Scenes from the Toronto Motorcycle Show....

A few weeks ago I was thrilled to attend the Toronto Motorcycle Show. I doubt there is a better place to see and photograph some of the most incredible custom cycles around. We arrived right as the door opened....so I was able to get in nice and close to the bikes before the crowds made it challenging. Many of the bike owners were still polishing their bikes and getting everything set up. It was fun to get to talk to them.....so proud they were of their bikes!


I was also happy to get to talk to some of the airbrush artists....the work on the bikes was incredible. The bike on the top had hundreds of skulls painted in a swirling pattern.....differing layers of red and yellow overlapping to create a 3-D effect. The photo barely does it justice.

The bike on the left was inspired by the "Underworld" movies. Scenes and characters from the movie were all over every available surface.....the amount of detail work was amazing.

The bike on the right offered quite a surprise to me. I recently completed a painting of this bike....it's easy to see it on my website. However, I noticed that some changes had been made since I had seen it the previous year. Blood drips, for one!! I had spent SO many hours staring at my photos of the bike while painting it, that I spotted the additional "blood work" immediately! A real work of art.

These photos are only a few of the over 300 I took at the show.
I wish I was able to do a painting of each and every one.

Christmas bass......

Now that the holidays are over, I can update my blog with this painting. The painting was a gift for my father-in-law....fisherman extrordinaire! On our last visit to central Florida , we went fishing in one of the beautiful fresh water lakes there. We had all caught fish that day, but this fish was "the big one!" He caught it on one of his last casts of the day, and it was a beauty. We saved it, and released it into the lake at their apartment complex.

To begin the painting, I taped a piece of Winsor Newton 140lb cold press paper onto plexiglass. Next I began the drawing. I had the photo enlarged, so I could more easily see every detail. After the drawing was completed, I laid down a light yellow wash over the center of the fish....making sure to leave the lightest areas of the fish white. Next I laid a down a very pale wash of sap green....very delicate, just enough to give a hint of sea color to the body of the fish. After that dried, I worked on the fins...using some Payne's Grey, Cobalt and Turquoise Blue, and some Rose Madder Genuine for the bottom fins. Next,it was time to lay the blues down for the body of the fish. When looking at the fish close-up, the scales show quite a rainbow of color. No fish is monochromatic, so I used various blues, greens and greys all over the body. For the gills, I used Alizarin Crimson, Rose Madder Genuine, and some Windsor Blue. The eye of the fish is layers of grey, with the white reserved with frisket.

This painting was soooooo much fun to do! After doing a motorcycle painting for months, it was fun to kind of cut loose, and work on a fish! And for a fisherman, it makes a perfect gift.

Pink tulips.....

With all the floral paintings I have done over the years, it's funny that this is my first tulip painting! This was done as a gift for a friend, and I was happy to paint these
beauties! The only reason these grow for me is because they are planted underneath a weeping cherry tree, surrounded by a ground cover that provides a great barrier for the rabbits that would want to have these for a snack!
To begin with, I took many photos of them, from as many angles as I could.
The painting is a composite from several photos. This is one huge benefit of
digital cameras. You can take a ton of photos of your subject and not have to worry about film costs!
After the drawing was completed, I first put down a glaze of Windsor Lemon on each tulip. I also used Windsor Lemon as the main yellow on the leaves and stems. Once dry, I then used Rose Madder Genuine, Dragon's Blood, Alizarin Crimson, and some Vermillion (discontinued....arg!) for the blooms. I always like to add some of the flower color to the leaves and stems, for whatever flower I'm painting. It helps to make the stems and leaves look more realistic.....rarely are leaves and stems just a solid color. Because I wanted the tulips to really stand out with full saturated color, I kept the background cool and simple. The actual background was brick with blue forget-me-nots surrounding the leaves. I thought simple was better here. These tulips are beautiful and regal and deserved to stand alone.

An approaching storm....

The way our weather has been lately, I am so very glad we keep our camera out and ready to go at a moment's notice! Two nights ago, we had tornado warnings and my husband got some gorgeous video of the black clouds rolling in. No tornado, but for half an hour the wind was pretty remarkable! This morning, I was awakened by more wind gusts. When I looked in our backyard and saw the sunlit trees with a backdrop of storm clouds....it was a race to get the camera. The sky was actually more multi-colored that it shows in the photos! So if I were to do a painting of these scenes, I would definitely show that!

I love how, in both of these photos, the trees look as though they are glowing against the stormy sky. And now.....20 minutes later....the sky looks nothing like it did just a short time ago. The storm threat seems to have dissipated...in just a matter of minutes. Very glad I keep my camera at the ready....you never know when that one glorious "photo op" is going to happen!

Toronto motorcycle show....

I'm having a fun time working on a commission at the moment, so I can't post photos of that piece. However, I decided to put up some photos of the motorcycle show I attended earlier this year. For anyone with a love of bikes....this was the place to be. The custom cycles were absolutely magnificent. So much work went into each and every one....I cannot imagine how long it took to not only build each one, but all the airbrused artwork on them took my breath away. I love the photo on right! The lighting on the bike is so dramatic that it makes for a wonderful photo....and hopefully a painting in the future.

The bike on the left has some wonderful airbrushed artwork. The portraits of Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison are beautifully done. Doing a portrait is challenging enough....I can't imagine how difficult it must be to do one on a bike!

Motorcycle madness nearing the finish line...

Yes....the end is in sight!! It looks like this painting WILL be completed before the snow falls! *sigh of relief*

I left the tire and the black glossy floor until the painting was nearly done. I knew those areas were going to be difficult, but I needed to get the chrome of the bike firmly established with the correct perspective first. The painting wouldn't work if those areas were done incorrectly. The deep black of the tire and the black glossy floor had to look a different "black" than the black reflections in the chrome. I wanted the tire to read like it was made of rubber.....to be made of a different material than the other black surfaces. Not an easy task, for sure!

So I mixed a deep black, took a deep breath.....and laid down the color. I did wet the surface first to help the paint flow....and worked quickly to prevent backruns. I wanted to include the reflected gold color in the tire...I loved how it looked and it helped prevent the tire from looking like a dead solid block of color. Then I used a similiar mix of deep black and laid down the glossy floor. After painting those sections....I set the painting aside to dry....and to give me time to just look and see what to do next.

Now that those sections are done....I can see that I need to deepen other sections of the bike to balance out the values. For one....I want to deepen the red flames. They looked so bold earlier....before the deep blacks were painted. Now they look pale in comparison.

So I am not done yet........but I will be done very soon!! And no snow!!!

The madness continues....

The madness continues, yes....but Oooooo so slowly!! The differences between the last post and this one are slight, but they do exist....promise!! The detail work on the gorgeous chrome wheel spokes, if that's what they're called here, is quite time consuming. Each one has a different reflection....and I wanted to take the time to get each one just right. I also take the time to adjust the values on the already "done" sections.....the done in quotes, because a painting like this is constantly needing value adjustment. You can think that a section is done, but then once the paint settles in and you complete another section near it, it can suddenly look not quite right. So with a painting like this, it's important to set it aside, and take the time to really look at it. Then what needs to be done.....shows.

For the flame work on the bike, I'm certainly not matching that line for line. The bike artist did free form flames, and I will do that also. When it comes time to do the tire and the black glossy floor.... the whole entire look of the painting will change. And I will need to adjust the values on the entire bike.....most definitely. You want the whole piece to jell.

I'm hoping to complete this within the next few weeks......hoping?? Fingers are crossed!