A snowy Christmastime...

Here are some images of the pre-Christmas snowfall.....when it was still technically fall! We were so excited to get this snow. We knew it would hang around for Christmas day, guaranteeing a white christmas. We actually love lake effect snowstorms. Often an inch or more falls every hour. As long as you don't have to travel in it, it's very beautiful. It gets very quiet, as the heavy snowfall acts to muffle all the outdoor sounds.
I don't know that I could ever capture in a painting a lake effect snowstorm. Maybe these storms are best captured on film!

A gift for the holidays....

Now that my father-in-law has his Christmas gift, I can safely post my latest painting! This is his fishing boat that he co-owns with 2 other fishing buddies....hence the name "Tres Amigos." We had SO much fun going fishing in this boat! On our last trip to Florida we went just about every other day, and absolutely had a ball. Nothing like sitting on a fishing boat, watching the sun come up, gazing at the lake and just enjoying the feeling of getting away from it all.
I had fun doing the painting, and it did resemble my motorcycle paintings in a way I hadn't thought of before. I had to paint things I saw in the photo....while having absolutely no idea what they were! I was glad how it turned out, and twice as glad that everyone seems to love it.
Can't wait to get out on it again!

It's all in the details....

The saga of the custom chopper painting continues!! I've had some time this week to spend in the studio. I really love when there's an end in sight! I still have some large areas to block in, and I'm hoping to get those in this week. Detail work is what it is. It is, by nature, time consuming work....yet it is so worth the effort. The lighting effects on this bike will make the painting so unusual. And if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well and taking all the time it needs to be the best it can be.
I've been so thankful that I bought new brushes with their fine points. Detail work practically requires new brushes- I suppose like a new sewing project requires a fresh needle. I'm also loving the Maimerblu color "Dragon's Blood" (cool name) that features prominently in the painting. Not only a great color for florals, but I never would have thought it would be put to great use in a motorcycle painting!

A snail's pace.....

Sure wish I could show more progress on my painting, but with the holidays upon us......!! I actually am baking some bread for my Thanksgiving table right now- we women certainly multi-task, don't we?
Back to my painting- I've been adding more detail throughout, and the motorcycle is gradually coming together on the paper. I need some long stretches of uninterrupted time to lay in the larger green sections. Bright greens are really difficult to use, and they are very unforgiving if you "mess up" so I'll need to work on those sections when I know I'll have the time. Watercolor is certainly a medium that requires planning, sometimes many steps ahead- like playing chess, for example. Using staining colors definitely requires pre-planning! Hopefully I'll be able to complete this before the end of the year. I sure was right when I talked about it being cold and snowy when I finished! I'll especially be thrilled if I can say I completed it in 2oo8!!

Bluebirds...

I went out for a brisk walk this morning, and even thought it is quite chilly with a cold, cutting wind, I saw four bluebirds flitting around a bare tree, looking like they were having a wonderful time! I think they're my favorite bird. I never saw one until just a few years ago, when I spotted something blue like a sparkling jewel darting around the yard. I was so excited to see one, and later that December, I saw 2 fluttering around my birdfeeder, seemingly oblivious to the bitter chill.
I would love to get some photos and do a painting of my own, backyard bluebirds. I think capturing the elusive beauties will prove difficult, however. Nevertheless, since I saw these today, I'll keep my camera at the ready!

Busy, busy....

Here's the latest on the motorcycle. I haven't had as much time as I would like to work on it. I'm an election inspector, so on election day I worked from 5:30 in the morning until 9:30 that night. Coffee is a wonderful thing!! Loved the outcome, too! Afterwards my hubby has come down with the flu, and I guess this flu is a tenacious one- he's been sick for a while now. So painting time has been scarce, understandibly. I've been gradually adding more detail to the painting. I do need to do the large, green areas, but I'm waiting for a large block of uninterrupted time to tackle those! On an earlier post, I was jokingly wondering if it would be snowy and cold when I finished the painting. No kidding! It's really cold today. I would like to get this done this month, if at all possible. If I get this flu, it may not get done until the new year!

Back to work.....

