Alyssa Angel

I think I am done. I worked on her face again, lightened her legs and simplified her wings. I need to live with it a while. I need to start another painting---i have worked so hard on this one. Some one told me a long time ago (years) to quit changing this one, I have never done that on any other painting, It's like an obsession  --lol Alyssa actually asked me if she was ever going to get this--it has so much paint on it , it's like a sculpture, almost. You'd think it would be better!  I have to laugh or I might cry.....not really,

Angel Baby

Here she is! This is Audrey, my youngest granddaughter. She has on a dress that was her mothers at the same age---I painted Alyssa, her big sister in the same dress.
I didn't  change to much --just added some hi-lighting here and there. Also changed the background. Oh, I also gave her wings a trim, I thought they were too big before. Hope you like this!              

Angel Baby

I couldn't stand it---I went ahead and tried to fix it before it dried--I'm so glad I did as I like this soooo much better--i am not quite done but I like to post it -then I can see how I want to finish it. Compare the two and you will see the changes! :-)

Angel Baby

I took a course on FB from Kelly Berkey on painting angels......so I painted this from a picture of Audrey. She doesn't look like Audrey yet and she doesn't look like a little girl either! But have faith---this is just the first pass --it can only get better. If it doesn't, there is always the trash! The shoulders are too wide for a child....i wish  it would set up fast --i would love to fix all the problems I see.  Oh well, another day or week or weeks. LOL

Class Hydrangeas

This was the 2nd lesson of Nancy Medina's "e Course" I loved this and painted it first--I was so excited. Well it turned out horrid and i sanded it and painted it with white oil and repainted this over it when it dried.  It was really hard to work on---the paint soaked in and I had to keep adding more--it was a nightmare! I need to lighten the purple flowers behind the white hydrangeas --I will do that one day! I can't believe I forgot to post this and the tulips.  Happy painting!

Class Tulips

This was the1st lesson of Nancy Medina's "E course", I think. I really loved painting this. It was fun.

Class Peonies

This is the 3 lesson from Nancy Medina's "e-course". I think that is what you call it. I have loved taking this course---a least it makes me paint! I was tired when I painted this, I don't think it's my best work. Come to think of it , I need to post a couple I painted earlier.

FLOWERS WITH POT

Well, I took off today from work so I painted on this AGAIN! It seemed to dry really dull, so I perked it up a bit--. Mainly it was the geraniums in the middle--they were really muddy. Anyway that's my story and I don't want to touch this again. On to bigger and better things, (I hope)

Flowers in a Pot

I came home from work anxious to fix what was bugging me. You can compare with the earlier versions. I am happier with it now, I can live with it now! Happy Painting!

Raining Sunflowers 12x16

As promised, I finished this today! I am now tired of painting Sunflowers---they always make me feel like I cannot paint.
I like the canvas I painted on this time so much better than the last canvas, it did not drink in the paint.
I was going to put the reflection of the pot but painted it out, as I really did not have enough room to do it properly. So I just left the table--it's really not as dark as it looks in this photo.

Sunflowers (first pass)

My underpainting was dry enough that I could work more on this today--I am glad, as I was anxious to get started.  I got a good start, I hope I will have time to work again on it tomorrow. As always, I have to get it this far before I can make my corrections.  The petals of the sunflower  are like a puzzle, I had to throw them on, the best I could and tomorrow I can make corrections easier tomorrow--cant wait! So far, I am still pleased. YAY

Raining Sunflowers

I have been wanting to paint these FOREVER.
1 saw these sunflowers on a girls desk at work on the way to the plotter. I stopped and told her how pretty they were.  She said she got them from our company picnic. They were in a bell canning jar like the one I just painted. She found one that had lots of flowers.I took a picture of them with my phone--I love we can do that now.
 I decided to put them in a different vase in this painting, since I just painted glass and I wanted to do something different.
I like this already, I hope it turns out good.
It's raining again, so it is a good time to paint(and a good name) :-)
Happy weekend and God Bless!

Lone Sunflower (day 2)

As you can see, I worked on the sunny and also added some interest in the background --remember I saw this little lonely sunflower at our company picnic. I took the photo of our table where we ate and we could see some of the things they provided for the kiddos .
Fun day (good memories) (hot)I will prob work more on this tomorrow.

