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!  :-)

Last Minute Roses (last painting of 2013)

The last painting of 2013. Not too bad for being up till 2:00 this morning. I had to watch the marathon of Breaking Bad. I painted this so fast--I'm definitely looser when tired. I am so sleepy---i will prob rework this when more awake. (I hope not) HAPPY NEW YEAR

Learning soooo much watching videos from the Bright Light Fine Art and The Artists Guild---I joined and i am watching videos of Sherry McGraw, David Leffel and J. Kamin, Best money I have ever spent. They are all top artists-I am learning so much---I love how they put the highlights on in the beginning  ---I am going to try that--I love how they say painting is HARD--that is how I feel And they refine and refine and refine (I do that!) They use different brushes which i am going to try ---I want to try using my whole arm for strokes and I want to look at blocks of color---oh there is so much that they tell as they are painting--it is amazing to watch them paint!
Here is the link
http://brightlightfineart.com/art/artists-guild-library.html
I am excited ---can  u tell?

Jrs' Tribute

Why can't i see what I should fix before I post . I do need to tweak a few places but sweet Jr is done. I can't see him anymore---I have been doing a painting marathon to have this done before Christmas. I figure he will be dry tomorrow and I can varnish Sunday night, frame him Monday and then deliver  him to Roger Monday--if the weather holds out. Painting a dog is like painting a portrait--they have their own personalities--Jr was a charmer--you can see it as you paint him--I can tell he was very much loved.
Christmas is Wednesday, how did it get here so fast? Merry Christmas and happy painting all you wonderful painters!!!

Jrs' Tribute

I worked on this yesterday and today--Of course I need to remind you this is not close to being done, but I hope you can see with each time I work on it, it is more refined. I
worked all day yesterday on  the cover and surface around Junior--I wanted to get that established before i worked on him today. All those folds in the blanket around him was like painting a puzzle. Then i worked on him today --I could easily adjust the blanket around him as I was painting--it's back and forth back and forth till you really see what you are looking at. I like when I get my paintings to this point--the surface is covered and the adjustments begin,! Happy painting--stay tuned for further posts.