Halloween has come and gone, so now it's back to motorcycles! I've been slowly (obviously) adding more and more detail to the painting. The actual bike was painted using such a vibrant, bright green, and green in watercolor is a bit tricky. Windsor Green and other pure greens are very bold, staining colors; certainly colors not to be used by the faint of heart! Handling a large section of a painting using a staining color requires a lot of concentration....and certainly taking the phone off the hook is a requirement! A lot of artists shy away from the staining bold colors at first, understandibly so. However, paintings such as this one require strong colors and values, and you just have to jump in and go for it!

Scary......

I just had to put up some photos that I took in the dark at my neighbors' fabulous Halloween house. On the right is the poltergeist that floats in the second story window, with the fantastic lighting adding to the spooky effect. It isn't just stationary either, it floats and moves around up there....and looks so awesome. I love to go down and just stare at it. My photo doesn't really do it justice, but I had to capture it with a picture anyway!
Left is another display in the haunted graveyard. The detail work on these witches is incredible. I wish I could include sound effects, too, as they are such a part of it all......the howls, moans and screeches add so much! Their house has gotten a lot of media attention lately. It's fun to turn on the news, and they're reporting from the house. I also picked up the paper last night, and lo and behold, there's an article and a big photo as well. As neighbors, we're all supportive of their efforts, and we understand the tourism and traffic that comes with it all. It's only for a short time, it's so much fun to help them put it together (some of our tree branches decorate the graveyard) and getting all decked out in our scary costumes to help haunt....such a blast!

Time for a little Halloween fun.....

Couldn't resist some Halloween fun here! My neighbor's house on it's opening evening of Halloween fright! He has a matching set of gargoyle adorned posts at the entryway. The gargoyles, of course, spew forth fog, along with the numerous and well placed smoke and fog machines. There are scary creatures filling the front lawn, standing on the lawn, coming out of the lawn, and hovering in the trees.
The photo on the right is just a fraction of the dungeon in the garage. There's a scary medical lab with bubbling cauldrons and beakers filled with creepy creatures. In the back you walk through darkened corridors filled with ghouls and scary sounds galore. There's even a haunted pirate ship! I want to go back when it's really dark and get some photos then. It looks so neat in the dark- especially the poltergeist that floats on the second story. I hope my photos will do it justice!

Hospice....

I feel very fortunate to have been asked to hang a show at Hospice. Such a beautiful facility. It's a life transitions center, focusing on counseling and support groups for people who have suffered losses. I never knew such a wonderful place existed. They wanted artwork that was not controversial in any way; artwork that was uplifting and without a heavy message. That suits me to a tee! There's enough stress, bad news, financial meltdowns, etc. blaring at us all day from the 24 hour news channels, newspapers, and media outlets galore. I don't want it adorning my walls, too! So I like to focus on positive images in my artwork. When it takes as long to paint as it takes me, I sure don't want to wallow in misery for a month.

I hope my artwork helps to uplift anyone in need. And I'm so grateful to have a show in such a wonderful place.

Taking shape.....

Hard to believe there are hours and hours put in since the last time! But it's beginning to take shape. It probably helps me in that I have NO clue as to what it actually is that I'm painting! I know it's an engine of a custom cycle, but as to what each little individual pipe or wire is.....! It helps in that it requires me to focus soley on the shapes and their relation to each other, the values, etc. It will really look different when I put in the large darks, and also the areas of bright

green will make it look altogether different! I got a lot done one day last week, helped out by Turner Classic Movies! I had a lot I had to do that day, art business wise, plus the endless housework and yardwork that accumulates. However, I turned on the TV and found one of my favorite Hitchcock films, "Shadow of a Doubt" just beginning! That was it, I decided. So for 2 hours I put aside all distractions, painted like mad and listened to a great film. Maybe I can enlist in that channel to help me get more work done!!

A Halloween diversion...

Couldn't resist a little Halloween diversion here! This is my neighbor's home- all decked out for Halloween. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a fully, decked out dungeon in the garage, complete with an electric chair and a bubbling laboratory. In the second story over the garage is a ghostly spectre that floats with a backlight....at night it's fantastic! It looks just like the ghost from the movie "Poltergeist" that floats down the stairs. Soooooo cool!

