Playa Blanca ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Playa Blanca 11"x14" 

Oil on canvas board framed in natural wood and black float frame
SOLD

I painted this initially while doing a demo at the Palette Club at the Austin Senior Citizen Center. I am enjoying working in layers and continually adjusting work over a few days to see where I might take it. Each day brings new ideas. Love the swirly paint in the water, scratches in the sand and big brush strokes simplifying the sky.

Here are the sweet folks at the Austin Palette Club! These painters were so kind, inquisitive and appreciative. I brought the painting home and adjusted it further, adding some contrast and scratching a bit with my palette knife. I took the photo that inspired this painting on the Mayan Riviera in March of 2012. We stayed at an incredible resort called Grand Velas near Playa del Carmen. Heaven!!! More Grand Velas paintings to come. :-)

Lake View ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Lake View 5"x7"

Oil on canvas / unframed

Unframed: $150 + $15 sh/h in US
Contact me for purchase

I love painting Lake Austin. This scene looking toward downtown and over Mt. Bonnell is a favorite of mine. I also love simplifying shapes and forms and consider this an abstracted landscape. Hope you enjoy.  

Springtime Drive ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Springtime Drive  11"x14" 

Oil on canvas / Framed in natural wood and black frame
$525 + sh/h 
Contact me for purchase

I love taking drives through the Texas hill country each spring. You have to hit it at just the right time of the season. Despite recent droughts, we were blessed to have a beautiful spring last year. This was painted from a photo I took on the famous Willow City Loop near Fredericksburg in 2012. I did a quick under painting which I took to my Sandy Ostrau workshop in January and played around using Sandy's techniques. Artist Nancy Hartley stored it for me til it dried and mailed it to me. Then I swirled some more paint around using the palette knife and a brush or two, leaving some original painting showing through, and landed on this gem. I love it. Hope it brings you joy as well. 

Benzinger Vineyards

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Benzinger Vineyards  6"x8"

Oil on archival panel / Framed in gold and black float frame
$250 + sh/h in Contiguous US
Available on ArtfulGalleries.com

I took a photo of the entrance to Benzinger Vineyards when I was touring the California wine country in 2006. I have painted this scene several times and always find new inspiration. Was fun to apply my new looser style, using both the palette knife and a brush. Love the thick paint and swirly paint. Fun!!