Cinderella's Coach 12x14

I finally had time to finish this---I redid the pansies and got them to the right sizes--I have no idea why I made the white one so large--I added some pansies on the floor and adjusted the size of the pumpkin. I enjoyed painting this. I learned a lot in Nancy Medinas' class---this was our first day at the workshop and and I just got the under painting done so finished it today ( I took a lot of notes and had good pictures and it was quite easy to finish, You can see the previous one and the changes I made--it is further down on my blog.I darkened the pumpkin and changed the name and corrected size...

October Blue

This was our 2nd day project--I was able to paint Saturday, our second day--it seems like everytime I paint Hydrangeas, they look different  --i was pleased with this, Nancy said she liked it :-) and took a photo of it with me holding it ---and posted it on fb....that was exciting....everything went well compared to Friday and the pansies---well it went well until I got home--opened the trunk of the car to get the hydrangea painting and....the failed pansy painting had somehow rolled on top of the hydrangea painting and smeared the hilite clear across the painting--I have not fixed it yet, but i will. Well, I went back for our last day Sunday--and not to sound like a pity party--I felt confident Sunday that I could find her house again cause  had been there twice--i was making good time and i was driving and day dreaming or something, when suddenly everything did not look familiar--Oh I told myself, I probably just didn't notice that store, or church or that house--I shook it off and kept driving and driving and suddenly the road ended---i went past her street! I think for some reason I was cursed for this workshop--something happened each day! But I tell myself it was worth it--I felt like I learned a lot --had wonderful food met alot of great people.

Pumpkin, Pots & Pansies

Pansies were taught the 1st day of Nancy Medinas' 3 day workshop. I simply could not paint that day, all I accomplished was the transparent lay in. So I brought my canvas home to finish---Today, Monday, is the first day  I had a chance to work on it.  So this is the first pass. I see things I need to change but the pansies went much better today. More later.....
I just noticed--the pumpkin that I loved should be short and squatty that is what I loved about it--guess when I have time to paint again, i am going to  fix that---I always see my mistakes later rather than sooner! lol  I can't wait to fix that huge white pansy--i made it smaller than I had it in the block-in already--but just did not go small enough.  ohhhh I am itching to paint! :-) I hope you enjoy my struggles, I feel better to get off my chest.

Connie's Vase w/ Sunnies (11x14)

The first on the left was what i did in Nancy Medinas' class on the last day of a wonderful 3 day workshop--Held in Connie Turners beautiful home...Connie is so gracious and made sure of our every need (her helpers were Robin and Mary)--we were even served warm from the oven-cookies while we watched Nancy Medina  paint the most beautiful painting--sigh heaven. The second painting is what I changed when I got home--I made some corrections.
THEN, i looked at what I did and saw more mistakes---the Big one on the right is the final version...(I hope) I will be posting the other 2 days paintings shortly!

The Old China Doll

I worked on this on this holiday week-end- (today is Monday, Labor day). I struggled on this one--the dress was the struggle--not quite sure I am happy with this..  Have to look at it awhile. The dress --I repainted it from the last post as "I can do better and totally destroyed the flow of it--It was so bad i did not post a pic of it because my rule is: it cannot ever be worse--the rule is it has to get better. So I redid it for a 3rd time and this is the result. I adjusted the color of the apron--thought it was too bright--have to live with it all--right now I like it!

The Old China Doll

This is my 1st lay-in. I took off today (Friday -8-29-14) so I could have a 4-day holiday, Monday is Labor Day. I have a lot more work to do but I got a real good start.  I have been really painting a lot here lately --I am really enjoying myself--hope this mood lasts. Hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend!

WIP

This is what a block-in looks like when I am sick (I have a terrible flu-like cold-or it may be a simple cold but I have been very sick with it.) I wanted to paint this weekend but this is all I got done--I'm sure I will make lots of corrections.  This is another set-up that I am painting from the photos that were taken from Adam Clagues' class at Gotart Gallery in Lee's Summit Mo.
I couldn't stay too long working on this, but thought I would post my start--if for nothing else, for myself--I can see my mistakes better when posted. Happy day everyone!!!

