Telling the story

I missed posting the painting I did last week. Well, actually I forgot to take the pictures of the process and then forgot to post it! Guess that is what crunch time on research papers will do to you!

Anyways, here is the photo I chose to work from. I took this photo from inside the "playhouse" at Boldt Castle. The playhouse sits almost directly on the water and is a beautiful structure (even if still a bit in need of repairs).

Now, one thing I learned about through my readings was the importance of telling a story with your art. The doorways at Boldt were very appealing to me that day. Doorways are both entrances and exits. You move through them into different spaces, and in this instance different worlds. The interior of Boldt Castle has been remodeled to resemble the era that George Boldt lived to "feel" appropriate for the times. Therefore the inside is of one era and the outside is the trees, flowers, and water of today.

This doorway itself was beautiful with its round window and streaming sunlight. The bright water outside set against the dark interior and the smooth polished glass with the rough stone were beautiful opposites. I felt this picture alone spoke of hope and promise for this place that was abandoned after a tragedy.

The little windows on the sides were a bit of a distraction. A painting is supposed to enhance the image, not be painted completely from what is seen. Make it better, bigger, brighter! Art does not have to copy life, just enhance and bring out the beauty and story of life.

So without further chit chat from me, here is what I came up with!

Romantic Boldt Revised

Okay, so back to the Romantic Boldt Castle painting. First the issues and then I'll tell you how I went about fixing them.

The issues. First here is the reference photo I used for the botched painting:

Not bad right? I thought so too, and no its not a bad picture nor a bad reference. However the perspective on this one is a bit more "intense" than some of the other pictures I have. Here is the picture that I used for the second reference:

Yea, I know it doesn't look much different does it? However, notice the middle, where the focus is going to be. Notice how the lines for the windows and the ledges/rooftops are more slanted in the first picture than the second? This is the lines of perspective that make it "look" 3-D. Typically this doesn't present a problem, unless you sketch it wrong:

Now it looks like the buildings are "falling" to the left instead of going off into the distance. Mistake #1! Here is where I realize that often using a tool is sometimes helpful in making your sketch correct. In the corrected painting I plotted the points and used a ruler to make the lines work with each other instead of making the buildings fall over. (yea, forgot that picture!)

Now, I liked the look of the first one without the 'ugly' boat in the front and stuff. so we have to crop the second photo to resemble the first.

 

Okay so now we have the picture. Now where else did we go wrong?

Well do you remember from the first Boldt painting how we chose two complementary colors to use and only used these to paint the whole painting? Here is where color choice can be very very important. I had a great idea in mind of what I wanted to say with the colors, the light, and the subject of the painting. The story of George Boldt and his wife is a very romantic, yet tragic story for his wife never got to see his gift to her (he had the castle built for her but she died before it was finished). With the colors I wanted it to resemble a sunset (like the sunset of their love with her death) but yet full of soft pinks and reds that would immediately bring to mind romance.

So in the first painting I chose red and green, thinking I could get a reddish gold color to the building that would resemble the reflection of the setting sun.

 

 

If you notice, I also put the horizon (where the building meets the sky) up into the top half of the painting. I wanted it to look larger than life. This also forced me to bring some of the highlights into the trees more into the red/light color category so that the building doesn't get blocked nor seem like its floating in space. It is necessary to anchor the subject so the viewer moves into the painting smoothly, not feel out of balance when looking at it. So here I brought the trees in the front of my focal point (the windows and tower) more into the light. They were supposed reflect the light of the sky similar in color to the building.

 

The red here is my light color and the green my dark. Unbeknownst to me, when you mix certain reds with certain greens you get a very purple color! Yea, I was unprepared for that. Notice the dark purples in the building? Yea, I didn't expect nor anticipate that.

 

So, here is where I made my second mistake. Seeing the purples and the reds and greens, I thought I should add more yellows and oranges to the painting to bring out more of the "sunset" look I was going for. I should have stuck to my guns and kept the colors I was creating, using those to their fullest instead of second guessing myself.

