A Bee's Eye View - Iris Painting

I'm back after a wonderful holiday weekend. With the excitement of having a daughter get married, my other daughter home for the festivities, visiting new in-laws and the threat of tornados on Sunday it was a fun and exciting weekend and things have settled
back into a routine.

Painting-wise, I have to admit lately it's been one of those slumps where nothing really seems to inspire me. It happens, I know it will pass and in the meantime I always scratch my head and go "Huh?" It might be time to explore new directions or maybe I've just had a few distractions lately.

In the meantime I did this from a photo I took in the gardens at Loring Park after my daughter's wedding. (Which was really wonderful and proof that it doesn't take a large ceremony for a memorable wedding - just a lot of love and joy)...back to the painting...I think this really almost has an abstract quality to it. I can't say it's my favorite but I did have fun painting it and I do love the process of pushing and pulling that paint around getting that thick juicy paint texture.
Hope your weekend was as exciting as mine.

A Bee's Eye View
6x8 oil on canvas panel
$145
Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing.

Thanks for your visit.

©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.

Baker's Park Swan Refuge Plein Air

This painting is another plein air at the swan refuge in Bakers park. I'm looking forward to getting out again soon. Hopefully Sunday or Monday. (love these long holiday weekends!)

It's a busy week in my household. My youngest daughter is getting married on Friday - a low key, courthouse wedding with plans for a more traditional celebration next year since her fiance is in the marines and has a somewhat restricted schedule.

So not much painting and posting for the next few days - I'll be a bit busy.

Bakers Park Swan Refuge
6x8 oil on canvas panel
$140
Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing.

Thanks for your visit!

©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.

Flowering Crab Apple - Plein Air Painting

This one is from my backyard. With the late arrival of spring in this area, the crabapples are finally in full bloom and I had to take time to paint it before it goes away.

FLowering Crab Apple
6x8 oil on canvas panel
$140
Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing.


Thanks for visiting.
©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.

Tin Can Building - Plein air painting

What a beautiful day. We went painting again today and found an area with a trail that led back to a swan refuge. Kris decided to stick on the trail and paint a little creek going through the woods and I went on to the lake. As I painted this little building I was serenaded by a multitude of geese and the occasional trumpets of the swans. I'm not sure if they were just bothered by my presence and letting me know or if it was mating season - I think it was the latter, at least for the swans. I had never heard the song of the Trumpeter Swan before - they really do sound like a trumpet. Who knew?
Awesome day.

Tin Can Building
6x8 oil on canvas panel
$100

Thanks for visiting!

©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.

Fairy Princess - Fairy Art for children

This little fairy painting was inspired by a picture of my niece's daughter who insisted on having her picture taken in her fairy costume - not just a snapshot taken by Mom - but by a professional photographer. She is 100 percent little girl and she makes an adorable fairy.
This would make a perfect painting for a little girls room don't you think?

Fairy Princess
16 x 8 oil on canvas panel
$235

Thanks for visiting!
©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.

A case of the "Uns"

My postings have been a bit spread out lately. So much so, that one of my wonderful online friends - Neda Doany of Papiers Colles
emailed me to ask if I was okay. It's nice to know I've been missed.

Another friend pointed out that I seem have a case of the "Uns"...Un-inspired, Un- motivated...Un-derwhelmed...those periods of feeling a bit stuck in limbo. It happens, but you just have to go with it and know it will pass. In the meantime I'm just going with the theory that this a time of rejuvenation and it will all kick into gear soon.

Painting of the Day is....

"Another Little Sunflower"
6x6 oil on stretched canvas
$100

Thanks for your visit!
©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.

Il Girasole - An Italian Sunflower

I love painting sunflowers. There is really something very free about it for me. I am also one to look at the symbolism in our lives. I wondered at this fascination with
sunflowers since I started painting because I didn't really feel strongly drawn to them before.

A friend told me that the things we surround ourselves with are reflections of our inner self and to look around me to see what my house says about me. As I looked I had to laugh and dubbed myself Nature Queen. (go figure) Everything around me is symbolic of nature and I also observed a table with a sunflower I painted years ago and a mosaic mirror in the the shape and colors of one. So I guess it isn't new for me I just hadn't paid attention.

Curious about its symbolism I found these tidbits...

The sunflower's turning as it follows the sun symbolizes deep loyalty and constancy. It is said that if a girl puts three sunflower seeds down her back, she will marry the first boy she meets. The Chinese hold the sunflower as a symbol of longevity. Incan priestesses wore large sunflower disks made of gold on their garments. In the Andes mountains, images of sunflowers were hammered into gold and placed in temples. Sunflower seeds were a sacred food to the Plains Indians in the prairie regions of North America. They placed bowls filled with sunflower seeds on the graves of their dead to nourish them on the long journey to the "Happy Hunting Grounds."

My dream book says it specifically symbolizes spiritual joy. Maybe that's why I love painting them so much.

This one is named in Italian - which I am struggling to learn. Good thing I looked it up because my guess was way off.

Il Girasole
11x14 Oil on Canvas

SOLD

Thanks for your visit.

©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.

The Old Grey Barn - Sunday Plein Air

Sunday was such a great day. One of those days when you know you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing. Another artist and I discovered a studio tour in our neck of the woods and decided to check it out since we've been talking about trying to get one of our own going. So we decided to check it out and go painting afterwards. We met so many great artists all practically in our backyard and talked to the organizer and will probably join the tour next year. Why re-invent the wheel? Right? As most artists know we all feel like we are working in a vacuum at times and I'm hoping to get something put together where we can all meet on a regular basis and share our work and stories.
After the tour we ran to my friend's house, checked out the progress on her house remodel (I'm trying to get them to adopt me - it's so gorgeous)had some lunch on the deck and headed down the road to paint. It's been a cold spring and everything is about 3 weeks behind so there isn't a lot of color yet except the surreal green of the grass.
We set up in the ditch next to the road with a view of the barn and painted away while we discussed life and art. Fabulous!

The Old Grey Barn
6x8 Oil on canvas
Unframed
$145 plus $12 SH
Please contact me if you are interested in purchasing.


Thanks for your visit!
©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.

No Pie For This Guy

The other day while driving to work I started thinking of blackbirds. Then of course four and twenty blackbirds, bye bye blackbird and on and on. This image came to mind and I had to paint it. This guy was too smart to get stuck in a pie so....
No Pie For This Guy
10 x 10 oil on canvas
unframed
$245.00

Please contact me if interested in purchasing.
Thanks for your visit.

©2008 Deb Kirkeeide. All rights reserved.