Teamwork~ 10" x 10" oil on gallery wrapped canvas

I finished these guys a few days ago, but I kept forgetting to photograph them until it got dark!

So...now it's done.

This gorgeous pair of draught horses are the hardest workers in Barkerville, an old restored mining town that operates as a park in the summer. I've talked about it in previous posts, and done many paintings from there. It's one of my favorite places. It is a  place that has roused my imagination and created a passion for our history in my soul from the time I was a young child, running through the streets, shooting at imaginary gunfighters with my pop gun from the Mason and Daly general store.

Sneak Preview of new Grizzly Bear painting and demo

Picture of me and my painting for the local paper

Not finished yet!!

So...I'm having a one-man show on April 20th. I'm pretty excited, but do I ever have a lot of painting to do! This is number two in the grizzly bear series...am I doing a series? Hmmm...Maybe I will...I've been enjoying painting these magnificent creatures. 

The first photo is one that was taken by the local paper to advertise my show, and the following two show the painting in progress. As you can see, I toned the canvas first with acrylic paint in a thin was of yellow ochre. The painting will eventually have a sunset look so I thought the yellow would work. I actually started doing the painting in acrylic, but got frustrated with the colors drying darker than I mixed them, so I switched to oils, and it's actually working out fine. It makes for softer edges, brighter colors and it's just easier for me to control, all the way around.

Next, I blocked in all of the darks. I forgot to take a picture, though. I got a bit carried away and in "the zone"...you know, that place where time and everything else disappears?

The second picture, I've started adding color, blocking in the lights in the water, and trying to work out the reflection. I'm finding that to be the hardest part. 

So, maybe a day or two left. I want to fix the perspective on the bear's body, finish the water, fix up the fur....I'll keep ya' posted :)

Grizzly Bear portrait and painting demonstration

Too Close and Very Afraid ~ 16" x 20" oil on canvas

$1200.00

It's bear season once again! They'll soon be lumbering down the mountain from their chilly dens to eat the newly blossoming skunk cabbage that is finally starting to bloom. I have yet to see one awake this year, but the sunshine and the promise of a beautiful summer filled with our exotic wildlife inspired me to paint this guy. Here's your chance to have your very own "too close for comfort" encounter with one of the world's most impressive creatures!

Glove and Sock Animal Week

Zoe, Pearl, Pinkey, Spot and Whiskers

I've been back from Maui for about two weeks now, and it's been a bit difficult to adjust, I have to admit. There's still six inches of snow in my yard! And it's still below freezing most mornings...What happened to spring?

Well, the first week back was a whirlwind of cleaning, unpacking, organizing, dusting...ewwww...two months of dust and cobwebs...and the second week has been one of adjustment. Adjusting to the MUCH slower pace of life here. Adjusting to the weather. Adjusting to my home. I feel a bit like I've been thrown  off of orbit. I felt like that when we arrived in Hawaii, too, but now it's the other way around. I felt intensely creative, but had no urge to pick up a paintbrush. So I sewed instead. Sewing is relaxing. It is quiet, methodical, and allows one to almost meditate. And at the end of a few hours, there is a sweet little creation, staring back. My kids love them! I'll be selling them in a new Etsy shop I've started, just for my other creative endeavours. 

I'm at Heartfelt Pals on Etsy...click here to see my shop, and check back often as I'll be adding new items all week.

Maori Dancer

Maori Dancer -- 14" x 18" oil on panel $750

Here's another dancer painting. He was enacting a Maori War dance. I loved the power of the pose and the dramatic light. It's another one in which the photo doesn't really do it justice. I'll try to get a better one soon.

Ray Robert's Workshop - Maui 2012

Ray's amazing 20 minute demo!

                                       

Ray and his wife, Peggi Kroll-Roberts

I was fortunate enough to participate in Ray Roberts plein aire workshop in Maui last week. What a blast! Not only was it great fun, it was a great learning experience, and Ray and his wife, Peggi, are wonderful, warm, people. A pleasure to have met.

I have only painted "en plein aire" a few times in my life, with no direction except what I had read. In fact, this is the first time I have taken a workshop from an established artist. I have taught them (how to paint animals in acrylic from photographs) but had never taken one.

Anyways...the object of his plein aire teaching is to use these small plein aire sketches as reference material to utilize in the creation of a more finished studio painting. He doesn't create them to sell.

Some of his most useful tips apply to all types of painting, not just plein aire and I found them incredibly useful. 

Some of them were:

• ALWAYS do a number of value studies, or Notans...either in just two values or three. Do a few different greyscale ones, and a few color ones, to feel out which one will make the best painting. It will be almost immediately evident. (I thought so anyways!)
• Translate a scene from your grayscale study to color. It helps immensely in reading the values.
• Avoid equal shapes, masses,  and divisions. It makes things boring and repetitive.
• Start with your darkest darks and lightest lights. Once they're established, it's much easier to find the middle values.
• Borrow from everything around you to make a great painting. You don't have to paint the exact scene. Remove elements, or add them, to make the best scene.
• Shadows in a landscape are cooler and lighter farther away from the source (under a tree) and warmer and darker towards the source, as they're reflecting light from the source. The farther shadow reflects light from the sky.

These are only a few of the great things I learned. Peggi has invented a few very useful plein aire tools that they sell on their website.

You can check out Ray and Peggi's beautiful work at www.krollroberts.com.

Tahitian Dancer

Tahitian Dancer -- 12 x 16 oil on canvas covered panel $600.00

I finally painted something in Maui that I'm happy with! Yay! I've been painting plenty, but nothing good enough to share until yesterday...I was going to show you an in progress progression, and managed to remember to photograph the first step, but I guess I got so excited about the painting going so well, that I forgot to take any more pictures!

Anyways, we saw a Hula show last week, where they do a lot of traditional Polynesian dances. I managed to take quite a few good shots for reference. This girl was dressed in a Tahitian costume, which was very unique. I loved how her dark hair contrasted with the light background, and the strong light on her face made for a dramatic portrait. I tried to work loose and keep it fresh...I'm pretty happy with it.

The photograph of the painting is a bit contrasty, but it's pretty faithful to the colors.

Thanks for stopping by!