Africa in Progress: August 18, 2007

Two elephants are romping around in this African landscape.

Africa in Progress: August 17, 2007

The giraffes have spots!

Africa in Progress: August 16, 2007

I began the giraffes but it became increasingly more difficult as the light diminished from the thick smoke in the valley. The smoke is from forest fires in Idaho. Visibility is about 1/4 of a mile. I feel like I'm on an island and the rest of the world has vanished. I thought about taking the painting outside for better light but the ash in the air would stick to the wet paint.

Africa in Progress: August 15, 2007

The wildebeest and jackal were painted in today. I adjusted the distant trees to make them appear farther away. I also worked the grasses a little more.

Africa in Progress: August 14, 2007

Well, it's starting to look like something now. Today I put in the foliage and grasses using acrylic paints.

Africa in Progress: August 13, 2007

I wasn't happy with the color in the sky so I tried several color mixes today. I am trying for a shimmery pale gold. I'll see how it looks tomorrow after it has dried overnight.

Africa in Progress: August 11, 2007

Today, I put paint to canvas, working on the sky and background color.

Africa in Progress: August 10, 2007

I transferred the Africa drawing onto a 30"x40" canvas.

Bigfork Trip: August 4, 2007

Today, I went to an art & craft show in Bigfork, MT. It was a great show with lots of quality vendors. Bigfork is a beautiful little artist community on Flathead Lake.
Unfortunately, Bigfork's complete splendor couldn't be appreciated today because of dense smoke from nearby forest fires. The artists and crafters occasionally had to dust off ash from their artwork.
I took photos of the smoke on my trip home. There are a couple of very large fires, the Chippy Creek fire which produced the smoke that covered the northern end of Flathead Lake including Bigfork, and the Jocko Lakes fire which is near Seeley Lake. I could see the Jocko Lakes fire from as far away as Polson to the north and as far as Stevensville to the south. Approximately 200 homes were evacuated because of the Jocko Lakes fire. It's immense!
The top photo shows smoke from the Chippy Creek fire that obscures the near distant mountains and gives a near-dusk feel although this was taken while the sun was still high in the sky. The second photo shows smoke hanging in the trees. The bottom photo shows smoke from the enormous and dangerous Jocko Lakes fire.

Africa in Progress: August 3, 2007

Yesterday and today, I made to-scale drawings of the major components of the painting. My next step is to get them laid out, double check the perspective and proportions, and draw out the supporting landscape pieces (trees, bushes, etc.).

Africa in Progress: August 1, 2007

I worked all day today on the drawings that I did before making sure the perspective is correct and working on some new layouts. This is the most time-consuming part of creating a large complex painting.

Africa in Progress: July 31, 2007

I'm working on some layouts for my next painting which will be of an African landscape. These are a few of my first drawings. After careful study of these, I want to try a few more.

"Hoss" in Progress (Day 6): July 30, 2007

I put Hoss's whiskers on today and darkened the fur a little under his neck and adjusted some of his body hair.
"Hoss" is an original 8"x10" oil painting on canvas. Sold.

Where Have I Been?!

Whew! I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. I have another commissioned painting to do but it's a large one and it takes a while to compose a larger painting. I have to consider perspective and composition in order to make a pleasing drawing and painting. I must be able to visualize the painting before I begin to apply paint to canvas.
I also noticed that Hoss needs his whiskers and a few more touch-ups. I'll do those before I get too seriously into the next painting which I will definitely do real soon.

"Hoss" in Progress (Day 5): July 16, 2007

I made some adjustments to "Hoss" but I see that a few more need to be made.

"Hoss" in Progress (Day 4): July 15, 2007

"Hoss" is almost complete. After photographing the painting, I see some spots that need adjusting. I also want to get comment from the person commissioning this piece and make adjustments to please him.

"Hoss" in Progress (Day 3): July 14, 2007

Hoss's face is coming through the brown underpainting!

"Hoss" in Progress (Day 2): July 12, 2007

This is a dog, not that you can tell at this point. Yesterday, I laid down a light neutral brown underpainting. I learned from my previous oil painting that it is hard to cover a white canvas and keep the white from showing through.

Today, I laid out the drawing and painted in the background and part of the dog's body.

Purple Tulip: July 11, 2007

After painting "Pole Racing", I needed to paint something loose and colorful, something freeing. The result is "Purple Tulip", a 4"x6" acrylic painting on illustration board. It was painted July 11, 2007.

Painting in Progress (Day 10): July 11, 2007

Okay, I think I am done. I wasn't quite satisfied with the girl's face and hair. I think it now looks more like her.

"Pole Racing" is an original oil painting on 16"x20" wrap-around canvas. It was finished July 11, 2007.

Painting in Progress (Day 9): July 8, 2007

I have covered the whole canvas with paint. However, I still have a few places that need tweaking.

