Antique Marbles No. 15

(click image for larger view)

"Antique Marbles No. 15"
Oil on panel, 1.75 x 1.75 inches (5 x 5 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 cm)
$85 + shipping

Purchase Information

Several years ago I purchased a set of antique marbles, and have been painting them ever since. It's a great subject for me, with an endless variety of colors, reflections, and highlights.

I'm really happy to offer this tiny painting for your collection. And yes, I mean tiny. It's under 2 x 2 inches, or about the same size as a large postage stamp. It's framed as shown below, with the outer dimensions of the frame being 6 x 6 inches - ideal for that small wall area you don't quite know what to do with.

This is the perfect opportunity to own one of my original paintings for less than $100! Purchase information is here.

Glass Cruet No. 2

"Glass Cruet No. 2", 2007
Oil on panel, 6 x 8 inches (15 x 20 cm), framing optional
$250 $150 + shipping

Purchasing Options

With Gold Leaf Frame $185.00 With Black Frame $185.00 With Mocha Frame $185.00 Unframed $150.00

This painting is really a study of the highlights, reflections, and refractions that show up when a piece of brightly lit glass is placed against a dark background. These kinds of optical effects fascinate me to no end.

"Glass Cruet No. 2" is one of the few remaining paintings I have from 2009 and before.  Rather than leaving it in my studio, I'd prefer that it be enjoyed by a collector, so I'm offering it at a special price.  To see the handful of other earlier pieces that are also available, please visit my Special Offers Page. 

Several framing options are available for this painting; please select from the drop-down list below the "Buy It Now" button. To see the options, please visit this page.

Fragment: Orange on a Pedestal

(click image for larger view)

"Fragment: Orange on a Pedestal"
Oil on panel, 2 x 0.5 inches (5 x 1 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 7 x 5 inches (18 x 12 cm)
$85 + shipping

Purchase Information

HINT: The Holidays are coming!

It isn't really a pedestal - it's simply some silk fabric wrapped around a brick, tied up with twine.  But somehow it gives it a monumental feel, even on such a small scale.

I'm really happy to offer this tiny painting for your collection. And yes, I mean tiny. It's 2 x 0.5 inches, or about the same area as a postage stamp. It's framed as shown below, with the outer dimensions of the frame being 7 x 5 inches - ideal for that small wall area you don't quite know what to do with.

This is the perfect opportunity to own one of my original paintings for less than $100! Purchase information is here.

Fragment: Glass and Red Bowl No. 2

"Fragment: Glass and Red Bowl No. 2", 2009
Oil on panel, 2.5 x 3.5 inches (6 x 9 cm), framing optional
$125 $95 + shipping

Purchasing Options

With Gold Leaf Frame $125.00 With Black Frame $125.00 With Mocha Frame $125.00 Unframed $95.00

A few years ago I became really interested in compositions that were fragments of bigger designs, cropped in unusual ways. It hasn't really figured into much of my painting lately, but I love the idea and the results, such as this piece. I also fully expect I'll experiment more with it in the future.

"Fragment: Glass and Red Bowl No. 2" is one of the few remaining paintings I have from 2009 and before.  Rather than leaving it in my studio, I'd prefer that it be enjoyed by a collector, so I'm offering it at a special price.  To see the handful of other earlier pieces that are also available, please visit my Special Offers Page. 

Several framing options are available for this painting; please select from the drop-down list below the "Buy It Now" button. To see the options, please visit this page.

In Progress

There's still a lot of work to do on this one, but it's pretty clear what's going on, so I thought I'd show it.

Antique Marbles No. 20

(click image for larger view)

"Antique Marbles No. 20"
Oil on panel, 1.75 x 1.75 inches (5 x 5 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 cm)
$85 + shipping

Purchase Information

HINT: The Holidays are coming!

Several years ago I purchased a set of antique marbles, and have been painting them ever since. It's the perfect subject for me, with an endless variety of colors, reflections, and highlights.

I'm really happy to offer this tiny painting for your collection. And yes, I mean tiny. It's under 2 x 2 inches, or about the same size as a large postage stamp. It's framed as shown below, with the outer dimensions of the frame being 6 x 6 inches - ideal for that small wall area you don't quite know what to do with.

This is the perfect opportunity to own one of my original paintings for less than $100! Purchase information is here.

Salt Shakers on Silk

"Salt Shakers on Silk", 2009
Oil on panel, 8 x 8 inches (20 x 20 cm)
SOLD

This painting, believe it or not, was inspired by some of the architecture I saw during a trip to India in 2008. It's hardly a straight line between what I saw there and what I painted here, but there is an echo of the domes, minarets, gates, and towers.

If anybody is interested, I wrote a number of posts during and immediately after that trip, which can be seen here (note, they are in reverse order, so scroll down to start from the beginning).

"Salt Shakers on Silk", is one of the few remaining paintings I have from 2009 and before.  Rather than leaving it in my studio, I'd prefer that it be enjoyed by a collector, so I'm offering it at a special price.  To see the handful of other earlier pieces that are also available, please visit my Special Offers Page. 

