Eightball

Isn't he great! I must admit I wasn't sure things were going to work out for "Eightball". He is black and my reference pictures did not have a lot of detail, some didn't even have all of his ears! He is a commission and they wanted only a small picture to fit into a 8 x 10 frame so I decided to take on the challenge. I made a very careful study of his face from my pictures and then began to construct his face. He looked like a mess of black at first but as I teased out my highlights he really started to take shape. I have sent off the proof for the owners and now I wait for their comments. I am pleased and I met the challenge so if they like him too that will just be the cream on the top.
One interesting thing I found as I worked is I really didn't know what a cat looked like. I went over to my sister's and I spent a lot of time studying her cats' faces and the way the light reflected off their fur. I found lots of similarities to dogs but their nose shape and eyes are quite different. This commission really forced me to learn more about cats and that excites me as well.

By the Water's Edge

Great news!! My miniature show in the fall is going ahead. I have received word that I have been chosen to do a show with my minatures for the month of October. I am really pleased about this as I love my miniatures and it is very hard to find a place to show them properly. So you will be seeing miniatures popping up on my blog throughout this year. Of course if you are interested in one you are welcome to purchase it. I will have several extra for the show by October.
"By the Water's Edge" (2.5 x 4 inches) is from our camping trip two summers ago on the Sunshine Coast. We were at a small lake and this little spot with the birch trees really caught my eye. I love birch trees, that comes from growing up on the east coast of Canada. One does not often see a group of them on the west coast. I wanted to paint them because they looked so nice nestled in the trees with their lovely reflections in the water. We had seen deer tracks there as we walked along the trail so I decided to put the deer back into the picture. I could see him coming out through the bushes to get a drink and then being startled by a noise. Enjoy the picture.

Evening Light

Here is a second piece I just finished; I am quite excited about it as when my husband saw it he said "It's a winner!" I don't often get those comments from him so it was a real treat. I used some of my new colors that I picked up and I was very pleased with the results. I have also been spending a lot of time focusing on my value patterns within my pictures; my graphite work really seems to be helping with that. I was certainly busy with my graphite before Christmas so it is not surprising I guess to see this improvement.
This little picture "Evening Light" is 3 x 4 inches and is from our trip up the Sunshine Coast two years ago. This is the area on the west coast of British Columbia just north of Vancouver. It is only accessible by ferry. We really like to go up there to camp and I always get lots of great reference pictures while we are there and a few good pictures painted as well. We plan to go up there again this summer for a few weeks so I guess it is on my mind. When the days are dark and rainy it is nice to think about the warm carefree days of summer.

By the Water's Edge

Great news!! My miniature show in the fall is going ahead. I have received word that I have been chosen to do a show with my minatures for the month of October. I am really pleased about this as I love my miniatures and it is very hard to find a place to show them properly. So you will be seeing miniatures popping up on my blog throughout this year. Of course if you are interested in one you are welcome to purchase it. I will have several extra for the show by October.
"By the Water's Edge" (2.5 x 4 inches) is from our camping trip two summers ago on the Sunshine Coast. We were at a small lake and this little spot with the birch trees really caught my eye. I love birch trees, that comes from growing up on the east coast of Canada. One does not often see a group of them on the west coast. I wanted to paint them because they looked so nice nestled in the trees with their lovely reflections in the water. We had seen deer tracks there as we walked along the trail so I decided to put the deer back into the picture. I could see him coming out through the bushes to get a drink and then being startled by a noise. Enjoy the picture.

Sparkling Colors on the River

Well I am onto a little change of pace; I am working on some miniature pictures. I have applied in the fall to have a show at a gallery in our area and I am very hopeful that I will be picked. I really enjoy working on miniature pictures using ink and watercolor. With this combination I am able to create very detailed landscapes and seascape with the odd bit of wildlife. I find this a very intimate type of art. My usual picture size is 3 x 4 inches in a 5 x 7 frame but now that I have my own mat cutter I will be able to expand to other shapes and sizes.
My picture "Sparkling Colors on the River" came from one of our camping spots this summer. We were experiencing a heat wave at the time and the only thing to do in the late afternoon was to go down to the river and swim and paint. Steve and I would take our books and my paint supplies and spend a few hours by the river each day. It was great fun and this picture really reminds me of those days.

A Lulu Day

Well the holidays are over and it is back to work. I hope you had a good holiday and are ready to put all those New Year resolutions into practice.
My first posting of the year is my last commission completed for Christmas. My picture "A Lulu Day" was a really fun but also a challenge. I had several pictures of Lulu and I needed to incorporate them into a montage. I decided on these three pictures of Lulu as they really told the story of any day with a dog: they are cute and playful, they sleep anywhere and they can get into trouble at any time. It was fun figuring out how to tie the three different pictures into one unit and make the light source work for all of them. The owners were pleased with the results and so was I.