I'm Going "Under The Knife" - Museum Show

I'm going "Under The Knife"! Super excited to be invited by the Museum of Ventura County to showcase my palette knife portrait work at the Tool Room Gallery thru April, opening reception April 1st. Thank you to my friends at the Museum.

http://venturamuseum.org

 I am thrilled to show this journey I have been on over the last couple of years after randomly picking up the palette knife late one night to see how I could use it in my portrait work.

It was really hard at first being so used to the brush, especially painting sitters from life. I didn't want the work to look slap-dash with that knife, but kind of refined. I stuck with it.  I have got faster and more accurate painting from life with that knife.  I chose to paint people who told a life story in some way, about not only theirs but mine. Close acquaintances and also people whose story had moved me. 

Most of all I feel I am 'home" with that palette knife. I will never now put it down.

Mark your calendars for the opening night April 1st!  Would love to see you there to share in this special and very personal art moment for me.

Under The Knife
By Johanna Spinks
The Museum of Ventura County
Tool Room Gallery thru April 2016

Going Golden, California Art Club Gold Medal Show

The Homecoming
By Johanna Spinks
Going golden - the prestigious California Art Club Annual Gold Medal Juried Show opens tonight and I am honored to have this palette knife portrait of mine of my daughter in some very dazzling art company.

View the entire show here:
http://www.californiaartclub.org/104th-annual-gold-medal-juried-exhibition-and-sale/

New Palette Knife Portrait -in progress

In progress, my new palette knife portrait and it's a large one.  Come back to see it done.
A couple of spots left in my summer workshop. Hurry, they won't last.

In progress, palette knife portrait, 22 x 28"

Hip Hop Hipster, Palette Knife Portrait

Hip Hop Hipster
Oil Palette Knife Portrait
NFS
By Johanna Spinks
12 x 16

Hot off the easel today, my latest palette knife portrait. You have a 50 percent chance of a success or a disaster with a palette knife...painting on a knife's edge so to speak.

I don't usually have such a developed drawing for a pallet knife portrait,  but hey, it was there, so I used it. You can see it changed a lot by the finish of painting time.

Eat, Paint, Love...Palette Knife Portraits...

"Toni"
NFS
Palette Knife Portrait from Life, four hours
16x12
oil
By Johanna Spinks

The start with my beautiful model Toni Czechorosky
My demo this week at The California Art Institute

EAT: Eat up all the inspiration you can. Alice Neel comes to mind, my own personal portrait heroine.

PAINT: Paint like it was your last day on the planet. Paint like you don't have a care in the world. NO worries about sales, competition success, other people's opinions.

LOVE: Love the art process. Love what you create. If you don't no-one will. Share that love toward others and their creations.

Naughty or Nice?

"JOY"
By Johanna Spinks
12 x 16 Original Oil on Canvas
$550.00 pls CA sales tax and $15 shipping
SOLD

Naughty or nice? Santa wants to know...hot off the easel. And the perfect Holiday sizzle gift.

Join me tomorrow...

The Bookie
By Johanna Spinks
Palette Knife Portrait
12 x 16
oil

One space left for my First Friday Atelier Teaching Day in the Malibu Highlands tomorrow. Join me. All aspects of painting will be covered.

email me for details

johanna@johannaspinks.com

Stick at it...

The Early Hours
 12x16
Palette Knife, Oil.
Johanna Spinks

Morning friends...

I started this portrait in the early hours of the morning when, unable to sleep,  painting seemed like a good idea. Of course, I lost much of the next day feeling tired but I liked what I got on this portrait, done with a palette knife and nothing else. The face was done very quickly.

Inspiration strikes! Don't we love it when that happens?

 I finished it up yesterday but it was much slower going than at 3am in the morning.  Stuff that should have been easy was like walking in molasses. But I got there.

I am glad I stuck with it. I believe in sticking with things. What do you stick at for results? Now, let's take on the day.