A Good Day of Painting

A good day of painting. Every artist has them - and wishes they had more. When everything goes right with the painting and the whole experience flows like a symphony.

I just had one of those days. But this was much more special. My good friend Selena Schopfer had come up to the studio to work on her music while I paint. We take a lunch break and then go back to work. It had been a while since I was available so I was looking forward to the visit.

As usual, I showed her what I planned to work on and she let me listen to her latest work. After a little bit Selena said she didn't have anything old to work on so maybe she would start something new. I kept painting, she, composing. Before lunch she was ready to have me listen to what she had so far.

As the notes began to play, it was my painting! From my few words and reference images she had perfectly set the story and the mood to music. No lyrics were needed to say everything I was trying to say in paint. What an amazing talent she has and so inspiring to me.

After lunch she continued to work modifying the instruments and the very moving piece became even more touching. A very good day of painting. Thank you Selena.

The Gold Collection

I got an idea one day to paint a portrait of Africa's Crowned Crane. A very showy bird, I thought a muted background would really make him shine. This led to the idea of doing Africa's Best Dressed List: Crowned Crane, Giraffe, Leopard, Sable, and Zebra.

Africa's Best Dressed List - Gray Crowned Crane

12" X 9"

Original Oil

Not wanting to leave out our North American creatures, I started the The Gold Collection Series.

The Gold Collection - The Crane Gang

Sandhill, Whooping Crane

Each 12" X 9"

Original Oils

The Gold Collection - Bighorn Sheep

12" X 9"

Original Oil

I'll be doing more of these in which I start with a gray gesso but next up a scene I have wanted to paint since October of 2013. My blog will show the painting step-by-step.

Oil Painters of America National Juried Show

For the fourth time, one of my paintings has been juried into the Oil Painters of America National Juried Show. Over 2000 paintings were entered and only 218 pieces were selected from members of Oil Painters of America.

This year the show will be held in historic St. Augustine, Florida at the Cutter & Cutter Fine Art Gallery and run from May 1st - 25th.

My juried painting is Last Boat.

Finished

Posse

16" X 24"

Original Oil

I completed this piece just in time to send to my next show, Natureworks in Tulsa, OK.  Unfortunately, that means I did not have time to scan it so here is a photo which gives you an idea of how it turned out.

To see the "real McCoy", Natureworks Art Show & Sale is open to the public March 7th - 8th at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, Tulsa, OK. I will be there with 23 of my original oil paintings.

The good guys

Last fall I painted a piece titled Outlaws. (see posts starting October 4th, 2014 and the finished painting below.)

It didn't seem quite right to let the "bad guys" have the last word. So I am working on a companion piece introducing the good guys.

The Next Generation

For several years I have had the joy of painting with my nieces at Christmas. First we started with paint by numbers which they enjoyed. A number of years ago, my niece Audrey decided she wanted a more challenging project. From scratch, three of my nieces drew their subjects and then painted them with my oil paints.

This past Christmas we continued the tradition and added my youngest niece to our group. I continue to be amazed by their dedication and competence. Often they would be in the studio painting before I was. They know their colors, (including the obscure ones I have), but more importantly, they put their heart into their pieces ......and it shows.

I am proud to present the wonderful work from this past Christmas.

Amanda                                           Katie      Audrey

The fourth chair belongs to:

             Olivia ........starting to mix her paints for her horse

Olivia worked on two projects: a butterfly set which she painted with acrylics and a 3-D horse in which she created her own coat pattern. I believe both projects show wonderful creativity!

2 of the 4 butterflies painted by Olivia Besse, age 9

The mohair tail and mane were added later

horse painted by Olivia Besse, age 9

Well done Olivia!!!
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Amanda was set to complete her little bee-eater from last year. And my, what a beautiful painting it is. Her deft touch with the feathers and the depth of the eye really make this little guy come alive.

Original oil painting by Amanda Susman, age 14      7" X 8"        

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Audrey arrived a little sooner than her cousins and was game to try Daniel Smith's metallic gold gesso. For her subject she chose one of our calliope hummingbirds which I photographed last summer. Each day I marveled at her piece. Audrey's finished painting is simply gorgeous! (Note: the background is a metallic gold. Click on the photo and you can better see the gold.)

Original oil painting by Audrey Besse, age 14           7" X 9.5"

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Katie followed her cousin's lead and also decided to use gold gesso. Before anyone would get going in the morning, Katie would be in the studio painting. Browns are a tough color to work with but Katie did a superb job creating the nuances of this horse's hair. Well done Katie! You put a lot of your heart into this piece.

Original oil by Katie Susman, age 15      11" X 8"

Being in the studio with my nieces while we paint, talk, sing, and laugh makes my Christmas very special.

Finished

Jungle King

26" X 24"

Original Oil

If you remember from my post of Jan 22nd, originally I thought I would paint a grizzly. When I wasn't "feeling" it after painting the background and the head, I wiped the board, turned it 90 degrees and decided on a cat. I made the right choice.

My friend Lisa put it so well when she responded to my post of Jan 22nd,
" One of the hardest processes in life to learn.  How to stop and go backwards, to retrace one's steps to the point of departure.  Instinct says, "Push forward.  It will work out."  But so many times, scraping the whole thing and starting over proves to be the best avenue."


 In some ways, I hope this happens again. Yes, I lose precious painting time but self-editing (and starting over) will only improve my painting in the long run.