Do Over

Forever Study 2, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

This is a do-over. I took the original painting back into my studio and repainted certain areas -removing the bottom rose and increasing highlights a little for a slightly different look. I do this all the time. For the original image see my blog here: Forever

Goose Study 4

Goose Study 4, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

This is the fourth of 4 little goose studies that I did in preparation for a larger piece. I was a little surprised by how much fun it was to paint these white birds. I still have to hash out some issues that arent working so well on a larger piece such as the high contrast of bird to water which I think work well on the smaller pieces but look a little blobby on a larger piece (which is primarily dark grassy landscape).
All in all, I had a good time painting these. :)

Goose Study 3

Goose Study 3, 6x6, Oil on canvas, Click to Bid

Third goose painting in a series of 4!  :)

Goose Study 2

Goose Study 2, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, Click to Buy

Second in a series of 4. One of the lessons I learned is that direct sunlight is so reflective and bouncy on water.

First of 4 - Goose Study 1

Goose Study 1, 6x6 Oil on canvas, Click to Bid

This is the first of 4 geese paintings I did as preemptive to a larger piece. I don't paint a lot of animals so I wasn't sure it would hold my interest but it certainly did!

This and the next 3 paintings are of my only 2 surviving geese on one of ponds on our property. Nasty creatures that you cant get close to without the risk of being attacked. Sure, they look graceful. Even peaceful. But don't let that fool you. They have serrated beaks that have bruised my shins through my blue jeans. Their wing span is like an eagles and they will charge you with their necks stretched out and those wings flapping like nobodies business. But it's the beaks that will mess you up. Coyotes don't seem to have a chance with these two remaining birds.

These paintings were done from photos I took for a Craftsy photography class (in which I used a telephoto in order to keep my distance). 

I did 4 with the idea I would frame them and hang them as a set in my powder room but I'm not ready to take down my little sparrow paintings so I'm offering them here. But all four are painted with the same palette and would look adorable together, in my humble opinion. :)

Ninja Painter

Field Day, 10x20, Oil on Canvas, Sold

After doing a handful of pansy studies I set out to paint my original idea on a larger canvas. At the very beginning of this new painting, I adjusted my mental attitude that this painting was by me, for me and nobody but me would ever see this painting so I would feel free to explore any and all ideas and make any radical moves I felt inspired to make. No one would ever know. I would be a ninja painter. :)

So that was effective for a little while then came that nagging little voice to clean up edges and blah blah blah... I fought the urge, mostly.

Here's to the freedom to be me! Baby steps people. Baby steps.

White Pansy Study 3

White Pansy Study 3, 6x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

One last pansy study before the full size painting. 

The one thing that I keep focusing on is "is it in the light or shadow". I've read and studied that the darks in the light should be lighter than the lights in the shadow. This is a fairly interesting opportunity to practice that concept because of the twists and turns in the petals which contain both white and deep purple. 

After opening the image in photoshop I did some playing with the paintbrush tool and I believe I am improving in that area. Improving but not mastered.. I still have a lot to learn but that's what it's all about right? :)

From Photograph To Canvas..Sort Of

Yellow Pansy Study 1, 6x6, Oil on canvas, Click to Bid

This pansy painting was done from a photograph and I had to pick and choose which blooms I wanted to use and where to place them.

Pansies (at least the ones I have) tend to bloom in little bursts of color that are scattered willy-nilly so in order to create any kind of composition I had to do a little layering. Sometimes it gets a little confusing when I'm looking at a photo with a ton of blooms to find the particular bloom I wanted in which particular spot on my canvas.

I'm liking these little color spots though. Fun to paint; fun to see all lined up, drying on my auction table! :)

Purple Pansy Study 1

Purple Pansy Study 1, 6x6 Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

Round one of purple pansies. It's a pink purple but it's definitely purple. Adjusting the values has been a real challenge but worth pursuing.

There are, in fact, shadows but there are also delicate mutations of color on the petals so I was teetering between technical accuracy and overall effect. What I really want is an overall effect so from across the room the painting has character. I like looking at this one lined up next to the others. I'm able to see the sun catch the tops and edges of the petals.

Effect wins over realism in my studio. :)

White Pansy Study 2, 6x6, ​Round two of my white pansies. 

​Round two of my white pansies.  Another white pansy but different flower entirely.  The center color spot on this flower was much bigger and bolder.

As for the process, I cooled the shadows and backed off on the values a little - which goes against my instincts.   I'm still exploring and have a few other pansy colors to look at.