Lone Sunflower 2nd pass

After evening meal I felt like painting a little more--hope to finish tomorrow. It will be fun to paint tomorrow---everything has the first coat and it will be easier to add more paint to get the effect I want. I don't think I will buy this brand of canvas again without putting more gesso on it before I paint. I have another photo of the sunflowers only it has more than one in the jar---I may paint that one too--you never can have too many sunflowers! Happy painting. :-)

Lone Sunflower-- day 1

Just started today--first block in....I am not thrilled with the canvas I am painting on--it is really drinking up the paint, you artists know what I mean.  I wonder if others feel like I do when starting a new painting--I always feel like I can't paint, that I have never painted before. It's a terrible feeling, unsettling.
I am painting from a photo I took at our company picnic. They had sunflowers on each table---they were so very very pretty and I wanted to paint it for sure.  We will see if this turns out.
Well, better wash the brushes.....Have a happy 4th of July weekend.

The Shining

Finally got back to this.... I got rid of the doily and cleaned up here and there. Hope you can see what I did and hope you like! I have some sunflowers I want to paint next when I get time.  Have a great week-end.

The Shining (step 4)

Here it is, Memorial Week-end, so I got to paint again right after church, That is, after I went to an art store and got some turp. it was so much easier to paint today with being able to wash my brushes. I am starting to like this one, however i want to get rid of the doily and I am sure I will see other things that I want to change. I always think the evil gremlins come in and mess up what I have done--usually I go to bed liking what I have painted and I wake in the morning and the painting looks totally horrible.  I think I just have to get away from my work before I can see my mistakes....

The Shining (step 3)

As you can see, I am not nearly done but wanted to post my progress.  Wow this is really hard because the values are very close on the white iris--of course white is always tricky. I didn't want to stop painting today but I was really tired and I also didn't have any turp to rinse my brushes--that drove me nuts. I will get some tomorrow after church. Can you see the correction in the placement? This always happens the further I get in the painting. Happy Memorial Weekend! God bless our troops and our veterans.

Shining....day 2

worked a little more today and corrected a lot of placements of the flowers and everything---I feel like the time was wasted --altho I feel like i got a good start on the windows, but the flowers have a long way to go---I wasn't going to show this but I wanted it for myself to see what it was like after I work on it --sometimes you just have to trudge ahead to see where your are--sometimes it is easier to make corrections from this point.... sigh

The Shining

First (messy) blocking--establishing placement, some value patterns and just getting my feel of which way I want to take this. I painted this from some pictures I took at a "Tea" I went to with my nieces at their church. WE all had to dress up and wear hats and gloves and we were served fancy little sandwiches and desserts --fun. They decorated with flowers from their gardens and hats--I saw this and it was in the recessed stain-glass window and the light shining in on the flowers took my breath away.
Half-way thru blocking this in, the old movie "The Shining" came on tv--soooo I had to stop painting and go in the front room to watch. That was such a good movie, and it had been so long since I watched it, I just had to see it and not just hear it. I had forgotten so much of it. I thought I got a good start with the painting anyway. So if it turns out like I intend, I will name it The Shining." If it doesn't glow like I want, I will change the name....stay tuned!

CLASS FLOWERS (Final)

After living with this last nite and today, I simply had to redo again.  You know sometimes it takes time to see our mistakes. When I finished last nite, I still did not like the empty left side,so I decided to put in a window--I liked that, it repeated the "L" design I had going and that never can hurt!  I looked at the flowers again and felt I could improve them--the only thing I didn't repaint was the vase and cup. ( liked those two things) I also thought i could have cut off the left side and then get a custom frame--I am glad I did this instead. :-)

Class Flowers (revisited)

Here is another that I did in class a year or so ago (gosh it could of been 2 years ago- time flies) When I am in class, I leave my brain at the door and feel like I never painted before, so I am not usually happy with what I have done.
This one, I really hated--I drew it too far on the right. So I not only repainted the flowers, I added leaves and clutter on the floor. I also added a shadow behind to take up some space on the left. I still am not real happy, but this is all I could think to do.Howeer, i am going to lighten the lower left rose more thinking left to do! I have been reworking some paintings---I think it is good practice for me since I haven't painted for a long while. Now maybe I will start a new one unless I find some more that i need to "fix".

Revisited-Roses w/ Brass

I reworked this, I was never happy with the composition..-it was way too empty on the bottom. So I added another rose and repainted the rose in the vase. I see a light spot that I need to fix, (darn)
I need to back up a little-- I probably should not have have painted on this today because No. 1- I have not painted in  a long time....2. I am not feeling well (sinusutis) so didn't feel like myself as far as painting and had to stop and wash the old brushes. Hope I can get back painting, it has been so long and I miss it. sorry for rambling.