Rockport Cat

Rockport Cat

7 x 7, watercolor

Click to buy

My quilting friends and I try to go on a retreat twice a year and this is the resident cat. We stay at the Retreat House, just a fabulous set-up for quilters. I am not a cat person but this one was pretty friendly and visited routinely for several years. 

Blacksmith

Blacksmith

7 x 5, pastel

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Trying to coordinate my blog with the new posts on Daily Paintworks is making me a little crazy---no comments from those thinking I've been a little crazy long before this! In a perfect world I would post a new painting here daily and automatically have it uploaded to the blog the next day. That's in a perfect world......

I never thought to take a photo of my dad while he was shoeing all those horses, all those years. In fact, the day he died, he had changed the shoes on one of his horses. Pretty tough cowboy at 75 years old! But I did decide this blacksmith was photo worthy last year at Folkfest in New Braunfels.

Study #8

Study #8

6 x 6, pastel

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OK, so I finally completed a study in a color scheme way out of my comfort zone. I dutifully took out the  7-8 pastels from the box and closed it so I would not be tempted to sneak in my "go to" colors. It was a challenge, but that is what this is supposed to be, right?

Thank you, dear.

Study #7

Study #7

8x6, pastel

Click here to buy

Back to the studies on a landscape. The challenge for me is color choice, I know where I want to go, but keep gravitating to the same color scheme. The next one is different, the recommendation of my "most ardent supporter" to quote him!

Guadalupe Cypress

Guadalupe Cypress

10 x 8, pastel

Click to Bid

My apologies to you who check this blog often to see new pictures. Getting going in Daily Paintworks has taken more time than I imagined it would. Now, my computer skills had absolutely nothing to do with it! 

This is my latest, but I am not going to post it on DPW just yet. I am thinking of entering it in an upcoming show at NBAL. 

Very Exciting News!

Sunny Apple

11 x 14 matted,  watercolor

Click Here to Bid

OK, I know this is a repeat from the last post but...............I have spent the last several days contemplating whether I should take the leap and join Daily Paintworks. This is a site where artists post their art to sell, creating their own gallery on the site of their works. It is a leap of faith for me, to step out of my comfort zone again, and see what people other than my friends think of my art.

This painting will not be on the site until tomorrow morning and will be on the What's New page for the day. It will then go to my gallery and in the auction site. So if you get a chance tomorrow, go to Daily Paintworks, (you can click on  the area to the right and it will take you there) look under What's New and see Sunny Apple in a new site. If you hit the click to bid above, it will go directly to the painting and you can "mouse over" to see it up close and personal. Just X out, you do not have to bid on it.

New painting coming soon. I promise.

Sunny Apple

Sunny Apple

11 x 14, matted

 

 

Watercolor has taken a back seat to pastel lately, have you noticed? Got back in the swing this week. The last watercolor was the big one that I am still trying to decide the best background for it (back before Christmas).

 

Really enjoy painting apples, not so much, sunflowers. Really there is a love/hate thing going on. Love, love sunflowers, not so much painting them----but I will keep trying.

Variation #6

Variation #6

6x6, pastel

 

 

Well, this pastel has been totally scraped off and reapplied and even now the pigment is thick. I am working on these to learn, but the original one was a disaster. Really, do not think this is much better, The colors shown on the monitor are not true to the original, but I am at a loss to remedy that situation. The plan was to stay in one area of the color wheel, but think I strayed too wide.

 

When I finished messing with that, another landscape was begun, cypress on the Guadalupe River. It is progressing much better. Still struggling with having a heavy hand, too much pigment too soon. So much to learn, and put into practice. 

Billy G

Billy G

8 x 6, pastel

 

 

Billy G, (you know, billy goat), lives between Fischer and Blanco. First attempt at a goat, I do believe, and also, at the attempt to show contempt!

 

Really wanted to name it, "You lookin' at me?"

 

I have been invited to be a demonstrating artist at a fund raiser put on in Wimberley to benefit non-profit organizations in the area. Looking forward to meeting the wonderful ladies involved and sharing my art with them. Thank you, Rita, for the vote of confidence in my ability to do this.

 

 



News in Italy

News in Italy

10 x 8, Pastel

OK, I did try to paint during the holidays--this one. When I took this picture in Citta Della Pieve, I was struck by the emotion it evoked in me. He just seemed so alone and the news (I imagined from his body language) wasn't good. I have been wanting to paint it for quite some time. I am not happy with this, not getting the emotion. Perhaps it is because I left out the 4 empty benches that were all around him. Whatever it is, I just am not pleased with the results. So chalk it up to another learning experience.

He was wiped off and restarted once. Does he get wiped off again, but this time for good?

Carolina Barn

Carolina Barn

9 x 12, pastel

WooHoo!! I finally completed a painting! It was a study in procrastination avoidance!! Ever have that problem--finding all sorts of things to do to avoid doing what you really want to do, because you are afraid you will fail??? I really haven't tackled any painting of substance over the holidays, mainly the Variations. Now, the Variations have afforded me an opportunity to explore color, technique, strokes, but also, an opportunity to avoid really trying to create that 'good' painting. So my confidence has been suffering. Like Rita Kirkman says, "Just do the work", the rest will work itself out.

We passed this barn flying along the interstate to Asheville in October. I took note of the surroundings and decided we would stop on the way back to take pictures. Well, we were late getting the rental car back to the airport, so no stopping. When I recognized the surroundings, I rolled the window down, wrapped the camera strap around my arm and started snapping pictures at 70 mph!!! It's a wonder the camera didn't fly out of my hand. 

Happy New Year

Not Now

20 x 16, Pastel

Hope all of you have a Great New Year. We started it off in a wonderful way-----------at the Cotton Bowl cheering the Aggies on to victory. My condolences to the OU fans, including my son-in-law.

"Not Now" will be hanging at the Candlelight Cafe, 3011 N St. Mary's, in San Antonio this month. The restaurant is featuring the Texas Pastel Society members. I am excited to get my art out at a new venue. Hoping to get some good feed back. I am trying to decide the 2 other pictures to hang in the show. Will let you know when I decide.

The cool thing about this painting is that the bull really had his head resting on her backside. The evening sun was shining so brightly in my eyes while snapping pictures, I only found it out when I was looking at the photos on the computer.