The Painting Process: The Kennedy Center

After finishing a 12"x36" nighttime scene of the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC,  I realized that I cataloged a few pictures of it from start to finish, so I thought I would walk you through the process from start to finish in the next few shots.

First, I start with the base, which in this case was blue.  Call it a Shark Week inspiration, but this nighttime scene really captivated me when I saw a picture of it, so I figured I would give it a shot!  Note the two different colors, lighter up top and darker below.  The spot where the color changes is the horizon line, and everything above represents the sky, and everything below is the base for the buildings and water.  The reason for this area being darker is that reflection on water always appears darker than what it is actually reflecting.

Mid-process, putting in the base layer of lights, and beginning to fill in with more detail.  You can see here that besides the Kennedy Center building itself, there are few highlights and no detail in the buildings.  This is just basically to fill in the location of the buildings and the lights, and once this is dry, the detail can be added.  Note there is no reflection in the water yet or foliage in the foreground.  

Finished product!  You can see now that there is more detail in the buildings, and last but not least, the reflection of the water.  In addition, I added highlights to the lights, making them more colorful and brighter, especially in the traffic blur in the lower left hand corner.  Voila!

I hope you are having a wonderful Monday and that you enjoyed the process from start to finish!  See you next Monday!

Free Shipping August!

For the month of August, receive free shipping on the Surfin' Bird prints!  You can get it through my website, and it comes in two sizes, 11"x14" or 22"x28".  As always, these prints are standard frame sizes, making it easy to buy and fit into a pre-made frame at your local arts and crafts store.  This makes a perfect birthday or Christmas gift for those of you who like to get shopping done early, so make sure to pick one up! 

New Paintings!

Sunrise over the Tidal Basin, 12"x36", oil on canvas

I have to admit, my hand is starting to hurt, as I jumped from one painting into another very quickly.  I am glad I did, though, as it's always fun to feel productive, and for me, one of the best ways to feel productive is to finish a painting (and, of course, the laundry!).  I remember when I first started painting full time, I told myself I would finish paintings really quickly because I had all of this uninterrupted time.  Ha!  I quickly came to learn that being a full-time artist comes with a lot of work on the side, which has very little to do with putting brush strokes on a canvas.  The business side is a great excuse to take a break and rest your hand, but at the same time, I never knew how much time you could actually spend being an artist not painting.

Now that aside, I am really happy to have completed two paintings recently that I can share with you. It's not that the latest pieces were finished in record time or anything, but it has been a little bit of time since I shared paintings on the blog and I'm happy to say I have more than one to share!  The first is a snowy Capitol scene, which is a 20"x20" oil on canvas below.  I was inspired by the beautiful curvature of the sidewalk and the serenity of the freshly fallen snow.  I love painting DC as you might not normally see it, especially in tranquil settings like the one for this painting.  

After the Snow, oil on canvas, 20"x20"

Next, I just finished (read: still wet!) a scene of a sunrise over the Tidal Basin, overlooking the Jefferson and all the beauty of the cherry blossoms, which is at the top of this post.  It is a 12"x36", and while this one is obviously very different in dimension than the snowy scene above, it was similar in that it was a different size to try out and I really loved it!  Again, I was really inspired by the peaceful view, as the sun peeks over the horizon but before the hustle and bustle of the day begins.

Next up on the easel, a view of the Kennedy Center at dusk.  Praying for lots of productivity!

Hope you have a SPLENDID week!

Coming Up! ValeArts Show October 4th-6th

Photo Courtesy of ValeArts Member Diana Eichler

While it's been in the works for some time, I am excited to officially announce that I am going to be a guest artist at the ValeArts Fall Show!  This is a really exciting opportunity and I can't wait to hang my art next to these ten incredibly talented women (as well as guest artist Carie Cole!) that make up the ValeArts group.

So for those of you not familiar, ValeArts is a group of artists who meet and put on shows in the Vale Schoolhouse, a one bedroom building built in 1888 at the corner of Vale and Fox Mill Road in Oakton, Virginia.  The group formed in 1996 and has been putting on shows ever since, one in the Spring and one in the Fall.

For every show, they invite a couple of guest artists to join them, and I was invited to show alongside them this Fall.  Super exciting, right?!

While the show goes on for three days, there is a show opening on Friday, October 4th from 7-9 p.m.  See all the details below!

Photo Courtesy of ValeArts.com

Where: Vale Schoolhouse 

3124 Fox Mill Road, Oakton, Virginia 

(Corner of Fox Mill Road and Vale Road)

When:  October 4th, 5th, & 6th

Hours:  Friday, October 4th: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Saturday, October 5th & Sunday, October 6th: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Opening Reception: Friday, October 4th, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. - Food & Drinks Provided!

I really hope to see you there, and in the meantime, if you would like to learn more about ValeArts, click here!

Until next week, hope you have lots of sunshine and warm weather!