Lucky Seven

Lucky Seven 16" x 20" Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas N/A
Be sure to click image to see bigger!

Same theme, another variation! I really like this one. You can't tell from the photo-but the paint is super thick and that adds a nice textural dimension.

Trio Tulips Suite of Two Paintings

Trio Tulips I & II each 12" x 12" Oil on Canvas Panel $595.

Be sure to click image to see bigger!
diane@dianehoeptner.com

More experimentation here. In other news, my husband and I adopted a pound kitty last night. Her name is Winnie. She is two years old and very sweet, but Coco and Layla are less than thrilled. We're keeping her separate for now.

Winter Tulips I & II

Winter Tulips I & II each 12" x 12" Oil on Canvas Panel N/A
Be sure to click image to see bigger!

diane@dianehoeptner.com

An Ebay offering + a note to subscribers

Tulips with Lime is the painting of the week, available for a low starting price and no reserve, click here to bid!

In other news, if you are a subscriber to this blog, this is the last entry you will receive for a while. My provider changed and I need to re-route your subscription... Sorry for the trouble, but please don't be a stranger, click on over and do leave a comment while you're at it.

Experimentation: Daisy Painting

Daisy Floaters 16" x 20" Oil on Canvas Panel NFS

Click image to see bigger.
diane@dianehoeptner.com

This is practice painting for a specific project. If anything actually comes of it, I'm sure I'll blab about here, later. Suffice it to say, it's experimental and there will probably more like it.

Iris Pair on Gray

Iris Pair on Gray 12" x 9" Oil on Canvas Panel $285.
Click image to see bigger.
diane@dianehoeptner.com

Here's a 12x9 iris painting. I'm enjoying the look of the colorful flowers against the duller gray backdrops. Plus that white bud vase, which is fun to paint everytime--as it basically just mimics whatever colors are around it. Will do more of these.

Art Business News Magazine: Pictures Gallery

The February issue of Art Business News magazine published a picture of R!chard Cihlar and me on the Pictures Gallery page! R!chard is an awesome collage artist & owner of The Pop Shop Gallery in Lakewood, OH. -- We are sitting in front of a few of my Pinocchio & SpongeBob paintings. I'm totally excited about the unexpected publicity, R!chard sent them the photo shortly after the show...

In related news, I was accepted into the Gawker Artists program. Gawker is a "Media Network" that serves as a sort of umbrella to several news and celebrity gossip sites. Sometimes, instead of posting advertising, they feature art "banners," with links to the artist profile and from there, links to the artist websites. I linked to this blog, because I figure it's more interesting than my general art website, which I don't update nearly enough.

Rolling Sunflowers, Suite of Three

Rolling Sunflowers, suite of three, each 22" x 22" Oil on Paper NFS

Be sure to click image for larger version.

diane@dianehoeptner.com

The first time I painted/blogged about this set of sunflower paintings was in August of 2008, here. This set has a more designer desired neutral background. ...and we love the designers, don't cha know.

A 22" x 22" Iris Painting

Cobalt Irises 22" x 22" Oil on Paper NFS

Click image to see bigger.
diane@dianehoeptner.com

If this painting looks familiar, you may have seen the smaller 6" x 6" daily version I posted. The small one was nice, but this 22" x 22" version has the added dimension of a deep red/maroon undertones in the background which I love. This painting is reserved for someone, but I'd be happy to paint it again! Contact me for more information.

Tulips on Gray

Tulips on Gray 16" x 20" Oil on Canvas Panel NFS

Click image to see bigger.

diane@dianehoeptner.com

It's 40 degrees here in beautiful Cleveland, OH. Most of the snow is melted and the sun is shining. Even Layla the cat ventured outside to sit under a bush and survey the backyard.

Available this Week on Ebay.

Ending this Sunday night: 4 paintings I've listed to Ebay. Each has a lower than usual starting price and no reserve.
Click here to bid.

Joint Venture Iris Painting

Joint Venture Irises 7" x 5" Oil on Canvas Panel N/A
Click image to see bigger.diane@dianehoeptner.com

Yes, it's another iris. But I think I actually made some progress on this one by focussing on values. Darks went in first and they stayed dark. I didn't get all discombobulated by color choices-- I seem to do better like that. Now I'll have to paint a few more-- Meanwhile, I am painting another 16x20, tulips. Hoping to finish it today.

More Merchandising.

I spent the morning photographing paintings in this "studio setting"--

Windy Day Irises

Windy Day Irises 7" x 5" Oil on Canvas Panel N/A

Click image to see bigger.

diane@dianehoeptner.com

Favorite Things Art Blog Award, Woohoo!

Thank you, Chris Beck for sending love this way! Chris maintains several interesting sites & she is a very talented watercolorist.

This award requires listing 7 favorite things, then passing it on to seven others. So, here goes:
1 the Sunday paper+the Beatles+strong coffee+bed 2 hot husband smiling because of something I said 3 a smooth landing airplane 4 my nephews 5 fresh picked red rasberries 6 a sharp, extra soft Ticonderoga pencil 7 having enough time

I "XO" the following art blogs:

Don Gray http://www.dailyartwest.com/ Don's paintings of barns and streams are brilliant. Be sure to check out his arty short videos of grazing cows and wind blown horizons. A highly worthwhile blog.