Painting in Progress (Day 8): July 7, 2007

Today, I worked on the girl's face, some of the saddle and the bridle. With summer, I fit in a little painting time here and there.

Painting in Progress (Day 7): July 4, 2007

The horse is done. Of course, I might make minor adjustments here and there as the rest of the painting progresses.

Painting in Progress (Day 6): July 3, 2007

Most of the horse is done now except for the mane and tail and some minor touch-ups. This looks like a ghost rider.

Painting in Progress (Day 5): July 1, 2007

I did a little more on the horse painting - three legs done.

Coffee Shop Painting: June 30, 2007

These photos aren't very exciting. Today I helped to choose the colors for and to paint The Olde Coffee Mill in Stevensville, MT. The owner is remodeling with new paint and new carpet. The walls were originally white on top with blue sponge painting below a chair rail.

Painting in Progress (Day 4): June 29, 2007

Back to the horse painting! Yippee!

Enchanted Cottage: June 28, 2007

I haven't been able to paint every day lately. I had another art show this Saturday: the Bitterroot Birding and Nature Festival Art Show. Sunday through Wednesday, I was vacationing in Seattle. While in Seattle, I shopped at the Daniel Smith art supply store. Since it's nearly impossible for me to paint while travelling, I took lots of photos hoping to get some reference shots for painting.

"Enchanted Cottage" was drawn out while riding to Seattle before I got carsick. I painted most of the background on the way back and finished it up today. "Enchanted Cottage" is a 5"x5" acrylic painting on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was finished June 28, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Painting in Progress (Day 3): June 22, 2007

I finished the background for this painting. Next I get to do the fun stuff.

Oil Painting in Progress (Day 2): June 21, 2007

Yesterday, I mapped out the drawing for this 16"x20" oil painting on canvas. Today I worked on the background. This is it so far.

Pretty in Pink: June 19, 2007

"Pretty in Pink" is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic ACEO on illustration board. It was painted June 19, 2007. Sold.

Maternal Love: June 18, 2007

"Maternal Love" is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic painting on illustration board. It was painted June 18. Sold.

Luna Moth: June 16, 2007

When I was a teenager, I was fortunate to watch a luna moth come out of its crysalis. It took quite awhile for its wings to unroll and fill in. It was an unforgettable sight to see that huge moth take flight!

"Luna Moth" was painted June 18 during my art show. It is India ink and acrylic on illustration board. Purchase this painting.

Swallow: June 15, 2007

I've been very busy preparing for the Western Heritage Days Art Show which is going on June 15-16. During the artists' reception yesterday evening, we had a quick draw. Each artist in the quick draw must complete a piece of art within one hour and it must be ready to hang at the end of that hour. Then the pieces are auctioned off. This swallow was my quick draw painting.

"Swallow" is a 4"x6" acrylic painting. It was painted June 15. Sold.

Heron: June 10, 2007

I started this one yesterday and finished it today. I used the same reference photo that I used for the watercolor blue heron on May 1 (see my posting).

"Heron" is a 4"x6" oil painting on stretched canvas. The painting wraps around the edges of the canvas and is ready to hang. It was painted June 9-10, 2007. Sold.

Salish Games Mural: June 8, 2007

Well, I painted from 9am until 4:30pm with a 1.5 hr break today. I helped a few other women paint the Salish games mural. Some of the local children pitched in after getting out of school early for their summer vacation. A boy visiting from Arkansas helped out, too.

We had painted the background May 17th (see my posting) and worked on the figures Tuesday, June 5th, with some 6th-graders, and finished it today.

This was a great collaborative project. It's wonderful to see each person's individual marks come together to make a terrific piece of art for the whole community to enjoy.

Swallowtail & Lilac: June 6, 2007

Thought I'd try the India ink again. "Swallowtail & Lilac" is a 2.5"x3.5" ACEO painting. It was painted on June 6, 2007, with acrylic and India ink Sold.

Lupine & Paintbrush: June 5, 2007

I was painting all day with the 6th-graders and other artists on the mural at the park. When I came home, I painted this little gem.

"Lupine & Paintbrush" is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic and India ink painting on illustration board. It was painted June 5, 2007. Sold.

Tropical Nymph: June 4, 2007

I have some serious painter's block! Just to try something new, I created this "Tropical Nymph" from magazine clippings and acrylic. I began looking through a magazine with nothing planned. This painting evolved on its own. It was a good exercise for me.

"Tropical Nymph" is a 4"x6" acrylic collage on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was painted June 4, 2006. Purchase this painting.

African Daisies: June 1, 2007

I purchased flowers and vegetable plants from a nursery this morning. I love the colors and shapes of the African daisies. They were the inspiration for this fun little painting.

"African Daisies" is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic painting on watercolor paper. It was painted June 1, 2007. Sold.