Do you like re-runs?
I do... IF... it's something I loved the first time around.
If it's an episode of Big Bang Theory or Andy Griffith or The Cosby Show, it doesn't matter how many times I've seen it; I'm happy to watch it again.
There are a few movies that I can watch again and again like When Harry Met Sally or It's a Wonderful Life or The Grinch; it doesn't matter if I have half the lines memorized.
So, that thought brings me to this painting...
... a re-run.
But, I loved it the first time, and I love it again - this time on a smaller canvas.
When my little Tuesday evening painting group wanted to paint a red barn, I gave it another go along with them.
I have to say, however, that between the painting of snow and the snow that has caused us to miss 8 snow days of school already this winter, I'm ready to paint something warmer! :)
Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas
Click "Red Barn & Wheelbarrow in Winter" if you'd like to purchase this painting.
What did you have in mind?
This is not what I had in mind... I bought a bag of limes, and when I dumped them into a bowl, I thought they were gorgeous. I set up some for still life references and took a bunch of photographs. One was just a few slices on my cutting board... scatter of circles I decided to do first.
Once finished it was flat, the stripes of the cutting board that you could see made no sense. So, I decided a nice light cool blue would make the limes pop; it looked like some giant lime balloons floating through the sky. I almost never paint with blue, and I had a blob of it on my palette that had been just sitting there for a while. It seemed like a good choice. Nope... nothing; I added some white in one corner and some dark blue in the other. At that point, the limes popped, but it made no sense at all.
Then...
I picked it up by the darker "side" so show it to my husband. Odd, I didn't paint it vertically, but it made me smile... Ok, so weird, but imagined the sugar-plum dream from The Nutcracker and the line "while visions of sugar-limes danced in their heads" from Twas the Night Before Christmas. Hmmmm....interesting... I took it by the lighter "side" and thought of Jimmy Buffet looking for his lost shaker of salt... kind of dreamy, made my mouth water for something sour. Who knew... I love it!
Wonder how it all started? Yeah, it came a long way...
[SOLD}
How do you decide what to paint?
I get asked that question a lot. Well, if someone commissions me to paint something, that's one way. If my little painting group is painting something, I do that with them. When I come across an image that I absolutely love, I put a picture of it in a folder called "Possibilities" on my computer. Sometimes, I go to that folder and shop around for something I still love.
So, why did I do this one? ...because I needed a break from the stress of painting humans. ...because green and purple are my favorite colors ... because it's odd and different.
I wanted to experiment with the loose type of painting that I see artists using... thick blotchy paint... smears of color scraped on with a palette knife...
...yeah... so that didn't work out for me, did it...
Click Good Mornin' Glory! if you'd like to purchase this painting.
Is this deja vu?
No, I didn't accidentally post these gals again. The ladies are back for yet another encore! There must be something about those patient eyes that make people want to look again and again. (You can read what I wrote the other times by clicking We'll Just Have Salad and then We'll Just Have Salad II.)
You would think I'd have this down by the third time, but nope... still had challenges to work through, especially with the black cow. I miss having a teacher who can just say, "Use cerulean blue instead of white," or "Try moving her eye sparkle to the other side," or "Look at the sides of her nose again," or "Maybe a white eyelash with an upward twist." Sometimes I miss painting with you each week so much, Cheri!
So, anyway...
Look at the difference a few tiny changes makes!
Isn't she friendlier now!
[SOLD]
