BRIDGE OVER PEACEFUL WATERS

A little stone bridge adds to the charm of this idyllic scene... keeping the color harmony in gold and lavender. You can see the stream beyond the bridge rippling along, with some reflection of the stones and flowers at its edge. Next will be the red mill house. The roof is done, but the rest of the house and water wheel await the magic brush.

I'll keep you posted!

Your Pet Portrait Opportunity!

SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY DEAL
NOVEMBER 26 - DECEMBER 4, 2011

Save 20% on a Pet Portrait commission! Just $400 to you if you "LIKE" me on Facebook or FOLLOW me on Twitter, or CONNECT with me on LinkedIn, or SUBSCRIBE to my Blog. I will send you a message verifying your discount coupon. One lucky person will also WIN a Pet Portrait Giveaway! FORWARD this email to your friends, too!

HOW THE COMMISSION WORKS: 

You'll send me your photograph, and I will send you the painting. One pet only. Maximum size 20" x 16" (unframed). This is a $500 value! (Sales tax will be added for California residents.)

How to have a Great day!

Enjoy this beautiful video by Louis Schwartzberg, and have a great day:

Tustin Art League: November Meeting

Tustin Art League: November Meeting: At our November meeting, Alice Leggett will do an animal portrait. Members should bring an 8" x 10" picture of their pet. Alice will pic...

Painting the Trees

The background trees are started!

Using only the colors on the palette, I have begun the trees in the upper left corner. It feels good to paint with full bodied oils - no mediums - lots of paint on the brush and simple, multi-directional strokes that define the form. In this case, I used a Rosemary & Company Ivory Long Flat brush. Springy and easy to clean!

Under the Painting...

...is the Underpainting! I like to cover the white of the canvas with the local color. Some of the underpainting may show through between the thicker brushstrokes of the final layer.

The paint is thinned with Linseed Stand Oil and Odorless Mineral Spirits. The drawing shows through.

Here's the palette mixed out with the colors from the gamut mask.

The colors on the palette from left to right:

1. Cadmium Lemon, Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue
2. Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Red Light, Viridian
3. Ultramarine Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow Medium
4. Cerulean Blue
5. Viridian
6. Sap Green, Alizarin Crimson

And Titanium White way up there at the top. 


I put the tube colors away so I can stay within the color gamut. That's it for today!

On the Easel Today

12x9 Color Study 

I am getting started on the underpainting for "Mill Stream Fishermen," a 48" x 36" canvas which will hang in a dining room here in Orange County. I have done a composition in PhotoShop, and a quarter-scale color study. I've sketched the shapes on the canvas with thin paint.

Digital Color Wheel

Gamut Mask

Recently, I bought James Gurney's book, Color and Light. Following his guidelines on Gamut Mapping, I created a digital color wheel in Illustrator that mixes twelve colors with each of their complements to reach neutral gray in the center. I then placed a Gamut Mask over the wheel that limits the colors I will premix and use on the painting. The purpose of this is to create color harmony in the painting, and also stay in harmony with the surroundings where the painting will hang.

It will be fun to see how the painting progresses... stay tuned!

Why do We Love Pets so Much?

Is it those eyes looking up at you with pure adoration? Or the warm softness of their snuggly body? I think we have a loving connection with our dogs, cats, birds (fill in the blank), as much as we do with our families. What do you think?
Learn to paint your pet: Pet Portrait Workshop

"From Heart to Art"

Marley, 2010

I believe in magic. There is something intangible about creating a work of art that thrills my soul and brightens my day. Whether it's a commissioned portrait or a landscape, oil painting starts within and ends up on the canvas. That's what I mean by "from heart to art."
If you're an artist, I'd love to hear how you feel about your creative process.
If you are an art appreciator, what is it that draws you into a work of art?