So, now that we have covered the oopsies, lets see how it turned out after I reworked it.

 

Yes, I started with a fresh canvas and redrew the painting using the second reference. Notice here the buildings don't look like they are falling over. This picture still has some of the "lines" a bit off, but that was work in progress so it happens!

This time I stuck to the strictly red and green colors I chose the first time. I embraced the purple instead of trying to counter it. The sky doesn't look it so much here, but the upper left is actually quite dark greenish. Also the building is very pink. I still had a few "rewrites" with the main focal point, but that will happen.

Here we lightened it up and warmed it up a bit more. The first pink was a bit too cool of a color to look like it was reflected from a setting sun. Remember, that is the other look we are going for, though this time I tried not to focus so much on it. I tried to remain more "romantic" feeling than sunset. If the sunset happened it did, if not I still got some of the romantic vibe I was going for.

 



The lines are matching up better and it doesn't look so "off" now.

 

Started adding in the trees. Now, my focus was to have dark trees on each side with a sort of path of light in between that "points" to the focal point. Yea, these trees were "green" mostly with some red here or there, just somehow it all turned purple! Interestingly this adds unity to the painting for all the colors are of a similar make up. Even the pinks and light greens are varying shades of red and green mixed together.

 



Okay so here we can see the bright reds going up to the building. There are reds and pinks throughout that cause the eye to move through the painting, while the focus sits mainly with the front of the building and the tower. This makes for a visually pleasing piece.

 

And here we are. In this last one you can see the greens in the sky a bit more. Also with the intense darks and bright lights it does look more like a sunset type. The front of  the building is the lightest part which also draws the eye.

 

Fairly Romantic don't we think? The first painting has some flaws that might be fixed at a later date. The color combination is not a bad one, nor is the perspective that far off. It is, unfortunately, extremely difficult (at the stage I am in, others might not find it this way) to "fix" these in a wet on wet technique. So, since I'm not afraid of making mistakes and starting over, we'll put it away to dry for now and maybe revive it at a later date. At this point I wanted to create the idea I had in my head for the vision and story is more important to the failures and attempts.

 

I hope you enjoyed reading through my process and seeing the final result. Next week we'll go through another idea, tell another story, and try something new! 

 

Leaning Mistakes

Okay, so early in the week I commented on my Facebook page about doing a romantic Boldt Castle painting. I had a glorious vision of sunsets, pinks, reds, and a stately castle carefully and meticulously rendered on a larger canvas. Unfortunately sometimes mistakes occur!

I will save the lesson of the mistakes for next week. I fully intend to revisit this vision, for I believe it to be a grand one with a great story, but without the mistakes! So next week we will talk about some of the things that happen and how you can learn from your mistakes.

Instead I will share another walk through on a piece I did earlier this week. I find lots of inspiration from Deviant Art and the artists there. This is where we start, with the inspiration.
My inspiration was these:

(Both are from Deviant Art the first one by:                         the second by:                       )

Okay, so I liked the colors of the first one. If you notice, they are already in a complementary color scheme. You have orange and blue mostly in this. I also loved the idea of light littering the ground and making the leaves light up. However, I wanted to use the bottom photo as my actual composition with a few adjustments for I like the path ending in light concept.

Here are the adjustments. First, the composition photo is too centered. The path and focal point is too much in the middle and remember last week, we said this is bad because it divides the painting in half. It is also quite boring and we don't want to be boring. So lets move that point over just a bit to the right to make it off center.

Here is my sketch of the initial composition:

 

I brought the trees forward a bit and you can see the right hand side ends at that dark tree on that side of the picture. I actually cropped the picture before sketching so I could remain on target. It really is too easy to get off track when sketching it out, especially with all these trees!

