Tower Grove Playground painting #86

 

30 Paintings in 30 Days starts today.   I've enjoyed getting motivated by this challenge.  Here's my first one.... check out the others on Leslie Saeta's blog: http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com/
     This is from a reference photo I took at the park this fall.   There's a great farmer's market at Tower Grove Park in St. Louis, and while you're shopping you can listen to live music.  Just on the other side of the pavillion there is this wonderful fountain that the little kids love to play in.   Luckily I had my camera and got a few good shots.  

Day One Hundred-Fifteen

                                            'Katie Bear'

6 x 8 oil on panel

nfs

     Not the same portrait as her sister... This one is growing on me, though.  I attempted the 12 x 12 canvas of Katie, but haven't gotten the likeness that I wanted.. I might just put it aside and start over on another one later one, but til then, this one I'll frame for her Mom and Dad !   If a portrait doesn't work well, I can only tweak it so much, and then it starts to get 'tired' looking... (I get a bit tired, too... at least tired OF IT !)
      Still love doing portraits, though !!

Day One Hundred-Twelve

                                                                        'Pensive'

8 x 8 oil on panel

60.00 + 6.00 s + h

     I've had this photo in my upstairs studio (also the grandbabies room) for years, it seems, and I decided to paint it for a daily post.  I love doing faces, and did a series of about 70 or so, of my students, and others, when I was preparing to retire from teaching art.   I painted them in oil, which I hadn't done since college, and put them on 12" x 12" canvases, with the deep profile that doesn't need a frame.  While working on this series, I taught myself to paint a 'likeness'.  My mom was an artist all of her life, and loved painting portraits occasionally, too.   She would always say how difficult she found the process of capturing the spark of the personality in the painting... That's one reason I tried to challenge myself to go about doing exactly that !!
     To view my portrait series... go to   http://www.flickr.com/photos/sanso