Theologians

I really hesitated to take on this commission because the lighting seemed so poor in the photo. But then I thought, why not take it on as a challenge and if it stinks, so what? So here it is and I don't think it stinks and the person buying it loves it. Go figure. I learned quite a bit about painting people who are in the dark in the process.

Finn

The friend that commissioned this does crazy Christmas cards every year and this is cropped from one in which they did an Abbey Road theme.
I spent a little more on the canvas this time and it made a huge difference. I feel like I was painting on sandpaper before.

Puppy

Dogs are fun! I've been working hard to get these guys done before Christmas and now I deserve a holiday break. Happy holidays, everyone!

Murphy

This painting and the next one are going to be gifts for people who lost their dog last year. I never really had a dog, but I can imagine it is a great loss and this will warm their hearts on Christmas. I'm getting quicker!

Friend of a Friend

It was nice to do a pretty young woman for a change. Makes me wish I could afford to hire models to paint. There is more pressure to get it right though, because you really want their beauty to come through in the painting.

Travis

There's something so cute about them when they are all bundled up for the cold. I was a little concerned when my son asked if he was an astronaut on the moon, though.

Calf

My first animal portrait! I was worried about painting a black animal, but what I got stuck on was the meadow background. This is for my best friend from 6th grade who found me on Facebook. Her mother raises cattle and she's giving this to her for Christmas. I hope she likes it!

Swim Boys

Here's the second in a series for my son's wonderful swim instructor, Nora Martin. What a challenge! Seven little bodies are very time-consuming to paint. I have to thank Nora for pushing me out of my comfort zone. I kind of felt like I could only paint portraits and it's liberating to learn that it's possible for me to paint all kinds of things.

Nora's Yard

This is my son's wonderful swim instructor's yard. I was a little worried about taking this on since I haven't done anything like this before, but I'm really glad I did. Trees have a lot of character and I love the shadows branches make.

Banjo

It was nice to do a close-up this time. No hands or detailed clothing, just a big ole happy face. I was a little worried about painting teeth because most of my portraits are of the non-smiley sort, but it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I'm hoping that's the case with the next few, which are not portraits but scenery and landscapes. Wish me luck!

Teddy

My first baby! I kind of always thought it was better to wait until they are a little older but now I've changed my mind. They are only this little for so long, why not capture that moment forever? This guy was very sweet and fun to paint. Off to start on his big brother!

Will

Well, I thought I was going to experiment with some acrylics but I got some commissions so I'm sweatin' it out in the garage with oils again. Not complaining though, it's nice to have some work! I really love painting these little guys.

Evie

Yay! Back to portraits, my comfort zone. This one was a lot of fun because it came together quickly and naturally. I'm going to try experimenting with acrylics next since it's just way too hot in Texas right now to paint in the garage. So I guess that means I'll be leaving the comfort zone again. Wish me luck!

Three Boys

Well, I learned a few things with this one. The boys were mostly in the shade, which made getting a decent skin tone difficult. I'm also still figuring out how to improvise and accept that it's okay to be representational and not literal. The boy on the left was wearing a sling so I had to guess how things would look without it and I changed the scenery up a bit to suit me. I also learned that I just don't like working big (this was 24"x30"). What I realized most is that I miss doing portraits and would really like to just do a big ole face!

Jumping Again

Well, I don't know what to say about this one except I'm glad it's done. I was excited to continue with the jumping idea, but this canvas was bigger than I'm used to working with so it seemed like there was too much space to fill. For some reason I have a really hard time just quitting a piece and starting on something new so I just kept sinking more time into it without really improving it. I guess I learned that sometimes it's best to just call it done and move on.

Last Figure Study

This is the final study of my class. Obviously, I didn't get around to finishing it but there never seems to be enough time. The class was such a great experience and I'm really bummed it's over. I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned, but hopefully it will come across in my next paintings.

Skin Tone Study

I think the quick studies in class have definitely sharpened my drawing skills, but usually when time is up I haven't had enough time to do all the things we are learning about. For example, those little bits of white in his face really make a difference but that's something that's saved for the end and I never got that far during the short poses in class. Therefore, I took a picture of my trusty model so I could practice all the things we are learning in class without time constraints (although it was under an hour).
Oh, and I promise, I'm not avoiding feet! In the Audrey painting I liked them going off the painting for some reason, and in the picture for this one his feet were chopped off.