 

Since we are going to use only the blues and oranges in order to capture the look of the first picture, I used acrylic paint to put in some of the lights and darks to guide me. My focal point is not going to be the distant "white" light at the end of the path, but more like the pile of leaves to the left of center. I want my viewer to fall into those leaves! The path and the colors surrounding the viewer will pull them throughout the painting so that once they fall into the leaves they can get back out again without difficulty.

 

 

At this point we need to discuss something that is very important to this piece and that is atmospheric perspective. When something is farther off in the distance, though it be a tree, bush, house, etc. often it will look more "blue" and often lighter than you'd normally expect. This is because of atmospheric perspective in that you are looking at it through the atmosphere. You really get a great example of this with fog, for you are looking at things farther away through the clouds that are laying low to the ground and therefore things look 'foggy'. Well regardless of what time of day it is or what conditions there are outside, you are always looking at things far away from you through some sort of atmosphere.

Therefore, the trees in the distance in the picture look fuzzy and lighter than the trees next to the photographer. This has to be painted in a similar manner or else the depth of the painting will not be realistic enough.

So to get this look correct, we should start there first.

 

 

 

Notice all the trees in the background are blurry and blue/grayish. Even the leaves are duller, for you would not 'see' their vibrant colors until you were much closer to them. This gives our painting a bit of depth and you can follow along the path to wherever it ends.

 

 

 

I carried the blue/gray all the way through the background for the forest does not end with these few trees. You would see multiple trees in the background and it might go on for miles. However, to keep the viewer focused these trees need to be out of focus. Instead I want the viewer to focus on the colors, the light and the trees in front of them.

 

And here we are:

 

 

Obviously not everything is perfect, for so little is. But this did turn out a pleasant little landscape that helped me get into the mood for Fall. I also got to practice some of the things I have been learning about and one day hope to completely master!

 

Next week we will get back on track with Boldt Castle (I hope). I really want to share my vision with you and hope this week it turns out better! More planning and prep work (which I will share with you) should fix that. 





First Boldt Castle Painting

Okay, so here we are to learn and share some artistic tips to create beautiful paintings!  I am using the photos I took of Boldt Castle as my inspiration and reference for these experiments and adventures.

Here is the first:

Quite the beauty isn't it! Especially the little yellow bucket the masons were using, haha! (And yes, my hubby was one of those guys *proud smile*). But, I digress. Though the composition of this piece is somewhat visually appealing there are some obvious and some not so obvious flaws that need fixing before we paint it.
First off, the obvious flaws. Hello little bucket and the weird mesh-like fence! Though interesting discussion pieces, these don't fit and need to go! As artists, we get the joy of just eliminating those blemishes by not painting them in the first place.
Second, the not so obvious flaws. See those out of focus, red and green bushes directly in front of you in the picture? Seem sort of pretty and interesting right? Do you want your viewer to stop there though? Putting something like a big bush in the front of the painting will invariably stop many viewers from getting "into" your painting. So, again, just eliminate them!
After we get past the bushes, what demands your attention the most? How about that line created by the tree and water? How about that tree dividing the picture in half? Nice and symmetrical right? But how interesting is symmetry, really? Not very. Add that glaring line through the picture created by the water and tree and you have a distraction.
Now, if you can't see this easily from the photo here, try looking at it as just a value study.

Here it is in black and white (values only):

 

Now do you see the line? Though the light and dark is interesting, this is not where we want the viewer to go and invariably stay. I wanted the viewer to look at where we removed the bucket, for I found the stairway and the stones there interesting. So, I made a few thumbnail sketches to see what I could do.

If, we move the tree over to the 3/5 ratio line (Golden Section rule, we'll explore this another time) the composition becomes more visually appealing, and no longer does that solid line divide the picture in half.

Here is a larger sketch:



So, now that we have our shapes pleasing enough and the major players where we want them, it is time to put it on the canvas.

