Golden Sunset

I'm honored and humbled whenever someone asks me to paint for them.  At some point I always want to know, "Why?" or "What's special about this image?" or "What's the story behind it?"

Earlier this year I painted this image and told my story of watching the sun set on a beach in Indonesia.  You can read about that here.

Recently I got a note from someone saying that they loved the picture but wondered if I could paint it again... only much bigger.
What a pleasure!
Of course I had to ask why.  
I found out that their baby girl will be born next month, and the meaning of the name they'll give her will be Golden Sunset! 
Ahhhh.... sigh... I loved knowing that as I painted.
And, my painting will hang in her room!  Like I said at the beginning, I am honored and humbled!

I know what her name will mean, but I am anxious to know exactly what her name will be! 

Original Oil Painting on 24"x 36" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Return to Innocence

One of the things I love about painting a commissioned piece is that I'm almost always challenged to do something I wouldn't normally do.
One of the things I hate about painting a commissioned piece is that I'm almost always challenged to do something I wouldn't normally do.

I have this habit of saying, "Sure!  I can do that!" 
Then I begin and wonder, "What was I thinking! How am I going to do that!"

When I was asked to paint something like 'It Is Well...' again only with more teal colors instead of purple and with a few lines instead of a few words... I said, "Sure! I can do that!"
Never mind that I haven't painted with acrylics in a couple of years and that I can't imagine how I'll ever get 31 words neat and straight.

Here are a few of the things that I learned / figured out / discovered while working on this painting.
1. When the painting was "finished" but without words, it looked so cold and harsh.  I deepened the color of the sun from yellow to orange and did an orange wash over almost the whole thing. The transformation to a warm cozy tone was immediate.
2. I took the painting to school, typed the poem on the computer, put the painting on the board, then projected the words from the computer onto the painted canvas.  I used chalk to traced the words onto the painting.  Then  I painted over that. Is that cheating?  Yeah, probably, but it looks pretty good!
3. White doesn't have to be white.  Those letters aren't white... they're light, light orange.

I am thankful when someone trusts me to put their vision onto canvas. 

Original Acrylic Painting - 16"x 20" 
[SOLD]

Caribbean Sunset

What words come to mind?

  

...Tranquil... 

     ...Peaceful... 

          ...Calm...

              ...Paradise...

                    ...Serenity...

                         ...Harmony...

If it's the emotion words of feelings that you think of first, then I think I feel successful with this painting.

If it's the objects... water, sun, clouds, leaves, sand... then maybe I better go back and work on it a little more.

I did this piece to submit to the artist challenge at Paint and Draw Together. Go have a look.  It's fun to see the diversity of artist styles. Every piece is exactly alike... and completely different...