They have free tours, but will accept donations that they then give to Women and Children's Hospital. We love all this- it's so much fun to go and help "haunt", plus the ghostly sounds and foggy mist overtake the neighborhood.
Maybe I can do a painting of the house and all it's adornments. I couldn't resist getting some photos. Amazingly enough, not everything is out yet.....and the dungeon in the garage rivals a movie set.

Can you tell we love Halloween?

Getting there...

Boy, fine detail work does take time! It's coming along, more slowly that I would like, of course. I'm certainly not one of these painters that can do a painting a day! I enjoy seeing the motorcycle come to life. This one has a lot of light values in it, so I've punched in a few deep colors to help give it some shape, which helps give me direction.
I've purchased some new brushes, and it's been fun to break them in. I hadn't realized how long I had been using the same ones, and it's been helpful using some crisp new ones with their fine points and springy touch. I really like the Cheap Joe's golden fleece brushes. They're not very expensive, yet they last a long time and retain their shape quite well.
I wonder if I'll be singing Christmas carols when I'm finishing this one up? Maybe!!!

Colorful progress....

Right now, this certainly doesn't look like much of anything! So far, I've been doing a lot of fine, detail work- mostly in the lighter colors. I have a feeling that this painting will look quite disjointed until it's just about completed. It is a lot of fun to do this detail work, at least for me,

anyway. I concentrate on the shapes, and not the subject matter. Clearly, I'm not a motorcycle expert, which may, in the long run, help me in the painting process. As artists, we're trained to paint what we see, not what we THINK we see.

I'm hoping I can get this done soon. I have so much wonderful reference material that I cannot wait to get to. Photos of beautiful gardens, plus photos I took in Quebec City that I can't wait to get to. What a beautiful place it is, and I can't wait to capture it in paintings. Guess I need more hours in the day......who doesn't, actually!!

Slow progress...

Slow progress it is!! Fine detail work certainly takes it's time!
I haven't been able to paint as much lately, with how busy I have been. We've had many home projects going, my son has moved into a house with his girlfriend, all the late summer chores, etc. Seems like we've been swamped lately. The motorcycle paintings also take a long time to really develop. It seems like I will paint for weeks before I really feel like I'm making progress. Here I'm starting with the light colors before I begin punching in the deep tones. This motorcycle will look different from my other ones with the colors I'm using, too. This bike was done in bright colors, and at the show it had some colored lights on it as well. It should prove to be unusual when it's done! With the outdoor work and other projects concluding, I'm hoping to be able to work more steadily on painting.
Back to work!

A new motorcycle...

It's time to begin a new motorcycle painting, one that I have been thinking of doing for a long time. It's hard to see the drawing, but if you click on it, it will enlarge and become easier to see. I've begun putting a little color on, just some light washes for now.

This motorcyle was at a motorcycle show in Toronto a couple of years ago. I loved the colors and the incredible detail on the bike.

This will no doubt take me a very long time to do! I love detail work, and only someone that loves detail work would take on this project!

The drawing has already taken me several hours. Unlike a floral portrait, mechanical objects need to be precisely rendered in order to look correctly done when completed. Hence the long time spent on the drawing.

A perfect painting to begin as summer winds down. (Even though it's 86 degrees outside)!

Garden visitor.....

Imagine my surprise to spot this while tending to my vegetables! I'm NOT a fan of the insect world! He or she is perched amongst my irises in my perennial garden bordering my vegetable garden.
Yikes!! After I regained my composure, I couldn't resist getting some photos. I believe its a "black and yellow Argiope." It's been there for a while now- storms and rains haven't dislodged him/her from it's spot. I couldn't resist tossing a few Japanese Beetles into the web, and boy, it was interesting to see how quickly the spider went after them. Maybe my garden could use a few more of these guys, as we have an over abundance of Japanese Beetles this year!
I'll have to try to do a little painting of my garden companion someday. Funny, I was terrified of the spider at first, now I'm calling it my companion! Guess anything that helps rid the world of Japanese Beetles can't be all bad!!

Garden walk continues....

