2 more paintings

Well, color sure is good for my soul. I am very intrigued with Pat Dews right now. Bren told me about her and I am so glad she did because she is very funny and entertaining and if you like this abstract look then she is a great one to learn from. She uses all sorts of things to make texture--grids from the non slip rug mats, rubber mats for the sink, --all sorts of great stuff!

Anyway, these backgrounds I did here are not using her technique completely but I incorporated a few along with some Dina Wakley techniques.

Exotic girl

Yes, I know, she is rather exotic looking but this is from Misty's class where you put the shadows in first and build it up. She started off looking very very bad and with much finagling and with no clue what it would end up looking like this is what emerged. Maybe she is Hawaiian or maybe Spanish.

Acrylic on Watercolor Wash

I love to disperse colorwashes on watercolor paper--I guess you could say it calls to me---"Martha, Martha, come disperse us---we're waiting for you!"... and I have to jump up at that moment and go disperse!!  Yes, my paints call to me and talk to me. Sometimes they say, "no, no don't put us here in the mud--we don't want to get dirty," and sometimes they say, "ahhhh...that's better..."

I could never be lonely--if I have my paints--and I always encourage people to start to paint even if it is just putting some color on paper--it doesn't have t0 be anything--just color...any color. It's therapeutic.

I had dispersed some watercolors on paper last night and decided to try some acrylic "dry-ish" brush and see what happened. I probably should have added mat medium first so the paint would go on better. Actually the second image of the Tulips is not dry brush only the first image. I like the top one better. The orange and the pink don't go that well together but all in all it was fun and I do like the combination of soft watercolors in the background and harder images in the front.  

Calligra-FUN--student update!  Check out Debbie Goering. Scroll on down and you will see some great practice pages.

Great job, Debbie!  All my students are doing so well and having fun and... oh, how happy that makes me!!

Tulips in Bloom

I am playing around with some graphic edges in a program that I have just purchased. So here are a few different edges on a little acrylic ditty. Believe me, the edges go on and on...more later with the edges. Have a great day.

Transforming Background

This started out as a nice little background that had some yellows and greens that I had painted several weeks ago. I had painted a little head and a face and was proceeding to paint her hair when the wind suddenly blew her hair across her face and ruined her completely. The wind was actually me trying to blow her hair across her face in a natural manner which turned out like she had a mustache in the most unattractive manner. I just couldn't fix her so I got frustrated and painted black gesso all across her and covered the whole thing up. I was mad---but not to be defeated. So I just started putting down colors and as you see--not much black left-- although I intended for a little more to show through. So I think this little $2 canvas panel was saved for now. I will post the finished painting tomorrow---if it works.

ENTERTAIN ANGELS

I just finished this and it is still wet with varnish. My original calligraphy is in the background on the right and metallic flecks of gold are blowing. The photo doesn't pick that up very well but in person it really pops and it's very cool! There are other flecks blowing around too but you can't see them on the photo.

I started this collage last night and worked on it all morning. So I guess one of these takes about 5 or 6 hours to do. But it is fun and I definitely breath easier when her face emerges. I never know what she will look like. This angel looks a bit sad but I am sure some angels are looking at us and they probably are a bit sad sometimes. I tried to "Happy" her up but she just didn't want to.

I will be out of town until Sunday so I won't get to post anything until Monday--or if I am really productive after my trip, Sunday. I have tons of stuff---I can always pull from the stash of artwork. Actually I do like to do that from time to time and give some of these pieces a new life.

All of these portraits paintings that I do are inspired by KellyRae Robert's book, "Taking Flight."

"POPPY GARDEN"

This is the last of my series of Poppy paintings..............HA...fooled you for a minute there!

I think I will paint Poppies forever!  I do think I will get all the Poppy paintings together and sell them on Etsy---I'll try anything---

www.marthalever.etsy.com

This is a 6x6 deep edge canvas that I had painted black over some crappy thing I had painted.  I kept looking at that black canvas and through some green paint over it and distressed it by wiping off some of the paint tp let the black show through. you can't really see it from this picture but it really does look kinda neat with the distressed background.