Busy Bee

Here is my new wall. Freshly curated a week later. I’m working on six paintings right now. I have the extreme honor of painting loved ones: friends, pets, passed significant others, and grandchildren. I love getting to paint the details that might capture a soul. 

I cheated with a projector, but I have to hurry. Everything is due before Christmas. 

Day 1 Henry

Day 2 Henry, Day 1 cat and chain saw portrait.  

Freshly Curated

Here is my current wall at Arts of Snohomish.  

Phil and Chris

Here is my work so far on this double portrait surrounded by PNW scenery. I combined old and new pictures of Phil and Chris to get this look. Basically, I kept their faces and changed their hair. Hopefully, it’s accurate.

Challenges are:

1. How do I combine the two scenes in the center? Add the snowy mountain on top and a sliver of green? 

2. Letting a layer of paint dry. If I don’t do this, I easily ruin the painting by not being specific enough. 

Go me! I paint all day every day. I am looking forward to painting my nephew Henry while I wait for this layer to dry. 

I didn’t get to Henry. I decided to power through.  My goal is to finish the tight side and bring out light orange into the grass to tie the left sky together. I was painting from my creative side of the brain today. I usually just use my eyes. I’ll have compare the water between today and yesterday to see if that was not a good isea.

Charlotte, Kona, Pam

Here is layer 1 drying today. 

Tips to get an artist on track:

I paint very bravely and patiently from my heart and it connects me with all the people I want to thank for my good life. It is mentally exhausting doing things I can’t do and I usually have to take naps, drink coffee, listen to music or audiobooks, paint in public, or text a friend to get my energy back up. My husband has a very critical eye, but I don’t have a an oil painting community to help me, yet.

When I have a little success, I delare it a “breakthrough”, tell n post and I feel pretty good about my existence because I created something kinda special, at least difficult and time consuming, for someone special. It helps if they like the subject.

Here is layer two: 

Here is how I compare the original with my painting to make it extra accurate:

Now the dissimilarities are more obvious. Her left nostril is too short. Her right eyelid is too high. Her right upper lip is too accented. Shading could be more overall. The hair on the left by her neck should come out more. More shading on her upper eyes. 

So, I’ll let it dry and do a third layer with extra oil. This makes a face look more realistic because skin is layers of color and slightly wet. 

Here it is! Looks good? The right eye might need more shading below the pupil for it to look perfect. She’s drying, waiting to be framed, and I’ve made a surprise print for her Grandma. I also made a print and cards of Charlotte for the gallery.

I delivered Kona! 

I think Kona is thinking about it. 

This is the first layer of a painting for Pam. I will add a mountain on the right and the Puget Sound on the left. I might make the elk head a lot bigger. 

Two Doggies Done

Kona

I’m going to fix her nose and close leg, darken the background, and add yellow rose paper on the frame’s back. 

Here it is:

MoeMoe  

I’ll frame and deliver this soon.  

These ones will be a challenge, but I love painting faces. I have to figure out how to paint a more recent haircut on on old picture. I might have to either paint his face old because of the different angle of the reference photo.

Upcoming projects: Cannon Beach Home and Abroad Show, my nephew, Henry, and Game of Thrones paintings for Con of Thrones. 

Great Day

Outdoor lighting before the gloss on the puddle.  Would adding gloss ruin it?

I will fix the light posts and the light green blobs in the upper right tree. 

Indoor lighting: 

Grilla Bites hung my painting! 

I painted greyscale to make a temporary tattoo and here it is so far. I’m hoping to be a vendor again at Con of Thrones in Nashville in July.