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Gettin' There

A quick update on the peony progress!

Spring Beauty

I LOVE SPRING! Apparently I also love pink flowers.
The original of this painting has a brick wall as a background which I have never been happy with so I took it in to Photoshop and removed it. I am considering doing this as a full sheet at some point after the peony.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone!

"Fiesta Chilies"

When I started "Fiesta Chilies" I was intimidated by where to begin and which "red" to use first! It is one of my favorite paintings and the third in a series of Chilies.
My studio space is on the top level of my house and my computer is on the bottom level, two flights down, so I haven't posted or painted much.
I have been sidelined this week with tendonitis in my right foot.
It has been bothering me since January but I tried to take care of it on my own, which didn't work. On Monday I saw my podiatrist and he gave me a shot of cortisone. By Monday night I couldn't walk. Tuesday was quite a bit better and now I am wearing regular shoes! For the last two months Crocs have been my friend.
I will have an update on the peony next week. Have a great weekend!

Leaf Bubble Painting

I have uploaded three images to show the progression of each layer of paint. The bubbles are easily recognizable in the first photo.










You can still recognize the bubbles in this shot.
I used them to shape my rocks and other items in the background.









I am pretty happy with the painting so far. I do have a few places on the leaf that are too dark but I am working on those.

I probably should have used a darker paint to create my bubbles which would have given it more texture and contrast.

Any suggestions or comments are welcome!

Have a great weekend!

Bubble Painting

This is my first attempt at painting with bubbles! I saw the technique on Sandy Maudlin's blog. I found her blog when she was featured on Chris Beck's blog Brush-Paper-Water.

Both of these women are great artists and you should spend some time on each of their sites.

The mixture consists of 6oz. water 3ozs dishwashing liquid and 2oz fluid acrylics. Add ingredients and stir with straw. I noticed in one post that Sandy's students were using what looked to me like a straw for an atomizer so that is what I tried and it worked.I tried blowing bubbles with a mouth atomizer...use a straw!

When the bubbles have risen above the rim of the bowl, quickly lower your paper onto the bubbles and lift straight up. Bubbles lose color within a few seconds. Blow fresh bubbles each time you add a layer. You can dry between each color or not. I tried placing the bubbles where they would be appropriate for the painting I had in mind.

This techinque is fun and quite different than the controlled strokes I am used to. Tomorrow I will post my progress on this technique.