Paintings | Beverly Shipko, Artist

Day 2. Macarons

January 2, 2017 by Beverly

Here’s another sweet treat, Macarons, that is more healthy than most. It has a delicate palette (and flavors!) that makes it an interesting composition. In that sense, it’s a slight departure from the more vibrant subjects I often paint.

“Macarons from DelRey Shop, Antwerp” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting, 16 x 20 inches on cradled wood panel

And now it’s true confession time. This is a larger 16 x 20″ version of a small 5 x 7″ Challenge painting that I did in 2015. You can see the differences in scale below. It certainly took a lot longer than a few days to paint (try weeks!) because of the size, details, and the individually mixed macaron colors.

I recently finished Macarons and thought this was the perfect time for its debut – especially since it certainly was a challenge!

Macarons required a lot of patience. The more I looked, the more I saw. Every time I put more detail in on one macaron, I had to add more to the surrounding macarons. At times, it felt like this was the painting that was never going to end. Finally I reached a point when I knew it was time to stop (confirmed by Bonnie when she exclaimed “Done!” after work), although the temptation to keep going was strong.

Thank you to Betty Heller for thinking of me and taking the original photo at DelRey shop in Antwerp.

My intention was to keep Macarons in reserve for a day when I wouldn’t be able to paint, which happened yesterday when we spent a chunk of the day with Noelle, a good friend from my Kraft General Foods days, and her family in New Jersey. It’s one our our holiday traditions. I wish I had celebrated this painting in style by bringing macarons for dessert, but I didn’t think about it until just now.

See you tomorrow for Day 3. Time to paint!

Day 1. Apples and Honey

January 1, 2017 by Beverly

“Apples and Honey” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled wood panel, 5 x 7 inches

I thought I would kick off the New Year with one of my favorite snacks, Apples and Honey. This tasty treat happens to be healthy and fits with one of my New Year’s resolutions to take care of myself.

This painting came easily, at least partly because I had been staring at the drawing and internalizing it so long that I had a clear vision in my head.

I started painting last week so I could take my time – but not too much time since it runs the risk of being overworked. One of the reasons I do the Challenge is to practice capturing the essence of a subject and stopping while the work still looks fresh.

It also helped that I bought a tube of turquoise oil paint, a vibrant color that I found almost impossible to mix with any consistency. And Bonnie’s friend, Christina, gave her this jar of honey with the wand as a bridal shower favor, which I kept close by. The wand with the dripping honey is my favorite part of the painting.

I hope you and your family all have a sweet New Year! I wish you much health, happiness and peace.

New Year’s Painting Challenge, 2017

January 1, 2017 by Beverly

A few weeks ago, I decided to participate in the January 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge (aka 30/30 Challenge), sponsored by Leslie Saeta.

My first Challenge was exactly 2 years ago. Some of my friends say I’m a glutton for punishment to do it again. I think I just love to paint, and am looking forward to creating art without distraction and the opportunity to explore new subjects.

I started preparing in December 1st by going through my photo archive (100,000 photos and growing rapidly) looking for a theme. So technically it takes at least 2 days per painting when you include all the prep time.

Of course, I thought about sticking exclusively with some aspect of food. I also considered travel, nature, sea shells, every day objects, and using old postcards (I have my mother’s collection that includes a dirigible!) or famous artists as inspiration.

This process took way more time than expected. I have more unfinished blogs in my head than ever before!

In the end, I didn’t settle on a single theme, as you can see from this table of prints in our family room. I am simply choosing subjects that spark joy. Sound familiar?

It’s a good thing I started early since most of my compositions are horizontal, and I’m short on 5 x 7 rectangular panels (vs. 6 x 6 square). Since my go-to art store, A.I. Friedman in Port Chester, is out of stock on this item, I just ordered 20 Ampersand Primed Smooth cradled wood panels from www.jerrysartarama, and velcro to keep the panels from moving (or falling off!) my large easels.

I also bought a few tubes of acrylic and oil paints.

Today my framer, Joe at Artistic services, cut some thicker, flatter wood strips to raise the panels higher off the easel. Thank you Joe for the quick turnaround! Now I can easily reach the bottom of the panels (to sign, and to photograph without pesky shadows from the “lip” of the easel.)