Okay, now I don't know about you, but all these lines are a bit confusing. I sort of wondered if I would get lost in the middle of painting. So, thought I'd try something else and do an acrylic underpainting of sorts.
Now, it was at this point that I thought of trying something else new and interesting (figured why not this is an experiment and learning experience). I had just been reading about color combinations and how some of the most pleasing paintings are often done using complimentary colors (colors that live across from each other on the color wheel). Interesting to know and I wanted to see if it was true! So, I decided to paint this using only two colors, purple and yellow. Now, mind you it is necessary to use white and black (though black was not used much at all) for tints and shades. So, along this thinking, I decided to do the underpainting in those two colors too!

Now, yes, obviously this is still quite the mess. I only used the yellows for the lighter points and the purples for the darkest points mainly to keep me knowledgeable about where the darkest and lightest spots are. Therefore, not a true underpainting, but more of a visual guide of sorts.

Okay and here is the progress of painting:

 

Okay, so I can see that some might try to call me on the complementary color scheme when it so obviously looks as though I used blues, greens and browns in here. Honestly, these colors are all combinations of purple and yellow! A bluer purple with a cool yellow will yield a greenish color. Just as a reddish purple with a warmer yellow will yield a rich brown.

Oh and how about those colors on the stones?! That was complete discovery! I never could have imagined that I'd find those colors within a complimentary color scheme.

 

 

So here is the final piece:

 

 

 

Looking at the finished piece, I realized how the colors I chose created a mystical and magical feel to the piece. Of course this is a castle, so quite fitting don't you agree?

So with all that information and exploration, you might be wondering what exactly did I learn.

 

I learned:

- color is awesome! It alone can create a mood, evoke emotion, and excite the imagination. complimentary color is quite rich and worthy of deep exploration.

- shapes and the initial value composition is important. Getting the bones of the painting 'right' is most important for the painting to be successful.

 

So what are your thoughts? Post them here and be on the look out for next week's exploration and adventure in art! 

Busy Bee

So, its been a very, very busy past few months! Shows and artwork exploration is cropping up everywhere. Literally, my head is spinning! Of course I also know it probably won't stop spinning until after Christmas...and it is only going to get worse between now and then!

On top of that I have been tossing in some rich English and literature experiences through my newest classes. Right now we are working on the Victorian Era in British history and boy, is that interesting! This was the time when women started realizing and speaking up about their place in society. This is when they started demanding things to change, and when changes started to slowly happen.  Without these women and their voices, I know I would not be doing the amazing things I am today. Interesting how history truly does reflect in the daily actions we all undertake.

Oh and between the rain showers (I literally felt like building an ark) we've been trying to enjoy our summer together. Camping trips (yes in the rain sometimes), beach visits, playgrounds, the fair, etc. all trying to pull me into the wonderful experiences of having a family and a little girl that loves the great outdoors. I even had the wonderful experience of going to a horse show in Syracuse with that little girl only to find out she might be as horse crazy as I am! Oh happy days here!

Aside from all this busyness, I have been doing a lot of art exploration lately. Resources from all different directions have opened my mind to so many opportunities. Some of those resources I want to share with you. I feel as though my blog has been left alone for long enough, plus I need a bit of accountability. So, within the week I am going to select one of these resources I have discovered (like the Oil Painting with Light  or the Energizing your Paintings with Color books) and go through the book with you. It is my plan to do at least one of the painting exercises per week and I will post the process and findings here.

So lets learn together! Lets make great artwork together by studying those that have gone before us. I might also throw in some critiques on different artwork I've discovered along the way! It is my hope that maybe we can all learn how to better understand and better communicate through our art. So stay tuned! Now, just to pick a starting point.....

ballerina a human study

With the start of spring (even though it still feels like winter today), I find myself enjoying new adventures. In March I studied horses extensively to familiarize myself with their forms, movements, and personalities. I started my Sons of the Wind series in April, along with my first class for my Master's degree. I've been crunching time as I prepare for shows this spring and summer, continue to paint, and devote time to my school work.

