Summit ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Summit  7"x5"

Oil on canvas board

SOLD

I love to create abstracts out of the cool, sophisticated colors I discover at the end of a day of painting. This is one of those wonderful combinations of colors and shapes that seems to create itself. Love these colors!!!!!

Missing Arizona ©

© 2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Missing Arizona  5"x7" 

Oil on archival panel / unframed
$150 + sh/h 
Contact me for purchase

This was painted from the juicy, sophisticated colors you discover after painting all day and mixing up a storm. I just HAD to use them before I put my paints away. The sky is a soft, pale yellow-green. I love how the shapes and colors are reminiscent of the Sedona area, yet the colors don't necessarily appear where you think they might...a sky-colored butte. Fun!!!

Oceanside ©

© 2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Oceanside  6"x8" 

Oil on archival panel, framed in natural wood and black frame
$250 framed + $25 sh/h
Available on ArtfulGalleries.com

I painted this the same day I painted "Poolside." They make a perfect pair. I'm so enjoying taking my landscapes into abstraction. A whole new world opens up. Including exploring  abstract expressionism. All fun and all good! 
Happy to send a photograph of it framed if you like.

Poolside ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Poolside 6x8" 

Oil on archival panel framed in natural wood and black float frame
$250 framed + $25 sh/h
Available on ArtfulGalleries.com

I've been painting but I haven't been posting. So I'm catching up. This little abstract was so fun. The colors are from a poolside photo I found. Feel pool-like to you?  That's the fun of abstract. It is what you want it to be. What do you see?

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!!

Garden Tour

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Garden Tour  5x7"

Oil on canvas board

SOLD
 

This week has been a blur. One day I painted four paintings. Think it was Monday. Anyway, this 5x7 is a delicious little abstract I created this week from a photograph I took in Butchart Gardens on our trip to Vancouver Island, B.C. in 2011.

Victoria, B.C.

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Victoria, B.C. 14"x11"

Oil on canvas board / Framed in gold plein air frame

SOLD

When my husband I toured Vancouver Island in the summer of 2011, we started our tour in Victoria. This scene is a view from one of the residential areas, looking out to the Salish Sea  toward the San Juan islands. I used both brushwork and a lot of palette knife application. Hope you enjoy!

Winter Holiday

© Debbi Smith Rourke 2013

Winter Holiday 8"x10"

Oil on canvas panel
SOLD

We went to Santa Fe for New Years in late December of 2011 to visit artist Nancy Hartley and her husband Brian. We had a delightful time! On one of our adventures, they took us to the Gallery Zipp, the home and gallery of artists Bunny Tobias and Charles Greeley. While driving up the snow-covered road to their home, we got a bit stuck for a while and had to walk the last few yards. I snapped some pics of the colorful late afternoon shadows on the snow-covered hills. Was magical! So last week I finally painted this impressionistic landscape / abstracted landscape from one of the photos. Love working with the palette knife. This piece is a sweet reminder of our lovely holiday tea on a cold winter day with artist friends.

Wine Country ©

© Debbi Smith Rourke

Wine Country 24"x24"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas / unframed (no frame needed)

$1050 + $70 sh/h in Contiguous US

Contact me for purchase

I am continuing on my path of painting abstracted landscapes, using both brushwork and multiple types of palette knife application. Experimenting is SO MUCH FUN. I just get into a zone and paint up a storm. I love the looseness of this and the vibrant colors. I painted this scene from the CA wine country a few years back in a small format, in a more traditional landscape style. But I am loving this new direction. What do you think??

Amy Hillenbrand, Bill Oakey and I installed 25 paintings today in two large display cases in the Scarborough Building main 6th Street lobby here in Austin. Was fun and looks so wonderful. Will let you know if we are able to plan a reception. Hope you'll have a chance to view my 16 paintings, including 8 new works. It's up through early to mid April. Hoping to catch some SXSW attendees.

Santa Fe Glory

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Santa Fe Glory  20"x16"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas / unframed (no frame needed)

$750 + sh/h in US
Available on ArtfulGalleries.com

I was in Santa Fe last October for the Carol Marine workshop. The Chamiso shrub was in unmistakable brilliant bloom. Our workshop was held at the Immaculate Heart of Mary retreat center, which just happens to be nestled in the pinon-covered foothills of the Rocky Mountains. These blooming chamiso shrubs where everywhere - around our classrooms and all along the hiking trails behind the center.  They turn a luminous gold in late summer and early fall and become irresistible photo opportunities. And painting opps as well. I used both brushwork and palette knife application in this one - a new favorite combo. 

Chamiso is one of the earliest native shrubs to green-up in spring in this area and it grows wildly along the dry, sandy watercourses. Over 25 subspecies have been identified. It's found from sea level to as high as 10,500 feet, yet it still thrives in this cold desert climate. Dense clusters of yellow-green flowers turn to rich gold by late summer, turning arroyos into golden rivers. A tea made from chamiso leaves is said to be good for colds and stomach disorders. Hmm, may have just discovered a new favorite tea as well!! All perfect.

Lighthouse II ©

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Lighthouse II  24"x24" 

Oil on 1.5"-wide gallery-wrapped canvas / unframed (no frame needed)

SOLD

I painted this scene in the 12x12" format back in 2006 after our trip to California. It's a view of the Pigeon Point Lighthouse just north of Santa Cruz in Pescadero, CA. I LOVE the west coast! Was inspired to paint it again, only a bit larger and using both brushwork and palette-knife application. (Click to enlarge to see more detail.) I install it Sunday at the Scarborough Building main lobby here in Austin, all thanks to sweet Kristin Schimmel. Hope you'll have a chance to take a look!

