Teeny, tiny minis. They all are painted from photos I took while painting en plein air. I like to have these on hand for purchase anytime I sell in person. They are easy for people to grab for a corner in their home, to liven up their cubicle at work or to slip into a padded envelope to mail to a friend.
My show is up in the upstair gallery at Rapp’s Brewering Co. in Mountain Home, Arkansas. This is a fabulous space with a gallery hanging system installed to feature local artists. I am grateful for the opportunity to show here. It is a super popular restaurant for locals and tourists alike.
I received my first oil painting set when I was 15. I had been taking art classes in high school and learned how to build the frame and stretch the canvas. Then of course I had to prime it. The inexpensive way we did that in the class was with white house paint after it had been wet and dried to get the wrinkles out. Those were the times when exterior paint had lead in it. Not exactly what I would want to use now.
Thankfully gesso is reasonably priced now and there are also plenty of options for commercially prepared canvases. There are primed stretched canvases, primed canvas boards, canvas or linen covered panels, primed birch panels and unprimed birch panels. If you aren’t a traditionalist there are lots of choices for you now.
It’s been so long since I paid any attention to my website! So it is like this upcycled blank travel palette. Ready to fill up with paint. Starting out clean and organized. Soon to be used and messy. I’ll be starting a gallery page with just my paintings so stay tuned.
I haven’t been doing any new textile art quilts while I’ve been quiet. Most of my time has been devoted to plein air painting. So if you are a fan of my textile art, please stick around! I hope you will become a fan of my paintings, too.
A few days at the White River State Park was the perfect time to start working with pastels. I am rusty and working on techniques. I took a limited palette of pastels and a cheap-o easel. Boy was the easel a mistake, way too light weight to be useful. But that’s why I do try outs, to see what works and what doesn’t.
These are all small pastel sketches of scenes around our campsite in Chance the Chinook.
JP Dawes Contemporary Artist 