Portrait Swap

This is the painting I did for a portrait swap sponsored by the Different Strokes blog.
I've never met this lovely lady; I just got a digital image from the swap organizer, Karen Jurick.

Here is my ref photo

I painted her in acrylics on canvas, 9 x 12"
As a landscape painter it was a real challenge - I worked on her features for hours. In the photo there is a cast shadow from the bill of the cap that I didnot include.

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Update- Here it is! This is the portrait that was done by Sheila Thornton of me:

I sent Sheila this photo of me sitting at my desk.

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I did a similar swap in 2006 on WetCanvas!

So, two portraits in two years :-)

Here's the portrait that Terry of WetCanvas did of me in 2006. He sent the finished painting to me and I love it!

Wordle Word Soup

Isn't ths fun? I came across this website where you can make your own Wordle. This one is made from the RSS feed from this blog. Sort of a collage of words!
I need to go play with this now and see what else I can make ;-)
http://www.wordle.net/create

Seascapes

Here are a couple of new ACEOs I did this week. I love to paint ocean scenes. I used my winnings from the Utrecht competition to buy some 300# D'Arches watercolor paper. I was like a kid in the candy store with my gift certificate!

Holiday Visitors

With this terrible cold weather we've been keepng an eye on the local wildlife. Today the deer came to within a couple of feet of the house. The birds and squirrels are going through the birdseed as fast as we can refill the feeders.

I'm a Winner!

I am the proud winner of the Utrecht Art Store -Post-A-Photo-Of-Your-Studio contest. I guess I'm proud in the sense that all publicity is good publicity. But also a bit ashamed of showing off something so..... unkempt. But heck, a $25.00 prize is worth at least $25.00 worth of embarassment.
I'm also the first winner, the first artist brave enough to reveal what's behind the curtain.
So go ahead, take a good look and then send in a photo of your studio to Maureen - don't be shy, she's seen it all!

http://cleveland.utrechtblog.com/2008/12/19/first-studio-picture-winner/#comment-1517

Belly Dancer!

This gal is painted from a photo ref posted on WetCanvas!
I wanted to create a sense of movement (easy to do with those hips!) and fun in my version. This piece is 8x8" on unstretched canvas.

Take a Break

It gets a little too busy at times..... sit back and relax for a minute~~

Christmas Party Grab Bag Gift

This is the ACEO I painted for the Christmas grab bag gift exchange at our local artists group. My new friend Drew got it - he said he liked it!
I got the prettiest abstract watercolor from Delores. A great evening!

Christmas Amaryllis ACEO

My ACEO and the photo ref for it...



Aren't these beautiful flowers?

Snow Scenes

Here are two aceos I painted, inspired by early snow falls here in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We have large areas of wetlands that host beavers and all sorts of birds. And the bike/hike trail is used year round. A dusting of snow just makes the scenery all the more beautiful!

A Photo a Day

Imagine documenting your life, a photo every day. I was first introduced to this idea in the movie "Smoke" when the character played by Harvey Keitel sets up his camera and takes a photograph every day of the same street corner.

The idea is intriguing b ut I dont think I would actually carry it out for more than a week or two.

I came across a website that links to a project where the photographer did just that.... a photo a day for 18 years. The series of photos is compelling and does not have a happy ending.

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/15131

New ACEOs

Seascapes and landscapes - my two favorite subjects. Crashing waves are fun to paint- all that white foam and spray. High grass and trees full with colorful foliage. Water reflections and quaint buildings. Great subjects!

Winnie, Birds and Boots

It was a nice Saturday - relaxing and fun. The family all went to see a local production of Winner the Pooh - A Christmas Tail (reference Eeyore's tail). In this photo Pooh and Eyeore share a post-production chat. Its a small theater of professional actors - we're lucky to have it in our community.

I brought out the oil pastels this afternoon and did this piece. I forgott how much fun they can be to use.

In the meantime an Alberta Clipper came to town and it's cold.... in the low 20's and icy and snowy. We cancelled a trip to Cleveland and decided to stay in and stay warm! The backyard birds didnt have that luxury!

Final Glory Blazing Autumn Harrington Original ACEO - eBay (item 190271623877 end time Dec-11-08 09:39:09 PST)

Final Glory Blazing Autumn Harrington Original ACEO - eBay (item 190271623877 end time Dec-11-08 09:39:09 PST)

Basic Black

I painted this last night in a workshop with Sandy Dennison. The central idea was to use black - the forbidden color. Conventional wisdom is to never use black paint - its considered too harsh, too stark. Sandy's point is that it often enlivens a painting and makes the lighter values really pop. This is 11x14", for sale.
I think I will take the advice to heart. I like the effect you can get and I'm ready to break some rules!

Cabbage

Cabbage ACEO 2.5 x 3.5"

The lowly cabbage is really a beautiful thing to paint. All those lush greens and the delicate ribbing in each. I'm not a big vegetable person but this summer I fuond a great cole slaw receipe that uses sugar and vinegar and NO mayo. Its great for hot weather and goes really well with pork dishes. We don't eat much cole slaw in winter but I'm reminded of the super irish receipe Colcannon. Check here for all variations on colcannon: http://www.irelandnow.com/colcannon.html
I was surprised to see "Colcannon at Hallowe'en used to contain a plain gold ring, a sixpence, a thimble or button: finding the ring meant marriage within the year for the person who found it, the sixpence meant wealth, the thimble spinsterhood and the button bachelorhood."
My mother use to bake these trinkets into my birthday cake. is it just a coincidence that my birthday is the day before Halloween? Every child got a piece of cake with some token in it and she said it told our fortune. I have no idea where she found this set of metal trinkets or what happened to them.