As I work on my Sons of the Wind series, I am also pulled to study some human references in a similar manner to my horses in March. Unfortunately I can not devote the time to completing one a day, but will work on a couple a week in hopes to further my knowledge of the human forms, movements, and personalities. My daughter seems to grow in leaps and bounds and I have so many moments I want to forever capture in paint!

See, it is my personal belief that an artist can capture the feel and emotion of a moment in a way a simple photograph can not. At least us amateur photographers can not! Great photographers have a gift to see and enhance the images with programs like Photoshop. But as an artist, I can paint what I see and what I feel. I can create the illusion of movement with color and strokes.

Therefore, as I work on my ability to paint the human form or any other form, I am also working to perfect that capture of the moment. I want to leave my daughter and her children with colorful memories of her childhood. I want to show her that in both my eyes and God's eyes she truly is a work of art!

I am an artist

Yes, I am an artist. Why are these words so hard to say? When someone asks me what I do or whether I have a job, why is it so hard for me to wear my artistic vision proudly?

Aesteticeleveator.com put it perfectly, "Probably for a similar reason that being a 'homemaker and mother' is not considered "real work"- because it does not bring in the bread." Funny how I have become all three since Aug 2011. Yet this is completely NOT true! Yes, raising my child and doing the dishes, laundry, sweeping, mopping, etc. are not actually creating any sort of revenue. Yes, I could choose to be simply artist that cares little if anyone actually purchases her work (there are some out there...though I don't understand why).
One of the best and biggest examples in my life of a woman that made a great life out of being a simple "homemaker and mother" is my late grandmother. I truly can not hold a candle to her abilities (especially her cooking!). I only aspire to be a mother that shows her child how much she loves her and to do what I can to keep the house in some sort of order (that is pretty hard with a little one!). No, you can't eat off my floors and yea, there are times I lose my cool (patience is an ongoing process God is still working on with me). Yet, I know I am doing my best and giving my child the best by being here with her. (This is not to discredit those working-outside the home moms).

Because I was blessed with the ability to stay home with my child, I chose to jump on the chance to chase my dreams. Do I dream of being a famous artist known around the world like Picasso or Monet? Nah, not really. I don't anticipate making millions off my paintings or tour the world with my artwork. But is it impossible for me to make a career from my art? No. It is not impossible. It is hard, but not impossible.

So what do you say when someone tells you that it is not a real job and you need to go get a real job? Yea, I'm still figuring that one out. For honestly I work harder at my jobs than I ever have before. I've had real jobs (I was an assistant manager for a retail store once), and though I did like some of those jobs, these new jobs are my true calling. Those "real jobs" had a time clock and when I clocked out I could check out until the next day. Now (even as I'm typing this at midnight I hear my daughter looking for her binky and fussing in her sleep), I am on call 24/7 and even when I'm "off" I have many other things to work on (like those millions of paintings I can't wait to get started/finished). I have a real job. Being a mother is a "real" job. Being an artist and owner of my own art business is a "real" job. Just because I don't bring in a $ amount with one job nor make millions with the other does not make either job less "real".

So for those of you that are out there, living your dreams, don't let others squash them because they don't fit into some acceptable mold. Life is for living, not accumulating $ or stuff that you can not take with you. Don't look back and wish you could have. Just be ready to work for those dreams. Chasing rainbows is not for the weak!

Summer time is near...and so are the pests!

 

                     70 degree weather for over a week now, and here come the pests! If you have a little one (like me) its important to keep them safe as they are running through the yard. I can not vouch that these plants will work, but I know I am going to plant some around the deck to see if it helps keep the bees, wasps, ticks, and mosquitoes away. I'll let you know how well it works!

 

Marigold

• Red varieties of marigold are an option for keeping bees away. Marigolds are a common bedding plant that blooms throughout the summer. This pungent-smelling annual appears in numerous forms including simple daisy or pom pom shapes on short and bushy or tall and willowy stems. A hardy plant, marigolds perform well in many climates, although they require frequent watering during hot summer months. Mulch helps marigolds retain moisture. Plant marigold beds as borders around pools that repel bees.

