Nov 29 - The Ground Squirrel Complete

I need a title for this one....
Here's the 18 x 18 inch acrylic photographed in the good light I need for entering shows. The glare is gone, and the colors are uniform across the canvas. Signed, it's finished mostly with Golden Open Acrylics, which I am coming to love.

I loved painting with the Open Acrylics, and of course the Color System makes this scene read right from the top to the squirrel's shadow. Our ground squirrels' Latin name is Spermophilus beecheyi but I just call 'em the common California Ground Squirrel--or varmits.

Tomorrow I go paint on location with the Plein Air Artists of Riverside--always a fun day! I'll be taking those Open Acrylics with me for more practice.

Below is a more detailed image of the squirrel:

This image shows the details where I felt details needed to be, yet the brushwork and loose edges of the other areas guarantee a hierarchy of edges.

These rocky ridges and "exfoliating granite" are very common around our place here in Riverside, California. The ground squirrels are no strangers to us either!

This original acrylic is destined for the Saks Gallery in Denver, Colorado for a show in February with the Women Artists of the West. I don't know whether I'll be able to go to the show, but I do have friends there to visit--and life is short, so who needs a better reason?

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Color System information can be found HERE.

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Nov 28 - Rocks and Open Acrylics, almost done!

Although the image has glare on the right edge, you can get a general idea of where this painting is going now. I haven't signed it yet, nor photographed it outside as it is late tonight and I wanted to get something out to you before the weekend is over.

This austere terrain is not uncommon here in Southern California--we have rocks and brush exactly like this out behind our place. The wildlife is there, and only the ground squirrels pose as they keep watch for predators from a relatively safe perch.

This painting is about atmosphere, heat, and light. I'll finish it tomorrow, as I get out the holiday decorations and work on another commission for the holidays. I need to get a much better image for submission to the Women Artists of the West show in Denver next year.

I do really like the Golden Open acrylics--the best of all worlds with working time and yet the brillance and handling of regular acrylics. I do think I may be a convert!

We had a quiet Thanksgiving here after the rain. Nice to have a fire in the fireplace and be with someone you love and not have traveling in the plans for a change! I hope your holiday continues to be full of whatever you wish it to have.

You can see my entire blog here.

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Nov 24 - More Rocks and Open Acrylics....and me

It's been interesting thinking about those Open acrylics from Golden... I hesitated to start using them because I wasn't quite ready to deal with the lesser known drying time (longer) and the workability on the canvas (also longer). But now that the company from the past weekend is gone, I can settle back into the studio and progress on this canvas and others.

The Open acrylics are now out and in their own pill boxes, and I'm using them from the last image until this canvas is finished. It is fun to "fudge" edges long after regular acrylics would have long dried.
I'm still completely in the cool box in the Color System, and the "fire" of the underpainting is only visible by that large round rock. No details here, just more layers of color, and more blending happening.

On another note, how about a recent picture of me by our pond? Some of you don't even know what I look like without that painting hat, so here's one I took yesterday morning in (yup!) Morning Light on our front patio. That's Sparky on my lap and Onslow's head in the lower left corner.

May all of you have a happy Thanksgiving this week who celebrate it. I'll be posting more on this painting and another commission I've started, but some of you may already be out on long vacations to visit family and friends. I'll see you when you come back!

You can see my entire blog here.

Color System information can be found HERE.

If you need to email me directly, please click here.