Finished!

Here is the finished one. It went back to blue as you can see after I completely had to paint the background again after some horrible blue flowers I painted. You can still see remnants of them. My very favorite part is putting in the added text texture and stenciling in the background. The black and white paper is deli paper that I painted black and stamped with an alphabet stamp.  The flowers were never intended to be green but this is how it turned out. Oh how things change!

36 x 36 Progression

Below is a start of a painting with the thinking that some of this texture and colors of the paper might show through. Oh how things change!

I have added the Wood Icing Texture on the pot and added my darks for the background leaves.  Again--Oh how things change!

I was first thinking blue for the background then I didn't think I liked it so...

I changed the background. But then something bothered me about this. Still I didn't
 know about what colors the flowers would be.

Before I show you the final one... after this phase came a very very ugly phase.  I couldn't bring myself to take pictures of it. It was so ugly that the whole background almost had to be repainted. Surprisingly I didn't hyperventilate or slash the canvas with my utility knife. I did mutter a few choice French words then I repainted the background and started over a few steps back. It was truly the "agony and the ecstasy". (Please disregard any personal reference that I might be anything like Michelangelo!) :)

Faith

Sometimes I just like to write Scripture and paint some color drops.

Pears in Oil

When I am not feeling very good---I paint a pear. Then I feel better. I still have managed to do some distressing and stamping into the oil paint. I guess I could wait until it dries and stamp with oil paint. I am just too impatient for that.
 Here is another one.

See the crackles? That's a stamp into the oil paint.

How about a little tree?

This is the last one with the wood icing texture on the background with the Chevron stencil. I have several more of these little panels so maybe I will put another stencil texture next time. This tree was nice to paint. I think I do better when I imagine it in my mind a paint it. I am having extreme trouble with still lifes. Maybe I just shouldn't torture myself with them. I have never been one to let something defeat me though!

PS. These last several paintings I have posted are not still lifes.  A still life to me is something I have set up or I am plein air painting from real life. That's what is difficult for me. The flowers, apple and tree are all from my imagination.  I much prefer to just make it up---like this tree!

Flower du jour

Still with wood icing texture on the 6x6 panel. I am thinking about turning one of these flowers into a 36x36. Anyway that's my thought today. I like to let this little one be a thumbnail for the larger ones.

An apple a day...or just for this day

Ok,  still back to my painting with acrylics and trying to paint everyday. I am not stopping the oils but I have to stop and paint with acrylics to make myself feel better. This one is also textured with a Chevron stencil like yesterday. This one looks better in person than on this green blog background.

Also, have y'all read this from Claudine Hellmuth? It's excellent.

Gessobord with texture

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Back to acrylic for this one. This is on a 6x6 Gessobord with a Chevron stencil and Wood Icing 

The texture in the background makes it interesting so I think I will use this stencil on more of these panels. I like painting on these panels. This is the 1/8 inch so they are very affordable.

Two more...

All of these oil painting are 6x6. As I said I am trying to do one painting a day. I am having extreme difficulty painting from still life. I do much better when I make it up. I went to Hobby Lobby and bought lots of flowers and vases but a couple of the vase paintings have not been bloggable. I even threw one 10x10 canvas in the trash. The bad thing with oils is that sometimes you can wipe it off but this one was unsalvageable. That the other bad thing with oils---no gessoing over. I am not a quitter so I will trudge on a little while longer. Have a great Monday everyone.

Italian Castle

Here is a little 5 x 7 of a castle that I liked. This is acrylic so I am in my comfort zone here. I am trying to simplify photos and try not to get too detailed. This one was actually pretty detailed with the windows. But it was a good little exercise for a stormy day. Bucky is under the desk. He is scared of the thunder.

Todays painting

I must say that I am trying my best to love oils but I just don't love them yet. I might get to love them but right now I have a love hate relationship with them. I still can stamp on the wet oils to make a pattern which I like but it really takes so long to dry and I am an impatient one. I love to varnish really soon after I finish painting and with oils I read you should wait a year! Goodness gracious---
This one was really a hot mess so I decided to do a little palette painting and stamping. Don't know if I saved it or not. It's just one of my 6x6 practice panels so I don't need to get my art panties all in a wad. I still like that distressed look which actually can be achieved with oils but I really can't wipe off so---again--not sure if I am loving oils.