 

Geranium

• Geranium is a colorful perennial. Look for it in red hues for best results in repelling bees. Its oil is often used as mosquito repellent, either alone or as an ingredient in another type of bug spray. Its flower petals are single or double, and rounded and fuzzy, and grow on dark-green, basal leaves. Geraniums grow between 1 to 2-1/2 inches tall. They require moist, well-draining soil and full sun to thrive. Plant them in clusters around areas to deter bees, such as kiddie pool areas or sandboxes.

Additional Herb Repellents

• Additional herbs that serve as insect repellents and may help keep wasps and bees from your yard include basil, mint and pennyroyal. Basil has green, medium-sized, oval-shaped leaves running down its green stems, while mint has darker green, purple or blue leaves in opposite pairs down the stems. Mint also repels ants while basil is repels flies and mosquitoes. Pennyroyal features rounded, bushy, purple flowers and small oval-shaped leaves running down brown stems. It deters wasps, chiggers, mosquitoes, fleas and ticks.

Read more: Plants & Flowers That Keep Wasps & Bees Away | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8734517_plants-keep-wasps-bees-away.html#ixzz2SLZnex

Boldt Castle, Alexandria Bay NY

So, I started this before my challenge in March. Getting ready for the show season (with a lot of local visitors to view my art) I figured I better finish it! For those that are not local, this is a painting of a local landmark, Boldt Castle.

The history (as I know it) is this castle was built on this island (it sits out in the middle of the bay) by a rich man in love with his girlfriend. Unfortunately the castle itself was never complete and was never occupied at the time the couple lived. Many years later the castle was finished according to the original specifications. Tours and events are held at the castle every year. And, on a personal note, Yours Truly's hubby is actually working on parts of the castle this summer as a restoration project for his job! (Yea, pretty proud of him and think this is completely awesome).

Being the history buff that I am, I just had to paint this. I just love the story behind this piece and this place. I hope to tour the castle one day and see what all those little doors/windows go to on this stone structure in the middle! In fact I might have to go do more sketches in plain air this summer. This painting is a 16x20 oil on canvas referenced from a photograph we took last summer.

So what do we think? Boldt Castle is definitely an interesting subject isn't it?

Sons of the Wind #3

So, here is #3 of my series! A bit different canvas set up with an elongated canvas. I felt this created more visual interest as the horse and rider "fit" a vertical image.

I definitely enjoyed my experiment with the looser style and carried a bit of that over to this painting. The purity of color and texture of the paint is richer using a looser style. However, I am quite a realist and often traditional in my tastes, so I've tightened up this painting more than the last. The balance between tight and loose styles will be a challenge for me to achieve, but I believe it will definitely be worth it in the end!

You can see the #2 painting in the background. I sure enjoy how the pieces work together and can not wait to complete this series! It is my goal to have the series work together as well as the horses and riders did in the exhibition! I feel this will truly attest to the artistry of these riders and the joy of seeing these horses dance.

Sons of the Wind series #2

So my progress for this week! Worked out this painting of our Sons of the Wind horse and rider. No, this painting does not have a name quite yet. Still working on that! Any suggestions?

This #2 painting originated with a photo of Vitor riding around the arena, leading the group of riders. Unfortunately the photo was a bit too far off to see the detail intensely. Yet, this gave me a great idea and opportunity to try something new! I didn't want to be on top of the rider, nor make an exact impression of who this horse and rider is. I wanted it more general than that. I wanted to capture the moment and the feeling one gets when watching a great horse and rider team complete the dance of dressage.

So, I did a bit of study on loosening up my strokes. Anyone that follows my artwork can see how tight and detailed I try to work. No, I'm not up to the point of photorealism, but I do try to blur the lines and strokes enough that they are harder to see. However, I sometimes envy some of the lighter, looser, paintings full of emotion and movement. This is what I wanted for this painting. To feel the horse's movement and the magic of connection between horse and rider.

