Each of these little sweethearts measures 2×2 inches. I especially enjoy painting them on the black background. They just have more pizazz some how. Most of these were done as little Christmas ornaments but I guarantee that the owners don’t put them away after the holidays.
This time I worked on more challenging mountain views from the back yard. I tried these views many times with a variety of success and failure. The pic on the left, I feel is more of a success, and the one on the right sort of ok. It is very tricky to learn to paint lots of tree branches, especially when they are covering distant objects that are peaking through them. The process of learning can sometimes seem insurmountable. There are times when one wants to just totally give up. It is very important to realize that the learning process is a long journey. Personally, when I started painting many years ago, I determined that I was going to do my very best to enjoy all the steps along the way. For the most part, I can say that I do enjoy it. But every once in a while there has been times of absolute discouragement and frustration. It’s imperative to push on through these time and not to give up. Sometimes I go back to a so called failed attempt and re work it. Overall I have learned a lot from this process. But once in a while I just have to toss the picture because it is too frustrating to look at any more (= That’s just the way it goes. And everyone goes through these times.
I tried plein air for the first time in 2020 and definitely fell in love with it. Other things took precedence over getting outside as much as would have liked but I made it a goal to get out a lot more in 2021. Early in the year I got out a lot then our weather turned very rainy, but I will share several of my experiences in the next few posts.
Here is one of my experiences getting outside to paint en plein air (meaning on location or out on location). This is Thunder Mountain which is right outside my front windows. So I did this in the front yard. It was helpful to get some practice close to home as I was leaning. It is very challenging to paint outside. So small steps can make it a lot more manageable.
I’ve been painting a whole bunch of new minis for the Juneau Artists Gallery this year. They have been very popular. These are all local Juneau, AK scenes
I would love it if you would take some time to browse the galleries of my paintings. You can find paintings that are currently available to purchase on Daily Paintworks.
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These are a couple of miniatures that I painted for my kids-to be used as Christmas ornaments. The truck was my Dad’s who passed away several years ago. I did that one for my son to remember him by.
The church was just a picture that I loved, and I did that one for my daughter. I don’t think you can see it in this photo, but I used a gold pen to add a few fancy accents in a couple spots when this was dry. It was a great touch. My kids loved them. I really love to be able to make personalized gifts, it’s the best!
This was a fun piece to work on. I have been practicing trees and ‘sky holes’ as well as low light effects. This is an 8×10 from a photo I took in Maine.
This is from a photo I took of a spot near my best friend. It is pretty farm country in central Maine. Again, I just love this snowy atmosphere where all the lines get blurred. It is challenging and thrilling to paint. I think I like to try to make it feel like I am enveloped in the painting sensing the snow all around me. This is an 8×10
It has been way too long since I posted…sorry everyone, sometimes life gets in the way. But I wanted to post this first and show you the finished product. I think she came out really cute. The reaction of the owner when she saw it was priceless. It makes it all worth while when someone is so happy with their painting =D
The only thing I would like to change about this would be that it has no texture. But in all reality, a Dachshund has such a smooth coat that I am ok with it. I was definitely a bit anxious doing a backlit picture. The dog is so dark and there was very little real definition in the photo I had to work from. I was unsure if I would be able to pull it off. But i have to say that I was pretty happy with it, and considering the response of the owner, I am pleased.
I wanted to challenge myself to try to capture the extreme warmth of this scene. I really didn’t push the colors much to do this. It was really this warm. Actually there is a nice contrast between the warm yellow/orange on the left and the much cooler violets on the right. I think this contrast is what makes this appealing.
Art with my Coffee 