Brass Plate w/Roses

 I thought it would be fun to post the picture I was painting from...you can see where it was my inturpetation of the photo- I changed the ribbon to enhance the composition and also changed the rose on the table---hope you liked how I changed it---that is what is fun about painting--the enhancements.

BrassrPlate w/Roses

Almost done--Painted  from the photo from Adam Clagues"class--.
I can always see my mistakes when I post the photo.  That is such a good tool for us. I don't know what it is. its like looking in the mirror at the painting--it somehow lets you see your mistakes easier. Sooo you will see this again in a more finished state, I hope! Happy Sunday -

Brass Plate w/Roses

I quickly blocked in this from photos  I took of a set-up from Adam Clagues' class..They provided 14 set-ups in that class for us.  Of course we did not have time to paint more than 1 or 2 (one in my case) so we all took pics so we could paint them at home at our leisure---not as good as painting from life...but. it works. As always my block in is ugly --but hopefully it will get better next time. This is one I picked to paint first but I chickened out and painted the one next to this one as it did not have as much in it.   Sooo I was sure to get the picture !!!

Summers' Bounty (11x14)

I worked again on this today (Sunday) I had my son buy an apple at the store. I changed the position of the apple & repainted it.  I think the problem I was having was the position of the apple was like a bullseye where the stem was and no matter what I did I could not make it look right, my eye went right to the center of the apple. That is a lesson I think I will remember. I worked on the watermelon--it was an easy fix.
Whew!
Hope you like this better too!!!Happy painting

Summers Bounty (WIP)

I worked some more on this today--I repainted the daisy-like flower and I like it so much better--it was so bright and stiff before. I worked on the watermelon  too, and after taking this picture, I see my what I need to fix, also on the apple on the left. I have painted so many apples but I am struggling on this one --I jinxed myself on this apple--i looked at it and said "piece of cake", no problem---Yeah, sure--I have painted it at least 4 times--I had to stop today as i was ready to burn this painting. aargh--maybe tomorrow will be a better day! Brushes are washed and I am tired and know I need to stop on this one till I get my act together. Happy painting.

Bounty of Summer WIP

I had a chance to work on this today (8-3-14) I am not quite finished--I see things I want to fix, -this is on an extremely slick surface  --it is hard to work on--so I hope it will dry before I work on it again, as the paint seems to lift when I add more paint--This was fun for me because I got to do the set-up myself yesterday  in Adams class and he liked what I set up--that gave me so much confidence (we all need that conformation that we are going the right way.) I like the composition too--i liked how the shadows fell--they mad a great pattern. Hope you like it too. As I said. This needs more work --but not too much --you can see from my lay-in post, I did move things some what-I made some corrections in the placement. Happy Sunday!

Watermelon Saturday

I did this on the last date of Adam Clagues' class which was on a Saturday, Aug. 2nd (so there is the name) As always mine initial lay-ins are terrible messy ugly --I see other people have beautiful initial lay-ins but not me---I gotta be me! I have to get everything covered before i can adjust and ohhhh do I see a lot of adjustments!!!So very tired, but a good tired!

Class Flowers

well today went much better --I did not get lost today---what a treat--I was actually able to finish this and start another one--it is a set-up with a watermelon! I just had time to do my rough lay-in and I will post the ugly start very soon. Adam is a wonderful painter and teacher---he is very sharing---we learned alot !

