Winter berries

Winter berries that grow wild here in Texaa

Striped Furniture Project

I did get my creative juices flowing by taking a old wood dresser that my husband said to throw away and redid it. 

 I had to repair the rails, put in new bottoms to the drawers.  Of course I had to wait until now to do it as the Texas heat in the garage is a not a fun place to work.

  After repairs, sanding, priming, painting, striping, more painting, distressing and antiquing, along with new knobs I was happy with the final result. I even lined the drawers with black and white stripe wrapping paper.

Original 

Primer 

Painted with front

Blue tape for the stripes.  Had such issue in trying to make the holes for the knobs fall in the correct place

Front Painted with tape.  Once I pulled off the tape, the white was "too white"

The Final Version - distressed, glazed to tone down white

Missing in Action - figured I would post paintings I have done but not posted. Not that I have been painting as much as I would like, but I am going to try to get into the studio more

Virtual Paintout Challenge - July Hong Kong

Seems like the last few months my painting time has been greatly reduced. I was glad to get back to it, and enjoyed how quickly the painting came together especially since I have very limited experience painting people.

Here is my submission for the July Virtual Paintout challenge.  Hong Kong street view from Google maps

My Mom, The Style Icon: Mona Lisa Smile

My Mom, The Style Icon: Mona Lisa Smile: "Mona Lisa Smile"

My mother was an artist and so wish she was here to see that I am painting.

Stavanger, Norway - March Virtual Paintout

This is my submission for the March challenge for Virtual Paintout Challenge.  Thanks to the demo given by LaNell Arndt  at the Woodlands Art League, for help on the sky.  Watching her demo helped me with this.

Kitchen Sink

This is my submittal for the Rookie painter challenge, that I missed the deadline.  Oh well, and the original picture.  I enjoyed trying to get the liquid reflection in the pan right, and was happy in general with it.  

Virtual Paintout Challenge February 2010 San Francisco Bay Area

This month is SF Bay Area  for the Virtual Paintout Challenge  My old home.  Enjoyed exploring old spots and new ones for the challenge.
This is Sheridan Street in the Presidio.  The old Army base by the Golden Gate Bridge.

Here is the Google shot I worked from, it was too washed out, so I brightened it up.  I tried to do a painterly technique.  Not too sure about it, and after dropping my pallette knife across it and having to try to fix it.

But fun and done rather quickly for a change.

Rookie Painter Challenge

This is my first submission to the Rookie Painter challenge blog.  I loved the photo and wanted to try it.
I enjoyed working on the oranges.

Here is the original photo

Fruit Week

Oh the ellipse.  I am trying so hard to improve in my drawing of them.  I have re read my art books, practices and am still suffering in trying to get them correct.  

Starts

Starts, trying to do more quick studies.  This is on a piece of canvas paper from a still life I set up.

Virtual Paint out Challenge January 2010 Corsica

I started participating in the Virtual Paint out monthly challenge where a place is listed and using Google maps, you take the street view to pick  a location to paint from the map.  It was fun to see the different spots in Corsica and to pick a location.  The blog to see the submissions is:  http://virtualpaintout.blogspot.com

Here is the spot I picked and my interpretation.
It is on a panel, in oil 6 x 6

6 Impasse de la Route de Ville, Bastia, Northern Corsica, France


I had some difficulty in getting the corner bricks right, and I enhanced the color as it was very washed out in the original photo making everything look sort of gray.

2010

I am not a big fan of New Year's resolutions. But sometimes it is good to think about the year ahead to put things into perspective and to at least give a little thought and focus to the months ahead.

I do want to try to do more painting this year.  Not to get so hung up on making finished paintings, but doing lots of starts and studies as many artists and books advise.  Get more at ease with color choices, getting the starts down, seeing the shapes, lights and shadows, subject material.

All of these areas will teach me more about the craft and can help me improve.

I won't set some sort of number or goal to achieve, but will work to carve time out to retreat to my studio, to let the creative side be nurtured and encouraged.

Here is to a creative and growing year!

