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]

Willowing Arts : A Year of Light 2025 (March)

Every Sunday night another 2-3 new lessons arrive in my inbox.

I loved these lessons from March.

Besides learning and practicing mixed media skills, I love listening to the accents from the Willowing Arts teachers who live and teach from different countries.

Red Chair

What makes me love this painting so much?

I do love a great porch.  I love a pretty door... nice blooming plants... a blue sky...

Hmmm...

This little 8"x 10" painting is the 100th Weekly-ish Challenge painting with my art mentor / dear friend Cheri. 100!!! 

We started during COVID, a time when we needed a way to boost our creativity and an excuse to talk for a hour each week or so. Cheri lives in another state, but that hasn't kept us from being painting partners. We came up with the idea then made some rules.

1. We'd take turns coming up with a challenge word  
* *unless we chose a phrase or concept.
2. We'd do an oil painting in response to the challenge
* *unless we chose to do art is some other way.
3. We'd have one week to complete our art projects
* *unless we needed a few extra days... or weeks.
4. We'd text to let the other know when we finished
* *unless we were already talking for another reason.
5. We'd have fun and laugh...

I'm a loyal fan of using Blurb, so of course we made little books to record our project.

Here are links.  

• Click PREVIEW under the book cover to open the book. 
• Click the two arrows above the book to make it bigger. 
• Click the bottom right corner to turn the pages. 
• Flip through and enjoy!

Weekly-ish Challenges #1-#20

Weekly-ish Challenges #21-40

Weekly-ish Challenges #41-#60

Weekly-ish Challenges #61-#80

Weekly-ish Challenges #81-#100

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my friend Sara Harley who has the most wonderful collection of photos that she's taken over the years.  When I get stuck in a I-have-no-idea-what-to-paint mode, she comes through with the perfect reference photo. 

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Canvas Board in Vintage Frame

Click Red Chair if you'd like to purchase this painting. 

WordSpark

 

Doesn't it feel great to complete a big project?

Yes, it does!

Isn't it great to have creative friends, even if they're in different states?

Yes, it is!

 

Three of us got together (via Zoom) about a year and a half ago and made a plan.  

You have to have a plan... even if you change it several times in the beginning and a few more times along the way. 

We met each month or so over Zoom. We took turns giving the "Word" as a creative "Spark" to help us create two paintings or art pieces. After a few weeks, we'd Zoom again to see each other's work revealed, celebrate our successes, and get the next "WordSpark."

Click HERE for the link to our project.

• Click PREVIEW under the book cover to open the book. 
• Click the two arrows above the book to make it bigger. 
• Click the bottom right corner of the book to turn the pages. 
• Flip through and enjoy!

You can see Julie's other art HERE.

You can see Deidre's other art HERE.

Painting Easter Bunnies with Seniors at OLLI

Really?
The newspaper guy was there for an hour. 
He took dozens and dozens of photos.
And... this is the one he chose??? Honestly...
Oh, well, at least I look happy.

What lovely little paintings from these lovely men and women!!

Of course the paintings done by these students are priceless, but you're welcome to purchase one of my examples:

Click Bunny with Tulips or Bunny with Easter Eggs.