Autumn in Sonoma

Autumn Vinyard and Trees • 12" x 12" • oil on panel

The race to the barn through the traffic is harried in the rain. I help my daughter saddle up the horse and as she jumps fences I wander the beautiful grounds. I walk through the vinyard watching birds splash in puddles and flutter through the trees and shrubs. I see a pair of deer disappear into the vinyard ahead of me. Each row of grapes is breathtaking as the angles change and the raindrops fall and drip from my face and from the leaves. The sky reflects on the wet leaves. The grapes left on the vine are shriveled but add to the rich colors my eyes are mixing. My fingers are frozen and the mud is caking on my boots but I can't get enough of the fresh air and the luscious colors and textures all around. I rush back to the barn in the dark to catch my daughters last round of jumps. I can't wait to get out my rich oil colors and a wood panel and paint this delightful day!

Sunny Day - Sunny Bike

Sunny Bike • 8" x 10" • Oil on Canvas

The weather is spectacular today! What a gorgeous day for a bike ride. People are riding everywhere. How can anyone resist? A ride in the sun! Fresh air, exercise, happy faces all around and great fun!

Then it's off to the studio to capture the feeling for all to enjoy.

What a lucky life I lead.

December 2009 Drifts Away

December Sea and Sky • 12" x 6" • oil on board

As 2009 drifted away and 2010 washed ashore I was putting the finishing touches on these soft waves of the cool December sea.

A memory of a stroll along the shore. The sound of the waves calms my mind and the dancing sunlight warms my face on a cold December day. I could stare at this painting forever.

I often want to be where the ocean meets the sky. In a boat just floating. I'm observing the light of the sky, birds are flying by, kelp is floating in the sea and life surrounds me. Sea lions play, otters feed and the jellyfish float. The sun dances on the water and all is quiet except the occasional splash of a bird swooping down to snatch a fish from a playful, popping school of bait.

Happy New Year! 2010

New Year Symphony 2009-2010 • 16" x 20" • oil on canvas

Happy New Year! I am quite excited for 2010. In 2009 I started this blog and it inspired me to create a second studio in my home. My poor family, I have officially taken over the kitchen table and entire breakfast nook with my paints, easel, brushes, canvas' and my dogs. It allows me to work at all times without having to drive to my studio. I can also bring paintings back and forth and view them in different light and settings. I can follow my creative heart and paint in the middle of the night. I can add little details here and there as I see them in passing or I can leave paintings at my studio to dry.

I now have a studio and a horse in the same town. Both on the water and in old hangers. My studio is in a ship hanger and the indoor arena for Smokey is in an old balloon hanger. I now live work and ride in one of the most beautiful places in the world with spectacular views, astounding wildlife, and gorgeous weather. I have friends and family close by. Today I will be celebrating with my family. Lucky me! 2010 can only be a great year!

Portrait of an Artist

Portrait of an Artist • 12" x 12" • oil on canvas

It was an amazing and fun challenge to receive a photo of an artist without being told his name or anything about him except that he looked content. He would be facing the same challenge with my photo.

Excited to get to work, I started with a pencil sketch in my sketchbook the night the photo was emailed to me. I layered on paint for two weeks, painting shadows and light with great texture, than blending it and layering it again. It was tough for me to blend all of the brushstrokes which I loved but felt it would read more as a portrait if I smoothed it. I do believe I found the happy medium. Because I don't know anything about the subject I used the cool green on the left against the warm red on the right. I also used this color concept in the colors of his skin and I used quite a bit of orange in the flesh tone to pop out his blue eyes.

I love the way this oil portrait turned out and I hope this gentleman does too!

Ben's Birthday Boy!

Trooper • 9" x 12" • oil on canvas

Ben has been begging for a puppy. Well what better birthday and holiday gift could a kid get than an adorable, fun little yellow lab puppy? You lucky boy, Ben! I have been working on this painting for over a month. I started it out as one of my fun, colorful portraits and couldn't stop trying to make it look exactly like the photo. The back leg is hidden by the fabric of the dog bed in the photo and it was hard to make that seem correct. There are many, many layers on this painting. The red dog bed is the color of Ben's bedroom wall and the background is the color of his bed. I love his ears, eyes and nose. Happy Birthday Ben!

Travel, Travel, Travel

Travel, Travel, Travel • 8" x 8" x 2" • oil on canvas

It seems a lot of people I know were traveling all over the world last week. My baby nephew was in Hawaii for the first time. The kids were off school for Veterans Day so we traveled home to my family for a visit with my sister, her kids, and my parents (her husband was traveling). It was the perfect time to finish this challenge. I added a red shoe on the woman with the concept of "There's No Place Like Home".

Calm Blue Sea and Sky

Calm • oil on board • 6" x 6" x 2"

The blue skies, perfect cool crisp air, and smooth water brought a beautiful calm over me today. The little birds were happy feeding in the marsh. The pelicans and geese are gone for the winter, there were white egrets sitting calmly in the still blue water. On my hike this morning there were puddles reflecting the blue sky. There were a lot of dogs and people running by. In the evening there was a little orange shining through adding a drop of warmth to the cool, cool blue.