This gorgeous display was growing not far from the hollyhock garden. What was so striking about this garden was the bold use of color. In front of an old red brick house, the garden spilled forth with deep purples and blues of such striking intensity it would take your breath away. Wisely interspersed were white and yellow highlights, which served to intensify the deep richness of the purples and blues. I'm looking forward to doing some paintings of this garden....can there be more hours to the day?? I'd better have plenty of Windsor Violet- such a bold pure violet that will be perfect to capture these beauties.

new beginnings...

This photo is from a hollyhock garden near me- these grow at a house on a main road leading into our little village here. I have to force myself to concentrate on the road when I pass by these beauties! On a previous blog I talked about getting some of my own and how I was excitedly waiting for mine to bloom. They've bloomed.......and they're the double pink, not the single blossoms shown here. The quest continues!! If anyone knows where I can get some seeds to grow ones of my own, please let me know!
It's a fun time for me now- outdoor shows over, summer winding down. I have a wealth of reference material to paint from. I'll be starting a new motorcycle painting soon. The time and concentration involved is enormous. I think I'll work on some flower paintings simultaneously. It's often recommended to not work on one painting at a time, especially when they're heavily detailed. Maybe I should title the hollyhock in the photo "Beauty and the Beast" since there's a Japanese Beetle on the flower. I hate those things! But boy, do they love my roses!

Lewiston rewind...

I thought I'd include this photo from the Lewiston outdoor show because it shows something rare and unusual.......sun! This was taken shortly after set-up on Saturday. As the day progressed we watched the clouds roll in. By mid afternoon, the sky blackened, and when the lightning started in, we, along with many others, packed up quickly and left. Metal tents, watercolors, outside...not a good combo! Sunday was what the word "soggy" was invented for! We got the paintings in early in the morning when it was dry (what does dry mean....I've forgotten!!) From then on it poured, misted, drizzled, deluged...any other synonyms apply. People still came out. Some with umbrellas, some in ponchos, some oblivious, whatever.
I was very honored to win first place, and not for a motorcycle painting. My painting of Yorkville, Toronto, called "Sunny City Morning" won. I only entered that one because the rules said we could enter 2, and that one has a white mat, which for some reason, is a jurying necessity. If I had any computer skill at all I would post a photo of that painting, but since I'm fairly "software unskilled" I'll have to refer anyone to my website to see it. Maybe the fact it depicts sunlight on a city street helped!! Sunlight....what's that again!!
The weatherman says we have 1/2 a day of sun today, so I'm off to hang up my tent panels to dry. I think I should have planted rice and celery in my garden. Hey....there's a thought!!

A hollyhock completion!

I've gotten it finished- just in time for my last outdoor show of the season. I really like this painting- if I sell it this weekend it will be one of my fastest turnarounds ever. I love these hollyhocks and I will be sad to see this painting go to a new home. It will be funnier, though, if I work this hard to complete it and then no one gives it a second look! I will get to have it longer that way!
The hollyhock I bought with my son a couple weeks ago actually has some buds on it now. Maybe transplanting it jumpstarted it somehow! I'd love to get some photos of my own hollyhock- and at this time of year that would be something.
The weather forecasts don't look to good for the Lewiston show this weekend. Wet weather and watercolors....not a good mix! My tent does a pretty good job keeping us dry. If it's a real bad storm, well.....! We'll soon see!

More progress...

I've made a bit more progress on my latest hollyhock painting. Only a bit, though! We've been so busy that I haven't been able to paint very much.

My last outdoor show of the season is this weekend in Lewiston. I was hoping to get this completed before then! I will work hard to do so- this size does sell well. Plus with the frame already puchased and in the mail, once I can finish it, it can be framed and ready to go. Guess that means I should put all the other chores and duties on the backburner...dust bunnies be damned!

I was happy to get all my new hollyhock photos printed up....and they came out so well! I hope my new hollyhocks in my garden thrive. I would love to paint some of my very own!

Back to work!!

A hollyhock beginning...