A brand new memory card just found its way into my camera, along with a fully charged battery.

Of course, no challenge would be complete without some technical glitches. This time it was my main email address, which is working again after spending a few hours deleting several thousand emails, with more to go tomorrow morning. Webmaster Laura is working feverishly on a mobile friendly version of this blog and website that downloads faster.

Tonight I’ll start organizing my studio between painting and watching the Fiesta Bowl (aka Playstation Fiesta Bowl but that’s not rolling off my tongue…). Ohio State is playing Clemson and I’m conflicted about who to root for since the Big Ten Buckeyes are arch rivals of my beloved Michigan Wolverines… So whatever you’re doing tonight, I wish you a….

P.S. Thank you Bonnie and Laura for creating my Bitmoji! Do you think it looks like me?

National Cake Day

November 26, 2016 by Beverly

Which cake do you want to eat today in honor of National Cake Day?

“Zaro’s Bakery at Grand Central Station” by Beverly Shipko. Oil painting, 24 x 36 inches.

I think this is one holiday that everyone ought to celebrate!

So even though you still might still feel a bit stuffed from Thanksgiving leftovers, you have my permission to indulge yourself today.

Enjoy!

Open Studio: A Team Effort

April 23, 2016 by Beverly

As with any sports teams, it takes a group effort to be successful. And everyone has their role.

My Open Studio is no exception. If you haven’t already met them, let me introduce you to the starting lineup, my teacher daughter Bonnie and husband Jay.

Jay worked hard behind the scenes, the unsung hero of the team. For two weeks I gave him lists, and everything simply magically appeared – from poster boards, packing tape, picture wire, groceries, to stamps, napkins and plates. Jay even helped prepare my printed materials, from resumes, statements to price lists.

He darted around from one task to another, making things happen like a tireless point guard. (Note: When he read this description, he said he sounded more like a locker attendant…and I couldn’t stop laughing!) Here he is cleaning up the dinner dishes the night before the Open Studio, with a smile on his face.

Bonnie is like a secret weapon who anticipates and solves problems before they arise. She calls the plays like a team captain. For example, take meals. I was so busy painting my Avocados and Blueberry Pie that I forgot about preparing meals, which is a problem for a busy teacher who works 10-12 hours at school before coming home with more work.

So she took on planning and cooking food for the entire week. This turkey meatball and sweet potato entrée, with avocado dressing (mmm!), is an example of her handiwork. Aren’t we lucky!

She happily volunteered to handle the dessert table, from start to finish. Bonnie planned the menu, placed and picked up the order, and set up the table – and replenished it after Saturday. Apparently people saved a lot of room for dessert because we started running out of everything. She also stepped up big time on Friday night, helping me clear out my studio at the eleventh hour.

Finally, we come to Maritza, an indispensable team member, who refers to the weekend as “my Open Studio”. And certainly she has been part of the team for so many years that she’s absolutely right. Two weeks in advance, Maritza helped me weed through what we would hang or pack up, how many tables to put out anyhow to display prints.

Once again, she generously volunteered to man the Oreo Cookie Contest in the kitchen for two full days, giving up her weekend after working two jobs during the week, a task that would fell lesser mortals.

Maritza assisted anyone who needed help – including yours truly who cut herself badly on the serrated edge of the wax paper box while wrapping up paintings.

So thank you, Jay, Bonnie and Maritza, for enabling me to fulfill my role as the power forward – to keep pouring on the points (maybe paints is more like it) until the very last seconds of the game. I finished this Blueberry Pie from the 2015 Open Studio the last minute and hung it wet. Of course, Bonnie made sure her dessert table included a blueberry pie from Riviera that was the inspiration.

Without all of you, this event would have never come together. I am grateful to have you on my team and consider the entire weekend one terrific victory.

Thank You For Coming!

April 22, 2016 by Beverly

I just want to thank all of you who came to my Open Studio last weekend, to those who called and emailed their support – and to the weather gods who gave us a beautiful day here in the New York area.

