Lisa McShane Art

South Fork Skagit, 2018. Oil on Linen. 30" x 48" Studio talk: I've spent some time lately trying to figure out how to do a better job photographing paintings in my studio. I expect this is a puzzle that plagues other artists too. So I googled and found a lot of advice, then followed some good advice. Here's a few tips on Artwork Archive's blog. Here's the great advice from artist Marc Dalessio that I followed  with a few changes. I ordered lights on Amazon (about $75), but haven't ordered the polarizing sheets for them. Instead I place the lights on the same plane as the painting. I already used Lightroom to edit photos and so I ordered the x-rite i1 + the color checker. That seems to really help a lot. I've been using my Olympus OMD-EM5 with the magical Panasonic 25mm lens. I had a cheap tripod that I bought years ago at Costco. My next upgrade will be to a full frame camera (Nikon D750) and a short telephoto prime lens for more detail.

Samish Point. Oil on Linen. 38" x 35", 2018. November 3rd is my next art opening at Smith & Vallee Gallery , called 10 miles to the Moon. I'm thrilled to be showing with Andrew Vallee's sculptures. We're hosting an artist talk at 3:30 with the show opening at 5. JOIN US!

Thumbnail sketches I usually try a series of thumbnail sketches before a painting in order to sort out small to large shifts in composition and to think through values. With these I wanted to think through the orientation of the painting, proportion and the line of the water on the beach. This is an area I see often as it's the point of the island and a short walk through the forest from my studio.

This spring I was honored to be featured on Brambleberry's blog. Anne-Marie and her brilliant photographer visited my studio, talked with me about my work, my supplies and my process and...well, see for yourself here. Anne-Marie Faiola is a dear friend and a creative and brilliant businesswoman. I loved seeing my studio and work through her keen business eye.

North Beach Pond. 2018, Oil on Panel. 24" x 18". This is the pond on the north side of Samish Island . It's just a mile from my studio, walking through the forest. I see it often, all different times of day. To see paintings at Smith and Vallee in Edison, please click here.

Joseph Canyon Road. 2018. Oil on Panel. 24" x 18" Just finished, this is from a sun drenched visit to northeast Oregon last summer. We stayed on the edge of Joseph Canyon at the Rim Rock Inn . It was a deep pleasure to watch the light on the grasses and across the canyon early in the morning and at the end of the day, like in this painting.

My most read post is for software to inventory artwork. Several years ago I found one that works well, and they continue to update it to make it more useful for artists, and so I've stuck with one: Artwork Archive. You can click through to see my public page (super useful for showing people what's available, what the sizes are and how much they cost): https://www.artworkarchive.com/artwork/lisa-mcshane Like this one, Joseph Canyon Dusk. Joseph Canyon Dusk. 2018, Oil on Panel. 24" x 18"

Rain on Ortygia. 2018, Oil on Linen Panel. 30" x 35" The sea. This is the Mediterranean Sea from Ortygia but it could be just outside my door. We were there in December, traveling at Christmas. It was delightful. This painting is in the Bird Show at Smith and Vallee Gallery for the month of February. Go! We are awash in birds in Skagit County and this show celebrates that.

Moonrise at the Canyon. 2017. Oil on Panel. 18" x 24" This last September I spent a week as the Artist in Residence at Grand Canyon - Parashant National Monument . It's a remarkable place. This is the first of many paintings from that experience.