What's Next...

I'm contemplating my next painting subject, and a self-portrait seems intriguing, particularly in the style reminiscent of Andy Warhol's iconic works. It would certainly present a unique challenge. Alternatively, I'm considering a portrait, a landscape, or even diving into the realm of abstract art.

Deciding what to paint is always the toughest part of the process for me. Without external pressure or demand for my artwork, I'm driven by the desire to continuously evolve and explore new techniques. Each painting serves as a practice ground, pushing the boundaries of my creativity and honing my skills.

Castle and Dragons (Completed)



"Castle and Dragons"



Castle and Dragons

Typically, I enjoy painting landscape or scenic places I have visited. My subject for this painting was inspired from another artist. I would give credit to this artist if I knew the name on the picture I found on the Internet.

Castle and Dragons was created for my son who enjoys these magnificent fictional creatures. I wanted to use as few colors as possible to invoke a mystical theme. Most my other paintings I use many colors and variation of hues. The picture I used as my inspiration was done mostly in different tones of grey with hints of blue, black or charcoal. For my painting I used purple,ultramarine blue, process cyan, cobalt teal, paynes grey, raw umber, burnt sienna, orange, yellow ochre, black and white. I was happy with my finished piece considering this was my first attempt with a more monochromatic feel. I would have liked my painting better if it looked more realistic! I keep telling myself the more practice painting different subjects I will eventually find my "it" factor...until then practice, practice, practice and learning patience along my painting journey.

Sketch and mask

Used deep and light purple
for the under painting before
adding different hues of grey and blue.

Remove masking paint

Grey and blue blended too
much with the sky.

Used orange for an under painting.
Liked the affect
but it was not what I wanted.
But interesting!

Then I used a mix of Raw Umber

and Colbalt Teal

Gifting!

Instead of shopping in busy malls or waiting in long lines to purchase a gift. Why not create a ONE!



Saw Blade had been previously painted by another artist, however, the pasture was missing something.
So my friend wanted me to add the horses to give more interest to the foreground.



I used painters glue and iridescent paint to create more interest and texture.



Added a personalized touch!



Abstract "Mindless Spiral"

After my last painting,"Autumn Bliss", I needed to change things up! I wanted to clear my thoughts of the previous painting and take on a project that I call mindless, with very little thought or prep. In this painting, I began with flowers which quickly turned into spirals because I did not like the shape of the blooms. So I swirled the colors around and liked what was happening to the painting. Painting was done in oils.

After I swirled the colors together I was not sure where to go next with this painting. I just kept adding deeper reds, oranges, and continued playing with different colors.

"Mindless Spiral"

 
 
 
 
 
 
Finished! What I love about this painting is that it can be placed on the wall in any direction!

"Autumn Bliss" Completed!

Autumn Bliss

Finally finished! Actually, I really wanted to keep finding things to change but every time I did the painting changed. And it was not always for the better! One of my favorite things about this painting is the tree lined pathway of light. I wanted the painting to have an alluring effect! In order to do this I used the variations of the two colors orange and blue. It was a difficult task finding the right colors that coordinated with the actual photograph I used for this painting. In the photograph, the leaves on the trees appeared to be more yellowish in color with the ground leaves a rust or orange color. I played with many different colors for the path, tree trunks, and leaf colors. All of which were changed several times before I finished. The background also changed from being a soft pink to gray then finished with the white. I really did not want white as the final background but I was not sure which color offered the best contrast to the foreground. As I was nearing the end I found my changes were not making a great impact on the painting. Typically, when I'm at the final stage of the painting it is those fine details that can make or break a painting...that's my opinion...in this case those details did not add much. So I called it, DONE! Like with all of my paintings, it is a learning process I find the most valuable. With each painting I am always learning and discovering more about the artist in me. I am not sure what I enjoy most the painting or the lessons I learn along the way, maybe both.

Autumn Is Golden

Fall is my favorite time of year. The warm golden colors spark an emotional serenity that only this season can fulfill. I'm posting pictures of the beginning of my newest painting "Autumn Bliss"! More pictures will follow as I progress.

 

"Autumn Bliss" is a 24 X 30 canvas using acrylic paints. I wanted to do this painting in oil but after my last painting of my son's portrait I decided to go back to acrylic. I prefer oils but do not have the patience to wait for each layer to dry. I may paint this on a smaller canvas using oil after I finish this project.