Robin Weiss http://inpleinair.blogspot.com/ If it's "difficult," Robin paints it. Winding roads at night, snow falling, snow covered fields and Birch trees, obscure back alleys with crazy puddles: He's been there and painted it...in style!
Lisa Palombo http://www.lisapalombo.com/ I wrote Lisa gushing fan mail a few years ago, before she had a blog. She paints dynamic & colorful floral still lifes. Take a close look at her brushwork, it's super fresh and bold, LOVE her stuff!
Tracy Helgeson http://worksbytracy.blogspot.com/ Most artists who read my blog are already familiar with Tracy. She's an artist's artist who shares everything with us: the victories, the sadness and all the minutia that makes an artist's life, we are grateful. Oh, and she paints freakin' awesome too. (:
Carol Marine http://carolmarine.blogspot.com/ Carol inspired me by example to start painting again and for that I am eternally grateful. Her still life paintings have a very rare, effortless ease to them. Her loose brushwork is the perfect compliment to her ultra modern color combinations. Carol could paint the phone book and it would look good.
Joan Breckwoldt http://joanbreckwoldt.blogspot.com/ I'm not objective about Joan because she's become a real friend. I think everything she does is amazing. And she does a lot: portraits, landscapes and lately she's painted some very interesting semi abstract figurative pieces. Joan shares her art making/selling experiences in a very generous & forthcoming manner as well. She's fab.
Aaron Lifferth http://www.aaronlifferth.blogspot.com/ I used to be indifferent to singer, Tom Waits, then one day I heard one of his songs for the 5th or 6th time and suddenly I couldn't get enough of Tom Waits. I "got it," I loved it and it felt like an awakening... I had a similar experience with the paintings of Aaron Lifferth, it took me a minute but now I can't get enough. nodp

Crayola Tulips for Linda

Crayola Tulips 20" x 16" Oil on Stretched Canvas SOLD

Click image to see bigger.

diane@dianehoeptner.com

I posted the 10x8 study for this painting several days ago. This is the completed and approved final, 20x16 painting. I'm very happy with it. I can't say enough nice things about the buyer. After purchasing a few of my small daily paintings, she asked me to paint some "crayola" pink flowers for her dining room. She didn't want a fussy flower. ...and besides the dimensions, I was free to do as I pleased. Um, can you say dream gig? That's my idea of a dream gig. I think she herself is an artist at heart-- and well, you know artists-at-heart make the world go 'round....

Painting flowers at this size for sure confirmed my desire to do more. I was also pleasantly surprised at how fun it is to paint on stretched canvas. I'm so used to my small hard canvas panels, I forgot how delightful it is to have a little "give" in the painting surface. ...a most pleasant experience. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Rainy Day Irises

Rainy Day Irises 7" x 5" Oil on Canvas Panel N/A

Click image to see bigger.

diane@dianehoeptner.com

Won't you be my friend? I've been wasting too much time having fun on Facebook. Internet friends are fun. If you don't mind me writing on your wall and looking at all your photos, click here and be my friend.

Iris on Celedon

Iris on Celedon 7" x 5" Oil on Canvas Panel $95.
Click image to see bigger.
diane@dianehoeptner.com

Yes, this week the iris is my focus, maybe next week too! I found 10 stems for a song at Trader Joe's, LOVE that place! I also stocked up on frozen strawberries & rasberries... There's nothing like a fruit smoothie to lift one's spirits during winter.

Dark Iris

Dark Iris 7" x 5" Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD

Click image to see bigger.diane@dianehoeptner.com

Irises are more fussy to paint than tulips. ...and that's all I have to say today. (:

I'll have another, please.

Nothing like a few vodka martinis on a Sunday afternoon, doh! This is one of 5 completed paintings-- larger versions of my favorite daily paintings. I took out the original turquoise background on this one and re-arranged the light pink flower to be more centered. The turquoise background adds a gem like quality to a 6x6 painting--but it looks almost garish on a 22" x 22" painting. The smaller painting is available in my Etsy store. nodp

Random Pondering and Bad Analogies

I'm still working on the 22 x 22 florals and another larger commission. Here's a drawing/painting from about 7 years ago... It's a combination of watercolor and Prismacolor pencils, 14 x 11 and signed in my maiden name, Cooper. When I moved "back home" to Ohio from Los Angeles, I gave it to a friend.

I like to think that what I'm doing with OILS is so different and so much grander than what I ever did with color pencils? It sure feels different. But I look at some of my old work and I realize I'm just picking up where I left off-- My subject choices, compositions and general sense of aesthetics hasn't changed. My ability to portray those things has certainly improved... Going from pencils to oils is like going from riding a bike through a pleasant forest to hopping onto the expressway in a lambourghini. Both journies are worthwhile, but the one I'm on now seems to be providing more scenery and getting me where I want to go a bit better.

Solo Tulip

Solo Tulip 7" x 5" Oil on Canvas Panel $95.

Click image to see bigger.

diane@dianehoeptner.com

Pink & Gray Painting of Tulips

Pink & Gray 6" x 6" Oil on Canvas Panel SOLD

Click image to see bigger.

diane@dianehoeptner.com

A postscript to my last entry: My Mother confirmed my initial impression that the portrait wasn't our beloved nephew/Grandson... It's close, but it ain't him. I WILL try him again, but for today I'm back on the Tulip Train. Toot, toot!