"Off The Vine" (Fruit of the Vine series)

I've been so busy enjoying plein air painting that I haven't worked in my studio in over a month. But here is my first still life of the summer. I love these elongated horizontal formates and red grapes are one of my favorite challenges. Just as with the plein air pieces, I'm trying to find the right balance (for me) between abstract expressionism and classical realism. Hopefully I didn't make the grapes which are in the light too sparkly.
This palette knife oil painting is 10"x20" on gallery-wrapped oil prime linen, $995.

P.S. One of my large oil paintings was selected for the show called "ArtPrize." This international exhibition will be in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Several different venues will be hosting art work from around the world. The jurors are you, the public. Voting done mostly through Facebook, Twitter, etc with the grand prize of $250,000., wow! Stay tune for more info or go check out their website http://www.artprize.org/. The show opens mid September 2009.

"Fall Bounty"

This wasn't painted today but it is an alla prima oil painting made with a palette knife. A painting friend set up the still life and chose artifical lighting. It was fun and challenging to paint something arranged and lit out of my comfort-zone.

8"x10"

Oil on Linen

($190.)

"Red Bites"

I'm posting two paintings today because they are both demonstration pieces for two different classes covering similar information. (same cherry tomato too) In my work, it's important that my subject matter feels very 3-dimensional and has the appropriate sense of weight. I used the tomato to illustrate this as well as played with it's beautiful ripe red colors.

12"x12" Oil ($290.)

8"x8" Oil ($199.)

"Fresh Slice"

Yesterdays lemon wedges were still sitting out. The colors had changed so I thought I'd do one more study.

5"x7" Oil on Linen

($135.+$4. s/h)

www.hong-sammons.com

"Globos" www.hong-sammons.com

I went to the market looking for those large, round, midnight blue grapes. Unfortunately they were not available. So I focused my energy on this fat clump of red grapes using a palette knife once again.

20"x16" Oil ($375. +$10.s/h)

"Just Picked"

http://www.hong-sammons.com/
12"x12" Oil ($275. +$10 s/h)
on gallery-wrapped ready to hang canvas

I used a palette knife to convey that this tomatoe is so ripe it's skin is almost blistered.
Although this is another red study, the colors are generally warmer, almost orangey, than the reds in the paintings of red delicious apples.

"Red"

website: www.hong-sammons.com
12"x12" ($190. +$10s/h)
Oil on Linen
ready to hang, gallery-wrapped stretched canvas

Red is my favorite color, particularly the various hues found on a red delicious apple. This is painted with a palette knife to get the lushy color and meatiness of the fruit across.

"Just a Slice" (sold)

I love painting fruits and vegetables because their colors are so clean and intense. I think that's why I've been making them bigger than life and using a palette knife. The subjects feel like I need to paint them really gutsy.

9"x12"
Oil on Linen
website: www.hong-sammons.com

"Orange" (sold)

Really worked to make this orange feel 3-dimensional and get the colors just right.

8"x8" Oil Painting

"Off the Vine" (sold)

one more inspired by the "Huntington Hottie"

8"x8" Oil

"Fruit of the Vine" (sold)

Inspired by the "Huntington Hottie."
We spent the past few days renewing friendships in beautiful Minnesota. My friends homes inspired many new painting ideas. This oil painting was created with a pallete knife and larger than I normally would do for the "daily" piece series, 20"x16" Oil Sketch

"Red Dee-lish" (sold)

8"x8"
Oil on Linen
gallery-wrap ready to hang

"A Slice of Life"

One of my aims with today study was to get a feeling of the compact, dense, weight and form of this granny smith apple as well as express the simple and perfect beauty found in nature.

8"x8"
Oil on Linen
(Click Here To Bid)
gallery-wrapped, ready to hang

A Taste of Provence

This woman is a vendor at one of my favorite farmers markets here in Chicago. Her flair for color and confident stance compelled me to create several small oil paintings.
It was a fun challenge to describe her through her body language.

Oil Sketch

8"x6"
$99.