Finished!

Here it is all finished. This one was almost a paint over but I think it turned out ok. I like the texture from the wood icing. I also used a hand cut stamp for a few of the leaves. I think I might try this texture with the oils and see what happens.

Here starts the last of my 11x14 panels. I put white gesso then added Wood Icing with stencils. HMMM...maybe less is more? Well, it's just so fun to do it I can't stop. It will not be as noticeable when I paint it. Now for my first decision----what to paint! Let me go think and plan.

Ok well, here is a quick sketch. Now let's see if I can stick to it. I am going to try.

Two pears in oil

I thought I would go ahead and post this oil painting. I have bought some Duo Aqua oils and I think that I will like thinning with water and water clean up. When it's regular oils I usually get it all over me and I noticed that even Bucky had green paint on him. I am attempting to do a painting a day so I can learn to become friends with oil paint. Right how I think we are frienemies but we will work it out. As you see I just can't resist the script stamp to distress it up a bit.

Crackle Pear ll

I didn't do a progression on this 11 x 14 one but I wish that I had because this one almost became a gesso "paint-over." I just kept fiddling and fiddling and it finally came around.  I am working on these panels.
I find that it's just too bouncy on a regular canvas and I can't scrape and sand and abuse it as much as these wooden panels. They are very affordable and I love to use them. The background is collaged scrapbook paper and then the "you get what you get" technique. Yes, I have gone pear crazy.

Crackle Pear

Here is another 11x14 with Golden's Crackle paste---which I love. it takes several hours to crackle so I let it sit over night.

The background is scrapbook paper and layers of glazes with reductive painting-(wiping it off).

It is pretty much a "you get what you get" type of thing so you just have to be intuitive (yikes--intuitive!!) and just see what happens.

After it crackled then I laid on a dark glaze (and wiped it off to make the cracks show) and then lighter glazes to make it stay transparent and luminous. Kinda like what we do in the Pear-ology class.

And there it is---Crackle Pear!

Flowers in Paris

I am certainly into my crackle phase. I have tried several crackle pastes and by far the best is by Golden. If you have any desire to crackle anything it definitely works the best. The Ranger crackle in the tiny bottle just isn't worth the cost of that although it does crackle well.

This is not much of a progression for you to see. After I get my new camera (YAY!) I should be able to take some better progression pictures while it's on the easel.

Here's the other Orchid

I decided to go ahead and paint the other Orchid since I had drawn and blocked it in. I haven't put the Minwax protective varnish on yet. I love doing that part. It really yummies it up! I used Matisse Southern Ocean blue acrylics for the background. The texture in both paintings shows up but it's hard to see it in the photos.

Orchid Progression

I had two more of these 12 x 24 canvases so I thought I would paint an orchid from my house-(it's fake). Still lives are hard for me to do because I get too detailed but I am trying to just paint the likeness rather than the thing itself. 

I just stuck the Orchid on the desk with some cardboard behind it. Certainly not a professional still life but it just gives me the shape and some shadows.

Then I quickly sketch it out just to see if I could do it with a Sharpie. 

Below the canvas was already painted black so I decided to stencil some texture with Wood Icing.

I had two of these canvases so my first thoughts were to paint them both at the same time.

Here is a close-up of the texture with some brown gesso added. The brown gesso adds a folk art look to the paintings when it peeks through.

I sketched out both of the canvases with a chalk pencil.

Then below I blocked in the images using negative painting.

From there I worked just on the green one because I am not sure if I will paint another Orchid on the blue one. Maybe I will turn it into something else. I used a palette knife for the flowers and for the texture in the planter base. So here is the finished green one with lots of texture, stamps, scratching, sanding and.... praying.

Pear-ology class starts today!

Here is another pear I painted on 300 lb Arches paper. I put some special Japanese tissue paper in the background and it makes the yummiest textures for any type of watercolor painting background. I go over all this in the Pear-ology class that starts ----today!!!

For me, I think that this is my best class so far because not only do we paint pears I show many watercolor techniques that will  help for future watercolor paintings. I had fun filming it.

