Susan Neese McKinney Ramblings

" Royal Blue", 8"x 10", Oil painted from life. This is a still life I painted about a week ago in my newly lit studio.   My friend Cheryl came over and we painted for the morning and then had lunch.      It's good to get together with friends after being stuck in the house because of the cold and snow.    A little cabin fever setting in I think.     I also entered 3 paintings into a juried show last week.   I should find out if they are accepted or not in the next couple days.     Then the end of the week I have 5 paintings to take to a show in Springfield at the Drury University gallery.    It's an honor to be INVITED to bring my paintings to a show, instead of doing all the work of entering.    The weather is not looking real good for the week.    I hope it's not too darn cold the day I have to carry the 5 paintings to the gallery door...

"Stephanie",  16"x 20", Oil on canvas This is our lovely model from an "Open Studio" paint out Saturday in Tina Garrett's studio, located in Lee Summit, MO.    The smaller photo is the initial study I did in 2 1/2 hours.    After getting home,  I stepped back and I could see the mistakes I'd made..................So with the above reference photo, and about 6 hours of work later,  I'm pretty happy with the results.    The reference photo of Stephanie doesn't show the colors as well, nor does it show a lot of the details of her face.   A photo just doesn't work as well as from life.     Thanks again Tina, and Stephanie, it was wonderful spending the morning with you.   I hope to do it again soon.

" Golden Vase", 8"x 10", Oil, painted from life It felt good to put paint to canvas today.   It's been a while since I've been able to do that.   I've been having electrical problems in my studio.   So none of my lights are working properly.    Thanks to Cheryl Coen, from Bolivar, MO for having myself and a friend Larry over to her house to paint.    It's always nice to get together with artist friends, and it helps me to have a time limit.    That way I don't "think" too much, and just PAINT..........   This was my project today.      In the meantime......in the studio, I'm packing up paintings and moving things so my son, Troy, can cut a place into the ceiling so he can check out the wiring........It's kind of scary to think of a wiring problem.......the thought of everything going up in smoke would be devastating......  So if he doesn't find an easy and obvious problem, ...

"Anna", 18"x 24", Oil  This is Anna, painted from life in Lee Summit, at Tina Garrett's studio.    This was so much fun to do.    A real challenge for me.......but fun.    Since getting it home I've darkened up the background as suggested by Romel de la Torre, but I still kind of like this first version.    I'm looking forward to painting more figures from life this year.

"First Snow", 6"x 8", Oil Happy to say this is sold and heading to a new home out West for the new year.    Thanks so much........

Martin Clark We had my sweet bro-in-law's funeral yesterday...12/13/14........Not something any family wants to do right here  before Christmas.   Or anytime for that matter.......... He was killed in a tragic one pickup wreck just a stone's throw from his and my sisters, Judy's,  home.    His two little doggies also went to heaven with him.......It was a wonderful ceremony with standing room only of all his family and hundreds of people who's lives he had touched in his 73 years in Cedar County......  As Judy said he was "one of a kind", and he will be missed by all of us that knew and loved him.  

"First Snow", 6"x 8", Oil Here in Missouri the first snow is always a beautiful sight.    This snow came a little early this season........but happily it didn't stay on the ground very long.    I'm sure we will have many more inches to fall in the months to come.     This is for sale and I'll get it on my website in the next day or so....