About the Paintings

I create vivid, impressionistic oil paintings that capture the feeling of being in the vineyard at dawn or a landscape view that takes your breath away and flowers that wake you up with color. All my paintings are inspired by my travels throughout the Northwest and Vineyards from around the world. My technique is done with deep colors and loose brush strokes, in a wet-on-wet technique known as alla prima.  Alla prima comes from Italian, literally meaning "at first attempt" a loose blend of colors right on the canvas, like Vincent  van Gogh.  

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I plan my paintings with brilliant color before I add thick and rich oil. I work with the richest colors I can find, while I use to hold back and no longer do, to create an alive painting. Really I just tell people if you step outside almost anywhere there is beauty to be found. We are blessed with so much awesome scenery here on Earth. I like to capture that wonder with clean and well thought out brush blends and like a musical note, every note matters to the whole. When you keep the paint clean the colors stay bright and vibrant.  You can see the movement of every brush blend as if the painting is alive and fresh. The result is an impasto oil painting that has depth and richness from the texture of the paint.

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Shipping Your Painting: 

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• We are currently including shipping for paintings in the price for paintings shipped within the United States.  Overseas international shipping generally runs about 20% of the cost of the painting, which includes crating and insurance.

• Shortly after you have completed checking out on the website we will provide you with a shipping date. Once the painting has been shipped you will be notified with a tracking number.

• We are currently using UPS as our shipping carrier.  We have ten years of experience shipping hundreds of Lisa's oil paintings across the globe, and we have not damaged a single painting in shipping.

• Your painting will be safely shipped with full insurance. For paintings we use special artwork shippers.  
 

• Your painting is 100% guaranteed with a 7-day, no questions asked policy.

 

Hanging Your Painting: 

My paintings are created on different types of canvases, depending on the size of the finished painting. Most paintings are done on 1-1/2" deep canvas, with the painting continued around the edge of the canvas.  This type of canvas can be hung without a frame, for a contemporary look in your home. 

All my canvases are pre-wired and arrive ready to hang. To help keep your painting level, I recommend hanging your painting from a pair of O picture hanging hooks spaced apart on the wall.  You can also use a small ball of museum wax at the corners to keep your painting firmly fixed in place on the wall.

Framing:

My oil paintings are un-framed with a gallery painted edge so that the paint wraps around the edges.  There is no frame needed however, we are happy to help you find the perfect frame for your new painting if you desire.  Smaller paintings can be framed in any type of standard frame or in a plein-air style frame.  The larger paintings are all gallery painted edges and ready to hang and enjoyed right out of the box. 

Please contact my gallery to get a quote for a frame for your original if desired.

A Word on Lighting:

Your painting will look different depending on the changing quality of the surrounding light.  Natural ambient light will create a nice feel for your painting during daylight hours, the colors subtly changing as the sun rises and sets throughout the day.  At night, however, you will be fully reliant on artificial light to illuminate your artwork.  Have you ever noticed how great paintings look in a gallery setting?  Art galleries use warm or cool-toned spot lighting to accentuate the colors in the painting, and they usually intensify the light on the painting's center of attention.

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You can imitate this effect in your own home by installing halogen or LED directional spot lighting in the ceiling above your painting.  These lights are surprisingly inexpensive to install (an electrician can install them in a few hours), and if you wish you can purchase the fixtures and bulbs yourself online. As a general rule, use cool lighting to illuminate a painting that has predominately cool colors, and use warm lighting on a painting with mostly warm colors (the wrong color bulb can cause your painting to look "muddy.")  

Many houses are already fitted with some sort of recessed ceiling fixtures. These can be adapted to directional spot lighting with minor handyman work.  Even without direct lighting on your painting, however, the artwork will still present well with nearby incandescent lighting.  One thing to avoid is hanging your painting behind a hanging chandelier, which will cast a direct glare spot in the middle of the painting, without highlighting the natural colors and texture of the painting.  A light that is angled from above, or even from the side, will allow you to see the thick brushwork, see each subtle variation in color, and truly enjoy your painting in a whole new light.

Thank You

Lisa V.

 

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