The lady rests....

Not sure if that applies to me, or to the painting...haha!!  I have got her to a point where I am satisfied, and actually happy with her.  Thanks to many dear artist friends who have offered suggestions and support!!  It never hurts to have extra eyes!!  Also thanks to a good friend, whose artistic and photography expertise allowed him to help me with the lighting problems...I did not quite go the way he showed me, BUT I never would have arrived without his help!!

Again, she is 24x30 in acrylics....

Shadows and light....

This is truly a battle, and my mind and eyes may not be up to the task...lol  Feel like taking a 2x4 and beating my head for not thinking of the lighting BEFORE starting...but no going back now.  I am struggling with the fact that my eyes tell me it has two light sources instead of one...yet my paintbrush seems to keep making the same mistakes over again....still trying to find some photo somewhere that I can use to judge the lighting.  Onward, tho' maybe not upward...

Another lady....

Just thought I'd let you know what I am working on at the moment....it is taking up my time, for sure!

I suppose if the other one, was a lady in a waterfall, this one is a lady in the forest...  she is 24x30 acrylics on heavy board....

Having trouble with photographing her skintones....if I get the background colors right, then she is too yellow and red, if I get her right, then the background is off...sigh.  I should learn how to use this camera, one day.

Hopefully this is better, as I worked on her skin, and took a better photo....the top of her rock is almost dry now, and will hopefully be the same color as the rest soon.

 I hope you enjoy watching as much as I enjoy painting! My break is over now!! 

July must be waterlily month....

I found that all the art challenges that I sometimes participate in, are water lilies.  I never realized how many different kinds and colors there were.  The variety is amazing!  And the colors!!  Here are the three I am working on...

12x12 acrylics on wrapped canvas

                  9x12 acrylics on wrapped canvas

                  9x12 acrylics on wrapped canvas

This one still has a few small tweaks to go....

A visit to Stonehenge...

I learned something new about Google maps last night, and found you could take a sort of walking tour of areas of interest....I found myself incorporating Stonehenge into a painting, so last night while researching the location of it in relation to other similar places, I found I could pretty much go there.  Absolutely fascinating, as I zoomed along the roads leading up to Stonehenge, Woodhenge, and Durrington Walls....all at some point in the prehistoric past, connected to each other for some reason.  Funny how as I get older, history becomes much more interesting....maybe because I get to pick and choose what I want to learn?

Another artist, calls this painting Magic Realism...I had not heard of this category, but I suppose it is more fitting than just simply Fantasy.  This is a painting, I did, and yet it seemed to have a mind of its own, and I did more following than leading!  I never intended it to be what it is, but that is one of the fun things with art...the journey!

I am calling this one Summer Solstice....it is 16x20 acrylics on wrapped canvas....


I finished the lady in the waterfall....2'x3'...


















Each month, a website I visit has a challenge painting, this month it was a pond with water lilies....so here is my waterlily....12x12  acrylics on wrapped canvas.  There were many parts of this I found challenging, but I am excited to know I can paint water droplets....I had never tried before!

 

That's all for now....I am off to see what to paint next.

Two in a row....oh my!

Thought I'd show you where I am with my lady....a few additions, to her.  Sorry about the white streaks....that is drying gel that will end up clear.

This has pretty much kept me busy....but am taking a break now!

Working on this....

Started this last night....it is 3'x2'...we shall see where it goes?  The fun thing about art is going with the flow...

I finished these up, as well....

 12"x12" acrylic on paper

11"x14" acrylic on mutlimedia artboard.

Just having fun in the heat.

And the painting goes on...

Been too hot to do much, so I have been painting....:)  I finally started on my grandfather's portrait.

This was the ref photo I had to work with, and it was not easy to see some of what I needed to see.

I gathered a few extra photos of him, from my brother....he does all the genealogy stuff in the family.  I tried to use the basic bone structure and such in an attempt to keep him looking young.

It was not easy to not paint him the way I knew him, but this photo is from around 1916-1918...before my mom was even born.  Here is where I am....my mom saw it and recognized that it was her dad....Yay!!  She is 90+ and I figured if she knew who it was, then I had 'done good'!


       acrylics on 16x20 canvas

Started this little dude last night....

               acrylics on 11x14 mutlimedia artboard

he is one of the mockingbird fledglings that have been living in my yard. He is from the second nesting....and there are new ones at the moment from the 3rd; mom and dad have kept this batch a bit more hidden.  They don't really seem to mind my curiosity or pictures....for some reason, they seem to know I won't hurt them.....maybe because I have helped to chase off the neighborhood cats.  I just love the stance he took....kind of a "make my day!", tho' it might have been "will these legs really hold me up?'  Long way to go with him...but hopefully he will turn out.

Last night I was watching the fireworks with the Boston Pops Symphony....and thought I'd paint along.  I painted on some scrap paper, just for fun, and liked it enough to use a canvas today.  I am not sure I am done yet...I never know....but I think I am close.

              acrylics on 24x24 deep wrapped canvas