I've started another hollyhock painting. This size painting has worked out so well for me. I started doing these tall thin works when I had several pieces of watercolor paper that size. I use plexiglass as support for my paper- I just tape the paper on and begin painting. Well, these narrow pieces of paper were left over from trimming the full sheets to fit onto the plexiglass, and I didn't want to waste them. I love floral botanical paintings, and I thought it would be a good idea to paint single flowers, such as irises and hollyhocks, like this one shown here. They seem to sell quite well. People like the small size that fit well around entryways, windows, etc.

These paintings are so much fun to do. Perfect that I got my mailorder of new paint and brushes today! The dominant pink is Windsor Newtons "rose madder genuine." I know it isn't as permanent a color a permanent rose or opera, but the color is the exact match to those gorgeous hollyhocks.

A perfect painting to do on a rainy day!

ArtPark Gallery...

The Buffalo Society of Artists has a gallery at the Buffalo Philharmonic's summer residence at ArtPark in Lewiston. My turn to "sit" the gallery was Friday night. Lots of fun! I got to hear a pre-concert talk by conductor JoAnn Falletta in our gallery. Her picture is on the right. She is so tiny!

The gallery is such a beautiful space. Only open for the summer while the concerts are there.

We've had a few sales so far, and in this economy, that's wonderful!

More beauties...

I realized with my last blog I talked all about the hollyhocks and never included any photos! These are my favorite ones to paint, and people must like them too if I keep selling them! I have been trying to find these single pink ones to plant in my own garden. Last year I bought a hollyhock from a nursery...and it turned out to be a double red. Red is about my least favorite color, and the double ones are so difficult to paint well.
Yesterday, my son surprises me with a begonia he bought from a little stand in front of a neaby house. We went to see it...and there for sale, for only$3, among all the other perennials, were 2 potted hollyhocks! And because 1 was in bloom, I was assured that they were my long desired and oft painted pink single hollyhocks!
Funny too, that earlier in the day I had inquired at a local gift shop about their gorgeous hollyhocks and if they sell them. They sell mums and lilies that they grow, but don't sell their hollyhocks. Never would have believed that later that same day I would get a gift from my son that would lead to me planting my own pink hollyhocks!!
Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket.

A Garden walk..

The Clarence Center garden walk has come and gone. Wonderful for flower painters like me...a camera in hand and open gardens to walk through and photograph! These day lilies were gorgeous- I hope I can capture them someday in a watercolor. The Windsor Newton color, vermillion that has been discontinued, will work so well for me in capturing these beauties! Glad I bought some tubes of the color on sale! I also got some great hollyhock photos- perfect time of year to take all the photos I can of the gorgeous, pink single blooms. I've sold all of my hollyhock paintings, so I get the joy of painting some more.
I wish they would also have a walk in the springtime- so I could see all the irises, tulips, daffodils and more. I think my garden looks better then!
Now comes the fun of sorting through photos to paint from. Can there be more hours in the day? Ha Ha!!

Irises in progress...

After several outdoor shows sooooo close together, I have some time before the next, and last, one of the year to do some "fun" paintings, and this is a "fun" one!
I had photographed these beauties a few years ago in Hamilton, Ontario, and I'm finally getting to paint them. This is probably one of my favorite paintings to do. Irises in my favorite colors, with buds that are a blast to do. This is an easy painting to stop and start- a great choice for a summertime painting. With all the outdoor activities, this is one I can pick up and work on when I have time. I'm not sure of the name of these beauties- when I'm there getting photos, I'm too busy to write down the names. If anyone has an idea, I'd love to know!
I'm not sure how this one will end up. It could be close to completion, or I may fill in the leaves quite a bit more. When paintings get to this point, I like to let them "mellow." To sit where I can study them, and it's almost like they tell me-"I'm done," or "I need to darken this, or fix that."
Back to work, or should I say, "fun!"

A "Riverwalk" summary...

