Cotton Candy

Finished! And I decided to call it "Cotton Candy" because the clouds remind me of it so much. I also decided to rework some of the sky because as I kept looking at it over the past week something seemed off. The clouds just weren't soft enough, so I lightened up the bottom blue parts and glazed over the purple parts of the clouds. That's the thing about working with acrylic, you have to account for it drying darker. I like it more now.

I also think "Cotton Candy" could be a kind of lure, as living in a development isn't always what it seems.

Day 2 on "How Small We Are"

Worked on building up the sky and clouds today. I have to remind myself to step back more often to view the overall painting. The first time I painted in the darker values on the clouds they were a little too dark and I had to lighten them up a little. Clouds need to be soft around the edges and blended. So, it's important to work the whole sky together while the acrylic is still wet. My paints were better today. I also painted in the first layer of color on the houses and landscape. The paint slides around a lot on the Ampersand board, so it needs at least two layers for good coverage. Maybe one more day before this one's done.

Painting Progress

So, I've decided to be daring and document my painting process. Here is the first photo of "How Small We Are". It's 16"x12" acrylic on Ampersand primed artist board. Since it's winter and too cold for me to actually start a painting outside, I'm using some photos that I've taken over the years. This is a view out my back window (and I can look out there for more reference, too, if necessary). Of course, it's all about the sky, but, I also love the scale of the sky to the houses.

Back to the process. It starts with a sketch and planning out placement, proportions, and composition. Then, laying down the first coat of paint for the sky... largest areas first...and building the painting from background forward. Oddly, my paint is not covering as smoothly as I'd like. It's really dragging and I've had to scrape parts down and repaint. I think my paints may be too cold. I guess it's not such a good idea to store paints in the basement in winter. Hmmm. Hopefully, they'll warm up soon. To be continued...

Wine Country #1, 2, 3

This triptych is painted with acrylic on 3"x3" size canvas'. It's a winery outside of Jim Thorpe, PA. I just love this time of day, right before sunset when the shadows start to get long and the colors really pop. I added the hot air balloon from another photo I took from a different location. I hope to do more paintings from this location. These paintings were on exhibit at Moore College of Art's Tete a Tete Alumnae Exhibit and sold.

Fields of Lace

16x20 acrylic   This is a farm just around the corner from my home. I painted this on artist board, like masonite, but thicker. I really prefer it to canvas. I wasn't sure how this would turn out with so much complexity to the Queen's Lace. But, I like a challenge and it's one of my favorites.

And Baby Makes Three

46x40 acrylic   This is an older painting that I reworked this summer. I like that it combines portraits with interior with still life. I got the idea from Matisse's painting "Sculpture with Goldfish". I wanted to transition from still life painting to interiors. It's a strange painting, but I like that. I still want to work more on the male figure's face. Any other suggestions?

Big Stretch Kitty

7x20 acrylic    I decided to try something a little more fun for the Fast Lane competition. This is one of my cats, Frankie. I had to be very inventive since he wouldn't pose the exact way I wanted. I don't usually work this way, but I'm happy with the results.