Class flowers

This is what I worked on in Adam Clagues' class--it is not finished yet --i have to change the background on the left and I want to work on the rose in the vase on the right and also the rose at the bottom on the far left---aargh--I have been up since 3:30 or so making the changes in my head.. Adam is a wonderful teacher and fabulous artist and I loved his wife who is a gifted artist in her own right. Lots of learning in this class.  I won't bore you with my traumas going to and fro to the class--It was a 3 day class & for the first 2 days I got lost.....we will see if I get lost today on the last day--I don't think I can take any more stress--lol
Anyway i will post another version of this  when I get it to completion--or not--it has been a struggle. Today, Saturday, I want to take a lot of pictures of all the set-ups they had for us. Sorry this is a little negative, but i am soooo tired! :-)

I Love Tulips (9x12)

This goes with the 1st photo above.
I made the changes that I told you I was thinking---I do like this a lot better. Yellow is a happy color, you have to be careful it doesn't get too bright. This was another fun little painting. I remember painting tulips a long time ago and I thought they were so stiff--I like these better, not so stiff! Happy week-end.
I saw some things I wanted to change after I posted here and fb (this always happens) so the lower photo shows what i fixed. I subdued the bright green on the leaf in the vase on the right, I made a more pleasing shape on the leaf on the far left --I changed the shape of the lower middle tulip-it was following the shape of the tulip above it---just little things but things that drove me crazy! I can't see them until i post!

Tulips WIP

I painted some more after I posted the last post---My brushes were dirty so after watching Big Brother, I went back in the kitchen and kept painting--this still isn't done--I may repaint the background, along with fixing several things. I really  painted a little too long--I always get sloppy when I do. thought i would post this so you can see how far i got.
 I'm back and this is the next day--I think I want to change the background --i don't like the grapes--I shall have tulips lay around --I am gonna put more graceful leaves in the vase. Lots of changes in my mind!!!

Tulips wip

I thought I would show my palette--see how messy my palette is?--I should be ashamed, but I am not! I had this entirely covered--tulips of every color in a blue container-- background was in and everything---it was hideous--I  wiped it entirely off and calmed down and drew this . I decided to do just yellow tulips--the background will be completely  changed--or this may not turn into anything. As you can see, I am doing this one different--no undercoating  --if i do decide to keep this I will prob add some grapes or lemons--we shall see, Happy Next week---aargh work tomorrow.

Summer Daisies & Peaches

I am finished now --I had to work on the peaches and did a very small amount of tweaking on the rest. This was a fun one.
 Now I am thinking of the next---hmmmm what will it be? Some more flowers, of course!!!! Happy weekend!!

Summer Daisies & Peaches

As you can see, I worked on this today. I am not quite done, just a few more things i want to change --but I am close, i may go ahead and post on fb but not sure I will. I feel like I got lots of painting done, so it was a good 3 days off!

Summer Daisies & Peaches

Everything has first coat--now tomorrow, I hope I can refine and bring the values up---I started very dark on this one--but it wiki be easier to go lighter than the opposite. I still like this one.... (hope that doesn't jinx it! lol

Summer Daisies & Peaches

the beginning:
Just the very first step --placement of shapes.  I love beginnings---how will it go? It's always a little scary but also exciting--not too many decisions have been made. I am thinking maybe  a shiny brass or a blue glass container, but that could change--we shall see. I'm thinking a med dark background. I like the composition  so far too! I'm exited. I like the orangey glow I have going.  hope it does not go down from here!!!! It's a cloudy Saturday-perfect day to paint!
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                           
                                                                           

Bush with Lilacs

Here is the never-ending painting--I wanted to try one more time since we got this Friday off for the 4th.  shall we go back in time? I painted this 1st from a photo of another lilac bush--it was white lilacs and did not turn out to my liking---then i repainted it over from a photo of My lilac bush-(in my front yard) -i liked the composition better but the painting, I felt, was to tight, soooo I painted it again very loose--i even put it on fb (both times and thought it was done--
After living with it, I realized it was too, too loose and took it off of the blog and Facebook --Here is a version that I hope is neither too tight or too loose. I want to go to a different painting, so hopefully I can leave this one alone! Happy 4th of July everyone and may God bless our country.

Joyful Hydrangeas

11x14
Acrylic
Palette Knife
went to a class today with Teddy Jackson at Got Art in Lees Summit. It was a very fun class with really nice girls--I had a wonderful time and learned a lot.--Joyful Day!!