There was a steady stream of people all day from different parts of our lives. Jay, Bonnie and I were ready and waiting, with lots of desserts – painted and real. My newest series of 5 candy bars, Icons of the Candy Vending World, greeted you from its place of honor on the fireplace.

I always welcome the opportunity to show my new work and get feedback from all of you who bring in fresh perspectives and new ideas. My family and I are kind of “desensitized” to all these sweets. To mix things up a bit, I took a detour and painted Avocados from a Manhattan salad bar. I loved it when Johanna arrived early on and commented right away, “My doctor wants me to eat what’s on the left, and I want to eat what’s on the right”. How true!

It’s nice to make a sale near the beginning of the weekend. Here’s the first purchaser with Westminster, London, a going away present for a good friend relocating there (yes, I do enjoy painting subjects besides desserts). What a thoughtful present!

This wall of wood panel paintings sure did attract a lot of attention the whole weekend! The Kit Kat sold right away, and I received a commission for a Tootsie Roll painting since this one sold (oops! missed my opportunity to use those little red dots you see in galleries…).

Then Lynn, a talented artist herself, arrived from Brooklyn. We were chatting away since I hadn’t seen her since my first show at OK Harris Works of Art in Soho (don’t want to think about how many years passed by). It was so wonderful to reconnect!

Sometimes the most fun was just to watch who walked through the door. Current and past winners of my annual Oreo Cookie Contest came, starting with Blake, the 2015 Winner holding his “portrait”, Blake’s Bite.

The 2014 Winner, Samantha, is second from the left between my nephew, Mark, and Bonnie, along with her friend Janki.

Here’s the mother and brother of Sadie, the 2012 Oreo Cookie Contest Winner. It was so good to see Susan and Jake (how he has grown!). Susan is so enthusiastic about my work and such a sunny personality that it’s a pleasure to be around her.

Let me introduce you to Samantha, a loyal Oreo Cookie Contest participant, with her family.

Many of Jay’s bridge buddies came, some of whom I knew like, Jill, one of Jay’s regular partners, with her husband Farley.

Here we have our New York Philharmonic Box 5 Tier 3 buddies (Saturday night B series) from Bridgeport CT, who we met at Lincoln Center 5 years ago. Talk about surprises!

And then there was my long time friend, Ilene and her sister Helen. Having Ilene there was absolutely wonderful since we worked together on the M&M Mars account at DMB&B Advertising (yes, the agency world of Don Draper on Mad Men was right on!). Ilene totally bowled me over when she brought out Bonnie’s 1990 baby announcement – a folded diaper with a diaper pin in it (don’t know where we got the time to do that with a new baby!). She also brought a holiday photo card of Laura and Bonnie when we measured their ages in single digits.

Oh, how I wish I had a photo of that moment, but my camera was in the kitchen and my path was mobbed with visitors (a good thing), as it was most of the afternoon. Next year I’ll remember to ask someone to take photos. I did manage to take a few pictures of the desserts before they were totally wiped out. Do you think there’s another Oreo Cookie Cake painting in my future?

Now I face the challenging task of whittling down these 2016 Oreo Cookie Contest entries to the finalists (so we have more room to eat!), photographing them, and choosing the winner.

All in all, it was a successful Open Studio weekend. So thanks again, and hope to see you next year – if not before then. My door is always open.

Open Studio Invitation

March 19, 2016 by Beverly

It’s that time of the year again – Open Studio time – and you’re all invited!

Saturday, April 16th & Sunday, April 17th
11 am to 5pm

Beverly’s Home Studio
36 Sheldon Street
Ardsley, NY 10502

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year, when I get to spend all weekend talking about art with like minded people. What a luxury! I always enjoy the dialog and especially the feedback. There hasn’t been a year when I haven’t walked away feeling reinvigorated and brimming full of new ideas.

You’ll be able to see my latest vending machine paintings, including a new series of oversized single candy bars. I have been working hard on this series so the paintings can dry in time to hang for the show. And you can see all the paintings from my last 30 Paintings in 30 days Challenge.

I just started a vegetable painting (horror of horrors! a healthy food), featuring a line of cut avocados from a Manhattan salad bar. With its dramatic composition, this image was practically crying out, “Paint me, paint me,” and so I am. It is my first full size vegetable painting in a very long time.

