Stephanie Lee Fine Art

"Nutcracker"

2011-11-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

Oh how much fun I had painting this crazy guy! Some of these colors are straight from the tube without mixing in anything at all. This painting is available for sale from my website or from my etsy store. It will also be shown at the Artini Festival here in Fayetteville on Thursday night and Friday night. If you live here, I hope you can make it because it sounds like it will be a blast! Art show and Martini competition by local bartenders.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is enjoying the holiday season!

Sock Monkey

2011-11-01T19:48:00.001-07:00

Raise your hand if you had, and loved a sock monkey! I did! My grandmother made each of her grandchildren one and I loved mine until it fell apart. I've wanted to paint this for a very long time and finally did it. The original sold immediately after I posted it so I guess I'm not the only one with a soft spot for the monkey. This is available as a 5"x7" giclee print on canvas. Click here to order from my etsy store

Eggplant and Apples

2011-10-31T14:27:00.001-07:00

I sure wish eggplant tasted as good as it looks! I really can't like eggplants but I've wanted to paint one for a long time. So, I went down to the Fayetteville Farmer's Market and bought the eggplant and flowers and got right to it. I'm really happy with this painting. I think the colors go together well and I will definitely paint eggplants again. This painting is 12"x 6". Click here to buy or visit my website.

The Art Biz'

2011-10-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity to communicate through email with Moshe Mikanovsky, a great artist and someone who enjoys learning and teaching the business of art through his blog. I highly recommend you check it out if your an artist who struggles with the technology aspect of the business. If you're like me you want to be in the studio painting, not trying to figure out how to add gadgets or learning SEO or social media. He can help and he's really, really nice too:)

"Emma"

2011-05-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent painting and one of my most favorite of all that I've painted. It's of my daughter who just turned 17 on May 26. I love this pose. It's a very important and pivotal time in a child's life. They are on the threshold of adulthood. So many decisions and opportunities ahead of them. Life starts moving pretty fast from this time on. I remember being scared and uncertain at this age. I pray she goes forward with confidence and finds her passion and a way to make a living doing what she loves as I have with painting.

This painting was juried into the 17th annual artists of Northwest Arkansas exhibit

"Lilies"

2011-05-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

9x12 oil on panel Available. Click here to visit my website or to buy.

Green Beans and Blue Jar

2011-01-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

I was commissioned to do this painting that would be given to a person who loved canning vegetables. Because I paint from life and because it's winter here, I had trouble finding some of the things I was told this lady enjoyed canning. I finally found some beautiful string beans and though this wasn't my first choice, I think it turned out nicely. This can be purchased as a giclee or fine art paper print. Send me an email for prices and information.

"Buster"

2010-08-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

My latest painting is staying in the family. This is a painting of my mother-in-law's dog Buster. He posed perfectly for me and I HAD to paint him. I will deliver it to her this weekend.

"Jar and cherries"

2010-08-08T11:42:00.001-07:00

Oh how I enjoyed painting this little still life. I've just started collecting the blue or blue/green jars. They are so beautiful! This painting was painted completely from life. I painted the fruit first because I knew they wouldn't last long then worked on the jar.

"Abby" pet portrait commission

2009-12-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

This is the last commissioned painting due before Christmas and I delivered it today. What a cute puppy Abby was. I think this pose captures her perfectly! The client brought her to my house for me to photograph and she was so excited that we barely got her to sit still for anything. I think I will go to the clients house next time where the dog (or child) is in their own familiar surroundings. Live and learn, huh?

Now I can focus on Christmas for my family. Wish I felt better though. Woke up sneezing and now have a head cold that's making me just want to crawl back into bed. But I have art prints to ship and cleaning to do so no nap today. Merry Christmas to everyone!

"Sarah"

2009-12-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to paint red hair and I finally got my chance. This little girl has the most beautiful hair color. In my resource photo, she had braces and they were showing. I made the decision not to paint them but I'm wondering if that was a good decision because the braces have a lot to do with the way the mouth is shaped. Does that make sense without the braces showing? I don't know yet. I would love to hear feedback about this.

"Emmi and Zanna"

2009-12-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

This painting was done for the "Life's Little Paws" cocker spaniel rescue auction in Maine. Participants bid on the opportunity to have me paint their pet. The winner paid to have her other dog added and I was glad to do so.

The apple painting I finished a few weeks ago. It is in the style of my teacher and friend Timothy Tyler. I had seen a painting of his that had the very dark red background with the red apples and I loved it. I wanted to try something similar myself.

