Sunday, December 22, 2013

Peony Painting



This is a 24x36" oil on canvas that I have been working on in between other jobs for the last few months.  It is a commissioned portrait of my client's peony tree which she had me photograph last spring.  I am happy to be delivering this to her tomorrow.  Happy with how it turned out.
Here is a detail of one of my favorite areas...


To see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Faux Limestone finish


This monolithic drywall chimney was treated to a faux limestone finish.
All ready now for Santa's grand entrance!

If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Friday, December 6, 2013

Commissioned House Portrait

12x16 oil on canvas
One of several Christmas commissions I am working on, I just finished this painting for the couple that owns this charming house.
I recently a new camera and I am hoping it improves the quality of the images I post here.
Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Christian Baker Farm

Christian Baker Farm
11x14 oil

Saturday was the perfect fall day to paint at the historic Christian Baker Farm and home of Lawrence and Tammi Knorr.  I thought the display of foliage complemented the brick house and red barn so well.  The sun was in and out, but I managed to quickly capture the shadows when they showed up.
If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Monday, October 28, 2013

Aster Garden

16x20 oil
This was commissioned as a 70th birthday present for a very special lady.
Now that she has received the gift I can finally post it.
 
I expanded my limited palette for this one, adding some Quinocridone Magenta and Dioxazine Purple for the vivid colors in the flowers.
If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painters exhibit

I will have 4 paintings in this show of recent work by my plein air group. Opening reception is Friday the 4th from 6-9.  The gallery will also be open every weekend in October, Sat. 12-4 and Sun. 12-4.  This will be a great show!

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Restoring a dower chest



This 1780's PA German blanket chest was stripped of it's original paint decoration, so I painted it back on again and aged the surface to make it appear original to the piece.



Sunday, September 15, 2013

Chincoteague Plein Air

   I've just returned from a week of painting on Chincoteague Island, VA as part of their annual plein air event.   46 artists painted all over the town, marina, wildlife refuge, and beach, culminating in an exhibit/sale on Saturday night. This was my display panel for the exhibit. I am very happy that I sold 4 out of the 6 paintings I did this week.
  
This is one of the pieces that sold...

Three Houses On Main Street

9x12 oil
It was a great time and I look forward to next year's event.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Tulula

8x10 oil
I just delivered this commissioned doggy portrait.
I seem to be getting a lot of these lately.

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Music To Paint By

 10x8 oil
 
Today's Gallery Walk was a great event.  We saw a lot of traffic at City House Bed and Breakfast where 8 members of Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painters are exhibiting work.  Several of us painted on location during the day.
Violinist Betsy Barnicle played folk and pop tunes throughout the afternoon and I took the opportunity to practice painting from a live figure.  She moved quite a lot.  I started this painting by sketching loose gestures in burnt umber and moving the lines around until I got the pose I wanted.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

House Along The Lake, Boiling Springs


Yesterday my friend Cecelia and I painted in Boiling Springs.  We drove around the town for awhile trying to decide where to paint...there are so many great compositions there.  We settled on this corner.  She worked around the front side of this house and I chose this angle.  I liked how the sidewalk appeared to dive right into the lake (I actually could not see the lake from where I was standing because of all the shrubs, but I "imagined" it)

 Today I did some fine tuning on the perspective and punched up a few colors, but I still am considering this a plein air painting.  As you can see from the photo above, I worked out my entire composition, covered the canvas with paint, and established the mood of the painting all on location.  It was just some minor tweaks that were done in the studio.

House Along The Lake
9x12
If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Monday, August 19, 2013

Big Barn/Little Barn

11x14
I met some friends this morning to paint in the village of Lisburn.  At least 16 painters were in attendance despite the unpredictable forecast.  It was great to see so much talent in one place.

I chose to paint this barn complex of two matching buildings.  I liked the geometry of shapes and the strong red color on the roof.
I am thinking there must be some name for the matching outbuildings that you often see on historic PA farms...such as the Star Barn and it's matching smaller buildings...but I cannot seem to find any information on it.  If anyone knows please share.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Sherfy House = Best of Show!


I am so happy to share that my painting of Sherfy House on the Gettysburg Battlefield won Best of Show at the Susquehanna Art Society exhibit in Sunbury.

I painted this entirely on location during the Gettysburg Festival Plein Air Event.
At the time of the Civil War, the Sherfy House, on Emmitsburg Road,  was the residence of Joseph Sherfy and his family who were the owners of the Peach Orchard across the street, and the location of the famous battle which turned the war for the Union troops.

If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Thursday, August 1, 2013

August's Featured Artist at Trinity Lutheran, Camp Hill

I am exhibiting 28 paintings through the month of August at Trinity Lutheran Church in Camp Hill.
The work is mostly plein air, local landscapes with a few studio pieces mixed in.
The light filled atrium is open to the public M-F 9:00am to 4:00pm and 6:00pm to 9:00pm.
Stop by to take a look!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Seneca Lake Hollyhocks

11x14 oil
On Saturday I participated in the Finger Lakes Plein Air Fest.
  These gorgeous hollyhocks were growing at Atwater Vineyard along Seneca Lake. 

Friday, July 19, 2013

Something Refreshing...

8x8
I think we have all had enough of this current heatwave.
Today I just stayed in the AC and did this little still life.
Now to make some watermelon gazpacho!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Finished Florida mural


 Today I finished the large Florida mural.  It feels so great to complete a project of this scale.
Here are some detail shots...









...makes me want to go to Florida!

