Waiting on Love

Waiting on Love 6x6 oil on board

This model is always a pleasure to paint. Painting

is such a nice way of staying calm during a

hectic time of year.

Peace.

to purchase for $100 click here

Christmas Pears

Christmas Pears 6x6 oil on board

Pears have an interesting history: in Egypt they 

are sacred to Isis;

in China they represent justice and purity;

in Korea they stand for grace and nobility;

and in many parts of the world they symbolize the human heart.

But why are they called Christmas pears?

Probably because of the carol that starts out:

On the first day of Christmas

My true love sent to me

A partridge in a pear tree.

I called the painting Christmas Pears simply

because I used alot of red and green:)))

to purchase for $100 click here

 

 

Orange Rose Tea

Orange Rose Tea  6x6  oil on board

These little still life paintings are really about

patterns of light and dark which I

never seem to get tired of.

Painting them is like putting a color puzzle

together.  I choose the colors

according to my mood.

to purchase for $100 click here

Blessings

Blessings  6x6  oil on board

12-12-12

I mentioned in my last post that Malta has ALOT

of churches.

I should also add that they each have a big

festival at different times complete

with feasting, festivities, fireworks,

and 

statues.

to purchase for $100 click here 
sold

 

For Whom the Bell Tolls

For Whom The Bell Tolls

6x9 oil on board

 

My mom gave me an old copy of this Hemingway

classic decades ago. The bell towers of

churches are continually ringing in  Malta.

 

With 359 churches plus 46 on nearby Gozo brings

the total to 405.  It would take over a year to

see them all, even if you visited a

different one every day of the year.

 

For a small island 16 miles long by 9 miles wide-

well, that's alot of bell ringing!

 

to purchase for $100 click here

 

 

 

Le Champs

Le Champs  6 x 6 oil on board

This is another paint the rain challenge on Daily Paintworks.

I had so much fun with the first one, 

I decided to do another.

I think to make something look like there is moisture

in the air, it's all about muted colors

and the reflections.

to purchase for $100 click here

 

 

 

 

Dreaming of You

Dreaming of You  6 x 8.5  oil on board

There's nothing like painting from a live model.

A great model is hard to find,

and I don't know how she does such a 

good job holding those poses!

to purchase for $100 click here
sold

 

Rain in Paris

Rain in Paris 5x7 oil on board

This was done for a Daily Paintworks Challenge to 

paint rain.  I usually use

very vivid colors but I also love to use

grays and muted tones so this was a great chance 

to do that.

I used a very textured canvas which I think helped

to give a fuzzy atmospheric effect.

to purchase for $100 click here

Cups and Shadows

 

Cups and Shadows 6x6 oil on board

 

This painting was all about the shapes and shadows.

When I'm painting I try to forget what it is that I'm painting.

I try to not think about it as a tree, or a person,

or as a still life.  I feel I do a better

job if I simply look at the

shapes and values in front of me.

Somehow it turns out to be more interesting that way.

 

To purchase for $100 click here or

 

take advantage of my 25% off cyber sale

25% off anything on my site!

collect your discount by emailing me

brucebingham@gmail.com

now through Dec. 5th only

 



Blue Cream Rose

Blue Cream Rose  6x6  oil on board

I did this painting for the Daily Paintworks blue challenge.

The parameters were to make it predominately light,

high key, avoid any complementary colors and 

still make the blue focal point pop.

It was an interesting challenge.

I got my entry in just under the wire.  It's been a busy week

here in Malta.  I've got a 25% discount cyber sale on

my website for any painting of your choice.

All you have to do is email me at

brucebingham@gmail.com

so I can apply your discount.

Sale ends December 5th

to purchase for $100 click here or apply your discount for $75

click here

Bare Minimum

Bare Minimum 6x6 oil on board

I was going for simplicity with this painting. I was

experimenting with as few colors and values as possible 

and still get the feeling of the posed figure.

This type of painting is more exciting

to me than something perfectly rendered with

all the details.