Etsy

2009-11-26T07:24:00.001-08:00

My Etsy shop is fineartgallery. Take a look! I'm offering Free Shipping from now through Christmas within the United States.

"NWA Boutique Show"

2009-11-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend I had the opportunity to participate in the "NWA Boutique Show" held in Springdale AR. It was a fun experience and I definitely learned a lot about what to do and what not to do next time. This particular show is designed to attract young mother's with small children so next time I will focus on bringing more examples of children's portraiture. That is what most people were interested in and what I found myself talking about most.

"Sassy"

2009-11-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

What a sleepy, rainy day this is. I just finished my first big show yesterday. It was the "NWA Boutique Show" in which I was the only fine artist participating. I have to say that it was a great experience and will make money for me in time. I got two commissioned jobs for sure yesterday plus many "I will definitely be calling you" remarks. If I do this same show in the spring I will definitely be bringing more examples of children's portraits and pet portraits as the clientelle of this event is primarily young women with small children.

The painting I'm posting today is called "Sassy" and it is a commission that I just finished. I will be delivering it next week to the client who is presenting it to his mother for her birthday. I think she will be happy.

Lemons and Red Plate

2009-10-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

I struggled with this painting. I'm not sure what it was exactly that made it so frustrating but for one thing getting the color of the lemons just right was very difficult. I'm still not sure I captured the color exactly. From past experience, I made myself push through and finish even though I wasn't happy with it during the process and I'm glad I did. It's much better in person. I will re-photograph it after it's varnished and hopefully get a better image.

"Sunflowers"

2009-09-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

This is a painting I started a few weeks ago and I didn't like it/wasn't having fun with it so it sat in my studio screaming "failure" at me every time I looked at it. Since I'm participating in that show in Nov. I need all the paintings I can come up with so I decided I needed to finish this one today. I dreaded it but pushed through. So guess what, I love it now! I'm so glad I made myself complete it. The colors are brighter and more vibrant in person. I wonder if I will ever figure out how to photograph my artwork and use photoshop.

"Lime Wedges" 30"x40" oil

2009-09-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

I just finished this today. It will go to the same client who bought the lemons. I thouroughly enjoyed painting them. Actually, I've enjoyed painting anything on a very large scale these days.

Wine tasting/art show

2009-09-22T10:17:00.001-07:00

Last night I had the priviledge to set up some of my artwork at Ella's restaurant in the historic Carnall Hall here in Fayetteville. You can read about it here http://ellasrestaurant.com/ The third monday of every month they hold a wine tasting club and they feature a different artist. I was the artist last night. I made some great contacts and also learned a lot about Spanish wines in the process.

Golden Delicious

2009-09-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

This is a 5"x7" oil on canvas. I will be showing my art at a boutique show in November and I want to have many small paintings for those who don't want to spend a lot. The funny thing is, it took me as long or maybe longer to do this painting than it does to paint one twice it's size. I haven't figured that one out yet.

Pumpkin Trio

2009-09-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

On my latest trip to the grocery store to pick up subjects to paint, I found a huge box full of these little pumpkins just as you walk into the front door. I couldn't wait to get home and get started. Here in Fayetteville, it's started to feel like fall a little earlier than usual so it seemed fitting to paint these and they were so much fun I think I'll paint something else with pumpkins.

Lemon Slices

2009-08-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is a large commissioned painting for a client and, now, friend who I've been painting for for many years. The size is 30"x40".

Barns and Pears

2009-07-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

It's been so long since I've posted anything. Wow! School's out and I'm busier than ever with kids going every which way and me trying to paint in between. I have had several commissioned jobs and for that I'm very thankful. I've actually been busier the past few months than I've ever been. I hope that means I'll be even busier once the economy improves. For now I have two paintings to post. One is a 24"x30" commission of a barn. The client grew up with this barn and now it will be torn down. He wanted a painting to remember it by. This one was very difficult because the photo the client gave me wasn't a good reference photo. I decided to make the trip out to the barn about an hour away and take my own photos. I got several good ones but we had just had a terrible ice storm that took down many of the trees. I had to use my imagination for a lot of this painting which I never like to do. The other painting that I'm posting is just a still life of a pear. I love the simplicity. I want to do a very large painting of this soon.

Iris

2009-04-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to paint a flower really badly since the spring flowers have started popping up. These irises are so beautiful growing in my yard so I decided to pick one and bring it into my studio to paint. After about an hour I wished I hadn't. That color was so hard to duplicate and I decided that I just wouldn't be able to with the tube colors I had that day. I tried and tried and this was the closest I came. I also think that my light source was not strong enough to make it an interesting enough painting. We live and learn:)

"Afternoon Coffee"

2009-04-10T19:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to post a finished painting. I've got so many projects going but haven't had anything finished until now. I set this up yesterday and finished it this morning. It was a lot of fun. Tomorrow it's back to my other projects.