My Fine Art Website

Hope you'll visit my new FINE ART website. Have been thinking about it for a while and finally created it. I will continue to tweak and add new work. It is not an e-commerce site per se but will have links to the PayPal BUY NOW buttons here on my blog. Feel free to contact me to see work in person. Studio is always open. :-)

Also, I found out today I will officially be participating in the WEST Austin Studio Tour April 27-28 and May 4-5. I'll be a guest artist of Studio J in the Thornton Road Studios near Oltorf and S. Lamar. Yay!! Thanks Christine, Corlandus and Studio J members!!

Healing Light

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Healing Light  30x24"

Oil on .5" gallery-wrapped canvas  / unframed (no frame needed)

 $1300 + sh/h in Contiguous US

Contact me for purchase

This is special to me. I often get "downloads" or inspirations from my angels. One Saturday morning last fall, I woke up and received what I now consider a powerful light healing meditation. That morning, my mind was quiet and happy and blank. I was lying down. All of a sudden I started getting mental images of large squares of white light, about six feet by six feet, thin like a dryer sheet, going through my body starting at my feet and up to my head and surrounding space around me. They swashed though me one by one and then started coming faster and faster till it was just one strong light at my feet shining through me like a big strobe light. The thought came to me: "purification." Then I started seeing, in my minds-eye remember not thru my eyes, dark inky-blue purple light coming up my body, starting with my toes and slowing moving up my body. The thought / word came to me: "fortification." I understood that all the cells in my body were being fortified. This took several minutes - was slow like a software download on the computer. Finally, I saw a burst or flash of vibrant red light shoot up my spine to my neck. The word/thought came: "repair/reparation." I've had disc surgery in my neck and I have referred pain occasionally from this. Thus, the red repair light appeared where it was optimum for ME. So purify, fortify and repairing of cells must be the optimum way to heal. Works for me!!!!

I was inspired to paint this "Healing Light" piece so everyone could do this light healing meditation. The large white-ish area above represents the purifying white light. I put a Roman numeral I at the bottom right to indicate it is the first passage of light. The purple is actually next, so I put a II symbol in the bottom right. There is a tiny III in the red area. So now you can do your own "light healing" meditation. I am sure it was meant for all!! 

This painting is available. It uses techniques I am embracing - layers, varying thicknesses and using bold brush strokes and a variety of palette knife styles of application. It will be exhibited in the Scarborough Building main 6th street lobby from March 3 thru mid April. After that, any interested buyer can take it home. :-)

On the Rocks

©Debbi Smith Rourke

On the Rocks 12"x12

Oil on canvas, framed in natural wood and black float frame
$500 + sh/h 
Contact me for purchase

A big thanks to Carol Schiff who named this painting for me. Yay! Perfect. I love these water scenes from my trips to California. And am digging the thick paint and how it mimics the swirling water flow. LOVE IT!! It's going in my Scarborough Building exhibit March 3 - April 15 if it's not purchased before March 3. If purchased during the exhibit, I'll ship as soon as I can after taking the show down sometime in mid April.

San Juan Islands

© Debbi Smith Rourke

San Juan Islands 6x8"

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

I painted this little guy this morning and am posting tonight! Yay! Hope to make a habit of that. Seeking that balance between painting larger works and these small daily paintings. Any tips?

Windy Point ©

©Debbi Smith Rourke

Windy Point   18x36"

Oil on 1.5" wide gallery-wrapped canvas 

SOLD

I painted this last weekend and am finally posting it. You can click on it to make it larger. I just love this view of Lake Austin and Mt. Bonnell looking toward DT Austin from Cat Mountain. When it came time to name it, this name just popped into my mind. It does indeed get windy at this spot. This is one of my new works (after attending the Sandy Ostrau workshop in Berkley last month) that will be on display in the sixth street Scarborough Building lobby in March, and possibly West Austin Studio Tour. News to follow. All good!! Yay!!

Sandy Ostrau Workshop with Nancy Hartley

In mid January I joined artist Nancy Hartley at a fabulous abstract painting workshop in Berkley, CA taught by accomplished artist Sandy Ostrau. Sandy paints amazing abstracted landscapes and figurative works. This was Nancy's second time to take one of Sandy's workshops. We had so much fun. Above, Nancy and I are taking a quick break from painting. 

Here is Nancy with one of her fab paintings. Be sure to check out Nancy's art blog.

Her work is so striking. She has an unmistakable style. 

 

 Here is Sandy demonstrating how she starts a figurative work. Somehow I missed 

getting a great picture of her.  You should see the joy and excitement in her eyes. 

 

Close on the beginning of one of Sandy's figurative paintings.

Here is Sandy's completed figurative painting she started in the workshop (above).

 Here's a completed abstracted landscape Sandy started in our workshop. It's clearly abstract, 

but you know it's a landscape. Love her colors, thick juicy paint and graphic designs.

Sandy took this picture of me as I attempted to move beyond my patterns

to begin to play and experiment and see what emerges. It's magic!

Sandy Ostrau is represented by Allison McGrady. Nancy, my husband Jim and I toured Allison's gallery in Orinda while we were in the Bay Area. Check it out! Now, it's time for me to head to the studio to start creating some new works with all I learned!! Stay tuned.