If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com



Monday, July 8, 2013

Florida mural


I've been working on this large mural in a client's home for the past two weeks.  The wall is about 15' high and 30' long.  The room has a glass conservatory ceiling and the client has brought in real potted palm trees.  I designed the wall to be an extension of the scene.


 It is almost completed...just a few finishing touches.




If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Shipoke Sidewalk


8x10 oil

I painted on Saturday afternoon in Shipoke, a historic area of Harrisburg, with some friends from the Susquehanna Valley Plein Air Painters.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Purple House


I painted last week in historic Lewisburg with some friends.  This purple house caught my eye.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

I am in print!

During the Gettysburg Plein Air Festival a photographer from the Evening Sun caught me painting the train station.  Check it out HERE

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Sherfy House



This is another painting from Gettysburg of the Sherfy House.  The Sherfys were the owners of the Peach Orchard which was the site of a bloody battle.  
The house has been restored and is maintained in pristine condition...so pristine that it looks a bit surreal, like a dollhouse plopped in the middle of the battlefield.


Sherfy House
9x12 oil

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Gettysburg Festival Plein Air Paint Out


I am participating in the Gettysburg Festival Plein Air event all this week.
This is a painting I did yesterday of the historic train station in town.  The station is the location for the art exhibit where all the artists will be hanging their paintings fresh off the easel.  The exhibit grows daily and there is a reception to meet the artists on Friday the 14th from 4-6 pm.


 
Lincoln Station
12x9 oil

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Glass Jar Study

8x10
Thursday was the final night of my oil painting challenge class.  One of the students had requested that we practice painting glass, so I set up a few jars for the students to paint from.
This is the painting I did along with the class.  It was an interesting study in how the background color changes as it is viewed through the lightly tinted jar.  It was also good practice in reserving white - resisting that urge to add too much -  to make the highlights glisten.
This has been a fun class to teach.  Every week we did a "challenge" and each challenge was designed to teach the students about value, color, light, etc.  I think it was good for everyone to work on a fresh small painting each week rather than spending several weeks on one large intimidating canvas.  It got them painting - and painting a lot -- from life -- which is the only way to really learn.  I enjoyed being able to paint along and think they learned from watching me.  I will miss it.

Friday, May 31, 2013

Adams County Orchard

9x12 oil
I had a few rainy days in between decorative painting jobs that were perfect for finishing up some paintings that had been sitting on the sidelines.  This was started early April in a peach orchard in Adams County - a gorgeous spot.  It really just needed a few touches to complete it.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Camp Hill Quick Draw


     This is the painting I did for the 2 hour Quick Draw Competition in Camp Hill.  As I was working on this I was really trying to concentrate on my values and color saturation in the shadow areas.  It was a challenge for me, but I have never taken the easy route - even for a competition.  When the 2 hours were over I immediately saw what I thought was a flaw in this painting, or at least a change I could make that would improve it.  That is the problem I have with these plein air events is that everything is hurried and there is no time to evaluate the painting.  I was totally surprised that the judge felt it still deserved Fourth Place, but even with the award I was happy that I could later make the adjustments I felt it needed.

     Below is the finish painting with the changes.  As you can see I just made the shrubs a bit larger - especially the one on the right.  I felt that in the earlier version the right side leaned off the canvas too much. 

9x12
I titled this "New Paint Job" because up until a year ago this house on Market Street was a dingy battleship gray.  There is a young couple that is now restoring it.  At least, that is what everyone told me as I was painting it.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Working on Greens



This 8x10 study of a Bok Choy was painted in my Thursday evening class.  We were working on mixing and painting various hues of green which is so important in landscape painting.

Friday, April 19, 2013

"Building" Blocks


     As I was painting at the Spangler Farm  I kept thinking about how the buildings in sunlight were like blocks - simple shapes - with a clearly defined light and dark sides.  So for my Thursday evening oil painting class I set up an arrangement of wooden blocks and challenged the students to see how the colors and values changed in shadow.  It is a great exercise and good practice for painting any structures in the landscape.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Gettysburg Farm

6x12 oil
I spent most of Tuesday in Gettysburg painting with a friend.
This was painted at a historic farm inside the park.
I liked the arrangement of outbuildings and the pattern of shadows as graphic shapes.
If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website  
 
 

Monday, April 15, 2013

Gabriella Italian Restaurant



Gabriella's is opening on April 17th after being closed for over half a year due to a devastating fire.
I had painted the original murals 8-10 years ago using old photos from the owner's hometown in Italy.
Some of the original murals survived the fire and just needed a cleaning and touch ups - others, large sections had to be repainted or redesigned to accommodate changes in the layout.

Here is a nice article about the opening.


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

painting a floor



This is a project I am currently working on.



Laying out the square grid was challenging, but so worth it when I pulled up the tape to reveal the results.
If you would like to see more of my work please visit my website www.julieriker.com

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Morning on the Farm

8x16 oil
     This is one of two paintings that I did last August during a day long painting outing to the Olson farm.  This one was the first of the two, painted in the morning as the mist was beginning to lift.  It was such a great day, and I hope we are invited back again this year.
     This is one of 5 paintings that sold during my reception last Friday night kicking off the sale of a greeting card to benefit the YWCA which featured my Red Tulip painting.  Thanks to everyone who came out to support me and the YWCA.  The Y raised over $1,200 in card sales and the Red Tulip painting went for $1,000 to an anonymous bidder.
     The cards are also available for purchase online at http://www.ywcahbg.org/cardswithheart#.UUmsPlfxfGs