"Cupid's Choice" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

sold

Who can resist this heart-shaped donut with pink icing and heart sprinkles? It is also filled with gooey Bavarian cream. Not I. Evil Dunkin Donuts. There goes my diet!

Sweet Tooth Collage (oil)

 click here to buy a print

Do you remember these "sweet" paintings I did for my Pastry Pleasure" series in February?  They are back!  I used iPiccy.com site to create a much bigger file for large prints.  You can order a print as large as 36 x 36"!

This is it for now.  I am going to take a well-earned break for a week.  Do you know that I have been blogging every single day since January 14th!  When I come back, I will share the collage of my "Spring Fever" paintings and announce which painting I am going to give away.  Stay tuned!

Collage of My February Paintings

Collage of my "Pastry Pleasure" paintings

Wow!  What a delicious-looking collage!  Please tell me which painting is your favorite.

I tend to jump around in my choice of subject matters from day to day to stave off boredom and stay excited.  It has been a great learning experience to work on the "Pastry Pleasure" series.  Around the 12th painting, I felt bloated with pastry and seriously considered ending the series sooner, but thought better of it just to see if I could handle the "pastry fatigue."  I am glad that I saw it through.

I did learn a lesson or two from my first monthly challenge.  Having a theme for a month turned out to be one of the smartest ideas I have ever come up with.  By sticking to a theme, I really got to explore the subject in depth.  For one thing, you wouldn't believe how much I learned about painting texture, from powered sugar to chocolate glaze!  The results of my explorations are impressive too.  Even if some paintings are stronger than others, or vice versa, doesn't the whole collection look fabulous?

Twenty is, however, a lot of paintings!  From now on, I am going to limit myself to 16, or 12, or 9 paintings for my monthly challenge series, depending on how much time or material I have available during the month.  Staying focused is one thing; getting burned out is another!

I hope you enjoyed the ride.  Tomorrow I am going to announce the painting to be given away.  If you want to win a painting, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"Sprinkled Chocolate Donut" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

sold

This is my daughter's favorite donut.  Technically, it is a sprinkled and chocolate-glazed donut, but hey, that's a very long title!

If you want to win a painting from my "Pastry Pleasure" series, please sign in to follow my blog.  Thanks!

"Heart Jelly Donut" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

sold

I bought this heart-shaped jelly donut on the day before the Valentine's Day at Dunkin' Donuts.  When my husband saw it, his reaction was: "Hey, it's smaller than the usual round donut. I now have to eat three of these, not two!"

If you want to win a painting from my "Pastry Pleasure" series, please sign in to follow my blog. Thanks!

"Sexy Donut" (oil on linen; 4" x 5") sold

click here to buy a print

Can you resist this sexy donut?  I couldn't.

If you want to win a painting at the end of the month, please sign in to follow my blog. Thanks!

DPW Spotlight Interview with Kim Stenberg and a Painting Giveaway

The following is my interview with the Daily Paintworks Spotlight Interview.  I am very excited about it!  By the way, I am giving away "Morning after Snowfall."  If you have bought a painting on DPW in last 30 days, you are eligible for the giveaway.

DPW Spotlight Interview: Kim Stenberg

Each week we will spotlight a different DPW artist who will give away one of their best paintings. 

To enter to win Kim Stenberg's painting, "Morning After Snowfall," go to Daily Paintworksand click on the link at the top of the page announcing her interview.

From Kim's DPW Gallery page:

I received a PhD degree in British history at the University of Minnesota in 1993. Taking art classes turned out to be a life-changing decision and I have been using both sides of my brain ever since. I retired from teaching recently and now paint full time.

Tell us a bit about how you first started painting.

I had always admired people who could draw and paint. When I finally had leisure time after receiving my PhD, I checked out Betty Edwards's "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain," tried all the exercises, and realized I could draw! I got hooked. I started taking art classes at The Art League School in Alexandria, VA in 1994. The rest is history.

Morning After Snowfall
(click here to see original image)

Enter to win by clicking on the link at the top of the home page announcing Kim's interview.

Did you have any stops and starts in your painting career?

The only time when I didn't paint was when I had my daughter. For a year in 1999, I didn't paint. Obviously, it was tough for me to live without art! After years of hesitation and self doubt, I finally found courage to quit my job as a college professor in 2011. I now paint full time, living my dream.

Glory of Iris
(click here to see original image)

What mediums and genres have you experimented with? Which ones have "stuck" and which ones have fallen away? Which ones are you looking forward to exploring?

I first started out with colored pencil, as it seemed the easiest. It was, however, too time-consuming.  So I switched to watercolor, which many beginners choose somehow, thinking that it is easier than oil but isn't in reality. Anyhow I was successful as a watercolorist, received many awards, and was published in a book and magazines. Eventually, I fell like I hit the wall and decided to try acrylic, first on paper, then on canvas. My then art teacher told me that oil was easier than acrylic for the reason that the latter dries so fast that it makes blending difficult. So at a whim, I tried water-mixable oils about four years ago. That is when I found my true path! I am done exploring, although you never say never again. I have a brand new box of Holbein oil pastels lying around in my studio!  One of these days....

