ValeArts Show!

Wow, we're getting so close to the upcoming ValeArts Show!  Be sure to come out next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., with opening night hours on Friday from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. This is an extra special show in that we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the group.  Be sure to come on out, check out details below or go to www.valearts.com!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth, 24x36 oil on canvas

Happy Tuesday and day after Labor Day!  Recently, my friend Liz came over and very graciously helped me get some great reference photos by posing as a model.  She is gorgeous and was an excellent ballerina, so naturally I was able to snap some great shots!  Here is the first of the series of ballerinas in which Liz posed, aptly named "Elizabeth."  I had a lot of fun with the skirt especially, so full and beautiful, even more fun than the fluffy white tutu I made Liz wear while we had our photo shoot.  Ha!

I hope you all have a wonderful day, and welcome Fall!  I'm excited about everything pumpkin, but in all honesty I'm really sad that the Summer is drawing to a close.  Summer just isn't long enough here in DC, even though it was 90 degrees today.  If I ruled the world, it would ALWAYS be 90 degrees outside!!!!  Hope your Labor Day was great and that you enjoy the short work week!

A Day at the Beach

A Day at the Beach, 22x28 oil on canvas

Happy Monday!  This past week I finished a piece that was close to my heart, a picture of my sweet babe on her first trip to the beach.  As you can see, I changed up the colors a bit to make them more vibrant.  I really enjoyed painting this piece since it took me back to that day...she had such a great time splashing in the water, and I admittedly spent most of my time attempting to keep her from putting handfuls of sand in her mouth.  Ha!

Next up on the easel is a palette knife sea turtle!  Stay tuned and enjoy this last day of August!  I love Fall but I'm going to be honest, I'm pretty sad that Summer is winding down.  It is by far my favorite season of the year as I love love love warm weather.  But with Fall comes pumpkin spice lattes and the start of the Christmas season, so it's just a trade off.

With September comes the next ValeArts show, which runs from September 25th-27th at the Vale Schoolhouse.  Hope to see you there, stay tuned for more details!

Oh Baby...

A Mother's Love, oil on canvas, 22x28

A few months ago, I took a picture of my grandmother holding my sweet little baby, and it was just the most captivating picture.  My grandmother loves babies, and my little love has really taken to her as well.  My grandmother and my mom will come over on occasion and play with her so I can paint, and they just laugh and laugh in the next room over.  I tell you what, there are few things more delightful than multiple generations of laughter in one room together. 

I decided to try my hand at painting the picture I had taken of the two of them, and found that my grandmother is just too youthful looking, ha!  She ended up looking more like a mom than a grandma, and so I added some longer hair on her and have since titled it "A Mother's Love."  Maybe one day I'll take another shot at making my grandma, although I'm sure she probably prefers her to be painted sans laugh lines!

Hope you enjoy the piece and have a GREAT week ahead!

Waiting in the Wings

Recently, I've been having some fun painting ballerinas in palette knife.  Since I usually paint with a brush, the product is very different from my typical work, but I've been enjoying the expressiveness and freedom to explore color as well as the human form.  Above is my most recent piece, Waiting in the Wings, a 24"x36" oil on canvas.  

Sometimes I get asked where I get my inspiration from, and typically it's in the form of a picture.  This time, however, I actually posed for the picture!  You know what the best part of using yourself as a model?  You can shave off pounds with just a few strokes.  HA!!!!!!  I didn't don a tutu or anything, I just needed an understanding of how the hands would look fixing a bun.  Very simple picture but it was enough to get the painting going!

Hope you are having a great day!

Taking Photos...

Happy Monday!  Today I started a new piece, which I should hopefully have a picture to show some progress this Friday.  In the meantime, I spent some time taking pictures of a few pieces I have completed.  So much time can be spent on taking pictures, professional photographers are no joke...they have some mad skills.  As I try to learn all about white balance and photoshop etc., etc., I feel a little overwhelmed at times!  So here above is a far away picture of the ballerina I've been working on.  Palette knife is especially difficult to photograph due to the texture of the piece, but I hope at this point I've gotten it down.  I've been working much of the evening at it and hope to have the final image soon, I just need to check it on a couple different computers to make sure I don't have it totally off!

I hope you have a happy, productive week ahead!!!!  See you Friday!

Happy Friday!

Oh man, Friday again?!  This week felt like a blur.  This week I finished up framing a commissioned painting and touched up an old painting to change the palette to a brighter one.  I don't have pictures unfortunately, one because the commission is a surprise, and the other is not yet done.  I'm hoping Monday to show more progress, so with that, I'll just say Happy Friday!  I hope your weekend is wonderful and hope to have more fun for you Monday!