Self Portrait in a Cold Studio

I was just blogging on another blog about an artist who painted herself beautifully in a freezing studio and I was reminded of my own self-portrait from (I think) 2004 or 2005, "Self Portrait in a Cold Studio."Even though my studio is in my house, it's a chilly place. For some reason the radiator has never worked well, and the windows (on two sides) are drafty. In the dead of winter I often work while wearing a hat and puffy down vest, as pictured, as well as long underwear under my heavy clothing and fingerless gloves (not pictured.)  Even so I need lots of cups of hot tea to keep me going! This annual inconvenience makes me feel all hardy and suffering-nobly-for-my-art-ish.  ;-)

This painting "Self Portrait in a Cold Studio" has been exhibited several times in various venues including the Philadelphia Sketch Club, and still lives online on the Robert Genn website.

Last Autumn, Bottled

Green and Yellow, oil on gessoed ragboard, 8 x 10 inches, 2011

Bottled is this week's prompt at Illustration Friday. I love this little brown bottle which once held a nutritional supplement we were giving my son with autism when he was younger,  and I use it over and over again in my work. I think it signifies a simpler time, when we were full of hope and energy. Still have lots of hope, but less energy! ;-)  The coreopsis blossom and nasturtium leaves were from my late autumn garden. They lasted a long time in my chilly studio. The apple on the left only went into the compost bin a month or two ago...very long-lasting! This recently completed piece is on the invitation card for my upcoming show:

Nancy Bea Miller: recent work
May 4-29, 2011
Artists' House Galley
57 North 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA

Receptions:

First Friday:
May 6, 5 - 8:30pm
Sunday,
May 8, 1 - 4pm

http://www.artistshouse.com/exhibits/next.html

Ducky

Duck in a Box, oil on gessoed ragboard, 6 x 6 inches, 2010

One Persimmon

Vincent's Persimmon, oil on canvas on board, 5 x 7, 2010

My cousins Mary and Keith were visiting a few months ago and brought me some persimmons grown by their friend Vince. The others rotted quickly but this one lasted through my painting of it...my studio is a bit like an icebox that way. Anyway, I just finished its portrait yesterday (the leaf is still intact although the fruit is no longer glossy!)

Neighbor's House

Neighbor's House, oil on linen, 6 x 8, 2010

I'd call this a plein air piece except that I did it out of my studio window yesterday afternoon. We got 22 inches of snow over the weekend! I hadn't painted snow in a long time...fun! Wish I had a bigger view from my studio window but you make what you can out of what you get, right? ;-)

HATS
are this week's theme at Illustration Friday. Very seasonally appropriate I thought. I have already started looking out the family's winter hats as our house is wonderfully cool in the summer but also in the winter, alas! Wearing a hat makes a big difference.

In fact, when winter really hits, a hat is a necessity, especially in my studio. North-facing and with a very feeble radiator, there are times when you can practically see your breath in there. No need to wrap up my palette at the end of the day...the paint stays nicely refrigerated and fresh for days on end. Me too I guess, so I wear a hat, a neck-warmer and a paint splattered down vest to work.

Self Portrait in a Cold Studio, oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches