1. The Awakening
The awakening painting was created by first making a pencil sketch on paper then scanning it into the computer. I used Corel Painter 7 & IX to paint the image. Mostly I used the soft charcoal variant of charcoal & the artist...
2. Moon Goddess
I’ve had a love affair with the moon ever since I was child, and my favorite past time was going outside after sunset to swing on my swing set, until the moon came out. I would sing to the moon and mom would play the guitar, it was...
3. Nimue
The Lady of the lake from the Arthurian legend has always fascinated me, and the moment I laid eyes on a photograph sent to me of my niece Tessa, I knew I had found my inspiration for the painting of Nimue. It was a photo of Tessa,...
4. Daybreak
Aurora is the Roman Goddess of the Dawn. Her name means ” daybreak, the dawn, or sunrise. Ovid describes her as the one who brings the light of day as she rides in her chariot across the skies ahead of the sun. I envisioned her with...
5. Mask Of Gaia
Gaia the primordial Greek goddess believed to be The Mother Goddess or Great Goddess. She is also said to personify the earth, the Greek version of “Mother Nature”. The inspiration for this painting came from a dream I had...
Monday
Over the weekend I purchased two 30 x 40 inch canvases and after I got them home I realized that they were quite large and felt a little intimidated.
All sorts of thoughts went through my mind like ” do I have enough gesso, tissue paper and acrylic paint?” What will I paint on it?
Then I watched this video and and it helped to put everything into perspective.
For those who feel intimidated by large canvases here is a video that shows an artist painting on a really large canvas. Wow!
Time Lapse Large Oil Painting
Artist Quote for the Day
” A lot of it’s experimental, spontaneous. It’s about knocking about in the studio and bumping into things.” – Richard Prince
Friday
Today I went on my regular Friday thrift hunt and managed to find two items on my wish list. Thrifting is fun but getting a 50% off discount on the items I purchased was even better. It really made my day!
Check out this detailed tutorial on painting a eucalyptus leaf using watercolor paints. Beautiful!
Have a great weekend!
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” -Pablo Picasso
Rainy Day in the Studio
Today I woke up to another gray, rainy day and I really didn’t feel much like doing anything so I grabbed a cup of good strong Irish tea and began my day.
Later in the afternoon, I was able to work in the studio and started laying in the background colors on this painting. I also did some touch ups and added more details to the hair section.
I did not get as much done as I had planned on because daylight was fading fast and it was already time to start dinner. I turned off the studio lights and said goodnight to the Tree Guardian.
Tree Guardian – Acrylic/Watercolor Mixed Medium – 16 x 20 on watercolor paper
“A rainy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods.” – Rachel Carson
Work in Progress
I have been working on this painting again and have added a few new elements to it.
I am making progress on the piece despite the occasional interruptions. Oh, such is life. But I am having fun!
It felt really good to have two full days in the studio so I could get some work done. My current goal is to spend more time in the studio and less time with my nose in the computer. We will see how that works out . . .
Lady of the Forest #2 – Acrylic/Watercolor/ Mixed Medium – 16 x 20 inches on Canvas
Metaphor
When you start on a long journey, trees are trees, water is water, and mountains are mountains. After you have gone some distance, trees are no longer trees, water no longer water, mountains no longer mountains. But after you have travelled a great distance, trees are once again trees, water is once again water, mountains are once again mountains. – Zen teaching
Pressed Paper Pulp Canvas
This video shows how to make a canvas of pressed paper pulp which is a great way to recycle junk mail and old shredded paper.
Carla van den Berg – How to Make a Very Special Canvas