Of course, I will be sponsoring my annual Oreo Cookie Contest. Everyone can enter by just taking a bite. Come one, come all, and bring your kids and grandkids! They always have a great time. Where else can you bring your whole family to eat Oreos and look at art in one visit? I paint the winning Oreo bite, and name the painting after the biter. You can see a table full of past entries and the 2015 winner, Blake’s Bite, in previous posts.

For those people with more sophisticated palates, we’ll also have our favorite desserts (what else?) on hand from Riviera Bake House in Ardsley. Thank you, Bonnie, for handling this every year!

My Open Studio is part of the 2016 RiverArts Studio Tour, and I’ll have maps on hand which show the locations of the other 80 participating artists.

I’ll post a construction update closer to the event to help you navigate around the Ardsley bridge construction. Right now, this only effects people coming northbound on the Sawmill River Parkway (take Exit #16 at Lawrence Street since Exit #17 to Ardsley is closed). So please check my blog a few days before the tour, and contact me if you have any questions.

I look forward to seeing you soon!

The Winner!

March 7, 2016 by Beverly

In honor of National Oreo Day, I would like to announce the winner of my 2015 Oreo Cookie Contest, Blake’s Bite. Congratulations, Blake!

“Blake’s Bite – Oreo Cookie” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled panel, 6 x 6 inches

In case some of you haven’t met the winner before, let me introduce you to Blake The Biter, from my hometown of Ardsley. Here he is proudly submitting his entry, right after taking the winning bite. It showed promise from the very beginning.

This year the selection process was daunting with over 75 entries during my April Open Studio, even more than last year . After all, I wanted to be fair to all contestants. You see, Blake is one of my most loyal fans who has entered repeatedly. And my heart was with him from past years when he didn’t win, which you can read more about here.

I narrowed the field to these 3 Oreos, which were the first works I painted during my September 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge (Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3).

Days 1, 2 & 3 of the 30/30 Challenge

Just to be sure I wan’t biased towards one of my favorite Open Studio attendees, I posted this photo on Facebook for a vote. Blake’s Bite was the overwhelming favorite!

So now it’s official. Well done, Blake! You earned this recognition in honor with your persistence and enthusiasm, in addition to your distinctive bite.

I’m looking forward to seeing you again in mid-April, so please mark your calendar. Maybe you can go for a record two consecutive wins…

Oreo Mandala

February 28, 2016 by Beverly

It’s almost that time again. Today I registered for my annual Open Studio as part of the RiverArts Tour the weekend of April 16th and 17th, 2016 – which is coming up fast.

Naturally, I started thinking about what to hang and where, including this Oreo Mandala Limited Edition Print.

“Oreo Mandala” by Beverly Shipko, Limited Edition Giclee Print (run of 150) , Available framed (27 x 27 inches) and unframed (20 x 20 inches)

I love the visual impact of this print. And I love what it represents.

It brings back memories of happy times on so many levels. This print commemorates past Oreo Cookie Contests, which I sponsore during RiverArts Studio Tour, and all the enthusiastic kids and adults who participate every year.

Each Oreo represents a different contestant who joyfully chomped down on a cookie for a chance to win and earn the honor of having a painting named after them.

The lower left hand Oreo was bitten by Maisie, granddaughter of my good friend friend Linda, who shyly bit her entry and quickly put it on the table before she could change her mind. On the second row at the right, we see my friend Carol’s Oreo with its scattered pieces. I can see her laughing as she took a bite and the cookie made a mess – a good thing from my perspective since crumbs are interesting to paint.

I thought a lot about what to put in the middle, and decided to use my own cookie in the center – an image which led to my largest painting on this subject called Cosmic Oreo, currently available at Cavalier Galleries in Nantucket, MA. The central image take me into the realm of outer space, evoking comets and stars in the sky. It also brings me back to the days when I ate all the Oreos I wanted without feeling guilty.

“Comic Oreo” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting, 24 x 36 inches, Available at Cavalier Galleries

Most of the other cookies are anonymous since participants didn’t leave their name, including the masculine cookie in the lower right which somehow makes me think about floating icebergs.

