First Signs of Spring - Oil painting of Tulips

First Signs of Spring

9 x 12 Oil

©2012 Deb Kirkeeide
Sold

This should have been posted in a more timely manner and we are almost to summer!
My coworker came up to me the other day and said to "Get painting! You haven't posted since March!" Where does the time go?

This has been a crazy 6 months with all the disruptions in my house. Just when I was thinking everything was done I decided to put new flooring in my studio space, which then led to some
custom built storage and of course painting all the walls. But it is done and I'm moved back in
and getting things in place. It was worth all the disruptions and having everything moved into other parts of the house.

Here are a few pics of the space. My favorite part is all that storage. I'm still working on new lighting
but that will have to wait awhile.

'Library' area - next up a nice comfy chair

Storage, Storage Storage

as you can see there are a few new things on the easels

Desk

Barn Owl original oil painting by Deb Kirkeeide

"Barn Owl"

8 x 10 Oil

©2012 Deb Kirkeeide

I love these birds! They're so beautiful. Unfortunately their territory doesn't include Minnesota and I discovered him at an aviary in Salt Lake City last year.

Purchase here.

March in French Park - Plein Aire landscape painitng

March in the Park

9x12 Oil

©2012 Deb Kirkeeide

My first plein air outing  of the year. We have been having an unusually warm and early spring here. Last year this time this scene would have been frozen with a couple feet of snow.

Saturday was our monthly Outdoor Painters of Minnesota paint out. This location is at French Regional Park. The morning was very misty and grey but I found it to be a good study in greys and really enjoyed being out again communing with nature and the occasional passerby. The perfect way to spend the day.

I painted from the same spot last year in June.  Obviously a much different color palette!

Purchase March in the Park here.

Benji _Portrait of a Dog

Benji

6x8 Oil on Linen

©2012 Deb Kirkeeide

This little guy is a commission I recently finished. He's such an adorable little dog.

Obviously I haven't posted in quite some time. Wow! Time flies when you have a flood in your basement! Living in a hotel for 2 weeks put a real real detour in the life's happy little schedule of events. Though it happened over a month ago it, I'm just now getting back into the swing of things. I've really missed painting. And having my house back to normal. So, in between Home Depot runs to pick out fixtures and paint and tile... I'm hoping to get art back into my life.

And well, my trips have not been limited to just Home Depot - I did throw in a few days in for a trip to sunny California to celebrate my daughter's birthday. A nice little break.

If you have a special pet you would like a painting of I would love to do this for you. For more information please contact me or go here.

 

"Black As Night. Raven's Flight."

"Black As Night. Raven's Flight."

18 x 18 Oil

©2012 Deb Kirkeeide

Happy New Year everyone! I hope this year fulfills every hope, dream and promise for you.

I certainly didn't mean to be away this long, it amazes me how time gets filled with so many things. Maybe I just have too many things in the works! This and a couple other paintngs have been in the works for some time and have gone through several evolutions, one reason they have taken so long I suppose.

I was looking at this painting and a few of my other bird paintings and noticed many are all flying in the same direction. Interesting. (I wonder where they are all going?) But it reminded me of a comment one of my previous employers made many years ago "complaining" that all my animals were left handed.

I hadn't realized animals were left or right handed. 

Apparently being left handed myself, the drawings faced the wrong direction for their purpose of becoming a novelty brooch that you would be wearing, which evidently etiquette calls for wearing

on your right side. I think that is discrimination against all of us left handers!

If interested in this painting please email me at kirkeeide@mac.com

Thanks!

a spot of color

After the Rains

15 x 30 Oil
SOLD

 This is a larger version of a plein air study I did earlier this summer. Always a challenge for me, painting on such a large scale. I've been working on this all summer, adding, subtracting, changing approaches - more or less experimenting and ending up painting it all with a knife. It's not quite the vision I had in my head - but it feels very peaceful to me in all it's muted tones. I remember that day out painting plein air with Outdoor Painters of Minnesota (OPM). Early morning, after a night of rain, the air heavy with moisture and the good company of fellow painters.

And speaking of OPM....for all of you local people looking for an art filled evening, we are having our opening reception on Saturday the 12th at The Frameworks Gallery in St Paul. Hope to see you there!

Swan Study

Swan Study

6x6 oil  SOLD
©2011 Deb Kirkeeide

Wow, I guess it's been a while since I posted. It's been a busy month with lots of great things going on. I finished up this year's Motion Poem animation, which I'll try to post in the next day or two.

I've also been asked to animate another piece for Blank on Blank interviews. This one will be fun and I'm excited about this one. More about that later. I also will have one of my raven paintings gracing the cover of a book of poetry being published next year. Lots of things happening! 

And I've managed to get some painting done as well.  This little one is a study for a larger one coming up. Hopefully soon.