Tennis anyone?

2009-03-28T08:17:00.000-07:00

I don't have a painting to post today. I'm working on a commissioned painting of a barn right now. I donated the apple painting from the last post to a benefit auction to raise money for a child in our town who is very sick.

I don't know if I've mentioned before that I also play tennis. I started playing about 3 yrs ago and fell in love immediately. I try to play twice a week or more. As an artist, I find myself getting more and more comfortable being alone which isn't good all the time. Tennis has allowed me to meet people and make really good friendships. This year I decided to join USTA Team Tennis to see if I would like the more competitive play. I've never been a very competitive person so this has been a huge challenge for me. My nerves almost get the better of me before each match. The worst thing is I have not won ANYTHING yet. This is starting to really get in my head and I'm afraid it's now keeping me from winning. I'm trying to remember that it's just a game, I'm not getting paid to do this. I'll keep you posted on my progress and you can be sure I'll let you know the minute I win:) I'm wearing the green shirt in the picture above.

Apple Trio

2009-03-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

Today I was determined to start and finish a painting. I knew I better not put too much thinking into or it would never get done. That's how I usually roll. I think more than I do. It still took me until noon to get situated and start painting. Not sure how I will get over all the fussing I do to prepare. Anyway, I used only brights for brushes because I've always liked the look of paintings done in that style. It's hard to leave it alone and not work it to death. I also used Cobalt dryer to speed the drying time and apparently used too much because the paint started drying too quickly. It became so sticky that I had to finish sooner than I probably would have otherwise. Good and bad. I was told after it was all said and done that I should only use the dryer in my white and cadmiums. I'm excited to one tomorrow if I have time. I play in a tennis tournament tomorrow afternoon.

Wino Wednesdays

2009-03-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

What a great day today was. I spent it with my friends and fellow artists Tim Tyler and Vicki Ross. I've studied with Tim for about three years and have learned so much from him. He's a great teacher but now a great friend. We meet at Tim's about 9:00 am every Wednesday, paint, talk and listen to great music. We go to lunch, have a couple glasses of wine and then it's back to painting. Today I finished the dog that I've been working on for a while. This dog belongs to the same client who owns Bailey from a previous post. I believe this one's name is Scarlett. I'm excited to let the client know that I'm finished. I have one more dog of hers to paint. Today I also worked on a still life that Tim set up for me of a vase with a beautiful leather mask hanging from it. Can't wait to get back to that next wednesday.

"Mallory"

2009-02-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

This painting was HARD! It probably took a total of 10 hrs which is longer than it should have. I only had one photo to work from and the dog was wet. I will never do that again. I am trying to build a larger portfolio of pet portraits. My interest in pet portraits has increased since the passing of my birth mother, Peggy Bang. She was quite famous for her depiction of the Cocker Spaniel and her work can been seen at peggybang.com

Mexican Pottery

2009-01-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Today's painting is a still life with some Mexican pottery my birth mother gave me after one of her trips to San Miguel. She was an artist as well and loved the Mexican people. She would take many trips there to get inspiration for her art. I met her for the first time 10 years ago and she passed away in March of '08. I wanted to include something of her's in a still life and I have to say that pottery was fun to paint. I'm not sure I love the rest of the set up but I plan to use the pottery again in other still life settings. I am still experimenting with thick paint and big brushstrokes. It's the very opposite of how I am used to painting but Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". I don't want to go insane so I'm trying something different no matter how painful.

Mandarin orange with Bowl

2008-12-29T13:29:00.000-08:00

I'm really going to try and be a better blogger. The holidays have been hectic for me. I had a double portrait commission that had a Christmas Eve deadline and so for a couple of months, that's all I could think about. Now that it's done and the client is happy, I'm feeling motivated to get back to painting the small daily paintings. I'm really trying to loosen up and use big brushes and lots of paint. It's hard to break bad habits and though I'm doing better, I still am not there. I bought some new large brushes today to see if that helps. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Three Red Pears

2008-11-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I posted anything! I've been painting almost every day but no time to sit at the computer. Yesterday I spent the whole day painting these three pears. It's 14"x18" and it was an exercise in painting with large brushes only and finishing in one sitting. That is extremely hard for me to do. I have to resist the urge to bring out the small brushes and put too many details in. I'm please with this one. I chose to paint the background green since it's the compliment to red but that is a tricky thing to do so that it doesn't look too Christmas-y. It might look Christmas-y but I like it anyway. I'm going to keep painting pears for a while. I'm sure it can only help to paint the same thing over and over. The challenge will be to keep them interesting.

