Two snuggling minimalist bunnies, painted with a dark brown brush marker on watercolor paper.
7″x10″ Brush marker on watercolor paper.
This piece is SOLD.
Dec 242012
Nov 182012
I worked on two paintings tonight. One is a continuation of the Diana Portraits project, where I laid down a second underpainting layer on a new test portrait. It’s just a field of olivy green, so it’s not really interesting enough to post a photo of that one. The other painting I worked on was the Complete Contentment Celtic piece, which is finally nearing completion. I think it just needs some more treatment on the outer edge.
Complete Contentment – WIP 10
5″x7″ oil paint on masonite board
On this layer (actually done in two sittings), I painted the dark brown border around the knotwork, and went over the outside edge with an opaque orange paint to hide some smudging. It will probably need another layer around the outside, as well as some other edge treatment, but it’s nearly finished.
For the record, I cannot for the life of me take true photos of the colors of my paintings at night in my home. This is not actually solid orange. :/
Project: Complete Contentment
Nov 172012
In October I was approached about creating a minimalist painting of a wolf for a tattoo design. The specific concept was a wolf, walking up a hill, pauses to look back over its shoulder at the viewer. One of the things I love about the small minimalist commissions is that I can make multiple finished renditions for a single commission, so the customer gets exactly what they want.
Minimalist Wolf Looking Back 1 & 2Brush marker on white paper.
5″x7″
These are the first two renditions I created, which were offered to the customer at one time.
She liked the look of the first one, except for the placement of the head and the line of the outer cheek, so I created a third version for her to review.
Minimalist Wolf Looking Back 3
Brush marker on white paper.
5″x7″
The third version is the one she chose for her commission.
Nov 032012
This painting is a commissioned piece, cover art for the novel Mermaid Drowning.
Title: On the Northern Coast
Size: 12″x16″
Medium: Oil paint on gessobord
Sittings: 5
Completion Date: 1 November, 2012
To see all the Work In Progress images -
Project: Mermaid Drowning
Nov 032012
I started this painting almost a year ago, referencing a photo I look myself at Halloween. It is a devotional work, dedicated to the sabbat of Samhain, the Celtic new year and the half-way point between the fall equinox and the winter solstice. It is the time I recognize as the start of the new year, when the harvest is almost done, winter is quickly coming, and the veil is thin. In 2012, Samhain falls on November 6.
Title: Samhain Candles
Size: 11″x14″
Medium: Oil paint on canvas board
Sittings: 6
Completion date: 1 November, 2012
To see all the Work in Progress images -
Project: Samhain Candles
Oct 242012
On the evening of Tuesday, the 23rd of October, 2012, I did a bit more work on two oil paintings.
Mermaid Drowning Cover – WIP 9
12″x16″ oil paint on Gessobord
For this layer I added more detail to the clouds, and the surf. I also removed the masking tape. I think I may have put too much yellow into the sea foam, so I’ll likely be adding just a bit more paint there on the next sitting. Otherwise, it’s just the female figure.
Project: Mermaid Drowning Cover
Samhain Candles – WIP 5
11″x14″ oil paint on canvas board
I painted the shadow areas of the objects with an opaque black paint, and added lighting detail. There is also another layer of paint on the top of the candle and the flame, and some slight highlighting on the pumpkins.
Project: Samhain Candles
Oct 172012
On Tuesday, the 16th of October 2012, I worked on one painting, the cover art for Mermaid Drowning.
Mermaid Drowning Cover Art – WIP 8
The photo is tinted slightly blue this time…
12″x16″ oil on gessoboard
At least two more layers to go. It needs more detail in the clouds, and a LOT more detail in the ocean. Then it’s on to the human subject.
Project: Mermaid Drowning Cover
Oct 092012
On the evening of October 8, 2012 I worked on two oil paintings. I added another layer to the book cover for Mermaid Drowning, and I resumed work on the Samhain Candles still life. I hope to have both paintings finished before the end of the month.
Mermaid Drowning – WIP 7
12″x16″ oil paint on gessoboard.
2 sittings
For this layer I added only black and white paint, which I used to lighten the color of the sand and reduce the yellow tint. I also added stronger shading in the sand and the rocks.
Project: Mermaid Drowning
Samhain Candles – WIP 4
11″x14″ oil paint on canvas board
5 Sittings, including the underpainting layer.
My apologies that the photo is a bit too yellow.
On this layer I painted in the subjects. It’s mostly flat black, but I did paint wet-on-wet to add details where a lot of lighting was needed. I am not expecting to do anything else major to the reflection images, but I will be laying down at least one more layer of black paint to the objects, and adding more highlighting details. The white paint I used is very low pigment load, so I also expect the bright white areas to be less brilliant when the paint is dry.
Project: Samhain Candles
Oct 052012
Wonder of wonders, on Thursday the 4th of October I finally sat down and got out my oil paints for the first time since moving to Las Vegas. The transition has been a difficult one for me, and my health problems continue to have a tremendous impact on my ability to work. With a little luck and a lot of determination, I hope to put out artwork and sewing at a more consistent pace. Thank you for staying with me during this difficult time.
The main purpose of getting out the paints was to work on the cover art for Mermaid Drowning, which must be finished before the end of October. While I had the paints out, I also worked on a couple other things. Primarily, I spent time adding shading to Complete Contentment, but I also put down an underpainting layer for another color/style test for the commissioned family portraits I started last winter.
Complete Contentment – WIP9
5″x7″ Masonite board
Oil paint
8 sittings
For this layer I added shading on the mouse and its tail.
Project: Complete Contentment
Oct 052012
My parents are preparing to publish their very first novel, and I am creating the cover art for them. The title of the novel is Mermaid Drowning. The cover art depicts the main character, Evelyn, watching the sunset at the beach with a storm looming on the horizon.
Mermaid Drowning – WIP 1
First sketch concept art for Mermaid Drowning book cover.
Mermaid Drowning – WIP 3
Sketch 2 for the book cover of Mermaid Drowning. They decided they wanted her to be wearing completely different clothing. Aside from the horizon line, the straight lines are all there to help me lay out the composition appropriately for a book cover.
Mermaid Drowning – WIP 4
12″x16″ gessoboard
To transfer the details of the concept sketch I used carbon paper and traced the sketch using a the tip of a paintbrush.
Mermaid Drowning – WIP 5
12″x16″ gessoboard
I masked out the central figure so I can seamlessly paint in the background around her. I also masked off the horizon line so I can underpaint a clean and straight horizon. I used ordinary painter’s masking tape of the kind you find at any hardware store.
Mermaid Drowning – WIP 6
Oil paint on 12″x16″ gessoboard
The central figure is currently masked out with normal blue masking tape so I can seamlessly paint in the background around her. I also masked out the horizon line before laying down the underpainting for the ocean, but I had removed the tape while painting so I could paint the rock on the right. I’ll be painting the ocean, waves, and sky all in the same sitting so they will accurately show the same colors. The underpainting will help to give the ocean depth beyond the sky colors it reflects.