Red Roses in a Cranberry Fenton Vase oil painting

On exhibition at the San Clemente Art Gallery, downtown San Clemente, California on Aveida Del Mar in the Community Center Building across from the library. It is in the Spring Flower & Garden Show from April 5-May 30, 2009.
Title "You Got My Heart on a String", Medium-Oil on Linen over board, Size-8"W x 11"H. Price is $300 in a gorgeous black frame with antique gold trim. Statement: It's a funny story about this painting. I received a dozen long stem roses for my birthday on March 18th, the largest vase we have is a big Fenton art glass in a cranberry color. The way the light goes through this vase is incredible with the coin dot pattern it has. I placed the vase on our kitchen table and it took up the whole table practically. The night before my birthday, my 15 yr old daughter, Alina, decorated the whole downstairs in paper hearts and swirling spirals, it was magical looking. Still have them hanging, I love it and her too. The roses started to beckon me with their rich red color, so I decided to paint the whole vase with roses. I reached to grab the vase and carried it out to the diningroom where I had more sunlight. The tall roses caught up one of the paper hearts and it just hung on the string off the rose. I knew right away it was a sign, some magic had happened again, it was meant to be in the painting. So, I made sure it was facing the right way and I painted it in there. This is a different style or an evolution of a style to me as I really painted in strong colors and boldly. I also wanted the heart and the rose closest to it to drip in color or bleed downwards. I saw it once in a Picasso painting and was drawn to it. So, I tried that technique for the first time, I loved it! This painting has been done also with a painting gel similar to what Cezanne used to enhance the gloss of the oils and keep the impasto strokes. It really works well. The other funny thing was that I have a Cezanne print in my bathroom of some tulips in a stone vase and the background always intrigued me, so this painting has a background similar to it with some of my own innovations. I am going to make prints of this, if you are interested in a high quality giclee, please send me an email. ew@visions2art.com I will ask $75 for the 8x11 size on stretched canvas. I really am excited about how this turned out. Here you can see a close-up of the bleeding heart and rose, even some of the leaves bleed.


















Also, here is the actual bouquet of roses next to the painting. The light blasting through the windows was too much and whitened out the background. I think I want to make this into cards also, it really has a romantic feeling to it. Enjoy!

Three more Oil Paintings on eBay

Go here to see my latest original oil paintings up for auction on eBay.

Vintage1959 Barbie in Plantation Belle Oil Painting on eBay, Buy It Now

"1959 Vintage Barbie in Plantation Belle." 12"W x 16"H oil on stretched linen. Click HERE to go to the eBay auction listing, Buy It Now for $250.00. SOLD That is a deal of a price for such an incredible painting. I have sold four already on eBay for a similar price, don't miss out on this. I do not do many of these, I have to 'feel' the inspiration.

Juried Art Exhibition next weekend, you are invited!

SOLD

There will be an exhibition next weekend in which one of my art pieces will be hung. It is called Small Wonders 2009, at the SoCal Artists Studios on Laguna Canyon Rd. A portion of all sales will benefit School Power. Opening reception is Saturday, March 21, 6-9 pm. Go to their website for more info. Or email me. Here is the entry piece, "Creekside Birch - Caspers Park."

Barbie celebrates 50 years today on her birthday, oil painting tribute

Painting title, not yet decided upon, size, 12x16. Medium, Oil on Linen. Price, $250.00. SOLD. Here is my latest Barbie oil painting just in time for her 50th birthday. Barbie was given a birthday of March 9, 1959. She was released for sale at the New York Toy Fair that time, so you can consider it a birth of an icon. I am no stranger to this doll, I own fifty of the early 60's Barbies. This painting is of my blonde No. 1 wearing Plantation Belle, she is one of the few left of the first Barbies. I have a brunette also which I have painted from before. This is about my 6th or 7th oil painting of the No. 1 Barbie and they get better and better each time I do one. I wanted to paint the Plantation Belle outfit because of it's celebratory appearance, it's southern belle femininity, it's airiness, it's springtime appeal. I felt spring coming on, I felt Barbie would want to dress like she is going to a garden party with her fluffy white pooch running along her side. The sun is coming through her from behind and it leaves a shadow of the skirt with lace on the ground that I gave some attention to in my artistic way. I added spring colors behind her to keep with the season and to add a compliment to the pinks and pale violets. Her face is part in shadow with a sultry glance and so is her front bodice and skirt in shadow, it makes the sunlit areas stand out more. Her hat is just the perfect addition with it's wide brim and streaming ribbons. I made sure Barbie's facial features hold true to the 1959 doll with the inverted v brows and you gotta love her full brick red lips. Those eyes have it all with that side glance, she is the cat's meow of all the Barbies. Happy Birthday Barbie, you made it through half a century! I will place this up for sale on eBay, look for a link in a day or two.

