Squirrel!

My challenge was to paint an "Amazing Autumn" picture. The intent was probably to paint a lovely yellow landscape, but I was having the hardest time getting inspired to do that. Then I saw this little squirrel just having a morning rest on a branch. I thought how amazing it is that they know to collect enough during the autumn months to get them through winter. So, I painted this little guy sitting on his hoard of acorns.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Wrapped Canvas.
Click Squirrel! if you'd like to purchase this little painting.

Parrot

I don't think I know any parrots personally.  

They're pretty.

It's amazing that they're that beautiful and just go about their bird business in the rainforest.

It's fun to see someone walking around with one on their shoulder.

I'm not a fan of seeing them in a little cage.

It's crazy that they can "talk."

I wonder if they have personalities.  My chickens do, so surely parrots do too.

Their feathers are simply fabulous.

The very first watercolor I ever attempted was about a year and a half ago.  It was a feather.  I thought I'd give that first lesson another try. If you zoom in and look closely, there are some hidden words on that feather... some goals... reminders to myself.

The little painting trio I'm in finally chose a name for ourselves.... Wordspark. (I'm not sure if that's the name of the project or the name of the group.)  Each month we'll get one word then see what kind of creativity sparks from that word.

This month's word was "Feathered." 

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas

If you'd like to purchase this painting, just click Parrot.

Whooooo's Got Pretty Orange Eyes?

I haven't painted much lately.

I've had the I-can't-think-of-anything-to paint syndrome.

Is that like "writer's block" only for brush and canvas instead of pen and paper?

My Creative Companions project is finished.

We're taking a little break from our Weekly-ish Art Challenge.

The on-line LifeBook 2023 painting class is over.

So... I was on my own to decide what to paint next. How about going back to the beginning?

These are the first six paintings I ever did.  

The first four were from the 6-week beginning painting class.  

1st 2/07 - Trees in summer

2nd 2/07 - Same trees done in autumn colors

3th 2/07 - Value study in black and white

4th 3/07 - Seeing the color in black and white

5th 3/07 - My choice... An owl from my backyard

6th 3/07 - Same owl, second attempt

How about another owl!  

It's always such a treat to spy an owl in the trees around our place.  We hear them often but rarely catch a glimpse of one.  When we do see one, he's staring  glaring down with such an attitude of disdain and superiority.  I just love him anyway. Ours rarely give permission for their photographs to be taken, but every once in a while, I get lucky.

While I don't know this particular orange-eyed owl in the painting personally, I do like his spicy attitude.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Wrapped Canvas.

Click Orange Eyed Owl if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Reindeer on December 23rd

Isn't he a handsome guy!

My Creative Companion topic was "Winter's Eve." Hmmm...Now I had to think about that one for quite a while. 

[My thinking process]

I didn't want to go Christmas-y, but I couldn't get away from the "Eve" part. 

According to my Google Merriam Webster:

Eve-

1. evening  

2. the evening or day before a special day  

3. the period immediately preceding 

We see a couple or even a dozen deer every time we walk down our road in the evening... or 'eve.'  I think how cold they must be as winter nears.

I wonder what their "cousins" are up to at the North Pole as winter days are nearing their big night.

.

I remember being in Wyoming for my 50th birthday and going on a wagon ride through an elk reserve.  I asked why they would sit in the patches of snow when they didn't have to.  The guide told me they were hot with all their fur and were just trying to stay cool.

[My working process]

Pexels.com is a great place to find free photos to use as references.  (Thanks to Frans van Heerden who took the reference photo I used.

I get the main lines on the canvas then start with the background. Before you know it, a reindeer is on my easel. My painting area has everything right where I need it. (Why do I have 100 different brushes when I use about 5? I don't know.) I love having a photo viewer.  (You can get one at any estate sale you go to. --I've picked up 5-6 over the years.--  It will most likely still be like new and in the box with the $129 price tag still attached.  You'll spend about $7.50 if you go on the last day of the sale when everything's priced to go.) I put my reference photo on a thumb drive and voila.  You can see I have another one on the right. (It has the reference drawing propped against it in this photo.)  There's a different reference photo on that one.

While I paint I usually listen to an audio book... or music, country or some 80s rock... Sometimes the television is on if it's evening and Ron's watching a ballgame or flicking through channels. Or, maybe, I'm letting my mind wander and wonder about what I'm painting and composing a little jingle in my head about it...

What do the reindeer do on the twenty-third?

They eat well, relax, walk through the snow

 take it easy, have a nap, and just lay low.

But what of the elves in charge of the herd?

They're the ones who must persist

 to tend to each detail on the long checklist.

They clean out each stable and muck every stall

 make last preparations for the next night's long haul. 

They bring plenty of water and hay and oats.

 massage sore muscles and brush shaggy coats.

They test every harness and each jingle bell.

trim every hoof and check antlers as well. 

There's much to take care of on the twenty-third 

when your an elf in charge of the reindeer herd.

