"LBJ's Rocking Chair" © #LBJRanch #LBJchair #LBJRanchPainting

©2007 Debbi Smith Rourke

LBJ's Rocking Chair 18"x18"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas / unframed

$600+ sh/h in US
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I was invited to go on a plein-air painting trip with some friends a few years ago at the LBJ Ranch in Stonewall, Texas, back when Lady Bird was still living. Was a lovely day and I decided to paint the porch of the house with the rockers because so many historic photos were taken there. The LBJ Ranch is also special to me because my mom worked for the LBJ company back in the 80's and was so fond of Lady Bird. This painting has been hanging at my parent's ranch house at their farm, something they were inspired to build after visiting the LBJ Ranch many times. So as my parents sell their ranch home, this painting has come back to me. What a circle of inspiration.

"California Dreaming" Article / Life as a Human #ArtArticle #LifeAsAHuman #CaliforniaPaintings

"Wine Country" 24"x 24" oil on canvas - SOLD

Check out my second article entitled "California Dreaming" published in the art section of "Life as a Human" online magazine. I love the California landscape and capturing the drama and excitement through color and shape-inspired paintings that truly evoke the emotions of being there. 

If you love remembering your travels and adventures, consider an art experience commissioned painting. And bring the joy home everyday.  :-) Hope you enjoy the article and the online magazine.

"Aqua Spring" © #AbstractPainting "AustinAbstractArtist #TealAbstract

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Aqua Spring 10"x8"

Oil on canvas panel / unframed
$250 + sh/h in US
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While I painted this last weekend, I had the idea for a series of teal-dominant abstracts many months ago. Teals, grays and a splash of contrast color, anywhere from mustard yellow and poppy to purple. Having fun. Look for more to come. Palette knife strokes and brushwork abound. Zing!

Take a Load Off ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Take a Load Off  8"x10"

Oil on canvas panel / unframed

$250 unframed + sh/h in US
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I painted this almost two weeks ago and am finally posting. I love deck chairs and beautiful outdoor furniture. These colors, thick juicy paint and the cozy chair just make me smile. The colors are kind of peppermint-y, don't you think?

Mt. Bonnell Bend ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Mt. Bonnell Bend  5"x7"

Oil on canvas panel

SOLD

Yet another painting of one of my favorite views. It makes a nice pair with "Lake View." Also available in black and gold float frame. 

"Mt. Bonnell Bend / Framed"

West Austin View ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

West Austin View 24"x24"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas
SOLD
 

This is an enlargement of one of my favorite 12"x12" paintings. It's a simplified view of Lake Austin looking west. I am enjoying focusing on shapes, forms, color and texture.

Coffee Time ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Coffee Time 10"x8"

Oil on canvas panel / unframed

$250 + $25 sh/h in Contiguous US
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I started this painting over a year ago and set it aside. I took it to my Sandy Ostrau workshop and added more layers of color and texture. Now I love it. Everybody needs a little coffee time, right?

Creative Possibilities ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Creative Possibilities 12"x12"

Oil on gessoed .5" thick plywood board / unframed

$400 + sh/h in US
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I started this painting in the Sandy Ostrau workshop I attended back in January. But after I got home to my Austin studio, I added the red-orange elements. Now it is a tretrad of blue-green, blue-violet, yellow-orange and red-orange. Yummy. Love the simplified shapes, large brush strokes, mix of brush and palette-knife work and surprises of color where they might not appear in reality. Creative possibilities are infinite!! Love that. What possibilities inspire you?

Sandy Ostrau Workshop Jan. 2014

 

Sandy doing a landscape demo 

I was thrilled to attend Sandy Ostrau's 3-day workshop in Orinda, California (Bay Area) in January. Everything about it was delightful. My dear friend and fab artist Nancy Hartley invited me. She and her hubby Brian went all out to make every moment of my trip so delightful. Thank you, all!!! I was inspired on so many levels.

 Sandy's color mixing

 Sandy showing ways to optimize use of layers

 Another sweet Sandy demo

Learned a few fabulous tips: 

- Simplify. Simplify. Simplify. 

- Experiment. You can always paint over the work, or turn it 90 or 180 degrees.

- Color gets all the credit. Value does all the work.

- Quinacridone red and white make a luscious sky color.

- Learned to make earthy taupes that mix well with oranges and greens.

- Unexpected color pops brilliantly when placed next to a neutral.

Play time!!! I burned the candle at both ends. Up early for breakfast then Nancy picked me up and we laughed our way to class. We watched Sandy and were endlessly inspired, painted with amazing painters all day, enjoyed al fresco lunches, went gallery gazing, took walks on the reservoir, dined out, laughed and shared, enjoyed home cooked meals and even attended Brian's running club's annual gala in San Francisco the last night. On top of that, I met ad pal Roberta Taub Abel for a delightful dinner, too! She drove into Danville from Berkley to see me and catch up. What fun.

 

Nancy Hartley's paintings at Layfayette Gallery

 Yummy home-cooked meal at Nancy and Brian's. Delightful and healthy. Oh the stories I must have told.

Nancy and me after painting, shopping and drinking. Art buddies for life!

 Nancy and Brian on gala night in San Francisco. So delighted to be their guest. We danced all night!

 Dinner with Roberta Taub Abel. We worked at Leo Burnett and JWT together in Chicago 

too many years ago. So many stories and so many common friends!!

