African Elephant #139

I've always enjoyed drawing and painting elephants.  I did many during my teaching days, both in pencil, colored pencil, and paint.   I really love the massive body shape, how it fills the page, how powerful the shape is, and the use of color from sunlight and shadows, etc.... (I really do love elephants, too, they are regal animals, I think)

     This one, in an 8 x 8 format, is for my granddaughter's bedroom, as part of her world travel series.  I hope some day she can see one on a safari, in the wild.

African Zebra #138

     I finally got back to my cool, I mean COLD easel, and got another painting done for my newest grand-daughter, Vivian.  I'm doing this travel theme series for her wall, because she will be a traveler soon..... or so her mommy and daddy say, so here is a zebra from her mom's trip to Africa several years ago.   I had fun with it, but it was a challenge to keep the stripes believable, and yet use soft edges to give the overall looseness of the painting.  What do you think ??

???

Venezuela beach #137

 

Another in the series for our new (yet to be born) granddaughter.   I wish I had been there, but Jim and Amy have.

Lone cypress #136

We spent a year on the Monterey peninsula with our family back in 1988, while my husband was attending the Naval Postgraduate School there.  We have such great memories of that year with our kids. Tracey was in 4th grade, Ted in 6th, and Jim was a sophmore at Monterey High.  We all met friends there that we still have in 2013 !
     This is another in the series for the new grandbabies wall. 

The Painted Ladies #135

 

San Francisco favorites, they line the edge of Alamo Square a couple of blocks from where our daughter used to live.  For any of you old enough to remember, they were shown at the start of the old  TV series, "Full House", which our daughter used to watch.  

Eiffel Tower #135

 Here are the particulars on this one.

Eiffel Tower for Vivian #134

   Eiffel Tower painting is for the series I'm doing for my new granddaughter, who will be born in the next few weeks..... Her mom and dad are travelers and intend for little Vivian to have her passport at a young age so she can join in........   So fun !

 

My prize #133

 In the last post I showed my process on this painting.   Dailypaintworks was not able to find the info. for the daily posting, so I'm going to set it up again.   thanks

My prize #133

 

Worked bigger still today.... this time 12 x 12.  The actual bloom measures 8" across.   This time I've worked the background a little differently... I like it better.  It's true to what I was seeing, too.

Spring delight #132

 

I have two varieties of tree peony.   This one is amazing, too, and super large, but it seems I planted it in too much shade and this year I only got one bloom.   I DID rescue the one flower before the downpour, though, which would have totally ruined it.... Bigger size this time, 8 x 8.

Symphony in Pink #131

     One more view of my fleeting tree peony bloom.... love them

Up Close #130

 

  I had to rescue my blooms from the constant 4 day rain, before they got ruined.  These wonderful tree peony flowers are my first indication that spring is really here.  Once I measured the flower and it was 7" across... amazing.... and the color is brilliant.  Don't know if I totally captured the color but I tried.... with Winsor Newton's permanent rose.  Still trying for a believable rose color with the light on it.... sometimes the pink seems so unreal and not at all natural.  I remember reading to lighten a color go to the nearest one of the color wheel, rather than always adding white.    still working on it.
     If you have any hints on that, please add a comment to help me... thanks

Peonies in vase #129

 

     Certainly been a long while away from my easel, we have many jobs we are doing around our 100+ year old house, including putting in a new kitchen, and doing a lot of the work ourselves....  
     One of the first signs that spring is really here is my gorgeous tree peony blooms... Once I measured it and the bloom was 7" across !  Well, I rescued several from the rain, (it's rained for days here) and had to get to painting it....   This color is always a challenge, but I used the permanent rose I got awhile back, while seeing it in use on Brenda Ferguson's blog.   Thanks, Brenda, sometimes it is just the ONLY color that will do !!

New Painting set up....

 

 

Here's my new still life set up.  I found it awhile back at a yard sale.  It's a table with no sides, just a top and bottom.  I painted it with a reflective while enamel and with the help of some heavy white fabric I can create the sides and back, that way controlling the light and shadows.   I'm excited to try it out.... Now... I've just got to get 2 rooms painted, and a ceiling, and some cabinets to get ready for my new kitchen cabinets FIRST !!!

Microscopic inspired abstract #130

 

 

I tried a really big one (for me),because it's 32 x 32,for my newly painted 2nd familyroom..... I needed something big and bold over the couch, beside my "Clausen" abstract from California.   His work is so cool, usually completely abstract... we bought one of his rare ones which contains a portrait, also.

Taj Mahal #129

Traveled to India?  Gotta love it.

Bouquet #128

 

 

Here's a conglomeration of flowers from Trader Joes... They have good selections sometimes.  I liked these because they had ranunculus in them. 

Rose #127

 

 

     Still struggling with roses... they are hard to paint !  I somehow think I might have an easier time with an apricot or yellow one.   That's next, if I can find one ! ha !    Thanks for the helpful critique from my talented sis on this painting.... when she came over this week for her birthday dinner... love you, Lin !

Erica and Chalonda #126

 

 

     I started this with a painted all over surface, and then started to work on it with mineral spirits and q-tips... It was challenging, but fun.... By subtracting and then adding, over and over, it started to take shape.  I wasn't that concerned with whether or not it got a likeness, but only with being loose.....  I also decided to only use colors that were left on my palette from yesterday.  
     The sweet face belongs to Erica, who works for my Doctor, and takes such good care of me !

The second portrait is Chalonda, who took the exray of my foot when I left the Drs office on Tuesday....

Strange ancestor....

 

 

     Does anyone remember these old (red) piggybanks?  This one is from my antique booth and has an advertisement for a bank on the other side.  I know they came in blue, too.  I really like this little guy and thought it would be fitting to paint him with my current purchase of a bank for my granddaughter.  "A penny saved......etc."