When I look at this print, I also think about March Madness and the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Why, you might ask? Every year I watch the tournament for hours on end, but find it difficult to paint at the same time. I feel badly about all the “wasted” time. Finally, I discovered that I can sketch instead! That’s when I drew the original nine 6 x 6 inch drawings that formed the basis for Oreo Mandala.

The final Oreo Mandala concept was inspired both by a Mandala & Meditation art workshop and a mandala exhibit at the Rubin Museum, where I learned more about how Buddhists used mandalas to meditate and escape to the spiritual realm. I thought deep meditation on Oreo Cookies would provide the ultimate test of one’s ability to transcend earthly pleasures, and Oreo Mandala was born.. As I write this, I can see my recently deceased friend and meditation mentor, Bob Mawson, a Buddhist monk who taught meditation in Thailand and in Tarrytown, NY for many years, smiling down on me.

I hope you enjoy this print as much as I do.

My January Personal Challenge Collage

January 31, 2016 by Beverly

To mark the closing of my own personal challenge, here’s a collage summarizing this month’s accomplishments.

Doing my own version of the 30 Painting in 30 Days Challenge gave me an opportunity to focus on compositions I had been thinking about painting, but hesitating doing.

In December, I had no idea how to approach January. I only knew it would be flexible with the goal of hunkering down to paint, without worrying about the quantity of paintings or blog posts.

In the end, I painted 27 of the 30 days, opting for larger, more detailed works. There were actually 11 paintings within paintings, taking about 2 days each. Here’s a photo to help you get a better sense of the relative scale of each composition.

I first discovered vending machines (see my first vending painting) with their iconically packaged products during the September Challenge, and decided to run with it here.

Why these particular products, you may ask? I think it’s partially because they are semi-autobiographical and there’s an emotional attachment. My husband Jay worked at Pepsi, the parent company of the Frito Lay, which manufactures of all the chips products from Doritos to Cheetos. As you may know, I worked on Twix from M&M Mars.

You can read more about the process in previous posts (America’s Favorite Chips, America’s Favorite Candies, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups)

The rest of January was spent chasing pantry moths, going to the dentist (had a string of bad luck), and taking in special New York City events like tidying guru Marie Kondo’s talk at Japan Society introducing her new Spark Joy book (feeling another blog coming on).

In the past week, I took time off to visit the Art and Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory, the Picasso Sculpture show at MOMA (Marie would not be happy with all the photos I took!), and yesterday’s Michigan vs. Penn State basketball game at Madison Square Garden (Michigan won – Go Blue!).

I wasn’t sure how I was going to end this post, except to say there are more vending paintings in my future. Then this morning I discovered a surprising and totally unexpected blog post on my site, called Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: A Tribute, from my daughter, self-proclaimed Laura “Webmaster” Sloofman.

Laura wrote a very cute entry (read it twice already) with lots of photos showing how she and her friend Sarah spent Saturday night painting. The girls were inspired by my Reese’s painting, which they projected on a TV screen, a techie idea worthy of two researchers turned artists for the evening. They did a great job on their own paintings, which you can see here. (Maybe Laura and I have another career sponsoring paint nights?!$)

Reading Laura’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: A Tribute post definitely sparked joy, which Marie Kondo would heartily approve. What a fitting close to this January, 2016 challenge – and a fitting beginning to a creative year

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

January 30, 2016 by Beverly

I just had to rip open this package and paint America’s iconic #1 candy, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup” painting by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled wood panel, 8 x 10 inches

That’s what happens after looking at unopened vending machine candy for a few weeks.

This painting marks my return to wood panels after working on canvas for a while, quite a change. Canvas moves while wood is rock solid, requiring a lighter touch. Paint glides on wood since it’s smooth. It also glides off at the slightest touch, sometimes a scary thought as you’re close to finishing.

My initial concept using a double Reese’s package didn’t work at the photography stage. Neither did a single pack with a bite taken out of the chocolate. I ended up with a single Reese’s, in tact, coming out of the wrapper, similar to a small Reese’s painting from the 2015 Challenge, but different in feeling and proportion.

