Lady Banks Roses

This is another Lady Banks study. I had prepared a larger canvas to do this idea on it and this was to be my quick study.  The blooms were wilting quick even though fresh cut and with water. You can really see the difference in my previous study, the flowers were much more perky.  I went outside for another branch and found they were all going. Sigh. So I took this study a little further and will wait for next spring.

3 1/2" x 11 3/4 ", oil on gessoed mat board (sold)

Lady Banks Rose Study

Our Lady Banks Rose bush is doing its once a year spectacular show.  The blooms come and go so fast---I'm hoping to do another painting but I might just have to wait until next year!

3 1/2 " x 11 3/4", oil on gessoed mat board

Mustard Bottle

7" x  5", Oil on cradled panel (sold)

Mustard Study

A study for my next painting: 

The left side I toned the background with burnt sienna, the right with ultramarine blue. I played with the yellows too. The left is predominately cadmium yellow deep and the right is lemon yellow.

6" x 6", oil on gessoed mat board



And some more portraits ---all sepia ink on paper:

Kari

Stan

Judy's sister

And... today when I was doing my mustard bottle study, my boys were drawing with me while I painted--- I'd have to say, one of my most favorite ways to spend time.
My oldest, 8, did this---A fly over grass. I love his red eye and curled proboscis.

Elmers

5" x 7 " Oil on cradled panel (sold)



This was my warm-up exercise. I do this sometimes before I paint my object if I'm feeling out of sorts.  I kind of like the way this one turned out.

6" x 6" oil on gessoed Crescent Mat board

And some select portraits from my portrait a day project:

sepia ink on paper

sepia ink on paper

charcoal pencil on paper

sepia ink on paper

sepia ink on paper

Three in One

My first painting of the year-
The photo is a tad blurry. I would take another photo of it except... when I reached to remove my still life, the can, my foot bumped the easel leg and the painting tumbled off, did a full, impressive somersault  and ...yep...landed face down on the floor. Sigh.... sigh, sigh, sigh...
I once read that if something like this happens, whatever you do don't try and clean it off until it dries.

And yes, I've done this before, outside though. As hard as it was to do, I set it aside and will let it dry. I think it's salvageable. I'm glad I got a picture of it at least. 

5"x 7", oil on wood

(sold)


I've continued to do my portrait a day project. I've been trying new methods and most I don't like but here's a couple I do like:

Steve

Bethany

January

So far most of January has been devoted to a big house project: thoroughly cleaning and finishing our kitchen. That means scrubbing inside, outside, on top of, underneath everything and building the last two cabinets and putting in a tile backsplash.  Fun and rewarding but time consuming. All my creative energy has gone into that but I have been drawing everyday and stuck to my goal of a portrait a day. I'm not liking every one so I haven't been posting. Here are a few I do like:

great great grandfather

In addition to our kitchen, I've been going through and organizing ALL my photos---feels like I have thousands---which have been the inspiration for these portraits (with the exception of the last post).  Some of them are very old and faded with not much information, it's like I'm drawing ghosts. 

grandfather

grandfather

Granny Lita

Howard

William

Sarah

Kevin

I was flipping through a magazine and this image of the actress Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games) caught my eye. I like her expression.

Jennifer

2013

Nesting

My regular painting schedule has been put on hold for this busy holiday season but I did do a little fun painting...

...our family in nesting dolls. They were a gift for my husband's birthday this year which was a couple days before Christmas.  They elicited a great laugh from him especially when he noticed we were all dressed like the dolls, even him. Before he opened his present, I had asked that he wear his grey shirt and overalls.  Looking at me suspiciously, he went a long with it thinking I must have done a portrait of him since he knew I had been up to some secret painting (he told me this afterwards). Ha, Ha--- he wasn't expecting that kind of portrait. This little yellow one on the end is our dog Jack.

While You Were Out

8 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches, oil on wood

This is a new painting which is part of a project I'm doing with a couple of friends. We each picked three objects, painted them in our own style (sometimes adding more objects) and then passed them on to the next person.  For this one, the objects given to me were the phone, the pencil and the pink pad. It was a challenge to use these objects in my own setting. It took me a long time to figure out how I wanted to portray them and then I kept adding more and more to the scene.  I'm particularly fond of the little screw lying to the left of the cord.

Goblin and Cyclops

Here's a better close-up of the Goblin mask. It was made with cardboard, masking tape, house paints and  black netting for inside the mouth.  I like this photo, it looks like the cyclops just told the goblin a joke.

