Lime green

My favorite color of clothing is lime green, so since I'm working from a black and white photo I made my shirt lime. Need to do more work on the rest of the painting but I like it so far.

Another start!

I always have a few paintings going at one time. I don't have A.D.D. I just like working on several projects at once and with oil it's actually necessary. Otherwise I would just keep on fiddling until I messed it up if I didn't have another painting to turn to. When I was a child, we lived in San Diego for a couple years. It was during the Korean War and my dad was in the navy. I have a photo of me at the beach when I was probably 4 or 5 years old. I decided to see what I could do with it in oil. So here it is in progress.

Couple new starts

I've been busy painting! Yay!!!

This horse is an image from Wet Canvas and I love the way it is turning out. Seems all the things Mahto has been teaching me are finally sinking in and being easier for me to incorporate into my work. Whew!

The portrait is the very beginning of a painting of my great-great grandmother. I'm really happy with how it is shaping up. I think it may be my best attempt at "skin" so far.

At last some things to show!

Ok, so none of these are finished and none of them are masterpieces, but here are a few things I've been working on in oil.  I have really fallen in love with oil painting.  So forgiving, and thus I feel more like experimenting. Remember I just started painting in oil on March 20.

I've painted this fellow a few times in watercolor so I was anxious to do him in oils.  I have a few more tweeks to do but he is not far from finished.  A small bit of the work is Mahto's when he was showing me how to do things but it is largely my own work.  This is on a canvas panel.

Our granddaughter, Gavin, when she was about 18 months old (now 15 yrs old).  Again, not quite finished.  This is done on Arches oil paper, which I rather like for portraits.

One of Freddie's spurs.  I just started this one yesterday.  On canvas panel.  I've done several other works of these spurs, in charcoal, carbon pencil and watercolor.  I think this one may turn out pretty well.

Soooo... I've never painted an animal.  Drawn, yes.  Painted, no.  This is Belle, a beautiful bay that Freddie owned until a few months ago.  On canvas panel, not finished either. 

Something different for me.  Someone posted on Wet Canvas recently about his portrait method.  No drawing at all.  He begins with blurred versions of the photo and paints only the value masses.  I have NEVER even tried to paint a portrait with no drawing or marks for certain features.  But I was intrigued and gave it a try.  The likeness is not great but this is a first attempt at doing this.  I will definitely try it again.  On Arches paper.

Another work in progress, again on Arches paper.  I'm pretty pleased with the face but those braids might drive me to drink!  LOL!!!

That's it for today!  Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog.  I'll try to get back to posting more regularly.

A new adventure!

I've not been painting lately and I wish I could say why.  A good friend passed away in November after a nine year valiant struggle with cancer.  She was my mom's best friend and I had spent the previous couple years sitting with her on Wednesdays to allow her hubby of 61 years to get out and about.  I loved the time with her and we spent each Wednesday working on knitting or crochet projects.  She taught me how to crochet and I made five afghans past year as Christmas gifts for grandchildren.  When she passed, it seemed that all I wanted to do was knit or crochet.  Maybe a way of grieving her loss - who knows? It just seemed that I could not get into the "zone" for painting.

A few weeks ago, I attended a showing at one of the galleries here in Fort Worth and the artist talk that day of the participating artists sharing info about their process of making art.  All of them work in oils.  I've always been somewhat interested in oil painting but did not pursue it because I did not want to deal with the toxic fumes, etc.  There are now water soluble oils that require no use of turpentine or other toxic solvents.  Brushes can be cleaned with soap and water. Sooooo.....I'm diving in with private instructions beginning on Wednesday, March 20, with a very accomplished local artist, Johnny Hogue.  Johnny has worked with water soluble oils for the past couple years.  The main thing I need to learn from him is how to use this medium, which is so different from watercolor.  Actually the exact opposite in terms of use.  
I don't plan to abandon watercolor but I feel that the oils will allow me to accomplish techniques that don't work well in watercolor.

I'm very excited to get started.  I ordered all the supplies on the list that Johnny gave me and they arrived yesterday.  I had a great time unpacking and inspecting each item but find that I'm somewhat apprehensive to actually play with them before Wednesday.  Guess I don't want to see how much of a mess I can make.  Silly, huh? 

So stay tuned for the new venture.  And wish me luck!!

Jim - started at workshop

As I worked on the painting of my dad during the workshop, I became more and more unsure of how much more it needed.  Here is how it stands today.  I have a made a few changes and have decided it should live on the wall for a while.  I think it may be finished but who knows!

In an effort to SLOW down and not ruin the one of my dad, I decided to start work on this painting of Jim on Friday.  Here's the photo.  We were at a Team Roping event watching my son, Freddie, rope.  

Here's the painting so far.  Lots more to do but I am not going to rush!  Gotta use what I learned this past week!

Ted talks alot of how he really studies the work of various artists, especially those who work in oil.  He looks for the ways he can incorporate their techniques in oil into his work in watercolor.  The Modern Art Museum here in Fort Worth has had an exhibition of the portraits by Lucian Freud.  I went to see it yesterday and all I can say is "wow!"  I certainly can see why Ted studies him.  Lots to learn.  Great work and I'm so glad I saw the exhibition.  It closes today.

Nuttall workshop

I had the great pleasure of participating in my second watercolor workshop with Ted Nuttall this past week.  My goal for this workshop was to re-focus my energies on getting back to his techniques for my work.  I have discovered that it is my favorite style and that when I stray and start incorporating other styles, I become frustrated and lose my enthusiasm.  Hence, my sporadic posting.

Ted is a wonderful teacher and artist- so generous with himself and his knowledge, while at the same time not disparaging of other styles.  So I carefully watched and listened, drinking in all that I could in the five days and wondering how I could have forgotten so much!!!  LOL!!!

Above are two shots from the workshop - Ted lecturing and Ted painting.  If you are interested, you can see his work at www.tednuttall.com

I went to the workshop with two drawings prepared for painting for the week.  The one below is the one I chose to begin first.  The photo is of my dad taken probably in the 1930's.  I like this expression on his face and it is ingrained in my memory as the "look" I saw when he was not particularly pleased with something or was in deep thought.  He was a very intelligent man and extremely well-read. 

Ted does not rush your progress and instead urges time and again to SLOW DOWN!!!!  (Patience has never been my strong suit!)  As I said, though, I listened carefully and forced myself to take my time.  In my next post I will show the progress on this painting and also the second one that I began on Friday of husband, Jim.