How do you feel about the power of suggestion?

to purchase for $100 click here

Turning Inward

Turning Inward  6x6 Oil on Board

 

This pose has a feeling of turning inward, curling up and

retreating. It seemed to fit with the changes of

season here as the summer retreats and the

earth pulls back into herself

during the winter months.

 

To purchase for $100 click here

 

 

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie 6 x 6 oil on board

OK, so my diet is officially over, for this week anyway.

Obviously I have pie making on my brain.

Happy Thanksgiving!

to purchase for 100$ click here

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie 16 x 16 Oil on Canvas

The alchemy of baking amazes me.  It's not really something

I'm good at because you really have to follow directions well.

I consider myself more of a 'creative' cook.

For more info on this painting click here

French Table

French Table 20 x 20 Oil on Canvas Gallery Wrapped

This isn't my French kitchen, it belongs to a friend of mine who is 

quite a collector of table cloths. And everyone knows a

good French table isn't complete with a table cloth

and of course fresh flowers.

to purchase for $1250 click here.

After Vermeer's Girl with Hat

After Vermeer's Girl with Hat  10 x 7 oil on board

Vermeer has always been one of my favorite artists.  I did this

simplified three value study interpretation to help

me understand how he painted the light

so well.  I made it

more fun by painting with a few of my favorite colors:

cad yellow medium

quinacridone red

and carbazole violet.

to purchase for $100 click here

Tea Jubilee

Tea Jubilee 16 x 20 oil on canvas

In addition to the small daily studies I like to keep a larger

painting going as well.  It gives me more space to try to

apply the paint in different ways and

design the light/dark patterns.

This was so much fun for me to paint just by picking the

colors that make my heart sing.

To purchase for $1500 click here.

After Vermeer

After Vermeer 6 x 6 oil on board

Vermeer has always been one of my favorite artists. He was famous

for his sensitivity to light and color.  I love painting light

and feel like we can learn so much from the masters.

I did this three value color study to explore 

massing and making interesting shapes.

Personally I think that's why Vermeer's painting work

so well.  He really held is light/dark masses together.

So much to learn, so little time.

To bid on this auction click here.

Butter Cream

Butter Cream  6 x 6 oil on board

Maybe it's the cooler weather that has me thinking more about

cooking.  Food items seem to be showing up in my

paintings.  Go figure!

I started this painting as a demo to show some artists

I am working with how to transition from block studies to

actual still life.  The block of butter was the 

perfect thing to use.  I also started this 

piece with notes of pure color and it

progressively got more realistic.

to purchase this painting for $100 click here

Endless Summer

Endless Summer 6 x 6 oil on board

This was painted for the Hurricane Sandy fundraiser on

Daily Paintworks.

Even in November in Malta, on a beautiful day like

today I feel like it's an endless summer.

Bliss!

to purchase for $100 click here

Passion for Pink

Passion for Pink 6 x 6 oil on board

Julie Ford Oliver gave me the tip that this painting was perfect for breast cancer awareness month.  I've decided to donate all proceeds of this piece to Breast Cancer research, or an associated charity of your choice. Even though it's the end of the month, it doesn't matter, the fight continues all year long.

I love pink and this is a bottle of my favorite French perfume Reminiscence.

Combine that with my fetish for make up and

nail polish and the result is a painting

that feels as yummy as a cup cake to me.

I could label this one 'dirty little secrets' or 'cheap thrills'.

We all have them.....what's yours?

to purchase for $100 click here

Table For Two

Table For Two  6 x 6 oil on board

 

What is the allure of a French table?

Is it the unhurried approach with plenty of time to savor

unforgettable flavors? The crisp linens and attention

to detail? The amuse bouche or the sorbet between

courses?

When we Americans invented the 'lunch in 12

minutes or it's free', what were we thinking?

Is it worth it?

 

to purchase for $100 click here

 

 



Purple Polka-dot Pot

Purple Polka-dot Pot  6 x 6 oil on board

 

I was searching for striped fabric when I ran across this

polka-dot piece that I had to have. I went

a little crazy with the stripes and dots but

enjoyed every minute of it. Since there

was a lot of action in the light areas I tried to keep all

the darks very simple.