For my companion piece, I thought I'd just whip out a watercolor of this reindeer... It was a disaster. So I thought I'd "fix" is with colored pencils... then pastels... then paint pens... All disasters... Finally used acrylics to cover all the previous attempts... Better, but pretty boring and near ready for the bin... But... then... I was thinking how my handsome guy had become so silly looking and thought how the reindeer must party after their big flight. How about a few stickers! Ha ha ha... a party animal!

My friend LeeAnna loved him, so I put him in the mail and sent him on his way to her.

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas

Click Reindeer if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Giraffe Family

I painted some giraffes! 
Well, that's different... what was I thinking!

The Weekly-ish challenge I was given was "Starts with the Letter G."  That's pretty wide open... geranium... green grass... gem... guitar... goldfish... gift... grapes... goat-girl-goo-goo-goggles-g-g-g...

Besides Dr. Seuss's, nearly every ABC book I know of has a picture of a giraffe beside the letter G.  So... Some giraffes! 

I don't personally know any giraffes, but if I did I'd want it to be this guy with the attitude.

Original Palette Knife Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Wrapped Canvas
Click Giraffe Family if you'd like to purchase this painting.

Red Panda

Well, hey there! Aren't you a cutie!

This little guy is actually supposed to have been done in watercolor.  I'm taking a Wildlife Watercolor class with Tamara Laporte. I really liked this one, and I had a couple of reasons for wanting to do him well.

Reading between the lines, "do him well" might imply that he wouldn't have looked very good if I'd done him in watercolor.  That would be correct. I'm trying, but I'm not good at it. Am I having fun though? Hmmm... good question... Fun? Well, I'm learning,  I'm committed to do 8 lessons, and I'm being challenged.

A friend's favorite animal is the red panda, so she'll get a surprise for her birthday next week.

Also my weekly-ish challenge was "Unique Creature" so that worked out. 

Oil Painting on 8"x 10" Wrapped Canvas

[GIFT] 

Mask Mandate

Whether you're the thief or his lookout, you're probably wearing a mask!
At least if you're a raccoon...

A few years ago my friends and I spent a weekend painting at Welcome Home Retreat in Weatherford, Texas.  We came out of our painting room and into the courtyard for a late night dip in the hot tub to discover these babies who thought they were sneaky enough to help themselves to the bird food. 

Here at home I am less delighted with our raccoons.  As long as they go about their raccoon business at night and keep to the woods, I'm happy to have them as neighbors.  When they are unkind (translate to break in the coop and kill) to my chickens, we generally need to have a daytime discussion.  That meeting ends with a long car ride and a new home for the bad guy.

It's one thing to have a talk while he's in the cage.  It's another when I'm face to face with him on the porch.  You'll have to read about that one here as we didn't stop for a photo op in the middle of the night.

Raccoon Story Part 1

Raccoon Story Part 2

I've always known I wanted to paint these little raccoons one day.  Sara's Inspiration Image for March's Inspiration Collaboration was a furry brown dog on a black background.   It was a reminder that these raccoons were still waiting their turn to be put on canvas.

Original Oil Painting on 8"x 10 Wrapped Canvas

[SOLD]

Turtles on a Log

 

Nothing to see here… can barely even see the lake… just a bunch of twigs and branches and logs. Unless… Unless you look more closely!

You never realize how many turtles are living in a pond until the sun is shining brightly on an otherwise chilly day. Then they crawl up on the logs to bask in the light and try to soak up the warmth. (Somehow this makes the idea swimming in a pond or lake a bit less appealing to me!)

**You’ll just have to trust me that there were three times as many turtles on those logs seconds before I took the reference photo.  You see, I was on a hike with about 50 ten year olds.  Kids don’t really come walking around the bend in a quiet and peaceful way that would encourage turtles not to slip off the logs and back into the water.

Sara's inspiration image for January's Inspiration Collaboration showed a tangle of maple branches against the background of the cold sky with one thing that didn't belong, a pinecone perched there on the maple twigs. My response was to paint twigs and branches and logs on the cool lake with something at the center that doesn't... well, actually does... belong.

I' enjoyed seeing this one on my own wall for a while.  My country girl spirit finds something very calming about it.

Original Oil Painting on 9"x 12" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Autumn Buck & Doe

When we go for walks down our road, we're greeted by our forest friends. They stop what they're doing and stare at us until one of them gives the signal (that sounds like a sneeze).  Then up go their tails and away they go into the trees.

We see them every single day, so they know us. That doesn't mean they trust us.  That's okay.  They need to be wary of people.

I do wish I could take some good photos of them, but I've decided that good wildlife photographers have an abundance of patience.  I'm more of a, "Well, hello there!"  📸*point...snap* then keep walking kind of girl.

If you click over to Inspiration Collaboration and look at Sara's Inspiration Image Winter Wonderland, you'll understand exactly why I had to paint my deer friends this month.

Original Oil Painting on 6"x 8" Wrapped Canvas
Click Autumn Buck & Doe if you'd like to own this little painting.