Fragment: Suspended Plant Mister

(click image for larger view)

"Fragment: Suspended Plant Mister"
Oil on panel, 2 x 0.5 inches (5 x 1 cm)

Sold

This metallic plant mister was a garage-sale purchase, and for the longest time it just sat in my props closet - I really didn't know what to do with it. While working on a few other pieces that involved hanging objects from string, I decided to try this as well, and I'm delighted with the result.

"Unagi, Tamago"

(click image for larger view)

"Unagi, Tamago", 2007
Oil on panel, 10 x 10 inches (25 x 25 cm), framed
Dimensions with frame: 15 x 15 inches (38 x 38 cm)
$450 $250 + shipping

HINT: The Holidays are coming!

These are two fairly unusual pieces of sushi, at least to those of us who are not connoisseurs (and I am certainly not).  Unagi, on the left, is fresh-water eel, while Tamago, on the right, is a sweet omelette, cut into smaller rectangles.  I love the presentation of both, particularly wrapped with strips of black seaweed.

"Unagi, Tamago", from 2007, is one of the few remaining paintings I have from prior to 2009.  Rather than leaving it in my studio, I'd prefer that it be enjoyed by a collector, so I'm offering it at a special price.  To see the handful of other pieces that are also available from 2009 and before, please visit my Special Offers Page. 

Antique Marbles No. 17

(click image for larger view)

"Antique Marbles No. 17"
Oil on panel, 1.75 x 1.75 inches (5 x 5 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 cm)

SOLD

Several years ago I purchased a set of antique marbles, and have been painting them ever since. It's the perfect subject for me, with an endless variety of colors, reflections, and highlights.

Two Knives, Glass, Screwdriver

"Two Knives, Glass, Screwdriver", 2009
Oil on panel, 2 x 5 inches (5 x 12 cm), framing optional
$175 $100 + shipping

Purchasing Options

With Gold Leaf Frame $135.00 With Black Frame $135.00 With Mocha Frame $135.00 Unframed $100.00

HINT: The Holidays are coming!

A few years ago I became really interested in compositions that were fragments of bigger designs, cropped in unusual ways. It hasn't really figured into much of my painting lately, but I love the idea and the results, such as this piece. I also fully expect I'll experiment more with it in the future.

"Two Knives, Glass, Screwdriver", is one of the few remaining paintings I have from 2009 and before.  Rather than leaving it in my studio, I'd prefer that it be enjoyed by a collector, so I'm offering it at a special price.  To see the handful of other earlier pieces that are also available, please visit my Special Offers Page. 

Several framing options are available for this painting; please select from the drop-down list below the "Buy It Now" button. To see the options, please visit this page.

Peeling Orange on a Brick

(click image for larger view)

"Peeling Orange on a Brick"
Oil on panel, 6 x 5 inches (15 x 13 cm)

Sold

I've mentioned in one of my previous posts that the peeled orange had significance in Dutch Golden Age still lifes, as a symbol of impermanance and transience. I wanted to take it one step further, and have the orange as the sole focus as the composition - a fragile thing, caught in a moment of time.

This is by no means a formal announcement, but...  For a long time I've wanted to make Giclee prints available of my paintings, and I'm now well into the process of making that a reality.   It's still some time off, but my goal is to be able to offer high quality, affordable reproductions of my paintings by the end of the year. 

I believe prints of this painting will be the first.  I'll keep everybody informed, and hopefully a few of you will be looking forward to that!

Blue Knight

(click image for larger view)

"Blue Knight", 2007
Oil on panel, 8 x 6 inches (20 x 15 cm), framed
Dimensions with frame: 13 x 11 inches (33 x 28 cm)
$250 $150 + shipping

"Blue Knight", from 2007, is one of the few remaining paintings I have from prior to 2009.  Rather than leaving it in my studio, I'd prefer that it be enjoyed by a collector, so I'm offering it at a special price.  To see the handful of other pieces that are also available from 2009 and before, please visit my Special Offers Page. 

Fall 2011 Special Offers

Since beginning my career as a professional artist, I've sold approximately 95% of the work I've produced. It's a record that any artist could be very proud of, and I certainly am, but it also means that there are still a small number of paintings that have not yet found homes.

Rather than leaving them in my studio, I'd prefer they be enjoyed, so I've decided to offer all my paintings from 2009 and before at extremely affordable prices. Whether you are a regular collector of my work, wishing to acquire your first piece, or are looking forward to holiday gift-giving, this is a terrific opportunity to own one or more of my paintings, in some cases for less than $100. Several of these pieces are already framed, and the rest can be purchased unframed or with 3 beautiful framing options.

To see the paintings, please visit my Special Offers Gallery, and over the next few days I'll be displaying them individually here on the blog.

Thanks!