The "Art on the Riverwalk" show has come and gone. If I could make one wish...I would wish that all the shows could turn out like that one! I guess it goes to show that winning awards is, for me, not the "be all, end all" for success. I didn't win an award, but my sales were far greater than I could have expected.
It was a gorgeous day- SO nice to not be setting up in a thunderstorm, a la Allentown! While we were setting up, a large bicycle tour rode by, with some of the group stopping to see what we were all doing. I had my most unusual sale ever- a couple on the bike tour bought a print from me that they then wanted me to ship to them, to be there whenever they got home. So the day after the show, I walked to the post office to ship it off....to Iowa! Some bike tour! It was so uplifting to sell something well before the show officially began!
Crowds were wonderful all day. Sales were, too! I enjoyed selling some originals- my two single hollyhock paintings sold- to be hung together in the same house. Great idea.
What a nice show- to sit and watch the Niagara River all day and chat with good friends. The one day, set up and take down is tough, and boy do we still feel it, but all in all it was such an enjoyable show. With this economy to be making any money at all is reward in and of itself.

East Aurora rewind

The 2008 East Aurora show has come and gone. I cannot believe that I was fortunate enough to win Best of Show. It's going to take a long time for that to sink in!
The weather was certainly "iffy" to start, with some real downpours on Saturday morning, but by early afternoon, the sun appeared and we had some nice crowds. It's such a nice show to do. We get to sit on grass under some large trees, and the whole atmosphere is warm and inviting. Sunday started off so beautifully, but by 3 or so the skies opened up- such rain! We ended up leaving early, and I felt so bad for some people who were just arriving! Fortunately, we put up a large plastic sheet that covers the tent, so we, and the watercolors, stayed nice and dry. The fact that we were dry and not closing up helped with sales, as some took refuge in my tent and I sold an additional $100 worth. Not too bad after all.
I do think the economy is having it's effect- I noticed that only 80 artists signed up to participate this year, when capacity for the show is 120. I think some are not travelling to do the shows as much, maybe figuring sales will be down. So far, mine have stayed about the same, and for that, I'm very grateful!

Allentown rewind

The Allentown Arts Festival has come and gone for another year. No awards for me this time, but I knew there was NO way I could top last year. Two picture perfect weather days and winning first place...kinda hard to top that!
Setting up Friday night was unreal- gale force winds and rain so hard that I thought the tent would blow away! We we so lucky...just as we got the tent set up to where we could stand inside, the storm hit. Lots of people got drenched, and Bob got wet going outside to secure things, but all in all, it could have been a lot worse.
Saturday started slow, with the clouds and weather forcasts scaring people away, but as the day wore on, the sun came out and so did the people. Sunday was the best day. Sunny and not too warm...perfect. Considering gas prices and all, sales were good for me. No originals sold, but I did sell 2 large framed motorcycle Giclees, plus a number of prints and notecard sets.
For us, the best part of doing the artshows are simply being out and away from the daily grind. No cooking, cleaning, yard work...you name it. The people watching is fun, too. I'm sure we all wish we could sell more work, but in this economy, I was quite happy to make as much as I did.
I would love to hear from other artists and their experiences with Allentown, or other outdoor shows.

Busy spring...

Every year I forget how busy Spring can be! I guess for avid gardeners such as myself, this is THE time of year for us! I've been really busy planting this year. I'm planting more vegetables than ever- if I cuts down my grocery store trips...Yay!
Now that my large motorcycle painting is done, it's been time to concentrate on smaller paintings. This tulip was growing in my front flower bed- surrounded by evergreens and other plants, or else it would have been devoured by deer! These little flower studies are fun. If I wasn't such a computer simpleton, I would have added another tulip painting I've done on the blog, but I'm not sure how! More to learn!
I've done a number of smaller paintings that I hope will help to boost sales this year. I have no idea what effect this stellar economy will have on sales at the outdoor shows this year. I will "report" on the shows...the sales, the crowds, etc. Would love to hear from other artists as well.

Ready to ride!

Wow....is it really done? Artists always have a hard time knowing when to stop. There is no magic genie that comes out and tells you..."yes, it's done, now stop!" What I do now is to let it "mellow" for a while- which for me means to set it aside in my studio and just look at it, for a while, every now and then. I've caught so many mistakes that way! Sometimes just catching it out of the corner of my eye, and then a light bulb moment comes and you just know why a section of your painting has proved troublesome. Sometimes the value needs adjustment, sometimes those troublesome areas need to be shadowed off to make them less prominent. This painting will mellow for a while, and any adjustments I make will be minor ones. When I started this painting, it was freezing out and there was a lot of snow on the ground. Now, the trees are leafing out and the daffodils, hyacinths, and my blue poppies are blooming. It's been a looooong ride!!
Next project? I have no idea right now. And it's fun. I love to browse through my reference material to see what inspires....

