read, a warm glow pervades my existence and I feel like all is well in the world.

Currently I have a stack of books that I have been looking through, Richard Schmidt's Alla Prima is the book I have been reading snippets from the most... it is borrowed, however I have decided to buy my own copy, and I am just waiting for it to arrive in the mail.

Pansies {a new small painting}

2011-12-07T14:11:00.004-05:00

Pansies

{6" x 5" (15.2 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Please email me to purchase, contact[at]elizabethfloyd.com

Unframed painting: $100.00 + S&H

Hello,

Do you have issues with deer helping themselves to your garden? Well, up until now we never had issues with them. Twice this fall I have purchased several flats of pansies with the intention of planting them and painting them. Unfortunately a young buck has moved into my neighborhood and has actually been helping himself to the buffet I call my garden.

These two flowers were all I could find when I went out to get some flowers to paint.

Yellow Mums {a new small painting}

2011-12-06T19:34:00.004-05:00

Yellow Mums

{4" x 6" (10.2 x 15.2 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Please email me to purchase, contact[at]elizabethfloyd.com

Unframed painting: $100.00 + S&H

It was late in the afternoon when I began this painting, so the light was coming in at a low angle, catching the glass rim with brillant highlights and the rest of the jar coming across as being very dark.

The mums were also mainly in shadow, however the shadows were glowing gold with the light filtering through the yellow petals.

Still Life with Yellow Mum {a new daily painting}

2011-12-05T17:23:00.002-05:00

Still Life with Yellow Mum and Green Bottle

7" x 5" (17.8 x 12.7 cm) – oil on linen panel}

Available for purchase via Etsy

Unframed painting: $100.00 starting bid + S&H

Hello,

It was a nice weekend and so far a busy Monday. Naomi is keeping me on my toes, which makes it difficult for me to focus on what I want to share with you about this painting... but here goes.

The painting was completed on a gray overcast day, with only natural light. On overcast days I find the light quality is particularly cool and blue, which slants all the color temperatures in the highlights and the shadows end up being on the warm side, but still with hints of blues, greens, and purples. This was the first time I began to perceive and understand this while painting, I feel certain future investigations on how gray days affect color quality will be pursued. So let the gray days continue and luckily we are entering winter, so I expect many more gray days will occur.

Have a wonderful evening, and thanks for stopping by,
Liz

Friday Inspiration: Friends

2011-12-02T16:06:00.005-05:00

{late afternoon at home}

Inspirtation comes to me from many places, though the most influential source for me are my friends.

Spending time with friends always inspires me to explore and move forward on whatever project I may be contemplating. Spending time together, chatting, and sharing books always opens the mind and enables new concepts that were just bits and pieces to coalesce into something complete and whole.

Our dining room table is currently strewn with books from friends and loved ones. I know I need to pick them up and clear the table, but I must admit I like seeing them there... it like having my friends with me right now with me.