This painting is called "Half Time". I often have trouble naming my paintings but this one claimed it's name and I felt I had very little to say about it. It's painted on 12"x12"x1.5" gallery wrapped canvas which seems to suit it. I'm finding I like my landscapes and portraits to have frames but flowers, abstracts and objects look better on gallery wraps. Just my opinion at the moment, of course I'm quite fickle and that may change by this time next year.




Hope you're having a wonderful day.

Drawing a Goose.

I've been working on my drawing practice again.  Since Myra asked for some information on what I'm learning I decided to post some pictures as I worked through the last drawing.

The picture above shows how I tried to decide on the basic shapes I could see, as well as where those shapes lined up with other parts of the object.

Next I changed those shapes to further represent the goose.

 

And finally I shaded in the values with my retractable pencil with  #2 lead and blended with my tortillon. Truth be told, I went back and forth many times with the kneadable eraser and the pencil trying to get it right. 

This is so much fun....  I think. 

Fourth Pansy painting!

Hi everyone.  It's 8 am here on the west side of Canada and I keep wanting to wish you all a good morning.  Since that only works for a small percentage of you... I'll resist.  Today I'm adding #4 in my "Flower Box" series of pansies.  Hope you like it.

6"x6"x1.5" oil on gallery wrapped canvas

$100.00 or $78.00 for multiples.

Another practice drawing.

The sun is shining today and I noticed a couple plants, outside on my deck, are sprouting.  A flock of ducks are eating something on the patch of lawn out back that doesn't have any snow.  I even varnished four paintings outside.  Hmmm... maybe we should start the barbecue.

I hope it's spring-like where you are too.  Here's another my practice drawings from Your Artist Brain by Carl Purcell:

Dreaming of Spring.

Spring is just around the corner... I hope.  I live in the beautiful Okanagan Valley and one of the first fruit trees to blossom is the cherry.   It's so beautiful around here at that time.  Oh how I long for that time of year.  There are fields of pretty pink and white blooms surrounded by more fields of that fresh spring green that promises more flowers when the cherries drop their delicate petals and the other fruit trees begin their show.  My painting today is a reminder that spring is getting close.

Cherry Blossoms

11"x14" original oil on Stretched Canvas

Drawing an egg isn't easy.

Hi everyone.  Yesterday's drawing lesson was to draw an egg.  This is really starting to stretch my ability.  I keep telling myself all this fun torture will improve my painting and... I think, I believe myself?  Anyway, here's my finished project.  Sorry for the poor quality photo...just one of those days.

I'm really close to finishing a couple paintings so I'll have something with colour to post very soon.

No room for big paintings.

It's been five days since my last post.  I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun.  I've started my fourth pansy, plus two other paintings meant for specific shows I hope to get juried into.

The project I'm enjoying most is a painting that will be four foot by six foot when it's done.  The interesting part about it is that it's painted on one foot square canvases that will be put together when it's finished.  I will undercoat and paint each panel separately so that the finished painting shows slight differences on each panel.  I've been wanting to paint a big picture for a long time but I paint in my diningroom so space is limited.  My inspiration came from Jeff Cohen but I'm doing a few things different.  I'm undercoating as I go and drawing with paint, one canvas panel at a time.  Jeff draws his complicated scenes in detail in the beginning and then paints his square tiles one at a time.  I am not nearly as good as Jeff but maybe someday...

Since I haven't finished any paintings, I'm posting one of my drawing practice pictures. It was just practice, therefore it isn't finished to where it would be if I planned on keeping it. The goal was to use lines to figure out the size and position of different elements. The tin is old and bent.  

 I hope you have a great day.

Drawing practice

I mentioned before that I'm working through some drawing courses.  Today's was "how to draw LIFELIKE PORTRAITS from PHOTOGRAPHS" by LEE HAMMOND.  I love painting but drawing has always been something I couldn't get a handle on.

I've included today's practice drawing.  This is the first time I've actually had to draw anything.  Up until now the books have just instructed what I would have to do.  Today I had to do it.  Yikes.  Although it was a lot of fun, and I'm pleased how it went, I can see where I have lots to learn.  Lots of fun though...

2B lead pencil on bristol

Pansy #3 completed

I'm having trouble thinking up a name for this pansy, so I think I'll just call it #3 in my series "Flower Boxes".  They'll all be 6"x 6"x 1.5" oil on gallery wrapped canvas with sides that match the painting.  My goal is to paint twelve of them.  I know that's not many compared to JanettMarie's 100 apples but it's a start.  Have a great day everyone.

$100.00 each or $78.00 each for multiples