Fields of Gold

Fields of Gold, 8 x 12" Oil pastel on paper ©2010, Helen Read  

 

This painting is perhaps a vision of longing ... for home in the southwest - when for just a short while in the spring time, there is a wash of bright color! Wild flowers blooming profusely, unabashedly - as if in a joyful celebration of the warmth of spring! Here I've shown the beautiful yellow of spring time wild flowers blooming in a field with mesquite trees. To really get the feeling right, there needs to be a smell of sage wafting through the air too - but, I haven't figured out how to include that in a blog!

Snowing again!

Icy River Bank, 11 x 14" Oil on canvas
©2009, Helen Read
Ready to frame
 SOLD

Please email me for more information on purchasing this painting:

studio_upstairs@hotmail.com

Snowscape, 8x8" Oil on canvas
©2008, Helen Read
Sold

 

The weather forecast calls for 8 - 10" of snow again this evening. I heard one forecast that called for 12". In recognition of all the snow we've gotten this year, I'm posting 2 snowscape paintings that I completed in the past year or so. I'm looking forward to spring!

Orchid in Green

Orchid in Green, 7 x 10" watercolor on paper ©2010, Helen Read 

 

This little green orchid caught my eye because it was so green, except (of course) for the pinkish and burgundy interior. What became more evident to me, though, was that as it got a little older - it took me awhile to get the painting completed - the edges of the green petals began to take on a little tinge of pink. Water color is always an interesting medium in which to work. The colors are not as intense ... but it is a good exercise for me as an artist to work in a medium that isn't my most common one! It requires me to think and observe on a different level.... which is good for artistic discipline!

Sunlit Leaf

Sunlit Leaf, 8x8" Oil on canvas
©2010, Helen Read
$120.00

My work on this canvas seems to be complete. It is painted around the sides and so framing is not necessary. However, it may not be in its final form. I'm interested in mounting it to a panel behind it and continuing the painting of the leaves all pushed back into shadow... leaving this one protruding both physically and visually. That, of course, will require a little more work and some construction as well!

For now, here it is .... I really like the back lit effect, even though it really was just how the sun penetrated this leaf. It wasn't really back lit!

Abstract shadows - the work continues

My progress is continuing here. I've defined the shadowed areas a bit more and also the areas where the light shines through the leaf almost transparently! The background, as you can see is still almost untouched. Its coming along ... perhaps slowly due to extra work at work all week, and those long hours producing a state of exhaustion throughout the week!! I have some ideas that I still hope to pursue with this, to make it something a little out of the ordinary. We'll see if those ideas take shape as I've imagined them.

Valentines Day is Coming!!

Strawberry/Valentine Note cards
Set of 10 cards (2 designs) with envelopes - blank inside
 

Strawberry Bowl, 6x6" Oil on canvas
©2008, Helen Read
 SOLD

Just in time for Valentine's Day - note cards, which make a great gift as a set, or to send a special note! Or - as a year round reminder a small painting of luscious red strawberries in a heart shaped bowl! A memorable reminder of a happy day!

Just a start on the next thing!

Well, this is barely a start - but its been a slow start and thus awhile since I've posted anything. I'm not sitting idle, just so you know! This comes from a reference picture I took in the late fall of a bed of Hosta leaves. The thing that caught my attention was the amazing (and very abstract) shapes of the shadows on the leaf! I am hoping I can capture that and transmit how it captivated my attention to you!

Here's the start of it! It was such a beautiful display ..... even though the subject matter is completely familiar, it actually becomes a very abstract work!

Auction for Relief in Haiti - Red Poppies

Red Poppies, 8x8" Oil on canvas w/Gold Leaf
©2008, Helen Rea d
Gallery Wrapped, painted around the sides

SOLD!
This painting has helped raise money to help with the relief efforts in
Haiti.

