Hi everyone,

I just launched my new blog name today -- www.nancyrobertsstudio.blogspot.com.  That's where I'll be posting from now on, so check it out!  Cheers!  Nancy

Solo exhibit highlights

"Harmonia," acrylic on canvas, 36" x 48"

"Otello," acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18"

These large flower paintings are part of my current solo exhibit at CR Framing and Gallery in Brentwood. In this series I challenged myself to simplify and stylize the complex flower shapes, zooming in and cropping for dramatic design.  I love the beautiful clusters of tiny shapes in the centers of the flowers and the lacy, radiating pattern of negative spaces.  For harmony I limited my colors to a rich, cool palette.

If you haven't been to my show, please check it out!  It's a large collection of my oil, acrylic and pastel paintings with subjects ranging from landscapes and cityscapes to tools, trucks, toys and flowers. The exhibit runs through May 16 at CR Framing and Gallery, 700 Harvest Park Drive in Brentwood, California.  The gallery is open Monday through Friday 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday 10 am to 3 pm.

Froggy in the spotlight

"Froggy Steps Out," acrylic on canvas, 20" x 16"

Here's a new one in my series of vintage toys.  This cute guy is a Rempel rubber squeak-toy from the 1950's or so.  I just love his perky personality and jaunty pose!

New Sketches of Susan Monson

Susan Monson -- actress and model extraordinaire -- brought her amazing creative energy to the figure group at CR Framing this week with two new characters.  Femme-fatale Artemis was decked out in a slinky leather body-suit and armed with two (toy) guns.  "The" is a character primping and practicing for a big audition, dressed to the nines in a shiny mini-dress, blue feather boa and shocking pink wig.  It's fun to see Susan morph into these characters and inhabit them, and it's a real treat to draw her.

"Artemis"
charcoal and pastel on brown paper

"THE Auditions"
charcoal and pastel on brown paper

"THE Prepares for her Audition"
charcoal and pastel on brown paper







Hunny's Bunny

"Hunny with Fans", acrylic on canvas

"Hunny and Basil", acrylic on canvas

Hunny Bunny (Christina Lowery) delighted us by bringing her bunny, Basil, to the figure group.  Turns out Basil is a natural.  Next stop -- Project Runway!  Sketched at Peterson Studios, January 28, 2013.

Blue Princess



"Princess, Kneeling Pose", acrylic on canvas



"Princess, Seated Pose", acrylic on canvas



"Princess, Standing Pose", acrylic on canvas

 

This beautiful model's name is Princess Adoness.  Her outfit was an amazing combination of leather, spandex and spikes -- so interesting and challenging to draw!  Sketched at the figure group at CR Framing, January 21, 2013.

Pig Reflects

"Pig Reflects", oil on canvas, 12" x 12"
Created December 30, 2012.

Year's end, a good time for quiet reflection.  Cheers, everyone!

Rubber Bunny

"Rubber Bunny", acrylic on canvas, 20" x 16"
December 16, 2012

I love this vintage bunny's personality and his wonderful sculptural quality.  I just recently discovered the amazing artist J.C. Leyendecker, and I was inspired by his style as I painted this.  There's a great exhibit of Leyendecker's work at the Haggin Museum in Stockton going on right now -- I highly recommend it!

Creamer and Apple Slices

"Creamer and Apple Slices", oil on canvas, 12" x 9"
December 6, 2012

Here's another step in my quest to paint a little more realistically, without losing my own quirky vision.  I hope you like it!

Minx

"Minx, Seated Pose", acrylic on canvas panel, 11" x 14"
December 3, 2012

"Minx, Horizontal", acrylic on canvas panel, 8" x 16"
December 3, 2012



Our model at the figure sketching group this week was Susan Monson, a beautiful actress and creative spirit.  Susan invented three characters for us, complete with elaborate costumes and personalities that inspired her poses.  This character is "Minx", a voluptuous platinum blonde all decked out in bright red lace, satin and feathers.  Our fearless leader, Big Al Lopez, invited a fantastic jazz group to serenade us and the evening was pure fun!

Vaudie

"Vaudie", acrylic on canvas panel, 12" x 16"
November 26, 2012

Our model at Lynn Peterson's studio this week was Vaudie VaVoom, a beautiful dancer and actress.  She fell into this lovely Odalisque pose that was a joy to paint.

Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser Painting

"White Star on White", oil on canvas panel, 7" x 5"
November 13, 2012

Here's a new one in my "White Star" series, this time a study in white-on-white. It was a joy the find all of the beautiful pastel colors reflecting in the star's facets.

This painting is available at a special starting auction bid of $35 on Daily Paintworks.  As part of their Hurricane Sandy fundraiser I plan to donate 100% of the final sale price to the American Red Cross's Disaster Relief Fund.  Click here for auction details.



My Little Piggy

"My Little Piggy", Oil on Canvas, 6" x 6"
October 23, 2012

This was inspired by the "Paint Your Pig" challenge on Daily Paintworks. My pig is fun and functional -- he's a tape measure! It seemed like he needed a little pedestal to sit on so I posed him on a palette cup.

 

Available at a special auction price on Daily Paintworks.  Click here for details.

Musetta

"Musetta", oil on canvas 7" x 5"
October 10, 2012

I've loved trolls ever since I was a kid.  This little cutie belonged to my Mom and now she sits on a shelf in my studio, inspiring me and cheering me on as I paint.  I named her Musetta because she's my muse.

Bamboo Puzzle

"Bamboo Puzzle", oil on canvas 7" x 5"
September 22, 2012

I love wooden burr puzzles -- so fun to draw!  This one looks like a three-dimensional asterisk.

Available for a special auction price at Daily Paintworks.  Click here for more information.

Star Two

"White Star on Turquoise", Oil on Canvas 7" x 5"
September 14, 2012

Here's my second take on the White Star theme using one of my favorite color combinations.  I love how the turquoise and yellow mingle into silvery gray-greens in the half-tones.

Available at a special auction price on Daily Paintworks.  Click here for details.

White Star

"White Star on Magenta", Oil on Canvas 7" x 5"
September 11, 2012

I love the way reflected color bounces around on the facets of this little white ceramic star.  Here I placed it on a magenta ground with bright, warm lighting.  The blueness is sky light coming from my studio window.  I've started a series with this star exploring different color combinations.  Look for more posts coming soon!

Available for a special auction price on Daily Paintworks.  Click here for details.

Cuties







"Cuties", oil on canvas 5" x 7", September 9, 2012





Here I challenged myself to see all of the subtle color and value shifts in a shiny black plate.  I especially liked how the red-orange of the background mingled with the blue ambient light in my studio to create some unexpected notes of red-violet.  This one was a joy to paint!


Available at a special auction price on Daily Paintworks.  Click here for more information.

Blue Lightbulb







"Handy and Blue Bulb", acrylic on canvas, 24" x 8", 9/7/12



This painting was inspired by the "Lightbulb" challenge on Daily Paintworks.  I use colored light bulbs a lot in my classes to show students the amazing variety of shadow color and temperature.  Many students comment that before my demonstration they thought all shadows were gray.  It's so wonderful to open people's eyes to the beauty of light and color!  Here I decided to make the bulb itself the star.

Available at a special auction price -- if you're interested click http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/73656

Still, life

"Pear Study", oil on canvas 6" x 6", 8/30/12

So tempting, with pears, to give your painting a "punny" title, especially when it's a pair of pears.  But I thought I'd spare you!