WIP - Boat

The sky is finished. Now I get to move on to other parts. I think the mountains and hills will be next.

Brad asked me if I started on a red canvas because the photo had reddish hints.... Brad is observant. I, sadly, did not notice the reddish bit in the sky before he pointed it out.

I just got lucky- total accident. I love the way the red shines through in the sky adding a hint of warm to all the cool. I would like to say in a full-chested, self confident sort of way that I planned that from the start, but I would be lying. I just wanted to paint on red. I like red.

WIP - Boat

I thought it would be fun to post the progress of this painting. I usually try to avoid so much detail, but I didn't think this boat would look like much without it.

Besides, I got a little carried away while drawing it on the canvas. It would be a shame to cover up all those wonderful little lines.

I am having a little trouble getting the color on the photo right. My camera sees all the red and tries to put a warm spin on my blue-white sky back there. Things like that really make me appreciate how spectacular human sight is. Machines are wonderful, but sometimes they just don't capture some of the subtleties in color.

My mom took me to Whistle Pik Galleries in Fredericksburg last week and there was a painting in there that just blew my mind.... Well, there were quite a few that blew my mind, but one of my all time favorites was by Robert Moore called "Essence." Wow! Let me say it again- WOW! That painting is spectacular, but the photos are nothing to the real thing hanging on the wall. I would have brought it home with me if I could.

Robert Moore, according to the salesman at the gallery, is color blind. I don't know to what degree. Oh! And he is ambidextrous and paints with a brush in each hand- both working at the same time. I paint with a brush in each hand, but one is always stationary... unless I happen to drop it.

Another fantastic artist at Whistle Pik is Cheri Christensen- her work glows! The lighting is spectacular. We were told that she will wait in a field all day long until the light or position of her subject is just right before taking her reference photo. Two of my favorites of her paintings are "Magpie on the Roof" and "Full House."

Check out the links- they are well worth a visit.

WIP- Boat

I am mostly packed.
The house is still a mess because I couldn't say away from that lovely lovely red!

I fell in love with this boat the minute I saw it. I wish I knew why it was being worked on. Its like seeing a beached whale, but with a happier ending because this particular leviathan will return to the water in better shape than it was before. I sat for an hour or so and drew it in my sketchbook the day I took the reference photo. It was the perfect time of day when the shadows were nice and long, and everything had a very distinct highlight. "The Golden Hour" they call it. I'll have to find the sketch and post it.

Funny thing- I am really enjoying that street lamp on the right side of the painting. I thought about leaving it out because I thought it was ugly, but that would not have worked at all. It helps balance the painting.

Painting with Wool... Part II

Man, I love needle felting. This time I put down the main colors with roving and then came back and doodled with yarn. It is like paint, but dry. Virtually no mess. And so satisfying! Wool is truly amazing.
Better view of the right side...


Left side.... I take this chicken hat to its new owner this weekend. Its about time. Took me close to 3 weeks to finish it... keep in mind, that is not 3 straight weeks. I wait until the little man goes to sleep before whipping out those super sharp needles. He is like a little ninja. He is everywhere at once. And into everything... at once. A thousand fingers on two pudgy little hands...

dot dot dot.

Do you see the red canvas in the upper left hand corner of the last picture? (I'm so excited!) I picked up a couple 16x20 inch canvases and painted them red. The Archival brand red I got the other day turned out to be a fantastic paint for a base. I initially didn't like it because it dried so stinking fast. Now I love it because it dries so stinking fast. Both of those canvases are set and ready to go, I have a new batch of reference photos hanging all over the walls and my first subject is picked out, and I am so ready to begin I can hardly stand it!

But, unfortunately, it will have to wait until I get back from Texas next week. I still have some packing and repacking to do tomorrow..... maybe I can squeeze in some painting time and get the basic structure drawn in. Ooooo! The anticipation is killing me!

Those canvases became instantly alluring as soon as they were painted red. Somehow just having things set up and ready to start is inspiring. I like to leave paint on my palette all the time because just seeing those colorful globs of potential there makes me want to paint.

Kind of like how cake just calls out to be eaten. Especially a big fat fluffy moist piece of double layered goodness with whipped icing and fresh strawberries....

Mmmmmm!

Floaters

Floaters
8" X 10"
oil on canvas board

This is what I ended up with. There is a bit more variation between the fish and vase.

All the red was starting to block together.

The hermit crab inspires me to knit hansigurumi's hermit crab. I am always amazed how people can make something out of "nothing." In hansigurumi's case, she can turn string into sculpture... and then map out the entire process so others can do the same. Check out the link. She makes all sorts of critters. Most of which are sea creatures, which drew me to her in the first place.

Amazing stuff!