This is a different feel and a different style for me, but I love it! I loved the freedom of allowing the paint and the brush to form the horse and rider. To forget about being so anal on the details and just letting the form flow. I definitely will incorporate this new style into my toolbox. Here is another photo of the up close view of how thick the paint is! Definitely something new and wonderful!

Sons of the Wind "The Dancer"

The first of the Sons of the Wind inspired series! I started with this painting because I just loved this horse. I believe this horse was one of the oldest horses they had at the exhibition. They told us that he is in his late 20s! The average life expectancy of horses is between 25-33, so technically this guy is one of the seniors.

What I loved about this horse though was how focused he was! This painting is of his solo "dance" between the flags in the middle of the arena. It was incredible watching him walk up with Vitor at his side and dance in place. The first time Vitor stood at his shoulder as he danced, but the second time he did it mostly without cue! He actually beat Vitor to the middle of the arena (as if he couldn't wait) and just started doing his dance! I have a photo of Vitor standing somewhat off to the side and behind him laughing because the horse just knew what to do. You could tell both were enjoying themselves and having a great time.

Because of my school schedule, I am slowing down on the paintings. However, my goal is to complete one a week! I will also give you insights into a bit more of what I am learning as I develop the talents God has given me.

Hope you enjoyed!

Also, "Butterflies for Josie" is going into print next week! 10% of the "butterflies" sales will go to St. Jude's Childrens Hospital in support for the research they are doing for children like Josie. Please message me on Facebook, email me, or check my Etsy shop for available prints!

Butterflies for Josie

Well, Butterflies for Josie is complete! Thanks to Ali from Moonchilde-Stock on DeviantArt for the awesome reference photo!

I have had a few questions about prints of this painting. It was not my intention to create anything from this but the original piece for Josie. However, I am in contact with Ali to see what she would require for me to make prints. I'm still on the fence if I want to or not, but will make that decision soon.

Hope you enjoy! I'm really excited and hope Josie enjoys this as much as I've enjoyed painting it!

What is on the Easel for April

Okay, so I started this back in March for a little girl named Josie. Josie is really sick and has been in the hospital for quite some time. A fellow crafter is friends with her family and wants to send Josie some butterflies to cheer up her hospital room. This is what I came up with!

This originated from a photograph from a fellow DeviantArt member, Moonchilde-Stock. Though the photo had just yellow tulips, I thought Josie needed more colors! I still need to work in the butterflies and finish up the tulips. I love the colors and vibrant feel these tulips give. I certainly hope Josie feels the same!

Challenge day 22

Okay, so day 22 and my final day of the month of March. This was such a great learning experience! Yes, I missed hitting my mark of a full 30 paintings, but I've also learned that life is sometimes like that. However, I did accomplish most of my goal and that was to work on my equine painting skills. I've read (somewhere I'm sure) that it takes at least 100 paintings to "master" a technique or skill. Though I am not at 100 (no where near it!) I can see my progress and take heart from it that I am indeed growing!

My spring and summer schedule is full of craft shows and school work (working on my Masters degree). Plus lots and lots of time with my little angel (hopefully at some fun horse events and places where I can take lots of photos!). My full schedule will be posted on my Facebook later this month so you can come see some of these paintings in person!

Also stay posted for painting series culled from the ideas I generated with my challenge. There are a few different series of larger paintings I can't wait to work on! Though they will be a bit slower going, I will definitely work on getting a few done in the next few months.

I enjoyed this challenge a lot. After the show season I'm going to take on another one and work on developing more. Maybe working on some human forms a bit!

All of my paintings are listed on my Etsy shop or you can contact me through Facebook or email to inquire about your favorites!

Challenge day 21

So here we are, day 21. I was preparing canvas and working on my Esty shop a bit so wanted something a bit simpler. Found this sunlight and stormy cloud sky picture to be a perfect fit. I think my next challenge will have to involve lots of sky studies. Clouds are so interesting, don't you agree?

