Andy

He's happy and funny and sweet and silly and smart and loves all things with wheels.

Original Oil on 8"x 10" Wrapped Canvas
[NFS]

Drawing Landscapes

I signed up for a 6-week drawing class through OLLI, the senior branch of the University of Arkansas.

For me, I'd compare drawing to broccoli... 

I don't like it.  

I try to avoid it.  

I know it's good for me. 

Other people love it.  

I can do it (eat it) if I have to.

So... why did I take the class?  Good question. 

It's hard; I'd like it to get easier.  

It's tedious; I'd like it to become a pleasure. 

I know it takes practice; I'm a good student, so if there's  homework, I know I'll do it whereas I wouldn't on my own.  

I like to be a life-long learner; since I've taught several painting classes through OLLI, I had the credits to take this one for free.

Week One Homework: I drew a landscape each day. I looked for photos I'd taken from places I'd been.

Beach in Indonesia 

California Coastline

Farm where I grew up near Mena, Arkansas

Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Smoky Mountains in Tennessee

Snowy view from a friend's house

Janis Joplin Tree, San Francisco

Geri

Duplicate? Nope. Two separate paintings each on a little 5"x 7" canvas. I rarely painting full-face portraits. There's just a tiny bit  whole lot of added stress and pressure to getting a face right. When painting a flower, no one knows or cares if a petal is off. When painting fruit, it's no bother if the apple is rounder or the pear is greener. When it's a loved one's face, however, the smallest detail has to be right. The process is fun through the point when there's a lovely blond girl, but then... I'll just widen the face a little... lower the brows... thin the lips... move the nostrils... fix the color of the cheeks... add shadow under the hair... change the shape of those teeth... and on and on until it's just time to call it.

If I rarely paint portraits, why this one?  I've had two mentors in my life... One for painting and one for writing... and both are named Cheri. I'd never say no to either.  Cheri asked me to paint her special friend as a gift for the friend's daughters, and of course, I said, "What size and when do you need them?"

My reference photo...

A snapshot of Geri & Cheri taken 50 years ago. 

💙💙💙Helen, thank you once again for taking on the challenge of a memory painting…this one of a special friend x 2. You’ve managed to paint a memorial to a boat, beaches, granddaughters, a beloved dog, and hanging flowers in vases.
Thank you for painting my memories. - Cheri💙💙💙

Original Oil Paintings on 5"x 7" Wrapped Canvas

SOLD

I Like... (4/25)

   Thank you to Leeanne of Not Afraid of Color for reminding me to notice things I like. 

I like the daffodils, the first signs of spring.

I like getting the garden started.
Onions are first.

I like my 6 little hens:
Marie, Ruby Jean, Twinkle, Eleanor, Fancy-like, Pauline

I like that they come for a handful of sunflower
seeds or worms first thing each morning.

I like painting.
I like teaching.
I like teaching painting to seniors.

I like living with the forest friends... even the squirrels.
(Look carefully, right in the middle of the photo, hanging upside down from the bird feeder.)

I like starting seeds in the greenhouse... aka the upstairs bathroom.
(The windows lets lots of sun in and the door keeps the cat out.)

 I like our backyard deer.
(This will change as the garden season comes.)

 I like having a garden helper.

 I like walking down our road and seeing the seasons change.

LeeAnne's  get-to-know-you writing topics this month:

As a youngster or teen,  did you get a new dress, hat  or shoes for Easter? I did have a new dress for Easter.  My mother sewed everything I wore, and she always made each of us an Easter dress. go to church or have big family gatherings? Easter was always a special Sunday at church with special music and decorations. Do you mark the holiday now in some way? Easter Sunday is always a special day at church.

Do you remember dying easter eggs? Of course! That flimsy little wire egg holder...The cardboard box with the punch out holes for the eggs to dry on... The little tablets that would fizz and color the vinegar... the smell of vinegar... Did you do it with your mom or the other kids? Whoever was there. Did  you have those crayons to pre mark them? I think we did once or twice, and I don't remember them working well. What did your family do with them?  Did your family hide them for hunts? We hid them inside and outside again and again and again.

Did you get Easter baskets as a child? Please describe them, what was in them, did you get them in the morning? After church? I didn't discover that kids got new baskets and candy and presents for Easter until I was an adult. Did you make them for your kids your mate or decorations?  We did make it special for our kids, but we weren't outlandish with it.

Where do you do your computer work, or blogging?  For example at the kitchen table like me? on your lap in front of the tv? at an actual desk? Do you use a computer or do it from your phone or ipad?  show us a pic if you can, of your set up for blogging.  I actually did a painting with my laptop and my favorite space and wrote a whole post about this very thing.

 

Patsy's View

"Do you ever take requests for paintings?"

Ahhh... One of my favorite questions! 

YES!  I do love to put someone's story on canvas for them.

A list of questions come first:

What size? Square or rectangle? Is there a time constraint? Etc.

Then... What reference photo?... What details are important to be included?

Once I'm pretty sure what my assignment is, I want to know the story. 

What makes this image special? What meaning does it hold?

If I'm painting someone's story, I love knowing what the story is.

Thanks, Parker, for sending it.

"This is a photo of the view from inside my wife's grandparent's house in East Texas, taken the last time we were there and just before the house was sold.  Patsy would look out this window as she washed dishes over many years.  Through this window with blinds pulled up, she gazed upon her garden and her husband Hubert's cows milling about inside and outside the barn.  You can get lost in this quiet pastoral scene, especially in our thoroughly modern and frantic world."

Just for fun, here's a little 30 second video of the painting process. Enjoy!

 

Original Oil Painting on 11"x 14" Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]