On eBay.com, Three Esther J. Williams Oil Paintings

I have placed these three oil paintings on eBay, click on each of the thumbnails to go to the eBay auction link.
Crystal Cove Cottage #12, an original oil painting, 8X10.












Barack Obama Taking the Oath, original oil 8X10,









$120.00 for the Laguna Beach, CA original oil painting, 9x12. SOLD
Enjoy these one of a kind originals!

Esther Williams in Featured Artist Spotlight on OCArtsandCulture.com

Today I am featured as the spotlight artist on ocartsandculture.com this will take you to the front page of the website. Go here to link directly to the article featuring myself, http://ocartsandculture.com/2009/03/artist-spotlight-esther-williams/

It is a Q&A style article where I answer questions pertaining to my profession as an artist with some images of my art and myself. You will gain insight about me by reading it.
Thanks,
Esther J. Williams

The O'Neill Corral at Caspers Wilderness Park

Here is "O'Neill Corral - Caspers Park, an 8X10 oil painting on linen, I began this painting about a week ago at Caspers Wilderness Park. It was a return trip from my last excursion there a week before. This time I wanted to paint the old O'Neill Corral, water tank and windmill. They are painted a dusty red and it reminded me of the cowboy days that have disappeared from Orange County. As I drove into the area and opened up my back Jeep gate, a horse trailer pulled in also and let three gorgeous horses out and into the corral. I told the ladies they made my day, I really didn't want to paint an empty corral. The ladies were having a picnic and wanted to allow their horses to graze and that is exactly what any normal horse will do. The green grass was the perfect compliment to the red subjects. I had to peer between the rails to see what I wanted to paint, the space was wide enough.






























In the back gate of my Jeep was my puppy Chihuahua as you will see in a picture here. She is the reason I have slowed down in painting lately. I am trying to train her, it's been a challenge, so far if she wants attention, she is getting it. Of course she wants a lot of attention and I have to sketch in my painting on the canvas fast. Because I do not like to rush a good painting, I have resorted to laying in the composition, mixing some colors I see on the easel palette and taking lots of digital images with my great SLR camera. Then I can go home as the sunlight changes too much and finish the painting in my studio. The puppy has really dictated my life a lot in the past three weeks, so this painting took a week to finish. I would start in one area one day and then move gradually up the canvas in sections and make sure I tied in all the areas by wetting down previous ones, no harsh edges. Someday the pup will want to hang out and relax instead of going pee, poo or nap on my lap all the time, so I can finish a painting in one day.
I also have been very busy entering three juried exhibitions in the past two weeks. This painting has been entered into one. It was a lot of work to get all the images ready and send out checks and applications. I plan on being in an outdoor art show at the Mission San Juan Capistrano on April 4-5. It is with the Socalpapa art association. I am looking forward to that, I will have new art works there. I will hopefully have this little painting accepted into the special juried section at the Barracks Gallery there. Price has not been set yet. If you want me to send you a postcard, email me at ew@visions2art.com. I would love to see art lovers visit me.

Print or Giclee Release of Crystal Cove Painting

I have received an extremely high resolution copy of my painting above titled Low Tide Afternoon - Crystal Cove. The original is a 20"W X 10"H oil painting. I am using a company called Pro Photo Connection to produce a limited edition of prints, they are experts in photographic prints and giclees. I am taking orders for either a giclee on canvas or an acid free matte paper giclee. The canvas will be stretched onto stretcher bars, all you need to do is place it into a ready made 20X10 frame. The second choice giclee will be on museum quality and acid free paper, thick stock. The edition will be 50 or less and they will be hand signed and come with a Certificate of Authenticity. Price is $125.00 plus S&H. It is a stunning painting of Crystal Cove, one you can cherish and remind you of the nostalgic place.
The original painting image has just been entered into two juried exhibitions. I will post any news up here if it was accepted.