Light Seeker

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Light Seeker   8x6"
Oil on archival panel / framed in gold and black float frame
NFS

This is one of the last of the pieces I painted in Carol Marine's workshop last October. I felt like the flower was posing for the light, thus the name. Also symbolizes all those seeking enlightenment.  Gotta love it!

Coastal Feeling

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Coastal Feeling  12x12"

Oil on canvas / framed in natural wood and black frame

$500 + sh/h
Contact me for purchase

I am so excited to have two paintings accepted in this year's AVAA 12BUY12 Holiday Show at Austin Art Space. This painting and Tropical Pool will be exhibited Dec. 7 - Jan. 12. The reception for the event is Dec. 8. This event is a holiday must and so fun to get the season rolling. 

Lake Austin Winter Morn

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Lake Austin Winter Morn  12x12"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas / Unframed (no frame needed)
$400 + sh/h in US
Contact me for purchase

I've painted this winter scene of Lake Austin before. This time, I used my new abstracted approach working with just a palette knife. Very interesting editing out what seems unimportant and focusing simply on shape, color, composition and value. So much fun!!!

Tropical Pool

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Tropical Pool  12x12"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

Unframed:  $400 + $30 sh/h in Contiguous US
Contact me for purchase

I've painted this scene before. I love this pool and hot tub in South Padre. Was exciting to bring my new abstracted approach to the scene, using just a palette knife. No brushes. Woohoo - what freedom!! And I love the thick, juicy paint and simplified visual approach. Very painterly. Feels more vibrant. More abstracted landscapes to come.

Wildflower Field

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Wildflower Field   24x36"

Pastel on paper

NFS

I recently did  commission for my dear friend Anne Marie Palmer. Well, I say recently. I started on it many months back with this study/sketch posted last January. After she approved the sketch, I took my time with the larger piece. SO grateful she wasn't in a hurry. I delivered this to her about two months ago. Finally posting the work - unframed and with the frame she chose. Pastel is a wonderful medium. Must do more. I am open to more commissions, too! :-) Just contact me here. 

Framed "Wildflower Field" pastel

Fall Morning II

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Fall Morning II   8x6"

Oil on archival panel / framed in gold and black frame
Sale: $65.00
Contact me for purchase

This is a further-abstracted version of a painting I did two years ago - posted below. This new one is smaller and has less detail. Yet all the juicy color and streamlined detail is all the info you need I think. I am loving working with bold brush strokes and sometimes just the palette knife. No palette knife here - all flats and brights. More to come!

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Fall Morning  14x11 oil on canvas

Available in gold plein air frame here. 

Fruit Plate

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Fruit Plate 6x8"

Oil on archival panel / framed in gold and black float frame

SOLD

This red pear and fruit is my favorite painting from Carol Marine's advanced workshop in Santa Fe. On the last day, she gave us tips on how to paint reflections. I brought this home and then lightened the reflections and darkened the background. Now I love it!! Here are some pics of my art buddies in the workshop. We had such fun!

Amy Hillenbrand on a painting break.    

         Pam Holnback with one of her paintings.

Nancy Hartley with one of her paintings.

Kelley MacDonald with one of her paintings.

The gals on a Canyon Road Gallery tour. Amy, Mary, Pam, Kelley and Debra. 

Yes, that shadow is me taking the picture.

Sweet Tart ©

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Sweet Tart  8x6"

Oil on panel, framed in gold and black float frame (seen below)
$250 + $20 sh/h in Contiguous US

Another painting I created during the Carol Marine workshop I attended last month. She was demonstrating how to paint white objects on a white background. Not an easy task. I was being called to play with color so I put my white plate on this loud red background. Yes, I am a bit of a rebel. :-)

Tomatoes and Pitcher

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Tomatoes and Pitcher   16x12"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas. 
NFS

I donated this 2010 painting to the LBJ/LASA Project Graduation online auction held Nov. 1 through Nov.15. It's for LBJ - a northeast Austin high school, a Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy and the public magnet school for AISD gifted students.

LBJ PTSA organized Senior Celebration, a drug- and alcohol-free lock-in that gives seniors the opportunity to commemorate their achievements and stay safe. So that no senior is turned away for lack of funds, LBJ PTSA holds this auction. My friend Julie Pastor, co-chair, selected this painting from my studio. 