After taking many photos with various light sources, I made a composite of two photos, which you can see here. I know, I know, I could have done this in Photoshop (one day…). In fact, it was much easier to just whip out a pair of scissors and tape the two images together.

You would have thought I would have learned from experience. First, I forgot to velcro the wood panel to the masonite so it would sit solidly on the easel.

Second, I knew the logo process would be easier by starting in the middle of the logo with the yellow, and working outward. But no, I decided to start with the logo outline. Why? Bad idea.

It’s funny how something just gets stuck in your brain. When I re-read my old blog post which describes my history with Reese’s, I did the same thing last time. Maybe I just wanted to see quick results.

This was supposed to be a relatively quick painting and take 2+ days. However, on the second day I was eating breakfast and broke a tooth. So much for painting. I ended up at the dentist for several hours while he made a temporary crown (my second in a month, not good).

The next day, I painted the chocolate disk, a very strong shape. I struggled with the shadows, which were rather blue during the early stages (and cost me an extra day) but more dramatic. Maybe I miss the drama a bit in the final version. Do you?

I like the painting, but can’t help wondering what it would look like in a square format with a rip right through the logo… As a former brand manger, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. Next time.

After working on this painting, I ordered a few long horizontal wood panels online in atypical shapes so I can try a row of vending candy bars on wood.

In the meantime, I sketched some single vending bars on canvas using a vertical format. Quite a change. To be continued…

Icons of the Chip World

January 24, 2016 by Beverly

I’ll always remember the Blizzard of 2016 as the day I finished my first potato chip painting, America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine.

“America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on canvas painting, 20 x 20 inches

This is my second full-size vending machine painting. While it took longer than expected, some things are worth the wait – and the patience.

Here’s the original photo. I started by cutting off the top row of healthy snacks!

Then I cut the photo in half and flipped the top and bottom rows to put the visually lighter bags on top (no Photoshop for me… yet) before doing this detailed drawing. I spent a lot of time on the structure, establishing the round shapes since there’s little room for error once painting begins.

I worked from the top down to avoid smearing the oil paint, which takes days to dry (sometimes weeks if I use titanium white). I tend to brace my hand on the canvas when doing precise logo work.

It was unexpectedly satisfying to complete the first chip bag, even though there was was a steep learning curve. If I had been doing a painting a day, this would have been the first of 6 different small paintings. But you know that old tagline, Bet you can’t eat just one? Well, I couldn’t paint just one.

The Mini-Tootsie Roll with Bag experience from the September Challenge helped prepare me for painting chip bags. Kit Kat and America’s Favorite Candy Bars also paved the way for this ambitious undertaking, pushing me out of my comfort zone.

I underestimated the complexity of each bag. The Cheetos bag was by far the most difficult with the Chester Cheetah character and strong reflections against all those floating Cheetos. It was challenging to find those subtle shades of orange and red.

I left the Doritos bags for last since the logos seemed pretty straightforward. However, that was not the case with its subtle nuances (little flame-like shapes) that only a logo designer would pay attention to. Being a marketing person, I can only image the tens of thousands (if not hundreds or millions!) of dollars spent on logo development.

It was so important to lay in the dark background early in the process since the colors resonant differently again light colors. I wanted to avoid repainting anything on this complex composition. At the halfway mark, I seriously considered the possibility that I was finished and should stop (see Done?)

But I powered on and started laying in the dark background around the bottom bags, still struggling with the nuances of different blacks and greys (which I ultimately rejected).

At this point, I had firmly decided to stick with the initial 6-bag concept.

Yesterday’s blizzard actually helped keep me focused so I could finish the little details.

I am happy with this painting, and can’t wait to see it framed next month.

Now I have to figure out my next painting. Stay tuned.

Done?

January 16, 2016 by Beverly

Here’re my newest vending machine painting, America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine.

“America’s Favorite Chips: Vending Machine”, Work-in-progress, by Beverly Shipko, Oil on canvas

Or so you thought… It’s only half of the painting!

At this point, this feels done to me. I wish I could just cut this off and call it a day. (Had the same thought with just the Ruffles bag).

