Flanegans' Muse: oil on panel

Showing posts with label oil on panel. Show all posts

Monday, March 6, 2017

one more day

Love is our true destiny.

We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone, we find it with another.

Thomas Merton

one more day | oil on panel | 6" x 6" | Flanegan

This bouquet was given to me after a wedding rehearsal dinner. Isn't young love grand?

Then I got to thinking of other recent events celebrating love like my mother's birthday or the love for a friend who was taken away from us too soon or another friend's love for his family who lived a full and rewarding life - to whom no one was a stranger in his presence.

How powerful for Love to forever pulse within, thereby gracing us with more love to share with others.

Monday, February 6, 2017

Mies

Less is more.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Mies | oil on panel | 8" x 8" | Flanegan | commission

This commissioned painting was a Christmas gift from a kind, generous soul to her
boss. And you guessed it, the cat's name was inspired by the German modernist architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Mies loves playing with his human's crazy sock collection...and I have a feeling this Mies prefers the philosophy of 'more is more.'

: )

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

vote

There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.
Mark Twain

whiskey tango foxtrot | oil on panel | 24" x 39" | Flanegan | commission

This painting, which began as a commission for a friend, grew in size and meaning to be a commission/gift combo for her and her husband. Somewhere along the way, it became a bit of a political commentary - you tell me what Thumper and company are thinking.

How could one not be affected by the presidential campaign? The pasture was painted during the September debate...I had no words for the performance, only brushstrokes.

May God give us the strength to unite as a nation no matter who is elected President.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Gothic Gateway

Gothic Gateway | oil on panel | 12" x 12" | Flanegan | $575

This trail leads Peanut and company to the upper pasture. I was drawn to the dappled light and how the trees seemed to form a Gothic archway over the path.

It was partly sunny so the values fluctuated throughout the morning, high-contrast in between clouds to low-contrast with the sun behind the clouds. Which turned out to be a good thing - usually when outdoors, I paint at a faster pace. This time I was forced to slow down and wait for the passing clouds. That said, a quote credited to Claude Monet came to mind, "Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment."

: )

The opening of our Plein Air Austin Exhibit is this evening, 4-6p at the Corridor of Art, 700 Lavaca in Austin and you are most welcome to join us! Due to tighter security, it's a tough window of time for our guests, but the show will be up through November 7th.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Peanut and his Posse

Peanut and his Posse | oil on panel | 12" x 12" | Flanegan | $550

This painting stirred a memory of a TDY assignment at Lowry AFB, now the Denver International Airport, where a friend and I had the weekend off so we decided to head to the Rockies and climb a mountain. We were young.

One false peak lead to another and to another. We stopped for a breather and gasped looking at each other - our hair was standing on end. We were so focused on getting to the top of the mountain that we didn't realize a storm was brewing. Break time was over.

It was kind of like that when I painted this one, but safer as I had my truck for shelter. It's easy to lose yourself when surrounded by such beauty, this time at the Bar Ten Creek Ranch. The cloud formations were incredible with varied shades and intensities of stormy blue - so striking that I didn't paint the trees' foliage.

But I had to remind myself that as commanding as the clouds were, they weren't the main attraction here. My painted commentary was of companionship and feeling safe. That's what I wanted you to see in this painting. It amazed me how Peanut and his miniature donkey buds felt protected enough to sleep with a front moving in. How we all should have faith through thick and thin. So there you have it, it's all about hanging together during the storm.

Tomorrow I'll post my third favorite entry in the Plein Air Austin Exhibit.

: )

Sage

The Sage | oil on panel | 11" x 14" | Flanegan

Yesterday we hung the Plein Air Austin Exhibit at the Corridor of Art in Austin.

This is one of my favorites of the three paintings I submitted to the show. We've had more rain than usual this summer and the landscape is lush with gratitude. Interesting how, for me anyway, the painting experience lingers more with outdoor work than studio work. It was about 5:30p and I had finished up in the studio. Kerbey and I went for a walk and coming back, the early evening light was so striking that I knew I needed to take my easel outside.

My muse, my sage. Kerbs continues to inspire.