Many of your paintings have this wonderful, sun-washed glow to them. How are you capturing such a beautiful, but elusive quality?

Oh, thanks. As so many artists say, we are in the business of painting light. I can't say honestly how I do it. I guess I go for a subject with a strong sense of light and try to capture it as best as I can. I learned that, in order to paint light, I have to paint rich, luminous darks and mid-tones. Does that make sense?

Bishop's Garden at National Cathedral(click here to see original image)

What does procrastination look like for you? What techniques work to ensure that you make time for your art?:

How do I dawdle? Suddenly I feel like cleaning my studio! If I paint everyday, or almost everyday, painting becomes a routine. Then I don't dawdle. Besides, it's now my job. I have to show up.

How do you generally arrive at ideas for your paintings?:

I usually work from photographs, although I go outside to paint when the weather is too good to stay inside. I have a stack of pictures--mostly landscapes and florals. I go though them from time to time and set aside a pile of let say 10 pictures. When I come to my studio, which is at home, I pick one from the pile.  My decision depends partly on what kind of mood I am in and partly on how much time I have that day because some subjects require more time for drawing.  I don't spend hours trying to figure out what to paint. This also answers the above question of how to avoid procrastination. When you know what to paint and are excited about it, you are less likely to procrastinate.

Happiness of Donuts(click here to see original image)

How do you keep art "fresh?" What techniques have helped you avoid burnout and keep your work vibrant and engaging?:

They say that you have to find your brand, your niche. That is a good advice, but I would also argue that one has to have several interests so that you don't get bored or burned out. I paint landscapes, architecture, florals, still lifes, animals, and occasionally figures. I paint en plein air, I paint from life, I paint from photographic references. I paint snow, I paint water; I paint tulips in the garden, I paint peonies in a vase; I paint birds, I paint dogs. I go back and forth. This way, I avoid boredom. Boredom would be the death of a daily painter!

What do you feel you are learning about right now as an artist?:

Last year I took a still life class for a year, which taught me a lot about composition and color mixing. Through my own experimentation last year, I learned to use more paint in my work. I continue to learn to mix better grays, mid-tones, and clean bright colors. As long as I live, I will be aspiring to become a better painter.

Sunset Over Marshland
(click here to see original image)

What makes you happiest about your art?:

Selling my paintings give me a momentary pleasure. But ultimately, the act of painting makes me happy. I recently came down with shingles over the holidays, which put me out of commission for a couple of weeks. When I started painting again, I still had lingering pain. But while I was painting, I didn't feel any pain. How about that!

Thanks, Kim!

"Happiness of Donuts" (oil on canvas; 12" x 16")

click here to buy

Still life setup

I don't eat donuts.  Well, I eat them occasionally, but they are on the "forbidden food" list, which provokes guilt whenever I do.  I suspect that many of us are like me: I love donuts, but my waist line and cholesterol level cannot afford them. 

Last night, John Murray, my still life teacher at the Art League School, brought donuts as still life prop.  Smiles spread on our faces because we knew donuts meant good time.  Two students produced two terrific paintings; others, including myself, also did a decent job with our donut paintings.

On the way home, I thought about what happened in class and realized something important.  If you paint things that make you happy, you are more likely to be involved in the act of painting.  If the objects are enjoyed by many, you are more likely to sell them too!

"Royal Donut" (oil on linen; 6" x 8")

click here to buy

Is this how the royals are served a donut--in a silver compote?  By the way, the donut disappeared mysteriously soon after my daughter came home from school.  Luckily I was almost done with the painting!

"Donut Break" (oil on stretched canvas; 12" x 16")

click here to buy

Still life setup for "Doughnut Break"

"Blueberry Pie Party" (oil, 12" x 16")
sold

Last Thursday night, I was giddy with happiness.  I will tell you why.  In one of the last classes of the winter term, my teacher, John Murry, set up two very different still lifes: one with a blueberry pie and the other with donuts.  I got stuck with the pie, candles, and red colander and had to struggle with the painting, wondering why anybody would put a colander on a celebratory spread.  The lucky group with the donuts had fun, all producing expressive, yummy-looking paintings.  I was sore.

I had forgotten about the experience, having sold the blueberry painting and all, until I saw what John had brought for the class--donuts and more donuts!  He bought so many that he said the lady employee at the donut shop looked at him funny.  Well, we behaved and didn't touch any.  There were other things to eat after all.  The teacher kindly baked a peach cobbler for the class; a student brought a big bottle of wine and crackers.  It was the last class of the school year.  We have learned and grown much thanks to John.  Time to party!

"Donut Break" painted itself, really.  When you are excited about the subject, the hand holding a brush seems to dance on the canvas.  Look at the difference between the donut painting and the blueberry pie one.  The old painting appears restrained, whereas the new painting is brimming with expressive strokes.  The former looks correct, while the latter looks happy.  Which party would you rather go to?  Which dessert looks more appealing to you?  A donut, anyone?