However, I feel like I should see this through and finish the painting. I have a frame ready and waiting for it so I can hang it at my April Open Studio (coming up fast the weekend of April 16th & 17th).

What would you do now? Am I done? Thanks for the feedback.

Icons of the Candy World

January 8, 2016 by Beverly

I am proud to show you my first painting of 2016, America’s Favorite Candy Bars: Vending Machine.

It’s also the first painting of my own personal art challenge to kick off the new year (which you can read about here.) The idea was to push myself during the month of January, yet give myself the flexibility to spend as much (or as little) time as I need on each painting.

"Iconic Vending Candies" by Beverly Shipko, 10 x 20 inches, Oil on canvas

“America’s Favorite Candy Bars: Vending Machine” painting by Beverly Shipko, 10 x 20 inches, Oil on canvas

America’s Favorite Candy Bars: Vending Machine is a direct descendant of my first small 5 x 7 inch Vending Machine painting from the recent September 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. It’s also a nod to my former advertising days on the M&M Mars account at DMMB in Manhattan – and the countless competitive analyses I did on these 5 brands!

There are some major differences between the two works. At 10 x 20 inches, this is much larger and took a week (vs. one day) simply to apply the paint, not including sketch time. It’s more finely painted, mirroring the smoothness of the candy wrappers.

With longer proportions, the composition includes 5 candy bars (vs. 4). It’s painted on canvas rather than wood, a smooth surface that I missed when painting the sharp edged logos.

This is the original photo I took of the vending machine at the White Plains, NY train station.

Unexpectedly, I practically ran into it (literally) in my rush to catch a train to Grand Central Station in Manhattan. Having practiced my photo skills previously on many local vending machines, I quickly whipped out my camera (a Pavlovian response), took a bunch of shots, and still made my train.

I started with this detailed sketch to establish the structure of the painting and emphasize the rhymic quality of the rings.

Since there were so many colors and many “moving parts”, I tried a new approach. Here I am in the kitchen painting logos in water-based acrylic paint. My original intent was to let the acrylic paint show through the oil, but I wasn’t happy with the richness of the colors in comparison to oil.

Eventually I repainted everything in oil, which worked out well. It was much easier the second time around, and those annoying little white spots from the textured canvas were already covered and not poking through. Hurrah!

After playing with various permutations of yellow ochres for the Twix Bar, I went to A.I. Friedman to buy my first tube of metallic oil paint.

As a former Twix Cookie Bar Account Executive, I had to get the color right! Then I went back to painting numbers and prices, a time consuming endeavor requiring a lot of patience and soothing music.

One evening when Laura was home for the holidays, she took some photos for this post. When she told me not to laugh, this is what happened.

I was nearly finished. The next day I turned the painting on its side to make refinements to the logos and descriptions, a good idea that gave me much more control.

Perhaps I’m just a glutton for punishment, but I’m already working on another painting with more logos, hopefully as iconic as these.

Can you can guess the subject? Let me know what your first thought is. What is iconic to me may not be to you.

Thank you – and come back soon to see the next work in the series.

The Gift of Art

December 17, 2015 by Beverly

I am pleased to announce that I have 4 small paintings in the Cavalier Galleries Annual Small Works Online Exhibition. Here are the images which are included in the show.

“Crumbs Carrot Cupcake” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on panel, 6 x 6 inches.

“Chocolate Brownie a la Mode” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled panel, 5 x 7 inches.

“Blueberry Cheesecake” by Beverly Shipko, Oil on cradled panel, 5 x 7 inches.

“Hostess Cupcake with Wrapper” by Beverly Shipko, Oil painting on cradled panel, 6 x 6 inches.

This online show features 100 small paintings, sculptures, and photographs specially selected for the holiday season, all of which which you can see here.

Take a look at these little works with big impact, covering a range of subjects from seascapes, landscapes, city scales, still lives, to a series of dog sculptures (which I know Jay would like since he still talks about his childhood dog, Buttons).

When I go through the exhibit, I see a number of works (besides my own!) which I would be happy to have as gifts.

Good luck with your holiday shopping! Maybe now you’ll have some new gift ideas. Let me know if I can help in any way.