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!

Sock Monkey

Raise your hand if you had, and loved a sock monkey! I did! My grandmother made each of her grandchildren one and I loved mine until it fell apart. I've wanted to paint this for a very long time and finally did it. The original sold immediately after I posted it so I guess I'm not the only one with a soft spot for the monkey. This is available as a 5"x7" giclee print on canvas. Click here to order from my etsy store

Eggplant and Apples

I sure wish eggplant tasted as good as it looks! I really can't like eggplants but I've wanted to paint one for a long time. So, I went down to the Fayetteville Farmer's Market and bought the eggplant and flowers and got right to it. I'm really happy with this painting. I think the colors go together well and I will definitely paint eggplants again. This painting is 12"x 6". Click here to buy or visit my website.

The Art Biz'

I recently had the opportunity to communicate through email with Moshe Mikanovsky, a great artist and someone who enjoys learning and teaching the business of art through his blog. I highly recommend you check it out if your an artist who struggles with the technology aspect of the business. If you're like me you want to be in the studio painting, not trying to figure out how to add gadgets or learning SEO or social media. He can help and he's really, really nice too:)

"Emma"

This is my most recent painting and one of my most favorite of all that I've painted. It's of my daughter who just turned 17 on May 26. I love this pose. It's a very important and pivotal time in a child's life. They are on the threshold of adulthood. So many decisions and opportunities ahead of them. Life starts moving pretty fast from this time on. I remember being scared and uncertain at this age. I pray she goes forward with confidence and finds her passion and a way to make a living doing what she loves as I have with painting.

This painting was juried into the 17th annual artists of Northwest Arkansas exhibit

"Lilies"

9x12 oil on panel Available. Click here to visit my website or to buy.

Green Beans and Blue Jar

I was commissioned to do this painting that would be given to a person who loved canning vegetables. Because I paint from life and because it's winter here, I had trouble finding some of the things I was told this lady enjoyed canning. I finally found some beautiful string beans and though this wasn't my first choice, I think it turned out nicely. This can be purchased as a giclee or fine art paper print. Send me an email for prices and information.

"Buster"

My latest painting is staying in the family. This is a painting of my mother-in-law's dog Buster. He posed perfectly for me and I HAD to paint him. I will deliver it to her this weekend.

"Jar and cherries"

Oh how I enjoyed painting this little still life. I've just started collecting the blue or blue/green jars. They are so beautiful! This painting was painted completely from life. I painted the fruit first because I knew they wouldn't last long then worked on the jar.

"Abby" pet portrait commission

This is the last commissioned painting due before Christmas and I delivered it today. What a cute puppy Abby was. I think this pose captures her perfectly! The client brought her to my house for me to photograph and she was so excited that we barely got her to sit still for anything. I think I will go to the clients house next time where the dog (or child) is in their own familiar surroundings. Live and learn, huh?

Now I can focus on Christmas for my family. Wish I felt better though. Woke up sneezing and now have a head cold that's making me just want to crawl back into bed. But I have art prints to ship and cleaning to do so no nap today. Merry Christmas to everyone!

"Sarah"

I've always wanted to paint red hair and I finally got my chance. This little girl has the most beautiful hair color. In my resource photo, she had braces and they were showing. I made the decision not to paint them but I'm wondering if that was a good decision because the braces have a lot to do with the way the mouth is shaped. Does that make sense without the braces showing? I don't know yet. I would love to hear feedback about this.

"Emmi and Zanna"

This painting was done for the "Life's Little Paws" cocker spaniel rescue auction in Maine. Participants bid on the opportunity to have me paint their pet. The winner paid to have her other dog added and I was glad to do so.

The apple painting I finished a few weeks ago. It is in the style of my teacher and friend Timothy Tyler. I had seen a painting of his that had the very dark red background with the red apples and I loved it. I wanted to try something similar myself.

Etsy

My Etsy shop is fineartgallery. Take a look! I'm offering Free Shipping from now through Christmas within the United States.

"NWA Boutique Show"

This weekend I had the opportunity to participate in the "NWA Boutique Show" held in Springdale AR. It was a fun experience and I definitely learned a lot about what to do and what not to do next time. This particular show is designed to attract young mother's with small children so next time I will focus on bringing more examples of children's portraiture. That is what most people were interested in and what I found myself talking about most.