Rebuilding After The Califorina Fires...

A lot of hours are going into my Face of Malibu Rebuild series. with The Malibu Times.

 I wish to remind people that life has not gone back to 'normal' for the thousands of people who lost everything in the recent California Wildfires. 

This week's sitter  is Jill Greenberg, the sketch and interview donated by me to The Malibu Times hoping to keep the community's awareness going of what this rebuild is looking like fore people who are suffering such great losses. 

Here is a link to the article in this week's Malibu Times.

http://www.malibutimes.com/malibu_life/article_

Jill Greeberg by Johanna Spinks
For The Face of Malibu Rebuilds
With the Malibu Times

Saatchi Art's The Other Art Fair - Almost Here

POP-Traits!
By Johanna Spinks
Now accepting commissions. 

My POP-Trait paintings are being packed and my business cards are at the ready. Saatchi Art's sponsored "The Other Art Fair" show,  which travels from London to Australia with various U.S. locations/stops is almost here.  It's a big production and I am honored to have been hand-picked by a Saatchi panel of judges to show.

I am looking forward to the experience and will be posting here. It is a four day event in Los Angeles this weekend featuring about 120 artists from 800 applicants. Some artists are flying in internationally to show which makes me so grateful that I am so local.

I do still have a few comp. tickets. Emal me.

So far, the pre- show organisation, and its'  team,  have been impressive, not to mention friendly which is always good.

Stay tuned! I hope to see some of you there. I am at stand #30 with my POP-Trait! series of large format portraits painted in two sittings via my palette knife.

Thanks to Dave Teel Photography for this photo.

Knife Skills?

22 large palette knife portraits now painted by me, from life,  over the last 36 months for my new "Living Large" series...I have learned they have a mind of their own. Completely uncontrollabe chaos but I am always glas at the end of the sittings, I stuck with them.

Patrick
Living Life Large Series
By Johanna Spinks
36 x 36"
Via Palette Knife

In progress -almost there

The start - always risky!

On Location In Malibu 2018 Show

Delighted that two of my portraits have been accepted into "On Location In Malibu 2018" with The California Art Club at The Weisman Museum of Art,  Pepperdine University. It is one of my very favorite art shows being a local and enjoying the beautiful paintings artists create of this town I am lucky enough to call home.

Show runs May 19 -July 29

The sitters here are Malibu's oldest original cowgal Millie Decker whose family were the among the first to settle in old Malibu. A whole canyon is named after the Decker family. I painted Millie at her ranch and helped set her hair in curlers for the life sitting. She was marvelous.

The other sitter is Malibu's most senior resident 102 years-young Bill Armstrong who sat for me in the living room of the home he has owned for decades. What a view!

They were both painted for "The Face of Malibu" portrait series I painted with The Malibu Times.

Thanks to all.

Mr. Bill Armstrong
By Johanna Spinks

Painting On Location!

Ms. Millie Decker
By Johanna Spinks

Drip, Drip...

My latest large format palette knife, two life sittings. Drips and all. Hope you like. Thanks to beautiful sitter Julie.

Julie
By Johanna Spinks
36 x 36"
Via Palette Knife

close-up

In Situ

Close-up

The Face of Malibu, Sitter #17

NFS

Thanks to Malibu horse whisperer Talley Hutcherson for sitting for my Face of Malibu portrait series appearing in this week's Malibu Times. Single life sitting.

Read her life story here:
malibutimes

New YOU Tube...Portrait Presentations.

Every face tells a story...and every portrait artist has the same thought right before an unveiling:"Will they like it?"

Here are a few of my unveilings and my  lovely sitters. Most portraits you see here were painted from life in a single sitting. I dedicate this little YOU Tube to Ventura jazz singer Martha B who died this week and is one of the sitters in the video. Hint...yellow shirt and microphone.

Thanks to each and every sitter. And I look forward to painting the next one.

Whoever you are...

Dappled Light

Dappled Delight
8"x10"
Oil on panel
By Johanna Spinks

Purchase at my on line store
http://www.johannaspinksfineart.com/#!product/prd1/1103784231/dappled-delight
$395.00 incl. free shipping

Today's quick sketch of a house with luscious turquoise green shutters. Wonder what goes on inside? If those dappled walls could only talk.

Cold Feet? Birthday Bash Demo..

The lovely Sara Streeter

My demo for LAAFA's 10th Anniversary Party
The demo will be auctioned off by LAAFA to raise money for its' art programs

My portrait demo last night at The Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art's 10th Anniversary Party, at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica.

Painting the legendary model Sara Street is always wonderful. Seems like she and I have been treading the L.A. art boards for quite a while now! And my feet were freezing on those boards last night. Great buzz last night. 

Congrats to LAAFA. I remember when you had just begun.

Catch my new teaching class there in January. http://laafa.org/

Tuesday: Portrait/Figure, Santa Monica location

Thursday: Still life, Van Nuys location

You can also find me at the newly vamped California Art Institute in West Lake Village, CA, every Wednesday morning. http://calartinst.com/

You can also attend my monthly studio workshop day in the beautiful Malibu Highlands, Friday January 11th. email me johanna@johannaspinks.com