Miguel

Charcoal and White Chalk on Toned Paper

16 x 20

Paul

Oil on Panel

8 x 10

Finished portrait of Paul it took about eight additional sessions to finish the portrait from the previous posting of it as a work in process.

Velvet

Charcoal, Conte Crayon, and White Chalk on Toned Paper

16 x 20

Attended open portrait session at the Scottsdale Artist School and did this portrait last night. This is the second week that I have gone and it feels good to get back to the basics, drawing is such an important element in every painting. Starting with a good drawing is a giant step in executing a successful work of art whether it be painting or sculpting.

Nellie

Graphite on Paper

14 x 17

Portrait of Paul- WIP

Continuing to build on the values of the skin tones and scumbled the background with tones of raw umber, alizarin crimson and flake white. Also worked on some details around the eyes. A couple of more sessions and hopefully it will pull together. This small study will be a good reference to this portrait much larger.

Stage 2- Portrait of Paul

This is the second day of painting the portrait of Paul. Building up the under painting in thin layers, I began to lay in the shadows and mid tones as well as few selected light areas. I also began to define facial features, eyes, nose and mouth. In this stage my palette primarily consisted of yellow ochre, flesh ochre, raw umber and flake white.

Stage 1-Portrait of Paul

Oil on Board

8 x 10

I have begun a portrait of my son while visiting here in San Francisco. This is the initial drawing and lay in on a pre-toned board. The lay in is of four values using flesh ochre, raw umber and flake white. This is a new challenge for me as my portrait work till now has been very limited. Over the next year my plan is to use my family as models, willingly or not.

As a follow up to my last post, I attended the open figure drawing session at the studio of Sadie Jernigan Valeri and had a wonderful experience. All the attendees were very talented and very sharing which made for terrific evening. I am looking forward to going back next week, it had been a long time since I had done figure drawing and I felt a bit out of my element, but it was such a great experience that I look forward to doing it again. It was such a pleasure to meet Sadie, she is so talented and sharing and we learned that night that she had won First Place in the Still Life category of the ARC Salon Competition, for her painting, "Bottle Collection." What a terrific and well deserved accomplishment.

We have been on the road visiting our family in San Francisco, so have not had time to do much work. We did go to the John Pence Gallery and had an opportunity to see the new show. The work of Carl Dobsky is simply magnificent. I also had the opportunity to see the works of many of the fine artists from the Grand Central Academy, which were very impressive, especially the actual paintings of Jacob Collins one of my personal favorites. Seeing these works up close is an awe inspiring experience.

Tonight I am attending the open figure session at the studio of Sadie Jernigan Valeri, a wonderful contemporary realist painter. I am looking forward to both meeting Sadie as well as getting back to doing some work. Hopefully I will have something to post tomorrow.

Pink Turnips

Oil on board

8 x 10

Field Tulips

Oil on linen panel

11 x 14

Still Life With Plums

Oil on linen

11 x 14

Tonka Forever

Oil on Canvas

20 x 24

Yellow Truck-WIP

A couple of years ago I bought this Tonka truck at a flea market. At the time I didn't know why I wanted it, just thought it was kind of cool. Well it sat out on my patio doing nothing, gathering dust and a little rust, living quite a lonely existence. Last month when we moved out of our house, somehow the truck found it's way into the back of my crowded car and found a new home in my friend's studio. Well I decided that he deserved more than I had given him up to now and I placed him on a pedestal and began to immortalize him. I began the painting a few days ago and it is on a 20 x 24 stretched canvas, I am trying to capture every detail of this lovely guy in hope that he will forgive me for my past neglect and mistreatment.

Oranges on White Dish

Oil on Panel

16 x 16

It has been a very busy time for me, we recently moved and finding time to paint has been difficult. We are staying with good friends, Dick and Korky, and have the use of a beautiful new studio space, which has given me an opportunity to get back to work.

My husband finished a new website, which I am quite excited about. Please visit the site to see collections of my works.

http://mariatrapanifinearts.com/

Saxophonist-Preservation Hall

Oil on board

8 x 10

Another from our great evening at Preservation Hall. When we

arrived it was standing room only. The show was so wonderful

that we sat through a second set.