Halloween 2012

A sickness descended on our house and I haven't been able to paint much for a few weeks and then came Halloween....

My youngest son wanted to be a cyclops inspired by Ray Harryhausen's stop motion creature in the film The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad.  It took a few days to make for two hours of wearing---but it was all worth it. The whole problem-solving-inventing-sewing projects are my most favorite. While working on it,  my feet could be on fire and I wouldn't notice. And I like the challenge of using all scrap materials. The only items bought were the masking tape (used in the cardboard under frame) and the black netting for the face. So much fun.  My husband made our older son's mask (below). He's a Goblin.

Portrait Study #3

8 x 10, oil on canvas

One morning my son came out of the bathroom wearing the mustache (but not the glasses/nose) and said, "mom look, I'm in high school"---he's in second grade.  Whenever I'm feeling grumpy I think of him saying that and it gives me a good chuckle.

This painting I'm much happier with than the previous posting, which was also of my son. There's lots off on that first one, especially the eyes. I think this one, even with his real nose obscured, is more successful at capturing his likeness.

Portrait Study

8 inch x 10 inch, oil on canvas

I've been working on a couple of larger still lifes paintings that have lots of objects in them so they're taking a bit of time. In between drying I did this portrait.  It's from a photo I took. I wanted to do it alla prima (all at once) which I did but I didn't finish it. I can't decide yet if I want to go back and work on it.  I'm leaning toward no and instead trying to painting it again on a new surface.  ?

I'm eager to finish my current still lifes so I can take down my scenes and make space to have a new live sitter.

Mom Reading

My first oil portrait from life: my mom reading and knitting.

8 inch x 10 inch, oil on canvas

I did this in two sittings, one about three hours and another a couple of days later that was almost two hours.  It was challenging for both of us---for her to sit so long and me to try and capture her in paint.  I had moments when I felt like I understood what I was seeing and doing, but mostly I felt sloppy and a little lost.  I can't wait to try another one and find more of those times that I feel like I know what I'm doing. I'm thinking I will practice from photos as well to get better with handling the paint so when I have a sitter I can be more efficient.  My mom was the perfect first subject. Thanks mom!

Tiny Yellow Roses with Cat Skull

Back to painting...

8 inch x 8 inch, oil on stretched canvas

I finished this today.  I had started it a while back with the intention of doing it alla prima but some distraction happened and I wasn't able to.  I kept the still life set up; the roses curled and dried and the leaves fell off but the rest was fine, a little dusty.  Luckily, I had finished most of it except for the skull---that's what I did today.  I'm glad to clear the space now and start something new.  Still working on my skin color exploration charts so possibly the next painting will be a portrait. ?

Sketchbook Portrait: Prismacolor Awkwardness

Increasingly interested in not using photos I gave this portrait a try with the use of a mirror. My whole family said it's scary.  I did it in the evening with only one (harsh) light source---that probably didn't help nor did the resulting wonky eyes. Practice, practice, practice.

This week I'm going to do some color mixing charts in oil paint to explore skin color in preparation for my first sitter! That first portrait is going to be real interesting and probably a mess.  My youngest son just started school so it's the first time in many years that a block of time has opened up to work. I'm so excited and eager to find my rhythm again to be painting regularly. I can't wait to see what comes of it.... 

Prismacolor Marker & Graphite
Reflection #2

Sketchbook Portraits- this week in prismacolor

What really interests me in portraits is doing them eventually from life, that's what all my practice has been leading up too---feeling confident enough to ask someone to sit for me.  The last couple weeks I've attended an open studio life drawing session and tried my hand with the prismacolor markers I've been experimenting with of late.  My first attempts came out terrible, so much so I didn't want to post them.  I was happier with my second attempt---lots of practice is needed still, but I feel I'm getting better.  I sometimes question posting these in-between works, the growing pains, but I also like to see other artist's early works and their evolution. I hope it's interesting to you too.

So here's a few samples from my last live model session.  All the poses are 20 minutes only! Very challenging but extremely exciting to being doing them from a real three dimensional person.

All are prismacolor markers and graphite on paper:

Sketchbook Portraits in Prismacolor

Reflection 

 Another yearbook portrait:

Marty

Sketchbook Portraits: More Makeovers in Prismacolor

Ms. Sanders- After

Ms. Sanders- Before

Gabby- After

Gabby- Before