New art update...

Some new artwork underway since the last time I posted!  Let me show you!!

This first one is called "Burning Bridges" and i finished it in the fall.  It's based on a picture I took of the sunset while going over a bridge near Newport, RI.  Don't worry...I wasn't driving! I love the vibrancy that came of the colors I used.  I always start very vibrant with my underpaintings.  I do have a step by step picture series to show how this painting came to life and will be posting that soon! It's NuPastel on 9x12 Colourfix paper.

This is my latest creation.  I'm not sure if it's completely done yet.  I love the color and the way the rocks came to life.  It's based on a picture from a couple summers ago of a beach in Clinton, CT.  I really liked the way the landscape framed the umbrella and decided to remove the inhabitants.  I'm not sure if I need to do anything to the far water underneath the trees... it looks a little pale to me, but I don't want to lose the depth of the painting. I don't have a name picked out for this one...but I'm thinking somewhere along the lines of "Summer Soldier".  Please tell me what you think...I'd appreciate any feedback! This is NuPastel on 9x12 Colourfix paper.

It's been a while...

It has been a while.  The school semesters and this summer have been gruelingly busy.  However I have been working here and there on a couple pieces.  Here they are :)

The picture above is a sunset over Lake Travis in Austin, TX  I really had fun with this one because it is on a new surface.  Colourfix paint (black) on gatorboard foam.  An artist friend gave it so me to try.  It has a lot of tooth and I really enjoyed using it.  Here is a picture when I had just started layering colors...

I am going to put the step-by-step pictures of the other painting I've worked on in another post :)

The Yoga Series Continues...

I have been motivated and productive lately, making yet more progress on my yoga series and then some :) I have completed two more yoga poses and started working on some new content on a new surface last night.  I have a little more work to do on the beach scene which is on Pastelmat.  This was a fun toothy surface to work on.  Luckily, completely the yoga backgrounds on my other paintings prepared me for bulking on enough pastel to be able to blend on this surface.  Here is the beach painting:

My most recent yoga painting "Fierce" is featured below.  Entitled "Fierce" because of the warrior pose she is in, I wanted her to pop and appear to take charge of the page while also complimenting her surroundings.  I loved the pop of orange/red encircling her while the background is meant to capture the colors of the beach, sand, and surf.  Any comments appreciated!

The third yoga painting in my series, isn't the best picture.  I took it with my camera and will change it as soon as I get some natural light for a photo :)  This is "Rooted" and attributes her balance and harmony as she is in tree pose.  I incorporated very earthy colors to simulate her sturdiness as a tree would be.  Enjoy!

The bottom two paintings are on 9x12 Colourfix paper while the top beach scene as I said is pastelmat. All are created with NuPastels.  Have a great day.

Sunset Painting

Finished my sunset painting.  I really like it and have started another one to accompany it.  I am taking pictures of this second one as I do it (when I remember) so that you can see how I layer and when I blend.  I'm very happy with that one too.  Please let me know what you think, and please check out more work on this site as well as my Facebook Fanpage!

Mini Paintings

Just wanted to post some updates of things I've been working on.  I took one of my 12x16 Pastel Papers and cut it into four 6x8 pieces to do some work on a smaller scale.  I've got about 30 minutes worth of work on both of these pictures done but I'll be putting on more layers and working on the background of the scallions piece.  The pictures aren't the greatest because they're off of my phone, but I found that my phone takes better pictures without the flash if I don't have indirect daylight to take it with my camera.  One is scallion flowers, and the other is just looking down the opening of a wooded area.

The scallions were harder than I anticipated as I wasn't mentally prepared with all of the little petals, but I like it none the less.  The harder part is the background which is an out of focus garden (all green) and a hosta (spelling) that is light in value because of the transparency factor.  But I really like how the woods are going.  I would like to work on leaf detail in the trees more.  The woods picture is more out of focus than I thought it was when I took it... so I apologize.  With more work on them I'll take better pictures of both.

After watching a documentary about Van Gogh, based on letters to his brother, it was reported that he created over 900 paintings in 9 years, averaging a painting a day.  Out of curiosity, I wanted to see what my average production was.  Knowing it wouldn't be nearly as much between just starting pastels a year ago, working two jobs, and attending two colleges the past six month, including finish my Master's and thesis.  I have created 54 pastel paintings in the past year, averaging to one a week.  Posted here are numbers 55 and 56.  I'm going to take this opportunity to challenge myself and my production rate.  Let's see what happens! :)