November News and Red Trees Golden Sky

NEWS

I have paintings in two stores this month:

Mill Valley Art and Paper and The Equestrian's Concierge

Red Trees Golden Sky • oil on canvas

I love the rich red color of the fall trees. I love to watch them twinkle in the sunlight when the soft breezes blow. I love to watch them twirl to the ground. I love the padding of the leaves below my feet as I run.

This painting is layered over a very colorful abstract underpainting which gives it texture and interest.

Red Trees Golden Sky is one the paintings in the Small Works exhibit at the Mill Valley Art and Paper.

Black Cat on Halloween Night - Happy Trick or Treating

Black Cat in the Night • 6" x 6" • oil on canvas

Tonight the streets will be filled with trick or treaters in their fun costumes. Having a great time and eating too much candy. I love Halloween.

My family has black cats, so when I took the challenge of painting this street scene for Halloween, I wanted to add a symbolic cat.

Adopt a Cat

Sunny was adopted by my parents when he batted his paw for my dad to play with him while walking through the cat area of the local humane society. He was there to get a trap to rescue the black and tuxedo kittens born under his deck. Now my parents have the perfect most spoiled cat and another black cat that was born under their deck.

Union Square Macy's San Francisco

Union Square Macy's • oil on canvas • 20" x 24"

I love the way this rooftop view of Macy's Union Square came out. I used the influence of Richard Diebenkorn to create it and it will influence the way I see things forever. It was quite a layering process although it looks quite simple. I started it much more realistic, painted over many of the details, then came back with glazes and lines.

The biggest challenge of this painting was finding time to get to my studio and when I got there not talking to the other artists in the building. I brought it home to finish it because believe it or not the swine flu has hit my children.

It was great to finish it in a new environment and when I hung it to dry I realized it had found the perfect place to hang.

I am posting a sequence of the creation of this painting at lorimargulies.blogspot.com if you'd like to see its' progression.

Windy October Sea - Change - Favorite Month

Windy October Sea • 6" x 6" x 3/4" • Oil on Canvas

October brought the wind to California. I was out biking my dog along the bay and I was literally blowing sideways on my bike. The sea was choppy. The clouds were little and floating. I was studying the choppy waves trying to find a pattern. I couldn't see with the wind and ended up painting this from a beautiful memory. I love the color of the sky and the light on the rocks. The fresh air blowing on my face whipping my hair in my eyes and freezing my hands. October is my favorite month. The air is clean, the lighting is clear and vibrant and the smell of the air changes from crisp to warm to fire. One day it is 100 degress the next 68, or raining. From summer to fireplaces burning, the leaves changing and blowing. Life, movement, color, light texture... October! My favorite month.

Evening Ocean and Cliffs Oil Painting

Evening Ocean and Cliffs • 6" x 6" x 2" • oil on board

I love to study the ocean sunset with the sunlight turning into a moonlit sea. The sound of the waves crashing, trapped between the cliffs, soothingly rolling over the sand toward my feet. The kids climbing on the cliffs lit by the moonlight. Laughter in the night air. The smell of the ocean and bonfires. People scurrying across the sand, others laying in the sand and watching the sky, listening to the sounds of the sea. The California sea, an amazing place to be.

Cupcakes Challenge, Wills Birthday

Wills Birthday Cupcakes / 09-09-09 • 8" x 10" • oil on board

I always say I am my nephews square root. My birthday is 3-3 and his is 9-9. I decided to paint 3 cupcakes for him on his birthday; little did I know, it would take me 6 days. I started the painting on a very smooth surface with a layer of purple and blue outlines and shadows. Next I started working in the colors; I only used red, yellow, blue and white on this painting. The frosting is painted extremely thick using layers with a lot of shadow build up on the board. I saved the confetti for last and had a hard time applying the yellow and green without the white frosting and background mixing into my fun, bright colors. Of course, I dotted the i in Lori with a confetti candy. On the chocolate cupcake in the top right I left the white board showing along the paper wrapper so the viewer could see the original surface and the build up of paint elsewhere. What a challenge! I couldn't stop painting this and to make it nine I may have to paint it two more times. Happy Birthday Will! I love you.

Misty Morning Row, Sausalito Art Festival

Misty Morning Row • 18" x 24" • oil on canvas

My husband and I went to the Sausalito Art Festival near my studio yesterday. We saw some wonderful jewelry, sculptures, paintings, etc.... People were out having a great time enjoying art and music. Afterward people were out in full force walking, biking, rowing, boating, eating and drinking. It was a fun energy as our beach and harbor are normally very quiet. The booths are set up on the lawn where my dogs run when we take quick breaks at the studio.

After the festival we went to the new wine bar where we watched the kayakers come in as the fog rolled in behind them. We shared a flight of fabulous wines. We also met the owners of a new Culinary Academy in the same building and tasted a delicious dish they were preparing. A few boaters tied up at the dock to dine. Others were coming off their boats to enjoy the evening.