Jumping In

I started this painting around the holidays and kind of abandoned it to concentrate on my figure painting class. I really hate to waste paint though, so I started using what's left over on my palette from class to finish this one.
This is my cousin's wife Audrey (hi Audrey! I hope you like it!) jumping off a large rock in Leakey, Tx. I started to try to paint the rock and foilage but quickly realized A) that's a whole different world of painting and I'm not sure if I could pull it off and B) it's not really something I want to paint anyway. I feel like I've recently abandoned my abstract ways to become more of a realist and this way I can combine both worlds. I also like that it's more symbolic of what it feels like to jump into something.

Value Study

Well, I hesitated to post this since it's so rough, but I felt like it was high time I posted something on this blog. This is a five minute value study I did in the figure painting class I'm taking with Jennifer Balkan. I'm really thrilled to be taking this class and I've learned so much in the first two classes. Maybe this will be the thing that catapults me into fame and fortune....

Patrick

It was nice to just concentrate on the face this time and not worry about clothes and hands. His mom commissioned the portrait as a surprise Christmas gift for her husband. I hope he likes it!

Vivian #2

Chubby little fingers are challenging, but there's nothing like some pigtails to raise your spirits. Vivian is one of my son's best buddies and it's been a joy watching her grow up. She's quite the little lady.

Self-portrait with Umbrella

I'm really not that vain, I swear. I just really like participating in David Ohlerking's fabulous self-portrait shows and he has them frequently. That, and I can't really afford to hire models anyway. Figuring out what to do with them is a little tricky. I've thought about giving them to family members as gifts, but how presumptuous and vain is that? Here ya go, just what you've always wanted, a big picture of ME! Guess they're destined for the garage...

Arte y Pico

An art award, Yay! I'm honored to accept and pass along this award I received from Carol Marine.

FYI...The Origin of The Arte y Pico Award and Rules if you choose to accept. You might be interested in the origin of the "Arte y Pico Award" The designer of the award puts it like this..."The Arte y Pico Award has arisen from the daily visits that I make to many blogs which nourish and enrich me with creativity. In them, I see dedication, creativity, care, comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art. I want to share this prize with all those bloggers that entertain and enrich me day to day. Doubtlessly, there are many and it will be hard to pick just a few."


Here are the rules:

The Rules:
1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award through creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogger community, no matter of language.
2. Each award should have the name of the author with a link to their blog.
3. Award winners have to post the award with the name and link to the blog of the person who gave them the award.
4. Show these rules and the paragraph (above) explaining the awards origination.


Here are my picks:

1) Justin Taylor
2) Leslie Sealey
3) Sandra Flood
4) Sarah Fox
5) Liza Hirst

Oh, and I'm working on a new self-portrait that should be up in a few days so stay tuned!

Kiersten

My good camera is in the shop so this photo doesn't really do the painting justice. I think I'm going to experiment with acrylics or practice drawing for the rest of the summer (unless I get commissions, of course. Anyone?). It's an oven in my studio/garage and I despise sweating. So who knows what kind of art I'll be posting next...

Backyard Guitar

Note to self- musical instruments are HARD to paint. Well, it's about 100 degrees in the garage I call a studio and fans just don't help much so paintings are coming along slowly. I do have another toddler portrait coming up so stay tuned.......

Sabrina

Here's the latest little munchkin. I hope I keep getting these toddler commissions. They're so sweet!

Samantha and Christopher

Well that was way too long a break! Hopefully I've defeated all my obstacles for now and will get my momentum back. This is a portrait of my niece and nephew. My sister is moving to Germany for three years in September and I will miss their sweet little family greatly. She's trading me this portrait for a trip to visit them so I'm definitely getting the better end of the deal!

Austin Figurative Gallery

Here are some photos from my little art happening last weekend. It was fun, but I'm ready to get back to painting!

Shirley Manson

This painting of Justin Taylor's inspired me to paint a musician. He's awesome, you should definitely browse his blog. I had originally planned to paint Blondie but couldn't find an image I liked of her, and besides, Shirley's just as cool.

Jude

This is my awesome son. I suppose I should be painting things I can sell, or would even be willing to part with but I figure all those artists making gobs of money are wishing they could paint whatever they felt like. So I guess I'll just get ones like this out of the way before the fame and riches come rolling in.