 

This might sound silly but it reminds me of a heavy little

tug boat chugging up stream through a

sea of fabric.

 

I grew up on the water watching the tugboats work

and always thought they were amazing.

 

to purchase click here



Calming Chamomile

Calming Chamomile 6 x 6 oil on board

 

This is a painting I did for the Daily Paintworks Challenge to

paint an emotion.

I chose the soft positive emotion of calm.  I find that

lots of my paintings have this feeling or theme,

maybe because that's how I feel when I paint.

I chose to use soft analogous color harmony to help convey

a soothing feeling, like Chamomile tea.

 

Life can be chaotic and hectic so I like to create a sense of

serenity when I come to the canvas.

 

Do you feel you emotions come through when you create?

 

to purchase for $100 click here

Bubble Gum Tea

 

Bubble Gum Tea  6 x 6 oil on board

 

I love the colors of this tea towel with my purple tea pot, but it was

a little tricky to paint.  The problem was that the towel

colors were very dark, even in the light so it was hard to

create a light/ dark pattern when everything was so

close to the same colors.

I just decided to have fun with the surface texture, the mark

making and the colors.

The colors reminded me of bubble gum flavors: grape,

cherry, cotton candy- is that a flavor?

 

to purchase for $100 click here.

 

 

Blooming Color Give Away

It's my birthday so I can do what I want to- isn't that

a song?  If not it should be.  I'm back from a great time

stateside in Austin, Texas visiting with friend and family just

in time to who I'm giving what to on my special day.

The winner of this fine art print- Blooming Color -is

Edward Mills!

Send me your mailing address Ed and I'll ship it out to you

framed and ready to hang in your home. 

This was so much fun I think I'll do it again soon.

To join in the give away game follow my blog, facebook page,

or sign up for my newsletter. You can do all of that

by clicking here and visiting my website.

Thanks! 

Blue Tea Pot

Blue Tea Pot  6 x 6  oil on board

 to purchase for $100 click here

I just love playing around with these patterns!

This will be my last post before I get on the plane early tomorrow

morning.  I'll be kicking my heels up in Austin, Texas, for

my nephew's wedding and visiting family and friends.

 I'll be back by my birthday to announce the winner of a 

free framed print!

Are you interested in how to enter the drawing for a 

free framed print?

Look and my print gallery on my newly redesigned website.

www.brucebingham.com

Leave a comment here on my blog to tell me which one is

your favorite in case you win.

Don't forget to follow my blog so you'll see who wins when

I announce it on my birthday on September 29th!

If you have problems leaving a comment you can just email me @

brucebingham@gmail.com

Thanks!

Pot Check

Pot Check 6 x 6 oil on board

 

I really enjoy doing these small still life paintings with

 patterns.  I found a checked tea towel in my

drawer, loved the colors and thought- why not?

 

The checks are just as fun as the stripes but a

little bit more complicated to paint.

The trick is to try to separate the darks and

lights without worrying too much about

'what' it is.

 

 

to purchase this painting for $100 click here




Fresh Tomatoes

Fresh Tomatoes  28" x 24" oil on canvas

 

Small paintings are fun to work on but so are larger pieces.

Sometimes I feel like I need more s p a c e .

This little old man eyeing the tomato carton caught

my attention in this Italian Market.

I'm drawn to the people that have the most

character.

 

expat twist:

I was going to post this yesterday but we had our

first rain here since spring.  It always brings alot of

dangerous flooding, lightening and of course

electrical black outs.

Hence no Internet to post.

 

 

Musical Ipad

Musical Ipad 6 x 9 digital

 

This is another piece from Friday evening while

listening to jazz under a beautiful full moon.

I'd play around with it a bit and then pass

it to my friend Jeni Caurana and she

would work on it for a few minutes.

Our own version of

Musical Ipad.