If you signed up then I sure hope you enjoy becoming a Pear-ologist. :))

Journal Page

I used my Pan Pastels and I should use them more but sometimes I do these journals at home and the Pan Pastels are at the studio. I also sprayed it with SpecraFix which is non toxic and sets the pastels.
I also used Puff Paint for the tree. it's so cute and puffy but you can't see it in the picture. That is really fun stuff!

AND THE WINNER IS......

Rebecca!!!

(...and no foolin!!!)

Congratulations, Rebecca, for winning a class in "21 Secrets" Please send me your email so

I can send it on to Connie at 21 Secrets!

Remember if you want to join---the button is at the right!

THANKS!!!

Thank you ALL for your comments!!!

21 Secrets Give-away!

21 Secrets is starting April 1st!  This one os going to be the best one yet! Leave a comment and I will get Mr. Random.org. to pick the winner on Sunday the 1st and you can start the class immediately.

Also if you don't win and want to take the class I would greatly appreciate if you will join the class through my blog. You will see the button on the right side of my blog: Just click it and it will take you to the class site.

Thank you much!!!!!!!!!!

Practicing loose---

One of my goals as an artist to just have fun painting and don't think too much about the exact shape of things.  Abd sometimes I come across an artist that sets my creative spirit free and helps me to loosten up. That artist now (I have had a few) is Robert Joyner. He is REALLY loose and sketches with a fat Sharpie for pete's sake!

So I decided that I was up for the challenge so I found my fat Sharpie and started to sketch. There is something about that fat Sharpie that set me free. At least for today. Sometimes I think I am free but the cage door is still open and at the end of the day I go back into my little cage. Ok, so I know why the caged bird sings...

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom. 

Maya Angelou

She is not a poet that I read but I thought this was appropriate for my art life.

 I am that little bird in the cage that sometimes gets to soar--- because the cage door is always open.

PS Yes, I know, it does look like Robert Burridge. I like him too.

Hi big journal...I have missed you!

It's always so fun to finish up a page spread in my big journal with the grid. I like to use stamps and stuff I don't usually use. Plus I love to write with Calligra-FUN letters.   I am just about the fill this one up.

Another repurposed canvas

I painted this after spending the morning watching several Youtubes of Robert Joyner. He is very loose but I so enjoyed watching his instruction and demos. There are so many gracious artists on the internet who give away they expertise for free.

 This was a repurposed 12 x 24 canvas that was screaming to be painted over.  I had fun painting this because I had a plan before I painted it. It helps to have a plan.  I used a palette knife for the flowers, a credit card for the stick- like marks  and also for the border--- and my new leaf stamps I carved for the 36 x 36.

I should have taken progress pictures because it was an interesting progress but I got so enthralled I forgot to stop and take pictures. I started out gessoing over the failed spray paint graffiti underneath
then while it was wet with gesso I "smushed" down a stencil for some texture. Then when that was dry I decided to use some of my brown gesso that I bought at Art of the Carolinas but haven't used and put it all over the canvas. I sketched out the vase and the flowers quickly (like Robert Joyner) with some of Marc's sidewalk chalk then started painting. This one didn't take too long to paint. The dots were from underneath. I decided I would keep them.

All done!

I think I made the right choice with the grungy white-ish pot. I decided not to show you all the decisions that were rejected for the pot color. Painting is really just a series of problem solving, trial and error, and little sweat along with a little (ok, maybe a lot) of frustration but one thing I have learned about myself, if I just don't give up then usually I can pull it out in the end. So, I can't believe it...I actually painted a 36x36! Maybe I will start to feel like a real painter now.

Jackson-bill! Look who's coming to see us!!

There will be here in about an hour!

Can't wait to see my babies!

The big painting is done so I will post that tomorrow. Thanks for all your sweet comments about the progression. It was fun to do that. Maybe I will do more of that with my paintings.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

Making progress--not sure which which direction..

I just didn't like the stems so ...

...when all else fails---crackle paste! I will have to decide what color it should be and it needs a darker glaze so the cracks will show.

YAY! Crackles. Not sure what color to paint it.  Maybe it should just stay white/light-ish.

I added a crackle top and some more crackles down the front.

More Texture...

Who knows is any of this will show in the end but it's fun putting it all. It's all about the surprises at the end.

I love Wood Icing.

Pretty cool!   I'm getting closer.