From Carols Garden

I finished this today. Made some changes --I decided the horizontal bars on the window was too many horizontals so I painted them out to see if I liked it--hope you do too! I also worked more on the flowers and ribbons, scattered some petals on the shelf and I'm done. I will put the size on it later. i hope you like the way the light is shining on the flowers---that is what made me want to paint this --The Light. Happy painting!!! Happy life!!!

From Carols Garden (step 2)

I worked a little more-this is one that is painting itself--or at least so far it seems that way. As you can see, I worked on the window & ledge, the glass vase and the curtain. I added the ribbons--next time I'll work more on the flowers. If I get time this weekend to paint--the next time you see this, it may, perhaps (I hope) be finished! I used to be able to stay up for hours and paint---cant do that any more. My spirit is willing but my body is not able! oh well there is always tomorrow.
Happy painting: :-)

From Carols Garden (step 1 continued)

Here is where the fun begins!I have quickly undercoated everything. Now, the next time I have time to paint, I can make corrections and zoom in on details--This surface I am painting on is a little slick and it really needs an underpainting. The second time around, it is not as slick and I can get details easier. However, I always make 3 or 4 passes before I am done no matter what surface I am painting on. I am glad I got this far and so far, I like the composition. I love to paint!

From Carols Garden (step 1)

Just started this painting. I am painting from a photo my dear friend Carol took and she was kind enough to let me use. The peonies were from her garden. She showed me the picture and I loved how the light was bouncing around the flowers. I changed the background to a window ledge (I like the feeling of flowers in front of the window with light dancing around. i want to try to get the other two flowers covered with the first coat.
I told Carol I would name it Carols Peonies, but i want to think of another name as I have named several like that--ie Janies' flowers etc... sooo I am naming it "From Carols Garden" (I like that!)
Today is Memorial Day and it is a beautiful day, God Bless and happy painting.

Lindas' Roses

I lived with it for a while--did a few more tweaks. One was to loosen up the upper left with the bud and baby breath  --before, my eye kept going there--and it was not the center of interest.
It is signed and ready to go to a new home (after drying and varnishing).  :-)

Linda's Roses 16x20

This was a rainy, stormy Sunday--therefore a perfect day to paint. This may be done--as always I want to live with it a while. Notice I did what I said I was going to do--the exception was I was going to darken the background on the right, but actually lightened the background on the left and I like it--it has "air around it now. I love the little unopened yellow rose--it did what I wanted it to do--it balances the composition  as I was hoping.  I hope you will look at all the steps i posted on this painting and see how in each step, the painting got more refined---just as i wanted it to do,  Hope your Sunday was as fun as mine was!

Linda's Roses (again)

Since the last post--I had a little accident--the painting fell into my palette--and yes, it fell jelly side down and it did get on the painting  --I screamed but it was fixable.i reworked  several of the roses, added more leaves--worked on the big vase . I am going to add another yellow rose on the left side--i think that side needs some yellow. I also want to darken the right side background a little. hope your Saturday was good and your Sunday even better! Happy Painting!

con't Lindas' Roses

I'm getting closer--I decided I wanted the large container  to be glass--i think i like that better--it was too "heavy" being so dark boring brown--i got the first layer on the roses on the left--they will still change but everything is getting closer. I reworked the roses on the right--I think you can see what i changed if you look at the earlier posting--I added the baby's breath &  I repainted the smaller container and I like it better--it always helps to get the background filled in--it may change also--but this is getting closer to what my vision was.
Happy Painting
Easter is tomorrow--blessings to all on that most Holy day!

Lindas' Roses

Here is a little more progress---i want to get more roses done and the work on the background and foreground before I work more on the containers. The 2 blue roses among the yellow aren't done---they look more blue-lavender in real life. I am not near being done with anything in this painting yet, it is too soon. I almost always have to get everything covered in this step before the magic comes in the next step (i hope i hope!!!)
I just commented on a friends post about this so I am coping it here:
I have to get everything covered then I always believe the magic will come with a few fixes here and there--(sometime it's alot of fixes) But I have to see whats wrong in stages. (does this make any sense at all?)

