Mar 8 - Calicobermans Finished

Finished and now on display in Kansas City at the Art Show at the Dog Show! 24 x 24 box canvas, "Calicobermans" won third place in the Other Media category.

As artists we have a supreme obligation to interpret our world around us, and we do so by taking our realities and putting them through our sensitivities and training to emerge in our art forms--whatever those take. As I have said often, it isn't about the end product (nice to have something that works, though!), it is about the PROCESS of creating that is of value for me. I hope it is for you, too.

Art is part of my life--a big part--and sometimes, like a wave, life comes and takes me under for a while. However, I've always been like a cork, rising to the top even in the greatest deluge. I credit optimism, a greater world view, and close friends for my buoyancy. Thanks to you! And Good Things continue to happen--I've been asked to judge the Del Mar Fair's Plein Air event this coming June. I love to do that--going to the fair is always fun, and it's a full day of watching my peers paint, enjoying the funnel cakes and even going on a ride or two!

Here's the new mom ewe with her two lambs--the white one is a girl, the brown and white one is the boy. Although smaller, he's up and nursing well now. And yes, all my sheep wear bells--the beauty of the sound lifts my soul as they graze. Mrs. Redhen watches with interest.

The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Mar 7 - Calico Dobermans and a LOT of Things!

"Calicobermans" won an award at the Art Show at the Dog Show where it is currently on exhibit, so I'm pleased that the final image came out so well. At this stage, I'm starting to paint the dogs with acrylics as I continue to add fabric to the background. Check out the lower left corner from the last posting. See how I painted over the calico fabric to get the same color as on the right corner? That's also how I develop these unique pieces. They do not rely on the fabric alone!

Where does the time go? Guess I've been under the radar for about a month, and so I'm glad to be back! Lots of paintings to share with you, and I'll pile them up in the blog and have them come out automatically so there won't be another gap like this one. I apologize for the space between postings. However, sometimes artists thrive on "down time" to process and work behind the scenes. I have paintings to share from the Plein Air Artists of Riverside's week long competition and a portrait of a pug dog that has come to live with me. 

And THIS WEEKEND is the Color Boot Camp Workshop here!  I do have a few spaces left for last-minute deciders to improve your color sense!

On other news, the brown and black ewe in the photo to the right gave birth a few days ago and presented me with twins--unusual for a first freshener. She's a Barbado/Dorper cross, and a good mother. The photo is one I took a few days ago when I was out with the flock. That's Willow's shadow at my feet--Sparky was digging and out of the picture. I love my life!

My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

Feb 15 - Laying in the Fabric Swatches on "Calicobermans"

It's a lot like doing a jig-saw puzzle. Cutting the pieces to fit, picking the right value and interesting patterns to make the shapes come alive.  I had such fun picking what will eventually be the distant background, too.

Do you see where I'm resolving the placement of the dog paws down front and center? That's the way I work, without confining decisions if I'm not sure. I like working with future puzzles to solve as the art evolves.  Of course, sometimes the puzzles win, and there's a problem to be solved later down the road. If the puzzle wins on those paws, it'll be too late, as the piece has already been accepted to the Art Show at the Dog Show and needs to be shipped this week.  So I'm boxing and filling out forms--part of the duties of an exhibiting artist.

On other news, I thought you'd enjoy seeing the picture I took last Saturday morning from the TOP of the mountain behind my studio (marked with the yellow circle). Making a new trail to the top of the mountain is part of the joy of hiking--and this one will be a good one for horses and people, connecting up to an established trail accessible from the other side of the mountain. I love making trails, and the weather was gorgeous. Today a rain front has moved in, taking the temps down to 60 and there's a misty rain falling as I look out my studio window. However, hiking in the rain is good, too!

My workshop schedule for 2011 is HERE.
The newest DVD on the Color System is HERE
You can see my entire blog HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.