Finished portrait

Put the finishing touches of this portrait.   The success of a portrait like this is primarily a wonderfully visually descriptive photo.  The best photos capture the personality of the sweetie....😘

Sweet pup

Starting a commission of this sweet pup.   This is the underpainting-12x12 oil on canvas-
     This was the owner’s favorite pic of his beloved pet....
   These are rewarding to paint😘

Jocie and Rowyn

My hairdresser and her daughter..... 16x20.  I did a series of portraits when I retired from teaching high school art.  These portraits, of my students, started me on the journey of painting in oil...I still enjoy doing a portrait now and then😘

Tuscany

Not plein air, instead a commission from a friend.  27 x 10... for over the kitchen doorway. 

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.