The past few months we've been working on a commission for a collector who wanted Sweetpeas. She has a memory of gathering these fragile flowers in a field for her mother. We decided to work on two versions at the same time, and they turned out very differently. Our collector sent us a photo of the space the painting will hang in, above a gorgeous wooden bench in her home. We "photoshopped" in the paintings so she could see how they looked.

The collector chose the "Dark Sweetpeas in a Field." It was wonderful to work with her to express this memory of her mother. The "Light Sweetpeas" is available! 

Sometimes it's best to explain our process while we are actually making work. That's just what we did at the Brewery Artwalk on October 21 and 22. Before the weekend we each started a composition and Daphne poured a clear layer of resin over the base painting. Below we are holding the "starts."

Throughout the weekend we painted as people watched and asked questions. The resin surface is very smooth, so it's like painting on glass. We use acrylics and water-based metallic paints.

Below we are holding up the paintings as they developed by the end of the weekend. Next they will get another clear layer of resin and the opposite partner will get to work on top. (We can't pour resin in front of people because the fumes when wet are, let's say, less than healthy.) This process will continue until we are both happy with the results. Stay tuned for the finished paintings.

We hope you had a good, safe summer. We were busy organizing several new studio spaces (two smaller spaces in San Diego and one in Los Angeles), traveling, and of course, painting.

We will be showing our Hill&Stump Florals once again at the Brewery Artwalk in Downtown Los Angeles, on Saturday and Sunday, October 21 and 22, from 11am to 6pm. The address is 2020 No. Main Street, #235. The event is free and family friendly, but bring your walking shoes--there are lots of stairs!

Unfortunately, the Beverly Hills ArtSHOW falls on the same weekend as the Brewery, so we won't be at the ArtSHOW this time. But please visit our friends there!

We also have a set of paintings displayed at the Loft at the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla. 

Through our solo exhibition at the Laemmle Santa Monica, we have been commissioned to create a work based on "Single Sunflower." Our collector fell in love with this painting after seeing it at the theater, and contacted us to paint at least one, and possibly two, additions to it for her bedroom. We thought it would be fun to document the process of creating the new paintings. We will update as we go along in the next few weeks...

Our collector sent a photo of where she wants the paintings to hang.

We sent her back four sketches of possible compositions, with both 2 and 3 panels. The "Single Sunflower" was Photoshopped into the bedroom.

Our collector chose this option, with the possibility of adding the third painting. We decided to paint the two new paintings together, knowing that we can always sell the third one to someone else.

Our first pass at the two new paintings: raw color and a layer of resin. We've got a long way to go!

Next pass and resin layer. Colors are getting closer although this photo makes the background look black rather than deep purple. Below is a close-up to show details. Next layer will add metallics.

And... finished! Now to see if our collector is also pleased... Finished size is 24"h x 54".

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Our collector sent us a photo of the paints installed. Pretty much looks as planned, no? 

We have moved from one large studio in San Diego into two smaller spaces, one in San Diego (where we do the bulk of our work), and one in Los Angeles (where we can show and store work). Exciting changes! Here are some photos of work on the walls in the LA space, which is in the Moon Huts in El Sereno, just east of Downtown, near Cal State LA.

We are excited to once again have a solo show with the Laemmle Theater Group, this time at the Monica Film Center, at 1332 2nd St, Santa Monica, CA 90401. We have made several new large scale works for this show, including the "Bug Twister." 

Here's our video that plays during the previews in the art house... 

Hill&Stump is pleased to be feature in a three artist show at La Playa Gallery at La Jolla Shores, opening on November 11. Should be a lovely night!