Fort Davis Church #DebbiSmithRourke #contemporaryart

 

© 2017 Debbi Smith Rourke

Fort Davis Church 12"x12"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

$400 unframed + sh/h

Contact me to purchase

Continuing in my simplified landscape series of Texas highway and byway scenes. I snap pics on our trips and find cool subjects and compositions. And then I push the color. All fun and games. 

 

Glacier Bay #GlacierBayart #DebbiSmithRourke

© 2017 Debbi Smith Rourke

Glacier Bay 10"x10"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

SOLD

My husband and I recently took a trip to Alaska, including a 3-day land tour and 7-day cruise. One of our cruise days was spent in the glorious Glacier Bay National Park - a water park! We saw two amazing glaciers and other remarkable sights. This was inspired by an image I took near South Marble Island. Think this is part of the north end of South Marble Island but can't be positive. These colors inspired me to use my swirly, thick-paint palette knife technique. Each locale inspires me in different ways. Stay tuned for more great images inspired by my land and sea trips. #Alaskafineart #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #Texasartist #AustinFineArtist #oilpainting #paletteknifepainting

Tears of Joy © #DSRabstract #abstractoilpainting #Tearsofjoy

©2015 Debbi Smith Rourke

Tears of Joy 6"x6"

Oil on canvas board
$170 unframed + $13 sh/h in Continental US
Contact me for purchase

Having fun finding environment images for my paintings. The color correction is truest on the large image of the artwork itself at the top of this post. This little painting has several layers of paint from different sessions, always using the sophisticated colors that emerge after a day of painting. Also loving painting wet paint into wet paint using the palette knife.

Purple Iris / Large © #sidexside2014 #largefloralart

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Purple Iris / Large   30"x24"

Oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

$1300 + sh/h in US
Contact me for purchase

Here is another image for my "Side by Side" exhibit with photographer Bill Oakey, starting next week!!!!! Yay!!! Our new works will be installed this Thursday, September 4. And our reception is this coming Friday, September 5, 5 - 7 pm. I had such fun working with Bill's amazing photograph pictured below. I did a small 10"x8" using the palette knife and thick, juicy paint, a more abstracted version, and this large expression that is powerful, more representational though still impressionistic. Hope you'll come see all three images in person.

Purple Iris © #abstractfun #sidexsideexhibit

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Purple Iris 10"x8"

Oil on canvas framed in natural wood and black  frame
$350 framed + $25 sh/h
Available on ArtfulGalleries.com

Here is another abstracted image for my "Side by Side" exhibit with photographer Bill Oakey next month at Old Bakery and Emporium. (In our "Side by Side" shows, I paint my interpretations of Bill's photographs.) This is all palette knife work. No brushes. Fun. Makes for easy clean up, too – no brushes to clean. :-)

I may do another larger version. You'd think larger versions would have more detail, but the larger I get, the more I simplify. Interesting! Love the process and exploration. Again, you'll have to come to the exhibit at 10th and Congress during the month of September to see Bill's stellar photo of one gorgeous iris.

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
Contact me for purchase

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?

Creative Possibilities ©

©2014 Debbi Smith Rourke

Creative Possibilities 12"x12"

Oil on gessoed .5" thick plywood board / unframed

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

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?

Santa Fe Holiday ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Santa Fe Holiday 24"x30" 

Oil on 1.5" gallery-wrapped canvas / unframed (no frame needed)
$1300 + sh/h 
Contact me for purchase

Isaiah 1:18

Verse Concepts

"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow;
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Snow#sthash.24Ln6wYv.dpuf

Isaiah 1:18

Verse Concepts

"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow;
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Snow#sthash.24Ln6wYv.dpuf

Isaiah 1:18

Isaiah 1:18

Verse Concepts

"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow;
- See more at: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Snow#sthash.24Ln6wYv.dpuf

It was so thrilling to enlarge this image I have painted twice as an 8x10". My goal is to bring the same simplicity of form to my large works that exists in the small, with very little new information. I call this an abstracted landscape because the shapes, forms, textures and colors become more important than capturing the true representational nature of the scene. I'm trying to express the FEELING of being there rather than seeing every detail that was perceptible. And that is thrilling because I remember the glowing of my very full heart that day, at this scene on my Santa Fe holiday! So much love, fun and fantasy gets wrapped up in paint and canvas! All wonderful! 

Happy to meet you for coffee @ Bruegger's Bagels in Westlake if you want to see the show with me. Up for just another 25 days!! 

P.S. Today is my mom's 76th birthday! Happy Halloween birthday, Mom! Love you!

Winter Holiday II ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

"Winter Holiday II" 10"x8"

Oil on canvas, framed in natural wood and black frame
$350 framed + sh/h
Contact me for purchase

I decided to try a vertical of this photo I snapped from my trip to Santa Fe in December 2011. My friend Nancy Hartley and her husband Brian took us to visit some artists friends who lived just outside of town in a winter wonderland. We had a lovely visit with Bunny Tobias and Charles Greely and toured their home and gallery. Special memories. I also have a horizontal painting of this same scene.

Cloudcroft Spring ©

©2013 Debbi Smith Rourke

Cloudcroft Spring 8"x10"

Oil on canvas board
SOLD
 

I painted this scene a bit larger, 11x14", back in early July and it sold to my good friend Cindy. It was painted from an image shot by photographer Bill Oakey which will be part of our upcoming "Side by Side" exhibit. SO, since the first one sold, I had to paint it again. :-) This one will be part of our October exhibit at Old Bakery and Emporium Gallery at 10th and Congress.  I so enjoy using the palette knife to push paint around. The process is hipnotic! 

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. :-)

Golden Meadow/Purple Mountains

© Debbi Smith Rourke

Golden Meadow/Purple Mountains  12 x 16"

Oil on canvas panel. NFS

I now have track lighting in my studio! Well one side is up out of 2 tracks. My husband put them up during the Fiesta Bowl last night. Yeah, Horns! I am adjusting a landscape I started on a plein air day last summer. So, until it's perfect, here's "Golden Meadow/Purple Mountains." This was a complimentary color study I did in Laurel Daniel's class. Simple but people seem drawn to it. (Gifted to my brother for Christmas 2009 since he love it so much.)