Another little oil painting.

Hi folks.  I'm working away on the family portrait I mentioned in my last post, but wanted to put something new on my blog.  Since I'm usually a person of few words I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to type about so I had to paint something.

I did make a trip to the local art supply store and bought one more water soluble oil paint: titanium white.  Now I have two colours.  The painting attached is my start...only one colour so far.  Now I have to wait for it to dry before adding white.  I'm not used to this drying time but it does work out well when I should be working on my other painting.  I guess I better get back at it, now that my coffee break is over.

"Coffee break"

5"x 7" oil on fine art board

Hope you have a great day of creating.

I'm working on a portrait.

It might be a while before I post a new painting.  I've started a family portrait that I plan on giving as a wedding gift this summer. Because it's to be a gift, I can't even post my progress.  I'm hoping I can paint some little pictures while I work on the gift but right now it's new and too exciting to leave.  Maybe in a few days...    In the meantime I'll be watching your blogs and maybe I'll come up with something worthwhile to write about here.  Keep smiling.
 

Chair painting "Come Dream Awhile"

"Come Dream Awhile"

11"x14"oil on gallery 1.5"wrapped canvas

$50.00 plus shipping

 I've finished my chair painting.  It calls you to sit, drink coffee and dream of all the possibilities while remembering all your present blessings.  God is so good!

Myra got her book. The project I mentioned a while back.

Self Portrait by Myra

Hi everyone.  A few of us got together and made a little book to honour one of our favourite bloggers:  Myra, at Last Cup of Coffee.  She produces awesome art, poetry and videos.  She likes Degas, coffee and chairs.  If you would like to add a page of art or poetry to her new book just make it 5"x7".  The book is a portfolio style from our local art store and there are still several blank pages that need filled   SO  visit her site and think about sending her a page to add to the book and let her know how great you think she is.

Chair painting update

A glimpse of the chair.

I'm off to work in a few minutes but wanted to post my small progress report on my chair so everyone would know I am doing some painting.  I hope everyone has a great day of painting.

Good morning!

Good Morning everyone.  I'm off to work today but wanted to take a moment to say hi.

I'm slaving :-) away over a chair painting that I agreed to do because Myra, a famous chair artist, twisted my arm and I couldn't say no.  I was all out of small canvases so I have to paint it on a 11"x14"(that's big for me lately).  It's amazing how much longer it takes to paint than a 5"x7".   This painting is a stretch for me.  I decided to use audacious colours that are out of my comfort zone.  I'd go so far to say they are almost weird.  I figured if Myra can paint with such bold colours so can I.

a painting of not much yet

Couldn't resist posting my chair so far.  I guess you can see how hard I've been working.
 Ralph, if you say this is good, I'll never believe you again.  Ralph has become one of a few very encouraging blog buddies who are wonderful artists and have really interesting blogs.

Have a great day everyone.

The best solution for a critique.

"Summer Song"

5"x7" oil on canvas panel

Purchase on Ebay

One of the best ways to critique my work is to post it on my blog.  Most of the time when I go back to look, I'm horrified by some blatant error I made but didn't see until it was out there for the world to see.  The water lily that's attached again today is a good example.  This morning when I checked it out, I suddenly noticed I had shadows for some petals but not all the ones that should have. And the lily pads at the front were the same value at the front as they were at the back making them look like I was looking straight down at them (which I wasn't). Sigh... oh well... here it is again.

A painting to Myra

I decided to send a little pastel picture to Myra at the Last cup of Coffee.  It's my first pastel and just a copy of a "Degas".  I wanted to paint a ballerina because my new blogging buddy Myra likes them so much and this was my gift to her for giving me so much enjoyment in my morning blogging time.

Trouble is...I don't know any ballerina's, so I painted a Degas who she likes so well.  Now it's finished and off to her in the mail so I can sit back in my easy chair (she paints these as well- go see) and drink more coffee.  Let me know when it arrives, Myra.


  

I'm back!

Hi everyone!  I missed being online.  Some glitch in our internet service put us offline for two and a half days.  It was horrible  :-).    I couldn't read my friends blogs!   or check my Ebay stuff.  It was really neat to find out that the first ACEO card that I've ever put onto an Ebay auction was SOLD.  I've got to try this again.  Selling is always fun, even if it is just for a small item.

The warm weather has arrived and I'm spending time in the garden as well as my part time job.  I have a start on my next painting but there isn't even enough painted to post.  Hopefully tomorrow.  In the meantime it's good to be back.  I'll be checking out your blogs as soon as I reply to all my emails.  Have a great day.

Summer Song

"Summer Song"

5"x 7" oil on canvas board

Buy on EBay 

I finished yesterday's water lily. I took the reference photo from James Parker's spring challenge The Windows to the Words project.  It's a fun painting challenge James puts out each month. Visit his blogs and see all the great art.  Maybe take part in the fun...

Start of another Water Lily painting.

Whenever I get stuck for inspiration on what to paint, I revert to flowers.  There is just something cheerful about painting them and than having pictures of them all around the house. The water lily above isn't finished yet but it's getting close...by tomorrow...maybe.

Since I started blogging I've been painting smaller so I can post something new more often.  I love it.  I'm painting much more then I did before but I think I'm going to have to start something bigger so I have a group of larger paintings ready for the shows I want to have a booth at.  It would take a huge number of my 5"x 7" paintings to fill a 10' x 10' booth.  Hmmm, if I paint one every three days that's thirty every ten weeks... It could work.  I wonder if anyone would buy little portraits of my family :-D.

Paintings I tweaked... again.

Today's pictures are just updates of paintings I went back and tweaked.  I'll try to leave them alone now.

I guess I better quit the computer and go work on the special project I'll be announcing in a week or so.  Hope you all have a great day.

Our Fire Chief

"The Fire Chief"

5"x 7"oil on canvased board

$50.00

I think I've finished with this one.  As usual it was fun trying to capture the personality of the person.

I'm going back to a couple previous paintings now with the hope of improving them.  I'll post the revisions soon.  I limit revisions of this sort to two attempts, any more than that and I'd never be finished a painting.  I prefer to move on and paint over the one that needs more work. Have a good day.

He is Risen!

Happy Easter everyone.  May your day be filled with the joy He meant for us the have.

Still practicing portraits.

I just couldn't resist doing another portrait.  The challenge was... who do I paint.  I've done my immediate family.   I didn't want to lose any friends by painting something that would insult their idea of who they are.  You just never know.

The best idea seemed to be;  paint some public figure, but I didn't have any photos.  The solution came with an invitation to an event where the folks who helped out with the fires last summer in our area, were being honoured.  A friend sent me a group shot that included myself with some well known local individuals.  She also gave me permission to use her picture for a reference.

I'm a long way from being finished but thought it might be fun to post my painting as is and hope that as I progress, someone might recognize who it is.  I don't even know if any local people read my blog but this seemed a good way to find out.

5"x 7"oil on canvas board

My husband's office, the second bedroom, has become my new studio.  So far it seems to be working well. I even get to spend more time with my sweetheart. Bonus.

I wanted to paint a picture using a minimum number of strokes.  I see so many wonderful paintings on the web that look fresh and beautiful using this technique.  I tried.  It didn't work.  I had to go in with my small brushes and put in more detail.  I haven't giving up so stay tuned.

Here's my recent attempt.

"Young Robins"

6"x 6"

 Oil on 1.5" gallery wrapped linen.

$60.00 plus shipping