Mendenhall Glacier is only 4 miles from my home. My husband and I like to take walks there frequently. This stream flows nearby. This is the second time I have painted this scene. It is very appealing to me. I love how the warm tones of the sand and water balance out the coolness of the stones. This is a very simple setting but I think that is another reason I like it. I love simplicity in a painting.
This is a little painting of one of my favorite views. It is looking toward Mendenhall Glacier where my husband and I walk all the time. On this particular morning, the silhouetted trees stood out to me. And I just love the cool colors of the green and blue background. I also like that there is a little bit of balance to all the cool colors with the warm reflection tones (of almost orange) coming in from the lower left corner of the picture towards the center.
I have been wanting to do this for a while. I liked it because I tried something new and used a gray-blue toned canvas, to help with the gray mood of this day. Juneau is very rainy, so this mood is very typical. Something about that, as well as the conglomeration of buildings and objects made me want to paint this scene. I am definitely drawn more to a strong, sunny scene, but I would like to be able to capture different types of weather and light conditions.
I really enjoy small town scenes like this. I have never felt adept at painting them but this shot made me want to give it a try. The view of Mendenhall Glacier on our road is spectacular. On this particular day, my husband was driving and it allowed me to get a good shot. I think it is always appealing for local people to see a familiar scene. I like how this one worked out.
This portrait was done for my brother-in-law who breeds Collies. It is a bit more on the ‘realistic’ side than I am trying to go but it was a pleasure to do. I think I do struggle with trying to paint in a more impressionistic way, and probably always will, but that is what I really desire to do. It usually means that I have to paint things a couple of times in order to become more familiar with the subject and then it seems to be a bit easier to be somewhat impressionistic with my strokes.
I thought I would show another example of an Underpainting, because when I first started painting I couldn’t get enough information about the different ways that people choose to paint. I enjoy seeing how other people paint…it gives me ideas and may lead to better things. It’s good for us to know that there is not just one way to do things. Rather there are a vast number of ways to do the same thing! I think this is very helpful to know. Actually, I think this little painting is the very first time that I tried doing an Underpainting. You can see just how much detail I included in the early stages.
I’m sure this may be old news to many people, but I can remember how fascinated that I was with it early on. So I wanted to do a few posts to show any beginners how they might try it.
This is my second painting on gesso board. I also used a pallet knife. I deliberately kept this loose. These low tide scenes where you can see beach forever always appeal to me. So I just thought I would do something a bit different. You can probably see that I don’t have one favorite subject yet. I am enjoying the learning process and trying all types of subjects as well as different light.
2015 is moving forward and I guess I have to start somewhere. I recently purchased a book by artist Carol Marine called “Daily Painting“. There are so many wonderful things about this book! I enjoyed her telling how she overcame her struggles to become a successful full time artist. I also love her painting style and enjoyed her sharing about her process of painting. She has lots of teaching experience and included lots of great tips. Lastly she included lots of information on websites, blogs and networking with other artists. All very clearly explained and well written. Very helpful! I’m sure I will reread it many times over as well as do the exercises she includes.
This year I think this book is going to help me accomplish my goals which are to try to improve as an artist and to develop this blog that will grow a network and hopefully bring some exposure to potential customers.
I would love for you to join me on this journey!
Art with my Coffee 