Challenge day 20!

Okay, so day 20! And yet again with the chiaroscuro! I'm not sure what it is, but I just love the dark, black canvases with the horses just selectively reflecting the light. One of the purposes of this challenge was to enhance my ability to draw and paint horses. Another purpose was to experiment with compositions and color combinations to see what fit me best. As an artist it is often easy to become stuck (artist block anyone?) and through personal experience, I have found this often comes when I am overwhelmed with ideas with no clear starting point. This challenge gives me the opportunity to try many of the ideas in my head on a smaller scale to see what fits my artistic vision best. Interestingly these paintings that exploit the values of light and dark have become my favorites. Many of my horse chiaroscuro paintings are begging to become series of works on a much grander and larger scale. I hope you like these as well!

A little bit about this painting specifically. At the age of 14 I attended a show by the White Lipizzaner Stallions at a racetrack in Cleveland, OH on Kentucky Derby Day. Though watching the race simulcast at the racetrack was fun, the flying and dancing White Stallions were more amazing. This was the first time I actually saw the art of dressage and I've loved it ever since. Horses are such graceful and beautiful animals without humans mucking it up. However, the art of dressage and the dance of the horses with the rider is truly magical.

Again, one of my fellow DeviantArt members was gracious to provide stock photos, so special thanks to Starlit_Stock for this photo reference.

All of my paintings are eventually listed on my Etsy shop or you can contact me through email or Facebook to inquire about your favorites.

day 19

Okay,so here is day 19. This was inspired fairly quickly as I drove to Stewarts to pick up my iced coffee for the night! Is it bad when you go into a place like that and they already know exactly what you are going to say before you even get to the counter? Haha! I do believe my veins have flowed with a lot more coffee this month than blood!

I'm really happy with how the sky turned out on this one. I used to paint moons and night skies, but most of the time they were cloudy and somewhat stormy. This was a bit more interesting painting one that was more clear and putting the little star in the sky! The snow was also interesting, though I think this might have needed a few trees or something...

Day 19....to be continued!

Yes, day 19 was on hold yesterday while I took our little giggling toddler to ride the carousel in Syracuse. After riding 5 times and walking the mall (more like fighting people traffic) we both were pretty exhausted last night!
So, day 19 took a bit longer. It is complete and I should have pictures to post in the morning! So.....to be continued.....

challenge day 18

Okay, so here is day 18! Again with the darker painting, but this time shades of gray. Was thinking more like mist rather than darkness overall. Thought of a little white Arabian dancing in the mists :)

It is interesting as I work through this challenge how my specific tastes are starting to show through. How my attraction to the depth of values seen in the lights and darks of equine subjects are starting to emerge most profoundly. I guess I just love to see how the light plays off the bright sheen of a glossy coat. How many different colors are revealed in the sunlight.

All of my paintings are eventually listed on my Etsy shop or you can contact me through Facebook or email to inquire about your favorites!

Challenge day 17

Okay, so some technical difficulties and a new learning curve (on technology) prevented me from posting this last night, so here it is :) Day 17!

I'm finding that I have a strong pull towards these dark, somewhat mysterious type images. Like this one. Here the Friesian looks like he just stepped out of the darkness. A lot of my paintings have had a dark background with selective lighting. A friend mentioned that it resemble the Old Masters' concept of chiaroscuro where the light directs the eye through the darkness. I didn't have any concept of this when I first started (I knew what the term was, just didn't relate it to my art!), but I do know I have quite the fascination with light and dark.

A bit about this particular painting, this was referenced by another Deviant Art member's stock photos of a Friesian named Baron. Again I think Baron might have to reappear in my work later....possibly paint this again larger? I think he'd look great on 20x20 with a few others like it in similar poses. Series anyone!?

Remember, all of my paintings are eventually listed on my Etsy shop so keep checking for your favorites! Also you can contact me through Facebook or email to inquire about any paintings you see here.