Different Strokes Portrait Challenge

This was the mystery artist that I was to paint as part of the DSDF year end challenge. Those who wanted to participate sent in a photo of themselves, and in return, you received one in which to paint. A swap. It turns out that my mystery artist is:   Rajalekshmy Usha.  Her portrait of me is on her blog.

 This is the first portrait I have done as I am new to art and painting,  and struggled with the assignment.  I tried 3 other times and was very frustrated at the results even this final version.  It wasn't for lack of trying!   Only by trying new things will I improve.  I learned a lot from the exercise, one being that portraits are very difficult to paint.  It is easy for the features to get away from you,  but I loved the challenge and the portraits that were submitted were fantastic.  Be sure to take a look

On the Way Home

This is the latest installment from Different Stokes challenge.  The original photo that Karin provided is below.  I had trouble with trying to get all three people working so small as I was working 6 x 6,  so I started over and figured I would try only one person, as this is only the 3rd person I have ever attempted to paint.  The original was so dark, on the one figure, so I brightened it up when I used only one person.

My Neighbor Rocks

Rob, our neighbor is a "peach" as my mother would say.  He is very handy with power tools.  He drove me to Home Depot to pick up full size sheets of hardboard with his truck.  After I did three coats of gesso on them in the garage, he and his Dad who was visiting took the sheets and cut them for me on his table saw.

I now have many assorted sizes of panels on which to paint.  It saved me loads of cash, if I had to buy them, and the cutting job was superb!

I should have taken a picture of the men at work but I totally forgot.

But I am so grateful for the help.  Thanks again Rob!

City Rooftops

This is the latest challenge from differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/
Wished I had some good "graffiti" to paint on the side of the building.

Mr. Carrot

One of our Westies, Greta has a fondness for her Mr. Carrot.  It is the only toy she plays with.  We have numerous ones that we stock up on so as not to be without.  It squeaks and she had a habit of playing with it in the middle of the night.  We have a defective one, that we call Quiet Carrot that we try to remember to put it out at night.

This one was fun to paint.  It went quite fast, and looks like her.  I am starting one of our other westie, Gus.

Holiday Spirit

Thought I would try to get something that could be for Christmas. This one I tried to paint more painterly and was happy with the results. The present painting was my other attempt

First Attempt at Outdoor Plein Air

I made my first attempt doing Plein Air painting when Tom and I were on vacation.  We went to Mustang Island State Park, which is on Padre Island Texas.

I had spent the better part of the previous weekend trying to rig up my gear. I didn't want to spend much money as not sure if I would like it. I bought a little wood paint box at Aaron Brothers for 7.00 to use as my pochade box. I followed excellent instructions found on the web as to mounting on my tripod and rigging up what I had

Of course, we discovered that the bag of supplies weighed too much so next time will try to pack lighter.It was really sunny and windy, and I got tired standing the entire time. 

This is the photo of the scene and the finished quick study. I didn't like how the painting turned out, it seemed to get worse as I painted. But it was fun, and will definitely try it again.

Tasty Treats

This is for the weekly challenge of Different Strokes Blog

Did it a second time, as I wasn't happy with my first attempt with frosting.

Familiar Streets

Streets of San Francisco from a photo on canvas.  Part of the challenge for Different Strokes Blog.  First attempt at a city scene.

No Place Like Home

This is my husbands childhood home in Connecticut.   It is painted on a 6 x 6 panel.  Hard to work so small, and wanted it to be "painterly".  Not sure if I like the way it turned out.

Waiting Outside

This was my first submittal to the blog Different Strokes Blog

It is 6 x 8 on canvas.  I haven't painted a person before and so I was pleased it didn't  end up looking like an alien as the subject. 

Eat Your Vegetables

I was too late to post this on the blog Different Strokes Blog but I did use the posted challenge photo for this painting. It is 6 x 6 on panel.

Cherry Delight

6 x 6 on panel from a photo.  I like the way this turned out.  I think I really like the smooth surface to work with

Juicy

Oil on canvas panel from a photo.  Size 4 x 6

Summer Snack

Oil on board, 6 x 6 from a photo.

Berries

Strawberries from a photo on board.