Lindas' Roses 16x20

Here I go... This is a commissioned painting. Requested were Yellow roses and Blue (lavender) roses and babies breath (will be added). As always this is the first of the ugly stages. Linda, don't panic--Lol --it will take awhile, but it will get better--this stage is where I figure out my colors and my shapes. I think the big container may be a copper vessel--but not sure at this point. There will be several stages to this, I am sure!
Happy Painting, everyone!

FLOWERS, I LOVE FLOWERS

Finally got back to this painting that I started several weeks ago. My excuse is I was dealing with a kidney stone of all things.  That all has been taken care of and today is the first day I felt like painting. This is very close to being done, but I may get back to it when i look at it in a few days. I painted this from a picture my daughter sent me of the flowers her hubby gave her for Valentines Day. It was a very pretty bouquet and I liked the colors--I changed it a little. It was fun to paint --the colors of spring...(it did snow a little today, but springs warm weather will come, I know it will! Happy painting and Happy Easter season! God Bless

Flowers, I love flowers!

First block in--this for me is kinda getting the shapes placed--nothing in the right places for sure. the bottom picture shows I am trying to refine a little more (not much) placing colors. Really getting everything covered so I can see placement---this will go on for a while --each pass getting placements closer---have to let this dry a little so I can go further. I love painting flowers-hope you like watching!
I Think this is the first time I have liked my first block-in better than the 2nd I always hope my paintings get better as I go, but this time I like the first one --I like the "airiness"in the first block-in better. Hmmmm -I must remember that!

Silver and Apples 11x14

Finally! I got back to this. I added more colors to the apples. I realized they were too much one color. I darkened the table and added the apple at the bottom, I intentionally made it less detailed than the ones in the bowl. I think its a better composition with it and the leaves---kinda draws your eye around the painting. I'm calling this one done for now. Must live with it for a while, but I know I am close so I will probably post on fb too. Happy Painting my painting friends and Happy Sunday my non-painting friends! Lov you all


Here is the tweaked version  --you can look at both and see what I did. Thought that would be fun to see if you can find any changes. (I'm home today) (3/3/14) because of the snow we got over the week-end so I thought i would fix a few things that bugged me looking at it. May start a floral if i don't take a nap. lol

House Blessing with Sunflowers (SOLD long ago)

I am posting this again (because the story behind it is so cool)--just stay with me---this painting  is one of my favorites anyway)...

I was cleaning out my mail today at work and I found this note below that was in my draft folder ----I had written this before I even bought the sunflowers at the grocery store to use for my painting--I had this painting in my mind!!!--

 A student in one of my painting classes made the "House Blessing" for me years  & years ago. She used wheat that she grew herself & picked herself in Bonner Springs, Kansas. She said it was an old Indian tradition. The Indian tradition was that if you grew, and picked and weaved the wheat yourself, it was believed  it would keep your house safe and blessed! I still have the blessing hanging above my front door. 
Hmmmmmm...now if the grocery store just will have Sunflowers, beautiful sunnies!

Silver and Apples

Step 2
I zoned in on the apples and totally destroyed them--I could not paint-I went in the next room and decided that i had to get away from them, I told myself not to panic. When I got control (lol) I went back to my painting and took turp and wiped the mess off that I had painted earlier. Then slowly I refined the apples and leaf and silver container. I decided I didn't want the edge of the table to show (that is getting boring to me) so I brought the table out.  I am thinking I may put something else in the foreground and I do want to work more on the whole thing, It snowed again today--will it ever end?Happy painting all!

Silver and Apples

This is the first pass. I started this today while being home because of our snow storm---I think we got close to 12". It started Monday, when I left work an hour early because it had started snowing-It snowed and stopped I think late Monday night. Then Tuesday it started snowing and snowed all day and into the night---So I stayed home Tuesday and today soooo I
decided to paint. This will change for the better, I always hope, but feel like I got a good start. Happy Painting--stay warm, and keep your fingers crossed that i can go to work tomorrow., and this painting gets better!  :-)