I Painted the Barista at Pacha’s Coffee

I painted the barista  at Pacha’s Coffee.  I have never painted here before, although Pacha’s is in walking distance from my home.  He had on thermal longjohns with an elaborate silk-screened skeleton that he had printed on himself.  It was the same skeletal image in black, green, and red – so he had to run […]

I Painted Him at Epoch Coffee

Unfortunately, I tore the painting.  He is one of those fellows that I never saw again, who actually seemed to be reading and not just pretending to read in a coffee house.  I have a tendency to enlarge noses anyway, so I hope that he forgives me.  I loved his nose – I don’t understand […]

I Painted This Artsy Man at Quack’s

I painted him on a Saturday at Quack’s.   He popped in and sat down two tables away from me,  providing the perfect distance and profile pose to paint him.  It was a very quick oil sketch, but I think that I captured him and his impish personality.  He came over to see what I […]

The Seventh Starving Artist Story

In the previous story, I told you how I got to Cranbrook Art Academy by train.  I also want to tell you about some of the clothes that I packed for the trip.  Since I didn’t have enough money for winter clothes, and had never been in snow, I thought that I would do just […]

I Painted Two Customers at Quack’s Bakery and Coffee

She was just lovely in silver-blue, with sun-glasses on her head. I always call these women the “Horse women” – the Barbara Stanwick, no-nonsense good-looks. They always have those fine-bone structures, but these are rock solid, no-nonsense women. They age beautifully, and can let their hair go silver. The student next to her had great hair. I was afraid that he was going to cut out early, but I got him in the painting, luckily. Behind them you will see the first two type-writer buttons of the Italian restaurant, ASTI.

I Painted Ashley Dancing at the Spider House

I loved painting this at the Spider House.   Ashleigh was walking back toward the steps of the deck to place a customer’s order, and she just did this quick dance move to the music.  It was so delightful and free, I just had to capture it.  I must have painted her in less than […]

I Painted Fabi at Quack’s Coffee and Bakery

I was just sitting down to paint at Quack’s when I heard someone say, “Hey there”.  I didn’t know that someone was talking to me.  Then, I heard, “Hey, Mrs. Martin, it’s me Fabi.”  Oh, it was my lucky day!  Fabi is one of my daughter’s good friends (they have a girl band together), and […]

I Painted this German Professor at Quack’s

I painted him at Quack’s.  I really don’t know if he is a German Professor, but he looked like one, and he was going over papers at Quack’s.  He sneezed, and a girl student sitting at a table facing him said, “Gesundheit!”  He looked up with a big, kindly smile.  So, who knows?  He might […]

I Painted This Rocker at Quack’s

This was my first attempt to paint at Quackenbush’s Coffee and Bakery in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Austin.  I loved painting there!  The girls on shift when I arrived were very nice, and unlike a lot of other coffee houses/bakeries in town, the customers are coming and going very quickly, providing the perfect environment […]

Painting in the Studio

I recently painted a  9×24 still life commission of bottles. This is a detail from that painting. The client is a professor of Gender Studies, and the bottles are my rendition of multiculturalism.  What does an old elixer bottle, a jar of Vegemite, and a bottle of tabasco have in common, other than sharing the […]