Author Archives: Artwithmycoffee

Unknown's avatar

About Artwithmycoffee

I live in Juneau, Alaska where the inspiration in nature abounds! I love taking photos of this beautiful place and then painting them. In 2013 I left my job in order to devote more time to my artwork. One of the ways I have been learning, is through online tutorials. I have been so encouraged with the amount of information that people share about their artwork. A few of my favorite sites are: Tuscon Art Academy on line, mhttp://thecompleteartist.ning.com/ by Richard Robinson, and http://www.dailypaintworks.com/ with Carol Marine. These have been extremely helpful as I have been working at my painting. This year my goal is to paint almost daily and to try to get outdoors more and paint en plein air (or out doors from life). I also hope to come up with something interesting to blog about it all ( =

Mendenhall Loop Road II

Posted on by
Reply

IMG_0806This is the valley in Juneau where I live. It is the main road that goes to the glacier. In the summertime there is a constant stream of tour buses that run from the cruise ships downtown out to the Mendenhall Glacier. This is the road they take. On a clear day, when you get to this point it can be so beautiful that it makes your heart leap! Tourists must have their jaws drop as they approach. It is about 4 miles from this point but you cannot wait to get there to see it when you are given this glimpse beforehand. I have also painted this a couple times trying to get the values just right. The mountain is difficult to get just right. It seems darker than you have to paint it in order to put it into the distance. I’m learning ( =

Sea Ranger

Posted on by
Reply

16 Sea Ranger
I’ve been wanting to paint this for quite some time now. Those reflections just have an abstract quality to them that I like. For a long time I didn’t think I knew how to approach all that is going on in this picture. I finally decided to jump in, and I’m fairly happy with it.

 

Dune Grasses

Posted on by
2

Dune GrassesThis is an 8×10 oil painting done from a photo I took down in Cohassette, MA while visiting my parents. On this particular day it was misty and overcast. I wanted to try painting this because of those weather conditions. It is very different to paint bright sunny day as opposed to a gray overcast day. It takes practice to see things in different light. I think that this is why I like to paint. I like the challenge of portraying the certain feeling a scene takes on in different lighting conditions. I really spend a lot of time observing the changes in light and shadow as well as colors under different conditions. It is really amazing to me.

Buoy’s Glow

Posted on by
2

Buoy 's Glow  This is a 5×7 oil painting. I took the photo used for this on the back of our boat. It was early morning and the sunlight was extremely low and intense. In this study I was trying to work on creating the intense glow of the bright orange buoy. It fascinated me to see how much it cast its brightness onto the surrounding items. I did a workshop last year where we were challenged to do the same thing. My results on that painting were not quite as successful as this one. I definitely learned a few things from that workshop. This is just another example of how it can be very helpful to do the same picture more than once, or at least something very similar.

Creek Shadows

Posted on by
Reply

IMG_0802    This 10×8 oil painting was done of a photo taken while hiking here in Juneau. I really wanted to paint this as a challenge to myself. I loved the dappled sunshine on the shallow water leading into the picture. I think it turned out ok. I really tried not to overwork it. I may go back in and lighten up a few spots in the background, but over all I’m please with the results.

Bears Contemplation

Posted on by
Reply

IMG_9714I Just love this guy or girl…this looks like a very healthy bear enjoying a bit of contemplation. In this painting, I was attempting to paint in a looser more impressionistic style. I used a 6×6 piece of gesso board which is a very smooth surface. It can be tricky to paint on when you first try it, but I think it lends itself nicely to leaving clear brush strokes. This is part of the look I am going for when I refer to impressionism. I am not trying to paint the bear’s hairs, but rather an overall fur coat.

Brotherhood Cabin

Posted on by
Reply

IMG_9628This is a little cabin in Juneau, Alaska. I’m not sure if it has an official name but we call it Brotherhood cabin. It is located right on the side of the road but its backdrop is Mendenhall Glacier. It is not directly at the base of the glacier but almost appears to be. Therefore it is always an interesting  view. Sometimes the Glacier is beaming in the sunshine and the cabin is shaded. Or sometimes the Glacier will be cloaked in fog and there will be a beam of sun shining on the little cabin. In this shot, I liked how cool the grasses and Glacier were yet there was a nice swath of warm grasses and shrubs. If you are not familiar with the area, you could not tell that the Glacier is in the background. I was not able to make it fit in a picture of this size, but I’d like to do it in a larger size and put it in.

Pitty

Posted on by
2

IMG_9491 (565x800)I am struggling with this one. I really liked the photo but I am not happy with the painting yet. I think I really dislike the background color, and I also think that the head is too dark. I have tried to adjust him at least once but not feeling that it was successful.  I think I need to go back and try again. Really, what have I got to lose if I don’t like it anyway?

I actually find that at this point in a painting, I can actually learn a lot. Once I am not concerned about ruining something I already dislike, I am willing to take more risks. This is a good time to learn.