Completed magnolia flowers

Here are the two magnolia flowers I was working on a few days back. They are 3x3 inches. I would be willing to sell them for $15 each.

Distant Mountains

Distant Mountains
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas board
Not available

Here is something I did two days ago. I was pleased with the water and clouds both. It was a chance to practice clouds and mountains (with a knife).

Blue Ridge Sunset

Blue Ridge Sunset
12 x 24 inches
oil on stretched canvas
For information on purchasing this painting, please visit my Etsy Store.

Here is my painting from class yesterday. I am pretty proud of it, I feel like I "get" clouds now and can do them again well, without it being a fluke. It is 12x24 oil on stretched canvas. The price is a bit higher than my other comparable pieces because I would lie to recoup my class fee ... but I am open to offers!

The Weiner Dog

Here are two small canvases, 4 x 4 inches each, of a dachshund for my sister.

The Blue Man Cometh Along

Here is the DSDF challenge now...still not done...

What is on my easel...

Here is what I am working on now:




















It is for the Different Strokes for Different Folks challenge (http://differentstrokesfromdifferentfolks.blogspot.com/)
It is to work on the human form. Since I know I need that work, I decided not to worry about colors and do him in all blue. I have decided to do the chair and background in two other colors, I think. I certainly do not have him right yet, but I feel like I am learning a lot! Which is the entire point... It is due July 29.

Birthday Party Planning

My oldest son will be five next month, so I have gotten into party planning. We decided upon a bug them (really a variation of last years garden theme, when the invitations were actually seed packets I designed, very cute!) I knew I could not top last years invites, so here is this years...still cute!














The favors are bug catcher tongs, small bug beach balls, and abug "case" with a magnifying glass lid, all in a canvas bag I painted with a caterpillar.

Magnolia Blossoms

I got a stack of small 3 x 3 inch canvas panels and tried to work on a magnolia blossom, from a photo. Here are three of my attempts. Number one and two are not complete, the third is. I will work on them some more later.

Gallery of failed works...

There are several paintings I just did not like and either did not finish or finished but never posted them. This post will be of the not-so-good pieces I have done...
The first is a weeping cherry tree I did with a palette knife. Enjoyed the knife, hated the results. Did not finish it. The second is of a fall scene. I finished it but do not like it...

Final Emma

Well, here is the final Emma, complete with a glare spot on the top of the canvas. I really need to learn to take better photos of my paintings. I need a class! Anyway, this painting represents the first painting I have sold and my first commission...a friend wanted me to paint her little friend from a photo. It was fun to do, a challenge, and I did learn a lot (like how to do grass...)

Hope you like it too!

Emma

Emma
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas panel
SOLD

A friend threw a challenge at me, if I could do a picture of her dog, that maybe I could make a sale. Honestly, this was more about the challenge part than the sale part. I had fun with it, though I am not sure I am done, I may work on the face some more. She had a great picture to work from, so that was good too! Here is Emma (I think that is her name...hopefully I have not gotten it wrong!) at this point!

Gigi

I decided to paint a picture of my oldest son's favorite friend, Gigi the Giraffe. It turned out quite cute. Maybe I can become a stuffed animal portrait painter...

Another mountain scene

Western Mountains
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas board
Not Available


This is loosely based on a photo my sister-in-law took on a trip out west. I say loosely because even if I thought I has done a good job on it, I am not sure I could rival the pure majesty of the scene and Kelli's photography skills... I might try it again one day...

The duck!

My youngest son, when he came home from the hospital after seven weeks (he was born at 31 weeks) was pretty much dependent on the soothie pacifier. So, I found these neat pacies with little stuffed animals attached to them, and got a frog and a duck. I thought it would be easier to keep a hold of them with the animals. Within two weeks of being home, he stopped using the pacifier part and started sucking on the animal itself. Until the last few months, the duck and frog had become interchangeable, but then the duck became his favorite. He LOVES this thing. I got a new one and he refused it. He likes the smell of the old one. EW! So, here is a painting of the new one. If I can get the old one from him long enough to paint it I will do that one as well. I decided to do this after painting my oldest son's giraffe last week. The youngest keeps looking at the painting and saying "mine!"

I've attached a picture of Benjamin at about four months with a still clean and non-smelly duck, the two ducks side by side (might have to paint this picture if I cannot get the old duck from him) and him with his smelly old duck...ah, lovies.

Fall Trees

The Days of Fall
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas board
$60, free shipping in continental US

I did this from a picture from a magazine. Most of my inspiration is such, since I am the stay at home mother of two small boys, doing some plein air painting is difficult. This turned out a bit darker than I wanted, but I am still pleased with it.

Yet another attempt at the Magnolia tree down the street

Magnolia and Friends
14 x 18 inches
Oil on canvas board
Not available

I tried once again to paint the magnolia tree down the street, and two other trees nearby and I think I just need to give up. My husband likes this one but not me! Sigh. I think I need to do the magnolia ALONE and once I have mastered that, move onto the entire group.

Blue Ridge Tree

Blue Ridge
14 x 18 inches
oil on canvas board
NOT AVAILABLE

My work seems to come in spurts these days...I did three paintings two days ago, finished this one yesterday. I am waiting for the others to dry enough for me to get a decent photo, so this is the only one I am posting today. It is from a photo a friend took (thanks Wendy!) I am not 100% sure where it is, but I would bet from somewhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I love the idea of doing plein air painting around here, but that cannot happen... no way I can handle it with the boys! Maybe one day in the future. So, in the meantime, photos provide most of my inspiration. Though one of the paintings I did the other day and have yet to post was of my four-year-olds very favorite stuffed animal.

I really like the way this one turned out, though I realized after I started it I have done this sort of composition before, landscape, tree on the left, and probably need to get more creative!