All profits from the sale of this painting will be donated for
Relief in Haiti - through World Vision.
Now is a great time to help our neighbors who are suffering injury, homelessness,
and devastating personal loss from the earthquake a few days ago.
This auction is a wonderful way to acquire an original painting for your home,
and to know that you've contributed to the care of those who are deeply in need!

Green Ribbons

Ribbons of Green, 11.5 x 8.5 colored pencil on black drawing paper
©2010, Helen Read

Here is the same idea as the previous post... but, this time, done in greens. The shapes and linear aspects of it continue to intrigue me as well as the wonderful colors that are possible using prismacolor pencils, which have great qualities of mixing.

Ribbons of Blue

Ribbons of Blue, approx 9 x 11.5" Colored Pencil on Black Paper
©2010, Helen Read

This drawing came out of a classroom assignment I have given my students. Their assignment wasn't this ... but it did bring to my mind this! I was intrigued by the idea of ribbons interwoven and knotted and how they would reflect light and shadow. Plus their undulating shapes and lines are ... well, interesting!

The paper is smooth, black drawing paper - about 180#. And, the colored pencils are Prismacolor.

A look at other media

From time to time, I depart from my typical oil paintings and work with watercolor and/or acrylic used as watercolor. Its a different experience from start to finish, but the results are quite nice!

Yellow Halo, 7.5 x 11" watercolor on paper ©2008, Helen C Read White Hosta - 7 x 8" watercolor on paper ©2008, Helen C Read

Purple Kale, 7 x 10" watercolor on paper ©2008, Helen C Read 

 

Working in new ways is good for the artistic spirit! 2010 will be a year to try new things and to see what kinds of new creativity occurs! Happy New Year to you! May it be a year of new experiences and new kinds of creativity!

Pink Poinsettia

Pink Poinsettias, 8 5/8 x 12 3/4" Watercolor/acrylic on 300# paper
©2009, Helen Read
Ready to mat and frame

SOLD

It is hard to believe that 2009 is on its way out today! It has been a year of continued artistic growth for me.... That's a good thing. No growth equals stagnation. Stagnation has no place in the life of an artist. This year I've focused a little more on landscapes than in previous years, which has been enjoyable. Of course, I've continued working with botanical subjects as well.
The one above is such an example.

What lies in the year ahead? We can only guess. But for me - continued artistic growth is important as well as reaching out to those who stumble across my work and those who watch it regularly. I hope, if you haven't done so yet - you will join my mailing list! There you receive monthly (or so) updates from me with interesting tidbits about the world of art. And when I offer freebies you are the first to know! The sign up box is on the right side of my blog!
(your information is kept perfectly secure!)

On a personal level in 2010 there is much I want to press on toward. Of highest importance, really, is my ability to see the hand of God working in my life more clearly, depend on him more fully, and learn to communicate with him more deeply. That, however, is not a 1 year goal... it is a goal for a lifetime. I have learned (and continue to learn) that He is our only and real source of security! I hope in the year ahead, you may find this to be true as well!
Happy New Year, friends near and far! May 2010 be a year you take great happiness in!

More of the Year in Review

One of the highlights of my year (2009) was the solo exhibit I did for my church's 50th anniversary. It focused on botanicals as its subject matter - but included artist's notes. The title of the exhibit was Lessons from Matthew 6, and my goal was to show how God, who cares for the lilies of the field, is also dependable to take care of his much greater creation - his children!

To see these paintings more individually, please visit my website!

More of the Year in Review

Old Oak, 6x8" Oil on canvas ©2009, Helen Read  

SOLD

Many times this year, I found myself exploring landscapes... sometimes more distant, as seen in some earlier works I've posted, and sometimes much more close up. Trees are always an interesting subject matter... because, I think, of their uniqueness and often their very sculptural qualities. Some of them just have very noticeable "personalities" which almost need a portraiture approach! This particular tree is very indicative of my southwestern roots - roots that still grow very deep in my heart, even though I live in the northern mid-west at present!