Two Peppers

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Two Peppers 6x8"

Oil on archival panel.
SOLD

Here is one of my paintings my week in Carol Marine's advanced workshop in Santa Fe in early October. Carol's lessons included painting white on white, flowers and glass, metal objects and reflections. This is my metal-object painting. More to come!

Carol Marine's Advanced Workshop

I returned 2 weeks ago from Santa Fe where I took Carol Marine's advanced workshop with thirteen other lucky women. Part of the magic was watching Carol's demos. Most days she would set up a still life before class (there was a race to get there early so we could watch her set it up) and then paint it magically before our eyes. Above she is showing us how to paint glass. Below is a short sequence of her painting a couple of mugs with grapes on a reflective surface.

First she gets her drawing correctly proportioned and positioned on her 6x6 panel.

She rubs off her initial marks and starts to paint the juicy colors first.

Here she puts in notes of the background and begins the reflections.

Drum roll.....Magic. These were just taken with my iphone. Yet you still can see how fabulous this painting is, complete with her signature fork. She gave us the opportunity to purchase these paintings and they all sold quickly. :-)  Thank you Carol for letting me post this sequence!!!! You are so gracious with your knowledge and inspiration. Now...HERE IS MY REFLECTION PAINTING (below) that I did in Carol's workshop. Yes, a red pair, two red grapes and a lemon.

 ©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Fruit Plate 6"x8" 

Oil on archival panel / framed in gold and black float frame
$250 + $25 sh/h in Contiguous US

 

 ©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Fruit Plate 6"x8" 

Oil on archival panel - FRAMED in gold and black illusion frame.

$130 + $18 sh/h.

This framed painting is sitting on a taupe, textured place mat. The frame has no checkerboard texture. :-) Note to self, "Don't photograph gold framed on textured cloth the same color."

Lilies 30x24"

© Debbi Smith Rourke

Lilies 30x24" 

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas 

SOLD

Our 2012 Side by Side show is up!! New works! Photographer Bill Oakey and I are continuing our series - his favorite photographs and my interpretations of them in oil or pastel. "Lilies" is my favorite of my new entries. We are exhibiting, along with Kay Hughes and her encaustic works, at the Old Bakery and Emporium Gallery through August 30th. Reception is Thursday night, August, 9th from 6 - 9 pm. Hope you will join us! 

Here is Bill's inspiring photograph he took in a Las Vegas hotel. I added more contrast and pumped up the color, something I love to do.

© Bill Oakey

Morning Light 24x30"

© Debbi Smith Rourke

Morning Light 24x30"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

ORIGINAL SOLD
Canvas prints available from 8x10" to 24x30"
Contact me for prices based on preferred size.

I delivered this painting last weekend to my friend Julie Pastor. She is on the committee for Kealing Middle's Schools fundraiser: Kealing Center Stage. They will be raising money tonight to help save vital programs, including art programs, threatened by budget cuts.

This is the second painting I have created from one of my favorite moody photographs taken of Lake Austin near the Pennybacker (360) bridge. The morning sunlight makes the lake and the land across the lake glisten while the foreground has yet to be graced by the day's direct light. I love watching the colors change throughout the day and the seasons along Lake Austin.

Rolling Hills 10x8"

© Debbi Smith Rourke

Rolling Hills 10x8"

Oil on canvas board / unframed

 $250 + $25 sh/h in Contiguous US

This work is an abstracted landscape I created from a photo taken near Fredericksburg. I removed any trees and just looked at the layers of ground, hills and sky. Still playing around with where I want to land between representational and abstract. Pretty fun!

Lake Austin Bend 24x30"

© Debbi Smith Rourke

Lake Austin Bend  24" x 30" 

Oil on canvas / framed in 3 inch-wide gold
$1,500 + $100 sh/h in Contiguous US

This is my most popular painting in my flickr gallery!!!  Yea. So thought I'd repost with a buy now button :-). Enjoy!

Wildflower Field Study

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Wildflower Field Study  8x10"

Pastel on paper
NFS

This is a small pastel study I did in preparation for a full size 24x36" pastel I am working on as a commission for a dear friend. The Wallace sand paper that is the base of the actual commission piece is now being permanently dry mounted to the foam core, so I will be able to start the final work in a few days! Yea!