Dear painters, art aficionados, and art explorers everywhere. I would never have guessed this journal would keep my interest for so long! Join me as I learn about the processes of painting, drawing and at times, the history of art.
My website is: terirobusstudio.com

4.26.2022

Primrose Time - acrylic painting!


JOA manager's house (my painting from another summer)

(JOA = Jensen-Olson Arboretum)

This year (2022) the City of Juneau is celebrating 
their Arboretum's 15th anniversary. 

The Jensen-Olson Arboretum 👈 that link is the city's page, 
but they have their own facebook page 
and they keep it up to date HERE.

My local painting group heads out to paint there quite often,
and I love it there. I will go again soon, however,
 this painting was done using one of my
photographs from another year.

I painted with acrylics for this one ... not something I do very often,
so you can see how it went below!

my photo for my scene


primula

This photo shows Primula denticulata (Drumstick Primrose).

In the Victorian language of flowers, 
primroses' association with youth and young love means
 “I can't live without you.” 
Across cultures, primroses signify spring, protection, safety, and love.






Primrose Time (at the Arboretum)    acrylic on canvas panel   11 x 14 inches (unframed) 




We repurposed an older frame and I love it!

I hope you can get to visit the JOA this summer! 
(those who live here, and those who will be coming to Juneau!)

Happy Spring! Happy Painting!


🎨

4.18.2022

Painting with acrylic, oil, collage ...

... and a limited palette!


I used this photo, which I took at the Shrine of St. Therese in 2020, as the basis for a painting submitted as part of a painting challenge presented by Juneau's Plein Rein Painters. 

The parameters (thought up by a few of the painters) were as follows:


Here are the steps my painting took.


I used a grid to guide my composition.


At one point, I turned the photo upside down 
to remember to "just paint shapes".

My paint ...
and uh, the reason there is a blue tube of paint
is that I use that and the Burnt Umber
to make my own black.

Which I did.
And greens were made using my own black + yellow + the other legal colors.
It made lots of nice greens!







This is where i added the (pink) collage paper.


You can see the number 30 on the paper ... 
proof it is paper!

and more pink paper
"glued down" with acrylic gel medium

Shrine Sunset
12 x 18 inches
acrylic underpaint, oil, collage on panel


I will be varnishing and getting this painting 
uploaded to my website soon, so have a look 
 and 
if you have not already done so,
please sign up for my every-now-and-then
newsletter! Click on "Keep in touch" in menu.

I really appreciate your interest, and comments.


Take good care, stay safe ... and sane!

🎨




3.25.2022

South Point Tree (Hawaii)

 

kiawe tree bent by the wind 

We went to the Big Island, Hawaii, to celebrate my husband's birthday in February. 
While driving the road to the southernmost point of the USA, 
we saw this tree. The wind was not howling that day;
maybe just a breeze ... but the tree had been permanently bent 
by the usually strong and constant wind.

It was such a stark and beautiful sight that we took photos.

Here is the picture story of how the painting 
came to be.
(scroll to the end to see the final)

The tree was all by itself in the dry field.
Beyond the tree, you can see the ocean,
with no land for 7000 miles until Antarctica. It is kind of a lonely place.

Another reference photo.

I had gathered some coconut fiber, just a bit, 
while we were at Punalu'u Beach. 

I had painted there before  on a previous visit. I posted about it in 2014, 
but the photos from that post have disappeared from this blog. 
I don't know why ... i hope to find out.

I used Golden acrylic gloss medium to adhere the coconut fibre (coir)
to the prepared wood panel.



I set the panel on top of our wooden rack to dry the acrylic medium
which will embed the coir.



I decided to use acrylic paints as my underpainting and it went very well.




Here is the aftermath of painting with oils on top of the acrylic.




And below is the final painting.

South Point Tree (kiawe) - Hawaii    acrylic, coir & oil on panel     11.5 x 22+ inches





Thank you for reading! Take great care.

🎨

3.18.2022

A Whimbrel - from carving to drawing to painting

 Bird carvings, I have learned, are fun still lifes to paint. 

I have been sketching many of the birds
Matt carves, too, 
 to have a record ... and i love to draw.

The drawings below are good practice 
for getting the figure on the panel.
 
Whimbrel   graphite on paper   5.5 x 4 inches


Whimbrel   graphite on paper  6 x 6 inches


a Matt Robus wood carving of a Whimbrel

(sitting up on a bookcase, ready to be painted,
you see in the photo below where I put it)






the sketch in charcoal on the wood panel, birch, i think

As I do lots of times, I forgot to take any progress pics.

Whimbrel   oil on panel   14 x 14 inches

I will be putting this elegant bird on my website soon. Here is a link if you
are interested in finding out more about the large shorebirds, the Whimbrels.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions,
please contact me! either by way of my website 
(so happy to have a website now!) or email me.
teri.robus@gmail.com

If you would like to follow my painting journey,
please add your email and sign up at the "Keep in Touch" section 
of my website. You can also leave a comment here, with your email
and I can add you to my newsletter subscriber list!

Stay safe and healthy!

🎨

ps If you want to see more of Matt's bird carvings,
his facebook page is:

3.12.2022

Story of an abstract painting/support for Ukraine

 


Kind of amazed that I didn't do a blogpost about this painting. I must've
posted it on IG or FB and then forgot to put it on here.

Whatever ... I am doing it now.

At the beginning of the pandemic,
2020
in February
in 5° weather
I went outside to paint. 🥶

I really don't like cold weather 
because when I lived and dog-mushed in Fairbanks, 
a few of my fingers and toes must have gotten a bit of frostbite ...
they get cold and numb very fast now.

I painted - quickly -
this tiny painting:

oil on board  4 x 6 inches

In January, 2020, Matt and I were able to go see
the Monet exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. 
I was interested in the paintings Monet made featuring a snowy scene.

I looked hard at his painted snow.

I decided to make a large painting from my little freezing study.
The following
photos show the progress.

I love the layers that happened and the winter-cold colors.












Winter - it begins      16 x 20 x 1.5 inches       oil & cold wax on prepared gesso panel

Due to the terrible war started by Russia against Ukraine,
I would like to help the people of Ukraine in some way. I have decided 
to offer this painting, already named over 2 years ago,
for sale and I will donate the money to the 


Thank you for considering buying this painting. I have it on my website 
now under Paintings/Abstract.


Please let me know if you have any questions.

Happy painting, happy collecting
and pray for Ukraine. 🙏


🎨