Paying job

2008-10-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today I painted in someones home. I enjoy these jobs because they are fun and don't require too much thought. The designs are basic and easy for someone who has been drawing and painting for a long time but always seem to awe and impress the client. I enjoy making the client happy. I always think that they could do it too if they just tried but I guess that's not always true. Anyway, I'll add the picture of what I did today. It's a baby's room with an animal print theme. I will go back on friday to paint a powder room that might prove to be a little more tricky.

Lukas

2008-10-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest painting. It sure did give me trouble but I'm declaring it finished. I'm sure my trouble was with my reference photo. It's just not possible to paint a child from life so it had to do.

Today I am finishing up some odds and ends and getting ready for a mural job tomorrow. Hope to have a photo to post of that tomorrow night.

Getting Older

2008-10-12T19:29:00.001-07:00

I haven't painted or posted for a couple of days because I've jacked up my neck somehow. I played tennis on Friday night and felt fine but woke up the next morning with severe pain when I tried to move my neck. I've been using the heating pad and regular doses of ibuprofin and I think I'm finally getting some relief. I have to remember that I'm 39 not 29 anymore. Getting old is the pits. I plan to paint tomorrow and finish the latest pear painting. I think it is better than my last one which was sort of an experiment.

Pears in Blue Bowl

2008-10-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

I'm trying something new for a change. I'm going to paint large and loose keeping in mind what I've learned about Sargent and his brushstrokes and edges. This painting is 14"x18" which I guess isn't that large but the subjects are oversized. I bought these beautiful pears, set them up and painted them from life. I stood looking down on them so that explains the angle. I probably won't do that again so not to confuse the viewer. I'm working on another one now that I will post hopefully tomorrow. It will be pears again but I find them to be very interesting to paint.

Butterflies and swirls

2008-10-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I get a call from an interior designer that I work with and she has a fun job for me to paint for one of her clients. This was done in a laundry room. I really need to drum up more work like this or sell some paintings or my husband has said that I might have to get a "real job" during these hard economic times. Noooooooooo!!!! That can't happen so I must paint my butt off. I wish that everyone could work in the job that they love and have a passion for. I know my family needs to eat and I will make sure that happens but I would rather do what I love and not afford material things than dread going to work each day.

Terracotta Pots

2008-09-27T13:35:00.001-07:00

This painting was done in my class with Timothy Tyler. I loved painting it and love the end result. I really tried to keep it painterly and Sargent-like.

Dilemma.

2008-09-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

Here I am, my kids are all in school, something I've dreaded and dreamed of for so long. Now I'm really seeing how unorganized I am. Even with my days free, I can't seem to get anything done. Is this how all artists are? I seem to be more behind than ever! I've made a list but it doesn't really help me. Oh, I guess it helps a little bit. I seem to be torn between what I want to do (paint) and what I need to do (the list). It's causing a lot of anxiety. Maybe I will get to paint this afternoon and tonight.

En plein air

2008-09-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

This picture is me painting en plein air which is a French expression for "in the plain air", at my art class this Friday. This was my very first time to paint outside in all the years I've been painting. I've always wanted to but just thought it would be too much trouble. I was so wrong!! It was fabulous! The weather was beautiful and I had so much fun. The classs is 7 hrs long and the day just flew by! I can't wait to do it again. However, I suppose that it might not be as much fun on a day that isn't perfect like friday was. I will post my plein air painting soon. I want to make a few adjustments in studio first.

Chocolate Cocker Spaniel and Lime DumDum

2008-09-08T18:09:00.001-07:00

It would appear I've already failed at my attempts to paint every day. However, I did paint each day since my first post, just not the small paintings like I hoped. I had a commission to finish and was then called to do a mural. I can see this will be harder than I thought. Today, even though short on time I made myself paint a very small 3"x4" canvas. The subject was a lime DumDum which I thought would be very fun. I've learned that I don't like the stretched canvas for these small paintings because the texture, to me, is distracting. I plan to use masonite board in the future. Also, Here is the commissioned painting I finished of a chocolate cocker spaniel.

Today's Craving

2008-09-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

Here is my first daily painting. I don't usually take pictures of my artwork while still wet so don't know yet how to keep the glare out of the picture. This will take some research. The size is 5"x7" oil on canvas.