 Sad departure. Glorious views!!

Thank you, Nancy!! What a dear, dear friend!! Lot's of love to you! XOXO

Fall Colors ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Fall Colors 12"x12"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas / unframed

$400 + $50 sh/h in Contiguous US
Contact me for purchase

I'm re-posting this from last fall. It is part of my Side by Side series with photographer Bill Oakey. We had a joint exhibition of new works last October. Look forward to more collaboration and more fun projects.

Cedar in Tall Grass ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Cedar in Tall Grass 8"x10"

Oil on canvas board

SOLD

I painted this Monday and just love it. Snapped a pic of this cedar in some tall winter grass on our way back from San Antonio a couple of weeks ago. Love applying a few simplification techniques I learned from Sandy Ostrau. Also love the mixture of brushwork and palette knife application. So much fun!

Snow Shed ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Snow Shed  6"x6"

Oil on 1.5" wide gallery-wrapped canvas

$150 + sh/h in contiguous US
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I painted this from I photo I took on a delightful winter excursion near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Love the little shed tucked into the trees. So enjoying painting snow scenes, even though I am totally ready for hot weather! My feet are cold!!!

Beach Time ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Beach Time 8"x8"x1.5"

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

$210 + $15 sh/h 
Available on ArtfulGalleries.com

I painted this from a photo I took while vacationing at on the Mayan Riviera a couple of years ago at Grand Velas. It is an abstracted or simplified representation using techniques I learned from the fabulous California artist and generous instructor Sandy Ostrau. I love my beach time and this painting takes me back to this memorable adventure.

Swirl ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Swirl  48"x36"  

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas
Contact me for purchase 

This is the right side of the diptych I recently started. It is now hanging in our entry. Yay!!! But not for long. Hoping it goes to a collector soon as it IS available for sale. Here's how the diptych looks installed. 

 

"Swish and Swirl" diptych
Oil on two 48"x36" gallery-wrapped canvases (48" x 72" together)
Contact me for purchase

Swish ©

© 2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Swish  48" x 36"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas
Contact me to purchase

 Diptych of "Swish" and "Swirl" 

Oil on two 48"x36" gallery-wrapped canvases (48" x 72" together) 
Contact me for purchase

I did two studies last year for this diptych titled "Rising Bubbles" and "Colorful Currents." This larger version of Rising Bubbles is more about movement – clearly there are no bubbles. I just totally got immersed in the process and the flow of moving paint around in large areas. Was a blast! Came together rather quickly. The study helped, but I was definitely in a groove that felt GOOD. There appears to be a heart emerging, and I recently realized these are chakra colors. Maybe it's a combined aura!

Trial Islands Lighthouse ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Trial Islands Lighthouse 8" x 10" 

Oil on canvas panel

SOLD

I recently took a workshop from Sandy Ostrau in the San Francisco Bay Area. She paints intriguing abstracted landscape, water scape and figurative works. This is the first painting I've completed since my return from the workshop where I used more of her simplification techniques and some color-mixing ideas. WAS SO MUCH FUN!! These islands are near Victoria, BC and I have wanted to paint this scene for a couple of years. So glad I waited!!

Sprinkles ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

"Sprinkles" 8"x10" 

Oil on canvas panel / unframed
$250 + sh/h in contiguous US
Contact me for purchase

My first donut painting! I have been teaching the most talented 10-year old girl in my still life classes. She loves donuts. She was so excited when I had a set-up for her with this donut, sans coffee mug. She painted a more overhead shot. Was so sweet, I decided to paint it myself, though this is a more straight on view and I added the mug. Pretty fun. And I bought and extra donut for my hubby, which he loved. He named this, by the way. :-)

SOLD! Thank you!

"Thistles" ©Debbi Smith Rourke  20"x20"

"Inspired Dream" ©Debbi Smith Rourke 30"x24"

"Winter Holiday" ©Debbi Smith Rourke 8"x10"

"Spring Snowfall" ©Debbi Smith Rourke 11"x14"

"Illinois Gold" ©Debbi Smith Rourke  8"x10"

"Sweetie Pie" ©Debbi Smith Rourke 8"x10"

"Two Peppers"  ©Debbi Smith Rourke  6"x 8"

"Jamaica Mon"  ©Debbi Smith Rourke  8"x10"

These are some of my favorite oil paintings that were sold in 2013. Yay! So appreciate each and every one of my art patrons, from this year and through the years. Your support and encouragement mean a great deal. I'm also now leasing artwork and teaching art classes to adults and children 9 to 12 years of age, here in my home studio. Contact me if interested. More inspired work to come so stay tuned. All the best to your and yours in 2014.

Teal Hills © / In-Home Studio Holiday Sale

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Teal Hills 24"x 24"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas
SOLD

I am enjoying painting abstracted landscape imagery, particularly of Lake Austin. Unexpected surprises arise when I explore techniques such as multiple layers, interesting new color mixes and a variety of textures.

This Friday and Saturday, December 13 and 14th, I am hosting a Holiday Art Sale in my home and home studio. Email, text or FB message me for my address. The inside of our home is decked out for the season and my paintings are hanging throughout the house — an homage to myself! If you are in Austin, pop by! 

Home Studio in NW Austin

Friday, 12/13: Noon to 5 pm

Saturday, 12/14: 11am to 5 pm