 

 

 

 

 



Blue Moon Music

Blue Moon Music  6" x 9" Ipad

 

You're surprised right? Since this blog is about my creative

process I thought I'd share this.

Last night was a blue moon which is rare and I went

with some of my friends to the Bridge Bar in Malta to

listen to jazz.  It couldn't have been a more

beautiful night.

I'm glad I brought along my Ipad and we

had lots of fun playing with it.

 

 



Fresh Veggies

 

 

Fresh Veggies  18 x 22 oil on canvas

 

Living in Europe allows me to shop at the local markets often.

That's where I always find the freshest and most

delicious produce.

I'm not going to even mention the homemade macaroons...

yum.

 

to purchase for $900 click here

 

 

 

 

Golden Bay Beach

Golden Bay Beach   6"x 6"  oil on board

Malta is has a rocky coast but there are a few nice beaches. My

favorite is Golden Bay where I spent the day recently. I went with

my son, my camera, and my IPAD.  I have an app called

free draw and it's fun to pass the time

doing color studies to bring back to the studio.

I've done this a few times and I have to

tell you, set up and clean up are a piece of cake!

BTW- the movie scenes of Gladiator in the Colosseum were

filmed on this beach.  Interesting right?  All the rest

of the Colosseum was digitally enhanced.- WOW

to purchase for $100 click here

 

 



Color Play

  Color Play  8" x 8"  oil on board

This painting started out as a very high key painting

but it just wasn't working out.  I decided it needed more

 PUNCH

so that's what I gave it. I played around with more

saturated fauvist color and really have a

GREAT TIME!

to purchase for $100 click here

Mothers Day Out

Mothers Day Out  8 x 10 oil on canvas

There are lots of benches in Malta where people can relax

and enjoy the breeze and view of the sea.

I love it when I can catch people in candid poses

like this father and son spending time together,

giving mom some time off.

to purchase for $100 click here



Nikki Beach Brunch

Nikki Beach Brunch   8.5" x 10"  oil on board

I've visited Koh Samui, Thailand several times.  The weather

there during December is lovely.  One of the things I like

to do there is go for brunch at the beach club and spend time

just relaxing.

The painting size is 8.5 x 10 but it also has a nice

professional frame in silver which makes it a little bigger.

to purchase for $100 click here

Cherry On Top

Cherry On Top  6 x 6  oil on board

Still having fun with this theme and the endless variations.

I made another step by step tutorial so you can

follow along from start to finish!

I've created a short video you can view here or scroll down to look at he the photos below.

to purchase this painting for $100 click here

Here's the process:

                                                                                Finished!

Blooming Color

Blooming Color 6" x 6" oil on board

This was done for the Daily Paintworks paint a rose challenge.

I was a bit of a late bloomer in getting it in on Saturday just before a

new challenge was started.  My first rose went into the compost pile

but I decided to give it another try. 

I find everyday ordinary things that no one really thinks of

as beautiful much less intimidating to paint than something as

exquisite as a rose, a flower that has

inspired poetry and love songs since man has been creating them.

To get over my hang up about it I decided to just have

fun with it and play with the

color and the brushstrokes.

I'm glad I didn't give up!

to purchase for $100 click here



Bearded Ladies

Bearded Ladies 6 x 6 oil on board

I didn't actually melt yesterday when I when out plein air

painting with my friend Jeni Caurana- we just felt like it!

Malta is really sizzling right now.

I didn't realize that there are over 2000 different kinds

of palm trees.  These are the filifera that like to grow in

desert climates.

to purchase for $100 click here

Cup for Two

Cup for Two  6" x 6" oil on board

I really enjoy playing with the light and dark patterns of

these small daily paintings.

I'm posting another step by step shown below.

to purchase for $100 click here

Process:

Set up the still life with patterns and colors I like:

Make a drawing of the light dark patterns and how the canvas board will be divided.

Decide what the dominant value will be:

Start with the cherries inside the cup and then begin to paint the

cup inside the pattern cloth.

Add the dark patterns on the cloth:

Put in the background, all the lights and the stems are the final touch: