Show Time

As soon as my 2016 Safari Club International show ends, I am thinking about the 2017 show. This year's show is at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With a quad-island booth (20 feet by 20 feet) and the design we erect, I have 135 linear feet of wall space to fill.

One of the small pieces I just completed for the show is below.

Ancient Ones

7" X 10"

Original Oil

The small pink dots in the background are the flamingos of Lake Nakuru, Kenya.

Finished

Center Stage

18" X 12"

Original Oil

The Head

Most of this head is being painted with a new small angled flat brush. I can create an edge and a wedge of paint. Small details like the eyes are painted with a fine round brush.

A number of years ago, my husband watched as a struggled with an old brush which had frayed beyond easy use. He asked me how much a new brush cost. I said, "$3-$7." When he asked me how much extra time I was spending because I didn't have a new non-frayed brush, it was pretty clear I had been stingy with my brush purchases. Now if I feel I need a new brush I throw caution to the wind and part with $4.25 - all at once!

New Painting

As I work on this piece, I am reminded why I like Jack Richeson toned gessoed hardboard panels. Paint can really slide around on them but they have enough tooth to hold the paint in place. For this piece I am using the umber toned board. While their gray is nice, it does lend a cool tone to a painting.

Before beginning the background, I mixed a number of greens with sap green as my base. Lemon yellow, Cadmium yellow, burnt sienna, and naples yellow all came into play for the brighter greens. The deep background is ultramarine blue, raw umber and sap green. The darkest color was not evenly mixed so I would have some variation and not a solid mass.

Oil Painters of America

Happy New Year!

I have exciting news. Oil Painters of America has awarded me Signature Member status.

 This prestigious organization with over 4000 juried members has at last count awarded Signature status to fewer than 210 members. (Master Signature Member status has 50 members.)


http://oilpaintersofamerica.com/