Merry Christmas

woke to a beautiful white Christmas and thought I'd share a painting I made several years ago as well as our pretty snow. Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Marion Street Gallery art opening

On December 10, nearly forty of my oil paintings will be featured at the Marion Street Gallery in Oak Park, IL. This gallery hosts several other artists in a variety of mediums including glass, pottery, and sculpture.

"Avalon Dunes" oil

There are very few things I like better than to hit the beach early in the morning with my box of paints. These dunes greeted me before I even hit the beach.

Pixie 12"x6" (sold)

Sometimes I can get my teenagers and their friends to model for me and create several quick sketches in oil paint. I love the process of capturing them in their natural youthful gestures.

"January"

So this painting isn't "fresh off the easel" but relates to my last posting called "Caldwell Lily Pond." I thought I'd show what Caldwell looks and feels like in January. January in Chicago is not my favorite weather conditions for plein air painting but the lighting on those very cold days is rather uniquely silver. So I put on my kids old snow pants, boots, gloves and grab my largest brush or palette knife and paint quickly before freezing to the ground.

"Caldwell Lily Pool" 24"x24" oil

Another painting from one of my favorite oasis's within Chicago, Caldwell Lily Pool.

"Skipping Stones" oil painting 40"x30"

"Skipping Stones" is a palette knife painting of the view behind my neighborhood library. I live in a village in the forest which has a river winding through a lot of it. These boys were happily skipping tones until they heard the church chimes announce the time. They then dashed off to the library to play computer games. And here I was thinking, isn't it nice that kids can still take pleasure in the simple things. Well I guess something is better than nothing.

"Off The Path" 36"x24"

"Off The Path" is so fresh that I actually can't take it off my easel. I just finished it last night. It was created with a palette knife, in oil, on a 36"x24" gallery-wrapped stretched canvas.I imagine it to be a place forgotten but if you're fortunate enough, you stumble upon this sweet little rest stop. It might have been an old farm or someones summer cabin. But for now, it lays hidden and forgotten from the world.

Marion Street Gallery in Oak Park, IL will be showing this painting. If you have any questions regarding my art you can contact me or any of my galleries.

"Off The Path"
Oil $2500.
ready to hang, gallery-wrapped stretched canvas
(no frame necessary)

"Surprise" oil painting 12"x12"

Fabric has always given me trouble so I thought I would attack it head on by wrapping a white linen napkin around something. Can you guess what's hidden inside?

"Surprise" is a 12"x12" palette knife painting on a ready to hang, gallery-wrapped, stretched canvas.

(see www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com for more information $375.)

"Poppy Blooms"

Continuing my poppy series.
I can't seem to get enough of the intense colors these flowers provide. If you'd like to see more examples of my poppy paintings please go to my Etsy site, www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com

"Poppy Blooms" 8"x8" oil

"Poppies"

I painted "Poppies" with oil paints on an 8"x8" gallery-wrapped canvas with a palette knife. Poppies are not blooming in Chicago presently but years ago while in Italy we saw fields of them and they've always been something I wanted to paint. I used some recent plein air studies of bluebells, kept the values the same but switched the colors to reds to paint "Poppies." It was a fun experiment with values.

"Remember" is my latest handmade card from left over quilt fabrics. The quote inside, "Thanks for helping me remember what's most important,... and today it's you. Happy Mother's Day. Yes, it's mushy but I think our moms are worth it.

(both available on my Etsy site, www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com)

"Java Run" oil painting 9"x12"

When I paint outside I usually meet some of the people living in the area. This lady told me she makes several laps around the block before treating herself to a non-fat, sugar free, decaf, soy latte. Ever hear of a coffee like that? I had to try to plopped her into the painting.

This neighborhood in Chicago is called Andersonville because originally it was all Scandinavians. Many of the store signs and a couple of good smelling bakeries still show the original start.

"Everyone Needs Roots"

Playing around with contrasting elements in this 8"x8" oil painting; cool tones (the sort of white block and blue background) vs. the warm reds and vibrant greens vs. the grayed reds in the beets, and the large negative space vs the compressed space in the focal area. I cropped the veggies which I normally do not do in a still life but decided that it helps express the larger-than-life theme.

Palette knife painting on an 8x8 gallery-wrapped canvas, www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com

"Morning Exchange"

Can you just hear what they are so seriously talking about. I hope so. These two friends had a nice long chat before heading off to finish their morning shopping. It gave me just enough time to blop them into place.

12"x12" oil on gallery-wrapped stretch linen canvas.

to purchase, www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com

"Scherzo" 20x10 oil painting

Our model for open studio was a belly dancer/teacher. She had a trunk of costumes which she changed periodically. But I think her passion for her art was what made her clothes so beautiful and expressive and great to paint.

(available at www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com )

"Glistening Plums" sold

My first sale on my Etsy site!!! I'm thrilled.

Last week I started loading some of my oil paintings to sell on Etsy, a place to buy and sell handmade items on-line. Since there are a zillion sellers I figured it would be pretty hard to make a sale but I am so encourage to have had a start. This painting happens to be one of my most favorite in this 8"x8" size. I really love working on this square, smaller, gallery-wrapped canvas. I hope to continue working this scale for my Etsy store (but yeah, I'll be putting other sizes on as well) because they just feel more intimate. If you've time, pop by my etsy store, www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com for more of my 8"x8."

"Royal Purple" 12"x12" oil sketch $195.

"Royal Purple" was inspired by the color of the goblet itself. I have a hard time passing by a garage sales and stores like T.J. Max because the clearances boxes can be such a fun treasure hunt. I bought this goblet for a quarter at a garage sale. The color and size and semi-transparent glass make it one of those challenging pieces to paint again and again.

12"x12" oil $195.

(to purchase, please go to my etsy site www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com Thank you)

"Mac Red" 8"x8" Oil Painting $149.

Last week I posted my first paintings on Etsy. If you're not familiar with Etsy, it is an online site where you can buy and sell distinctly original handmade items. My etsy site (http://www.susanhongsammons.etsy.com/ I know it's ridiculously long), will be for my original, one of a kind (not giclee prints), oil paintings. Eventually I will also have another etsy site for my handmade fabric cards. I hope you'll stop by and take a look.

I specialize in rich layers of jewel tone colors, created mostly with a palette knife. "Mac Red" was inspired by the crisp flavor this little organic apple boasts. Yes, I nearly always eat the fruit and veggies I paint as the local farmers markets are a favorite source for still life props.

"Mac Red" was painting on a museum quality, gallery-wrapped (means no frame necessary) ready to hang stretched canvas. 8"x8" $149.