Mixed Media Artist - daily painter of portraits, flowers, abstracts and birds
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acrylic on watercolor paper, 6×9, floral
Available here
Small to large prints of this painting are available here
Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success. –Swami Vivekananda
acrylic on panel, 4×4, animals
Available here
Prepping a new oil palette
I need the first few layers to be thin. Fat over lean, so the oil doesn’t crack.
Everything starts somewhere, though many physicists disagree. But people have always been dimly aware of the problem with the start of things. They wonder how the snowplough driver gets to work, or how the makers of dictionaries look up the spelling of words. ― Terry Pratchett
I’m teaming up with my husband on my next few paintings. He’s loaning me some of his photos to use as my reference, which is a pretty big deal to me. I stopped using reference photos over a year ago, and have been working straight from my imagination and memory ever since. While some artists might find it stressful to have to come up with a new idea for a painting without a photo to rely on, I prefer it. I find reference photos to be extremely restricting, and leaves no room for imagination or artistic expression. That, and I tend to fuss over little details until I’m ready to pull my hair out.
Thinking about the old way I used to paint breaks me out in hives. So why I am painting with reference photos again? Good question! My inspiration for this little project is coming from two different sources. 1. Having great reference photos to choose from because my husband is a nature photographer. 2. From a book I’m reading called The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting by Suzanne Brooker. I’ll be writing a book review sometime within the next week or two, so stay tuned for that.
Okay, now to get to work.
acrylic on canvas, 6×6, floral
Available here
Small to large prints available here
I haven’t painted with oils for a month or so, and now I have a palette to scrape. If you’re wondering what kind of palette I’m using, it’s a piece of thin glass, which breaks easily. I know because I’ve broken them before. I continue to use glass for oils because it seems to be the easiest to clean. I keep the glass inside this large Premier Palette container I bought at Blicks. It has a cover, which to be honest, doesn’t work the best at all. Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t seem to snap it into place, but I do lay it over the top of my palette. It keeps the odor of oils down, and the paint does stay fresher. I’m glad I bought it because I’ve been storing my palette in it ever since. That said, I would trade it instantly for something that has a better fitting cover. If you need a place to store your palette, and you don’t care about the cover, buy it. If you care about the cover, like me..it was the reason I bought the thing, after all, then I’d look for something else.
I’m not sure why this turned into a review of the product, but it’s an honest one, and I’m just going to leave it. I’m off to the studio to paint with Sweet Pea cat today. The twins are downstairs, giving us a much needed break. It’s hard to concentrate when they’re running around.
acrylic on panel, 6×6, landscape
Available here
Small to large prints available here
I’ve been reading a lot of Julia Cameron quotes lately.
Miss Maudie woke me up this morning at 6 am after 5 hours sleep. 5 hours is better than 3 hours, which I’ve averaged every night this week, so I’ll take 5 hours. I’m still feeling a little under the weather, so I’d prefer to sleep more. What can you do when you’re a light sleeper, and you share space with 3 restless, noisy cats, and a snoring husband, tho? You steal a ten minute nap here and there at your desk is what you do!! So many times I’ve woken up with my hand on the mouse, and lots of gibberish on my screen.
Well, Miss Sweet Pea has arrived upstairs in my office, and she’s quite vocal, which means only one thing – it’s BREAKFAST TIME. She’s insisting I get myself downstairs NOW, so off I go. Have a great Saturday!
♥♥♥ Happy Valentine’s Day! ♥♥♥