Nearing the end!

The finish line is in sight! Now comes more and more fine detail work, all the while adjusting values now that more areas are completed. With Payne's Gray drying 40% lighter than when it's wet, it requires more layering to get just the right value level. This is fun for me- not all artists enjoy such labor intensive detail work, but I certainly do. I'm especially enjoying painting the tree reflections right now-nice to see some green! Our flowers are beginning to bloom, and we've had great weather this week, so the green leaves are coming. With the better weather, it's going to take a lot of discipline to work as hard as I need to to get this painting completed! Allentown is the second weekend in June, so that deadline sure helps. I'm hoping for the same fabulous weather we had last year...fingers crossed!

Getting deeper...

I'm beginning to see some actual progress here! I've put in more tree reflections, and the addition of more dark colors gives the chrome more punch. Even with a tight drawing like this one, I have a lot of freedom with colors and such. This motorcycle has fabulous airbrush art- from the Renaissance Festival where we got the bike, and the airbrush art ads some nice, unexpected colors to the painting. This type of painting is a lot of fun for me. It does take FOREVER, but I enjoy spending time in my studio so much, and a painting of this type requires just that.

It's all in the details....

Details, details! The image is beginning to take shape. The addition of more and more darks really ramps up the chrome effects. I always find it funny in these paintings to find myself in them! My reflection is in the center of the light itself, in the small curved center. And I'll find other areas in the painting where I spot myself, either my hair color, my clothing, etc.
I'm looking to get this painting completed in the next several weeks...hopefully!

Must be spring...

I've been working on the numerous tree reflections- our trees here are barely beginning to bud! I love Maimerblu's sap green- that's my standard "go to" green. I've used that with Windsor Lemon and some deep blues for depth and shade. And here and there I'm filling in more darks and middle value reflections. Payne's Grey is my standard dark chrome reflection color. It is slowly, slowly, coming together.
The tree shapes are fun to do. I don't need to be as exacting there as I do with the engine and body parts of the bike. Guess it's "back to work" time!

Starting to see green....

I've finally begun putting in some of the tree reflections. I think it's going to be a long time before I see green leaves, so it's nice to paint some! This is slow, tedious work with many hours put in just to get this far. I love when it begins to take shape- when I can see and feel the three dimensional shape coming to be. I'm always amazed at the motorcycle fans out there- that can look at one of my paintings and know precisely what kind of bike it is, the year, etc.
There are always people at the shows that have no idea what the image is- I've had some people think they're looking at a close up of a musical instrument or a helicopter! Then there are the little boys who can barely speak who chime in and know precisely what it is!

Slowly taking shape...

It's beginning to take shape....finally! All the precise detail work is slowly coming together into something recognizable. The darks, mostly layers of Payne's Grey, help to anchor the painting and begin to give shape to the chrome on the motorcycle. I previously laid in some light sky color, and next I want to begin putting in all the tree reflections. There will be a lot of green in the painting, as the photo was takin in our driveway and all the leafy trees will be reflected in the chrome. I always like to have some greenery in my chrome reflections. I think it helps balance the metallic nature of the chrome, and I simply like plants...trees, flowers, you name it! It's been a while since I've seen leaves, so I'm looking forward to painting some!!

Progress....

Hard to believe that the progress made here has taken hours worth of painting time! I'm going around the entire painting, laying color down and tending to stick with the lighter shades. I put some darks in, where the darks wouldn't bleed into any lighter colors to come. Putting some darks in does help to shape up the painting. I have the image upside down, I believe, from the previous photos. I do turn the painting around and paint from all sides. Sometimes artists are hesitant to do that, but I think it helps artists to paint what they see, not what they THINK they see. Very helpful when one is painting reflections!
Well, the weather is still cold and snowy, a perfect day to paint, so back to work!

