New painting "Serene" 20" x 16"

Wow! It's been a long time since I've posted anything. My goal is to change that and post more often.  I have things to say and they just roll around in my head, keeping me up at night so maybe typing it up here will be good for me and hopefully you too. 

For today, I just wanted to post my latest painting, "Serene". The model for this painting was so good at posing during the photo shoot that I let her run the show, sort of. She had so many ideas and didn't need me to tell her anything, she just struck a pose.

This painting was one of those that just flowed and I enjoyed every minute of it. I was excited every day to work on it. I believe that if you don't love what your painting, then you probably won't love the final result even if it's done technically well. Joy will come through in your artwork. 

I'm currently working on a very large commission of a horse and rider.  I hope to post that soon. 

"Daisies"

Orange and white daisies against a dark abstract background.  9"x12" oil on linen panel.  Comes framed in a matte black frame.  Available through the artist.  Email: arteffects@cox.net

Brainerd, MN portrait commission

Good Monday morning!  Here is a recently finished painting that was commissioned by a client in Nisswa, MN.  He wanted to surprise his wife with the painting because the reference photo was taken a couple of years ago of his daughter who doesn't take naps anymore and the beloved family pet who they fear is not going to be here much longer due to advanced age.  This moment was captured with an iphone camera with bright, cool, snow reflected, light coming in the window behind the sofa.  This gave me a very challenging lighting situation as the subjects had two different light sources falling on them.  Cool light from the window and warm light from a lamp.  I made the decision to choose one temperature, the cool, blue light from the window, to prevail.  The next challenge was to lighten all the areas that were not directly in the light.  I know from experience that those shadow areas would not have been that dark in real life.  The next picture is the actual reference photo I was given.

Painting the little girl and the dog was actually the easiest part.  I struggled most with the couch.  Because it is so shadowed and neutral it was hard to tell the actual color, I felt like I needed to get it just right. 

I think it turned out pretty nice in the end.  This next photo is my favorite:)

Now the exciting part!  I got to deliver this painting in person.  I live in Fayetteville AR and the client lives in Minnesota.  My dad's side of the family lives in MN and it just so happened that they were having the "Gross Family Picnic" that I rarely get to attend.  So I left the kids with the hubby and rode the 12hrs with my dad to Minneapolis and went to the picnic.  Then rented a car and drove 2 1/2 hrs north to Nisswa to meet this family.  They were SO wonderful!  Barely out of my car and the entire family greeted me with hugs.  They immediately whisked me away to lunch, by boat, to Bar Harbor Supper Club on Gull Lake.  Then that evening we traveled by boat yet again to Madden's Resort where we played a little tennis and ate pizza.  Let me say that my actual tennis game that night didn't come close to the tennis game I had talked up beforehand.  How embarrassing!  I blame it on the nerves and the turf courts and the humidity.  Yeah, that's what it was.

The next day we visited Grandview Lodge and Resort.  Beautiful!  The gardens and grounds are perfectly kept.  Not a dead flower anywhere!  I WILL take my family there someday!

I can't tell you what a wonderful experience this was for me.  To have someone appreciate what I do and show such kindness and hospitality was just the boost I needed to keep me moving forward in my art career.  It can be so hard but also so very rewarding too.  I hope that isn't the last trip I make to Nisswa and Brainerd. 

Taking and using reference photos

I know, I know, we must only paint from life!  But, if you've been painting very long at all, you know there are times when that is just not possible.  When it's necessary to use reference photos, the best option is to take those photos yourself and know how to use the camera to get the best quality result.  As an artist, you know what kind of lighting you want and the best angle and so on.  In my years of learning with Timothy Tyler, we only painted from life and I came to never trust a reference photo.  I knew that what you saw in a photograph was different from life in several ways but I wasn't knowlegeable enough on the subject to trust it.  The good news is, after all that painting from life, I came to know immediately what was incorrect in a reference photo.  After painting lovely shadows from life, I knew that those dark, black shadows in the photos were not really that dark and black because camera's "clump" shadows into one value.  There's also color in those shadows!  Similarly, the lights in a photo tend to be blown out and overly bright. I also became aware of camera distortion and know how to compensate for that.  Have you ever seen a portrait of someone where the hand is unusually large?  That is a sure sign that the artist painted from a photograph and painted exactly what he or she saw whether it was believable or not. If you learn to use your DSLR camera and all of it's options in manual mode, you can reduce these problems and get a better reference photo.  Less problems to resolve.  You don't need a really expensive camera to get great results.   If you are interested in learning how to use your camera, I recommend that you take a beginner class on photography.  That should be all you need to help you feel comfortable with your camera.  After all, we are painters, not photographers.  We just need quality reference photos.  I have added a button here on my blog that will take you to a great online source for beginners to learn how to use their DSLR camera and how to take better photos.  It's affordable and can be done at your own pace from the privacy of your own home. 

Remember, paint from life every day or whenever possible.  If you have to use a photo as reference, always keep in mind what's true and what's not. 

"Hydrangeas"

Good Morning!  I wanted to share my latest painting "Hydrangeas" 16"x20"x2" oil on canvas.  Here in Fayetteville AR in May and June, hydrangeas are everywhere and they are beautiful!  I've wanted to paint them for a few years now but, I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by the complexity of them.  I mean, there are so many petals!  My fear was that I would overwork them and lose the softness and painterly look I'm working so hard to develop.  I'm so glad I did it now.  I'm finally figuring out that the best way to take on a big or difficult project is to JUST DO IT!  In my case, just getting paint on the canvas and getting rid of all that glaring white helps me get going.  As for all those petals, I think I was able to keep it loose while still making it clear that these are hydrangeas.  This painting is available from my website at this link.

"Shelli's Roses"

This painting titled "Shelli's Roses" is my latest creation.  It is a 2'x2'x2" oil on gallery wrapped canvas.  It can be viewed in person at my gallery WhiteLine Designs in Fayetteville, AR.  I'm told that these roses are called Jane Austin roses.  They were blooming profusely in my friend's backyard and I just knew I had to paint them. 

"Nutcracker"

Oh how much fun I had painting this crazy guy! Some of these colors are straight from the tube without mixing in anything at all. This painting is available for sale from my website or from my etsy store. It will also be shown at the Artini Festival here in Fayetteville on Thursday night and Friday night. If you live here, I hope you can make it because it sounds like it will be a blast! Art show and Martini competition by local bartenders.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is enjoying the holiday season!