Dont Be A Pansy

White Pansy Study 1, 6x6, Click to Bid

So I'm moving on to pansies now and exploring edges, values and brushwork along with color temperature.

I just bought a few 4 inch pots to work from as well as some old photo references I have but some of the photos are lacking in the strong light / shadow that I like to work with so I find myself enhancing and embellishing once again.  But I guess that's what it's all about anyway.  If I wanted a perfect copy I'd stick to taking pictures, right?

A Seasons Greeting #2

A Seasons Greeting #2, 8x10,SOLD

A remake of a sold painting. Every once in a while I get a chance to do a special request. This is one of them. I love that.  :)

It's All Over But The Shoutin'

Yellow Rose Study 3, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

With this study I wanted to explore a warmer and more intense background and foreground with the yellow roses. I really love the pop on this small study. However....

'Is it appropriate for the gallery piece I have in mind?' is the question at hand. I sends a completely different message than the previous two. It feels a little louder, bolder. And of course with the dark background it feels a little more mysterious to me. 

And that's my reason for doing these little pieces. Sure, instant gratification (well, some more instant than others) and hopefully a little pocket change to pad my art supply account but by and large I find it immensely helpful to work out these questions on small studies than to discover issues and make changes on larger, more complex pieces. Changing an entire background color after it's in (or even partially in) is ridiculously frustrating- voice of experience. I like a challenge, but when the scale tips to frustration it starts to show in the piece and then it's all over but the shoutin'. 

Same Story, Different Day

Yellow Rose Study 2, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

"Take - two" for my yellow roses. Same set up actually. I just added another rose. Still with the painting and scraping, painting and scraping. It just doesnt happen on the first, second, third... try or so it appears. What's up with that? 

Anyway, I'm happy with the final result. Finally. :)

A Whole New Can O' Worms

Yellow Rose Study 1, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

So it turns out that yellow roses are a whole new can of worms. At least for me. I believe that's because I lean towards strong values and that simply does not work for these little babies. Again, that is MY experience. 

I scraped several times re adjusting values and temperatures until I FINALLY unlocked the mystery to yellow... and then it was "Viola!" :) Well, maybe there's really no actual mystery but there WAS a " Voila!". 

It's an oddity that I never got frustrated. I just kept on going like the energizer bunny. Painting and scraping, painting and scraping... 

Every once in a while a painting will all but paint it'self but by and large, there's a push - pull thing happening in my studio. A little ugly before the pretty. But I'm pretty committed to pretty. :) Pretty much..

Out Burst

Out Burst, 8x10, Oil on Canvas, Click to Bid

So this is my second attempt at this set up. The first, done on an 8x8, is doomed to the back of the studio and will never see the light of day. I much prefer it on a more horizontal canvas. It seems to help the spray effect I was liking. 

All that aside, I am not sure how I feel about the brass pot. It could be I'm just not a hard metal kind of girl and that could be a problem because I really wanted to use it in a larger gallery painting that I had in mind. I'll do some more experimenting before diving into THAT one. :)

Side note on this painting: I must have shut off my brain early because I signed instead of initialed this study and I did NOT paint the sides of this canvas ( but I could if I was asked to...)

Game Changer

Game Changer, 8x8, Oil on Canvas, Click to Buy

This framed painting is headed to the gallery with a "Whoop Whoop!" :) Hey, not everybody needs validation but I freely admit I find it encouraging! 

I have yellow roses on the easel now and I'm going to tell you right now, same flower, different story. Whew! It's like re-inventing the wheel I suppose. But that's what I do... :)

Painting Roses in February...

Rose, 4x6, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

This is the last of this rose anyway. I'm moving on to other colors and other flowers. 

I was so happy with the way this one turned out I contemplated keeping it. I've had it on a table top easel for a while as it dried and really enjoyed how the colors played out as well as the edges. Sometimes it just all comes together, you know? 

Timeless

Timeless, 8x10, Oil on Canvas, $320Buy with PayPal

This is the result of all those rose studies. I really feel like it just all came together on this one. The value listed is for the painting unframed.  

I will be offering this one to the gallery next month if it's still available.

Red Rose Study 1

Red Rose Study 1, 6x6, Oil on Canvas, SOLD

I am finally starting to feel comfortable with roses and am no longer intimidated. I have, by no means, mastered them, let alone their leaves but I do feel more at ease and find them enjoyable, even relaxing to paint. 

I think I have more trouble navigating through photography and photoshop elements in order to present you with the most accurate images of my artwork at this point. After a few do overs, I think I have a pretty good image here. Try to ignore the little speckles. I believe that is glare from thicker brushwork. :)