Making progress...

Here's my slow, but steady progress on the motorcycle. It definitely looks like a series of unrelated shapes at this point! The color I've been using for the pavement is a Daniel Smith color- hematite violet. It's a nice, granular color that simulates the pavement quite well. At this point I'm putting down color and not worrying too much about value right now. That I will continue to adjust as more and more color gets laid down. Once some of the darkest darks get painted, the reflections will begin to pop out. Way to early for that yet! I certainly need to get going on this, as I need to get this completed before the outdoor show season begins- hard to think about that with the "feet" of snow everywhere! I guess with all the shoveling we had to do over the past few days, the artwork had to get put on hold! I'm looking forward to getting back to work! Artwork, that is, not shoveling!! Ha Ha!

Beginning to paint

I've begun the initial washes on the painting. I often start with the lighter colors, and begin just putting some color down. Because my initial drawing is so detailed, I can then lay down the sections of color in a sort of patchwork fashion.
I prefer to begin mostly with the lighter colors, because laying down a light wash right next to a dark one can cause the darker color to bleed into the lighter one. Once I have many sections of the sky colors, pavement reflections and such down, I will add some of the darks.
I have only just begun! I know I have a lot of work ahead of me, but I so enjoy having such a complex piece to work on. With the cold and snow lingering on, I enjoy spending hours in my studio. And this piece with certainly take many weeks to complete!

motorcycle beginnings

I'm starting on a new motorcycle painting. I do a very detailed drawing before I begin painting. You can see that it takes quite a while to get the drawing done accurately! I work from photos that I take in the summertime, and I draw, erase, and draw again to ensure that I get an accurate representation- reflections included. It does take quite a while to do this, but I enjoy fine detail work. Motorcycle people will notice, most definitely, if I get something wrong!
I plan to document this painting in stages, and will post photos on my blog as my work progresses. These paintings do take a while, but they are definitely worth all the effort involved!

I wanted to include a photo of my studio. Every artist should have a place to call their own! I have a comfy chair from an office supply store, and my adjustable light uses a full sprectrum light bulb- a must for those dark winter days!
Bookshelves are a must, too, for when you need some technical guidance on those difficult painting days! I also have a wall mounted TV and satellite radio to keep me company. The photo of Johnny Depp is just a bonus! Make your studio reflect you- it should be a place you can't wait to get to and a place you hate to leave.

new work

I've been busy these past few months, post holidays and all, and I've been able to get some smaller paintings done. I like having a number of smaller sized works for the outdoor shows. Easier for people to make impulse purchases, or to buy something as a gift for someone. These paintings are all now on my website- check them out!
"Ocean Waves" is a new one-taken from a photo I took at Polihali beach on Kauai. The surf there is beautiful...and scary! Not a place to swim!
"Bali Hai View" is taken from the vantage point of the balcony at the Princeville Hotel. Not that we stayed there! We just went to sightsee from there. What a beautiful place.
"Formal Flowers" is from the Hamilton Botanical Gardens in Ontario, Canada. I've had this photo for a while and I finally got to paint this beautiful garden. This is a larger sized painting than the others- no way I could do that garden justice in a smaller size!
"Single Purple Iris" is also from the Botanical Gardens. I love painting irises, and doing these single ones is so much fun! These seem to sell quite well at the outdoor shows. I always miss them when they go to new homes!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I'm thrilled to be able to have an artist's blog, and I will update it as often as I can. I'm looking to write about my artwork and incorporating photos of paintings in progress. As the year goes on, I can write about the outdoor show season- how the shows went, saleswise and attendence-wise, and such. Feel free to write me with your thoughts and opinions on the blog and my web-site. Love to hear from you!

Some recent news- I just gave a demo for the Niagara Arts Guild. It was a small but very interesting group, and we had a wonderful time. I demonstrated painting reflections on a silver teapot, and then showed my motorcycle paintings and discussed how each painting was done- reflections and all. I wasn't as nervous this time as I was when I gave a demo for the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society in November! That was my first demo, and I was so nervous that it went by in a blur!