Big Milestone

A few weeks ago, a milestone came and passed without me even realizing it: 6 years of writing this blog.  Back then, my good friends Skott Klebe and Chris Howard said I should think about writing a blog, since people might be interested in the process of making paintings.  I rather doubted anybody would be all that interested in the process of making paintings, but I decided to give it a go... maybe for a month or two, anyway.

6 Years & 20 days, 823 Posts, 289,755 visitors, and 597,529 page views later, I'm still at it, and now see the wisdom of Skott & Chris' suggestion (thanks guys!).   

Times change, Facebook and Twitter have competed for readers' attentions, but ultimately I see them as all complementary.  Over the years, I've occasionally taken extended breaks from blogging, but always felt like something was missing, and have always been really happy when I've returned to the regular practice of sharing my thoughts and paintings here.

Most importantly, I know a core of interested readers have stuck by me here, and for that I'm super grateful.  Blogging is a little bit like tossing messages in bottles out into the ocean, but I know they're definitely being picked up, dusted off, and read.  

Thanks everybody!

Oh, and just for fun, here's that very first post, from September 29, 2005.  Hopefully, I've come a long way since then: http://jeffhayesfinearts.blogspot.com/2005/09/fresh-paint-crystal-stopper.html  

New Format

Hi all,

I spent a little time today reworking the format for this blog, hopefully to clean it up a little, and improve the look and feel.  I may still fine-tune a few details, but think I've got an overall solution at the moment.

I'd love to hear your feedback - both good AND critical - particularly about the readability and view-ability of the images.

Thanks!
Jeff

FOLLOW UP: Thanks everybody for the comments, both public and private - I really appreciate the feedback!  Though they were mixed, there were enough critical reactions to the redesign that I felt it was important to make some adjustments - it's all about displaying the paintings to good effect, not making a neat blog design!

Charley Parker of Lines and Colors (there probably isn't anybody who knows more about how to effectively display artwork online) generously offered some specific suggestions which I've implemented to the limits of the software I use. Thanks Charley!


And thanks again to everybody who responded - it definitely makes this a better blog!

In progress

I believe this is more or less complete. Glazing really does provide a richness and depth of color that can't be achieved any other way. As always, I'll take final images once it's fully dried and varnished.

In progress

Here is what's currently on my easel (it's 6x5"). Undergoing the final glazes to correct values & colors, and fine-tune details. I offer it up with the usual caveat about poor iPhone picture quality (now I want an iPhone 4s!)

Fragment: Copper Tankard

(click image for larger view)

"Fragment: Copper Tankard"
Oil on panel, 2 x 0.5 inches (5 x 1 cm)
Dimensions with frame: 7 x 5 inches (18 x 12 cm)
$85 + shipping

Purchase Information

I like working big, but I love working small. The challenge of making a complete, yet miniature painting, is very attractive to me. Somehow, this copper tankard sitting on a piece of cloth draped over a brick felt like a larger composition.

I'm really happy to offer this tiny painting for your collection. And yes, I mean tiny. It's 2 x 0.5 inches, or about the same area as a postage stamp. It's framed as shown below, with the outer dimensions of the frame being 7 x 5 inches - ideal for that small wall area you don't quite know what to do with.

This is the perfect opportunity to own one of my original paintings for less than $100! Purchase information is here.

Silver Creamer and Peeled Orange

(click image for larger view)

"Silver Creamer and Peeled Orange"
Oil on panel, 5 x 6 inches (12 x 15 cm)
Framing options are available.

The peeled orange is an object that appears in many Dutch Golden Age still lifes - mostly, I believe, as symbol for the transience of life. While I didn't have such overt symbolism in mind, it does have a poignant feeling that I enjoyed working with - very much a moment frozen in time.

Purchasing Options

With Gold Leaf Frame $485.00 With Black Frame $485.00 With Mocha Frame $485.00 Unframed $450.00

Sebastian Stoskopff

Sebastian Stoskopff
Still Life of Glasses in a Basket, 1644
Oil, 20 x 25 inches


One of the happiest parts of my day is the time I spend on my EyeCandy Twitter posts, where I feature a still life painting that interests me. And one of the happiest parts of that is finding great painters I wasn't previously aware of. It's also tremendously gratifying to be able to share those discoveries with others.

Case in point is Sebastian Stoskopff, who was a great, great 17th Century Alsatian painter specializing in still life, and nowhere nearly as well know as I think he should be. After I wrote my bit on Twitter, Charley Parker of the amazing Lines and Colors blog picked up on it, and found a few other images I was unaware of. He then followed up on it with a nice posting on the blog today.

It's great to be able to find these gems and pass them on to others!

In Progress

In Progress: the first glaze. Subsequent layers will focus on color correction and harmonization, and then some of the finer details.

Currently in-progress

This is the underpainting for my next in-progress still life (I usually have 6 or 7 underway at the same time). It's 8x8 inches, and I'll be applying the first glaze layers today.

Just finished

I just finished this 5x5" still life this afternoon. I'll post final (and MUCH better) photos of it once it's dried and varnished.