Rust

We spent a sunny Fathers Day at the MSRA Back to the 50's car show and it was just rich with inspiration! I took a lot of photos to gather the textures to file away for inspiration. It's the first time I've gone out with my camera since it was passed down to me by my husband (he's an amazing photographer and upgraded his equipment recently). I really need to get to know my camera better though. I botched a good number of photos because it was set to bracket the exposures, oops.

Back to the photos, I did a painting last night based on my favorite shot of the day! Consider this a preview since it's a cell phone shot, better photos will follow!

Acrylic on Watercolor Paper - 9"x12"

Rain, rain, go away

A cloudy rainy weekend and now a rainy Monday. It was perfect sleeping weather though and led to lots of much needed napping which left little time for paining. When I did find time, my creativity escaped me and I sat there staring blankly at the paper.

I am working my way through more of the Layer Love Lessons and it's taking time. The lessons are becoming more challenging and I am having a really hard time liking the finished product. I am pushing through and hope to have another painting or two for you by the end of this week, but I won't make any promises just yet.

On a cheery note, I thought I'd share a bright sunny photo from my garden. I have a new application on my cell phone called Toy Camera and I've been taking lots of photos like this with it.

Untitled - 18"x24"

Here we go! This is my first painting of this size. What do you think? You can click on the image for a larger view.

 Multimedia on Gesso board, 18"x24"

Oilbars? I have so many questions

I know I promised you something new last week and it's so close to finished that I can almost taste it. It should be done already, but I used a new medium and it's taking so much longer to dry than I thought.

Lesson learned: Winsor Newton Oilbars + heavy handed application + cool, dark and semi damp basement = a lesson in patience. I have no idea how people work with oil paints as I've been absolutely spoiled by the quick drying times of my GOLDEN Fluid Acrylics.

Does anyone have advice for working with the Oilbars? I want to add one more layer but don't know if I have to wait for the under layers to dry. Or if those under layers have started to dry, will adding another layer end up completely trashing the piece?

In the mean time, I've been adding color to random pages of my art journal. Now I need to round up the courage to actually journal on them. That's a subject for another day.

Please stay tuned, practice your patience as I practice mine and please send along any and all tips for working with oils. Lord knows I need the help.

Layer Love - Lesson 3

It feels like it has been so long since I posted last. I am hoping to update more often as I find more time to paint. It's all I'm able to think about lately!

I'm still taking the Layer Love Workshop and below is my piece for Lesson 3. The addition of Acrylic Polymer - Gloss and Gel Medium - Gloss really help this piece glow. The textures come through much more than on previous paintings and the shine really adds to the richness and depth of color.

Acrylic and Collage on watercolor paper - 9"x12"

Please leave your comments and feedback below. I thrive on them!

I have something bigger and completely in store for you very soon! Stay tuned.