Notice the hat.

Amélie au Chapeau Chateau, 10x8" oil on canvas

Montreal sketch artist extraordinaire and blog buddy Raynaud Murphy helped me on the translation for this painting title. Speaking of titles, the portrait study of Emily was done in the Victorian mansion that is home to Sauls Title Company. Built in 1883, the house is known as The Frank Kornegay Borden House. This, however, is not the only business that finds itself under this fabulous private home in Goldsboro, NC.

What a grand experience it was to paint here! The setting looked like a place that, in another time, you might find a portrait sitting for the great John Singer Sargent, one of my all time favorite portrait painters. We posed Salem College student Emily in the parlor, where she and her mother Jewel Sauls display the fine works of their millinery, The Chapeau Chateau. I fell in love with the fascinators they craft. Here we have Emily wearing a hat fit for a Royal Wedding. Notice below the fascinator I donned while painting. Tee-hee. I’ll have to check out the berets they make.

Randy and Jewel Sauls partner in the title company. Randy, however, is best known in Goldsboro for his knowledge and expertise on all things Civil War. In May I’ll have the privilege to join a group on one of his tours. With twenty-two rooms, the Sauls have plenty of space for several lines of work. Hats off to America’s entrepreneurs and to this family of multiple talents!

What is it about men and bees,

Quince in early spring, 14x18" oil on panel

when they spot a flower? As I was painting this landscape, two different men stopped by to get their marks in the painting. One asked to use my palette knife, then put a dab of yellow in the grass; the other asked me to add his bees to the painting. There are at least three bumble bees in this painting. On the web, the bees probably equal about two pixels each, so I doubt you can see them. I won’t ask you to try.
 Do know I have a new plein air quote,

"The more beautiful it becomes outside, the more ugly it becomes inside."

So much for spring cleaning. My house has gone to hell in a handbasket. I've been a busy bee plein air painting. Don’t miss my two new gazebo paintings on Hot Off the Easel.

Painted from life

Alice

Lady in the Rose Sweater

I’ve now completed my first two portrait studies at my new studio in the Arts Council of Wayne County. A third person is scheduled to come in this Saturday. Here’s how this works, if you want me to paint you, you give me a $30 deposit which I hold for you until you come in at our prearranged time. You have 48 hours to cancel. When you come in, or should you need to cancel, I'll return your check. You sit for me for two hours, twenty minutes at a time with five minute breaks in between. If you like the painting at the end of our two hours, the cost is $100 plus tax. You have absolutely no obligation to buy the painting. You might ask, What’s in this for me? I get to practice on a live model for two hours. What’s in it for you? If you like the painting, you get to go home with an incredibly inexpensive original 8x10” oil portrait on canvas.
Ages limited to nine years and up.

In and out of the studio

American Sycamore painting in progress

Just sharing a couple of photos today. I’m proud of the painting I completed yesterday of an amazing Sycamore tree. Painted on location at Jimmy Herring’s farm in Goldsboro, the 30x24” oil painting took me three afternoons to complete. I’ll be sharing the final work in my Behr Path newsletter this Sunday. Click here if you’d like to receive my weekly art chatter. Many of my paintings I share in Behr Path never make it to my website, not intentionally, just neglectfully.

Painting Alice

Here also, is a photo of my first portrait session in my new downtown art studio. The good news—my first subject is happy with her portrait. Happy subjects turn into happy customers. This is a good thing. Another person willing to model comes in this afternoon.

If I’m leaving you hungry to see a painting, please click Hot Off the Easelhttp://brendabehr.com/blog to see some of the better nudes I’ve ever painted.

When I’m not on the trail

Bittany, oil on panel

Finally I got a good night’s sleep. I’ve had much excitement lately revolving around the new studio I’ll be sharing with artist Robert Rigsby. I think it’s going to work out perfectly for us. We’d both prefer to be outside plein air painting, thus a “Gone Fishin’ Call for appt.” sign on the door. We’d also both prefer to paint figures from life, so this is a place where we can do that.

The studio opened last Friday night when the Arts Council of Wayne celebrated its premiere First Friday Art Walk downtown Goldsboro. I featured a sign-up for models. People willing to pose for two hours dropped their name and contact information in a jar. The person whose name was drawn won a FREE 8x10" portrait study*. All others willing to do a 2-hour pose (twenty-min sessions with 5-min breaks between) may decide if they want the painting, and keep it for $100. I’ve now booked four appointments, the first one at 2:00 today.

If and when you’re in the neighborhood and might like to take time on a Mon., Tues., or Fri. (my days in the studio) to pose for me for two hours, please contact me. No nudes and no obligation to purchase.

* The faces slide show at the upper right of this blog are examples of studies that I did in two hours or less. One of them is a watercolor; the rest are oil.