Art on sale! Black Friday - Cyber Monday

It's officially the holiday season, and I'm celebrating with a special sale today thru Monday 12/2.

20% off all art, patterns and gifts in the RPS shop! Use code holiday20 during checkout :)

Original Paintings and Prints, many themes: nature, inspirational, whimsical, mythological.
Read about the inspiration behind each piece in the shop.
(Browse all paintings , Browse all art prints)

Art Jewelry (Prints from my paintings with sterling silver wires. Browse all jewelry)

Angels and Dolls  (Each doll is one of a kind. Browse all Angels and Dolls)

Quilt and Sewing Patterns (Make your own special holiday gift. Follow RPS on Twitter or Facebook for all holiday pattern latest releases, more are coming!
Browse Quilt, Embroidery and Sewing Patterns)

Ornaments  Hand painted Oregon ornaments and 2x2-inch inspirational art prints, perfect for the tree. (Browse all ornaments)

P.S. This will be my only holiday season shop sale, so now is the time to grab your favorite item!  I am also still accepting custom art orders through 12/5 for the holidays, contact me for details.  And stay tuned for an update on my Japanese Garden painting series which is almost finished and new holiday pattern releases! These items will be available in the shop in about a week.

30 Days of Painting- Birds, Japanese Gardens and beyond

Lately I've been painting a lot, preparing for local holiday shows including the Big 500 and Wild Arts Fair! In the next month, I will be posting new pieces as I finish them, with behind the scenes/progress photos exclusively here on the RPS blog. If you're in Portland, follow RPS on Facebook or Twitter, for the latest holiday show/sale news.

BIRD ART/PRINTS!

Family Tree © Robin Phillips Studio for Audubon Wild Arts Fair

My original painting, Family Tree, will be available in the 6x6 Art Sale at the Wild Arts Fair November 22-23 as a benefit for the Portland Audubon Society. 100% of the painting sales go to Audubon. Come early, the paintings sell fast!   

Family Tree prints are also now available in the RPS gift shop, and I will also donate 20% of each print sale to Audubon. This is a show I've participated in for five years now, and the previous years  prints are also available in the shop. Each print is 6x6, and these make a nice gift for a bird/animal lover.  Browse all bird art prints!

In the studio, making Family Tree...

The theme of the Wild Arts 6x6 show this year is yard birds, which prompted me to think of home and family. I chose the concept 'family tree' to symbolize how birds often flock together and tend to their nests. Much like a traditional family tree chart, this piece illustrates three generations of various Jay family members including the Stellar Jay, Blue Jay and Scrub Jay. Blue Jays are one of my parent's favorites, and I often see the male or female when I'm about to hear from them! So, this piece has a personal meaning for me as well. :)

I start each canvas by sketching an outline that I have drawn out on paper. Next, I add in washes of the background colors. Finally, I begin layering on the shadows, highlights and details.

JAPANESE GARDENS/PONDS:

Here's a sneak peak at a series of 10 paintings I have started for the Big 500 show opening December 13! Each piece is 8x8, and the originals will be available exclusively at the show. Prints will also be available in the RPS shop, stay tuned for updates!

The initial inspiration for this series came from my love for Japanese gardening and Sashiko patterns. Drawing on my background as a fiber artist as well as a painter, these pieces combine the symbolism of the patterns along with the Japanese landscape. This series also celebrates the circle of life and oneness.

Backgrounds finished for (left to right) Koi Pond 1,  Japanese Garden: Summer, and Koi Pond 2.  Next I will start the main imagery in the center....

I will be posting the complete series here on the blog as I finish each of the pieces along with the latest pictures of our Japanese garden and koi pond!

As always, I welcome you to contact me re: a small custom work of art (6x6 - 9x12) for the holidays. I love making personalized gifts for someone special to you. Place an order by Dec 1 to allow enough time for painting and delivery. :)

Nene Dreams

Nene Dreams is finally finished and delivered! This large custom piece (36x48) honors the Nene Goose, endangered state bird of Hawaii. This was a big project for me, as I typically paint 16-inch or smaller canvases.

Nenes are graceful, gentle birds with beautiful striped markings. The border of the painting represents a lei of Hawaiian flowers: Hibiscus, Ginger, Anthurium, Plumeria, Protea and a hanging Heliconia at the top. This piece celebrates the grace and beauty of Hawaii, as well as endangered wildlife. In the hills, I captured the serene mist that is often present on Kauai.

I started with a rough outline of the background, using bright colors as a base for background highlights...

With color shading in two deeper tones and grass, the painting began to take form

Then, I added the floral border, using photos as a reference...

On my trip to Kauai a couple years ago, I was lucky enough to see a flock of Nenes in the valley....

Hawaiian Heliconia, Protea and Anthurium

Nene prints are now available in the RPS gift shop!

 Choose from a variety of sizes. All prints are made and packaged with eco-friendly materials. :)

First Flower

So sweet to find the first flower of the season in our yard today! One little daffodil in a patch by itself, the others will be coming very soon. As spring begins to stir, this is the time of year to watch your dreams, wishes, and new projects start to grow :) 

New projects are on the horizon for me! I'm excited to announce that I am now creating quilt and craft sewing patterns for Connecting Threads, Designer Downloads.  I'll let you know when they are posted! Here is a sneak preview of my baby rosebud quilt for spring:

Also, I'm working on a new gift shop which will feature a wide range of my artwork, prints, and gifts with inspirational quotes, as well as printable designs for papers, invites and more. I plan to have craft patterns and some free downloads in the shop as well.  Stay tuned!! Update: The shop is finished! Visit www.robinphillipsstudio.com/store

Robin's Nest in the Sun ©2011, donated to Audubon Society

New Year!

The new year is a time of fresh beginnings, full of inspiration. I often look at the basic elements in nature at this time of year- the trees, mountains, water, sky... They are timeless, and ever-present. Went on a forest hike this weekend, hiked up through the woods to the top of a butte, and into a prairie clearing, with bright light and blue sky. There I saw this amazing view of Mt. Hood overlooking the forest. The Oregon landscape is so rich! This hike makes me think of traveling upward into the light, to have great hopes and dreams for the future.

Here is the clearing at the top, in the light... The path is winding, and you can't see where it goes, but it winds upward, almost as if it's traveling into the sky. :)

 My first project of the new year is a japanese water table runner, based on a stream running upward. All the fabrics are japanese prints, with a sashiko style embroidery of water flowing on top. And I added a few of my own dyed fabrics with water patterns (tie dye and shibori). The greens represent the banks of the river and some flowers are added. Little Jorellis cat loves to sit on the fabrics! I pieced the design in strips, and sewed the rows horizontally.

And I have started a new painting, Spirit Bird... Here it is in progress.  Happy New Year, I hope your year is off to a fabulous start!