Study #12

Study #12

5 x 5, pastel

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This painting has been sitting on the shelf for months, not happy with the original. Being a rainy day, Praise the Lord, I was wanting to paint but undecided as to the subject. This painting and another caught my eye, so I just picked them and up and started applying pastel, much more pleased with the result!

Curiosity

Curiosity

10 x 8, pastel

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This painting is my third and final entry in the NBAL show this month. The deer loves to eat the bird feed that the birds flick out on the ground. I took this photo as he was checking out the feeder, as if to see if he could get more out of it.

Boa Baby

Boa Baby!

10 x 8, pastel

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This is Kia, wrapped in a red, white and blue boa on July 4th.  She seemed to be enjoying the frivolity. 

You can see her and other great animal paintings/photos at the NBAL show in New Braunfels. 

First Peek

First Peek

7 x 5, pastel

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This baby squirrel lived in Kyle, Texas last summer. I was visiting a quilting friend and just happened to catch him as he stuck his head out to catch a few rays. So tiny and cute.

Really, you need to go see the show at the NBAL gallery this month. It is awesome! Some fabulous paintings/photos of critters, all ready to go home with you.

You Lookin' At Me??

You Lookin' at Me??

11 x 7.5, watercolor

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Finally, I have paintings to post. The New Braunfels Art Gallery show for September is "For the Love of Animals". I turned in 3 paintings for this show and this was not one of them----maybe it should have been?? You just never know!!

This cat lives in Italy and is the resident cat at the hardware store on Vannucci Street in Citta Della Pieve. He had the most perturbed expression in his eyes the entire time I was getting pictures--typical cat.

The NBAL show opens tomorrow. It should be a great one. Drop by if you get a chance this month.

TAMU Pride

TAMU  Pride

28 x 18, watercolor

This painting was a labor of love for the ideal of Aggie Pride. I took a dear friend to the next to the last Aggie home game last fall and she took me to the Quad to see the 'step off' prior to the game. Season tickets for two years and I had never seen that. The Quad was packed with people besides all the Corp members. It was awesome.

While snapping pictures of the activities, I captured this moment. This man was the Commander of the Corp last year. In that mass of people, he seemed to be taking in the importance of the moment. So I worked on this painting for months, with the intention of giving it to a man I had never met, but felt I knew. When we went to move our Aggie home in May, I took this painting and left it at headquarters for him. From the email I received that afternoon, he liked it.

Galveston Gulls

Galveston Gulls
6 x 6, pastel
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Can you believe it??? It has been almost a month, OK, it has been a month since I posted a painting. Excuses are futile, but I have been working at my job a bunch.

This painting is from one of my assignments---9 days in Galveston. Galveston in August can best be described as miserable, sticky, hot and humid. Nine days there and my toes never touched the sand--you could say that I am a lake person not an ocean/sea/gulf person.  The water is much more colorful in this painting than it actually was. My hotel was less than a block from the seawall and the beach. Really enjoyed walking the wall and taking pictures either early am or late evening.

I have been painting when home, but they are paintings for the "Love of Animals" show at the NBAL Gallery in September. Hoping to post them closer to the show opening, September 4.

Reflection

Reflection

5 x 5, pastel

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This is an attempt to see if I could create an interesting painting by merely painting a reflection, would it be recognizable. The tiny area left little room for detail. The jury is still out......

But, it is good to be back to at the easel!

More about the Dog!!

I know everyone is tired of hearing about Cow Dog but I just had to share this new development!!

But, I won't force you to look at the painting one more time here.

Jerry's Artarama is a national chain selling art supplies. There is a store in Austin. That's where I took the pastel portrait workshop from D K Richardson. I used the principles learned in  that workshop to paint Cow Dog.

Today I received an email from D K Richardson with this link:

http://jerrysaustin.blogspot.com/2013/07/dk-richardsons-pastel-portrait-workshop.html

Please check it out. I am so thrilled to be highlighted in the blog of this store.

1st Place Winner!

Cow Dog

8.5 x 11, pastel

Click to go to Dailypaintworks

Cow Dog was entered in the the Texas Show sponsored by Heineken at the New Braunfels Art League Gallery. This evening he won first place in the 'under glass division', watercolor/pastels! I was just thrilled and was on my way to hang my ribbon on the painting when the painting was whisked to the desk to be sold to a lady from Austin!!

I am feeling a mixture of emotions, thrilled to win, thrilled for it to sell, but disappointed that I never got to see the blue ribbon hanging on the painting for even a minute. I really believe 'happy' is winning out over 'disappointment'!

Also, I was notified earlier today that Lucky sold at the Arthritis Assoc. in San Antonio! I was already tickled to death about that! It has been a good day.

Lucky

6 x 8, pastel

Cow Dog

Cow Dog

8.5x11

Pastel on toned sanded paper

It has been a great day!!! I got to paint today. I applied the information learned from the D K Richardson workshop and painted Cow Dog. I hope to enter it in the Texas Show at the NBAL Gallery on Tuesday. There are a couple of areas that need to be tweaked, but all in all I am pleased.

I really do not think he is a cow dog, took his picture at the last Market Days I participated in. He was a sweet dog. In fact in one picture, he seemed to be smiling for the camera!

D K Richardson's Workshop

 Almost completed workshop piece

10x8, pastel on Ampersand board

I know it's been about 6 weeks since my last post--believe me, I know!!! I have been working on a commission piece that I cannot share on the web without permission AND I have been working my new job. Just returned from 12 days in Memphis, which is a neat place, but it is sure good to be back home.

The best part is I arrived home in time to take a wonderful workshop given by D K Richardson at Jerry's Artarama in Austin. To me, her art is breathtaking, the realism and detail amazing. I really enjoyed the class, learned sooooooo much, and hope to be able to apply it to my work. She is an excellent instructor and very supportive/encouraging. Three of the five participants had never used pastels before. They ended up with wonderful, portraits they created all on their own. D K never touches your work she simply guides you (verbally) in seeing and applying the pastel to get the lifelike results.

I am very pleased with my painting. I have included several progress shots taken over the course of the 2 day workshop. Her method is very labor intensive, but so very worth the effort. Check out her website at www.dkrichardson-artist.com.

Initial grid and drawing

This is where my affliction of 'seeing too much" comes in handy!

                                                 

First application of color.

 Putting in the undertones of the cheek.

 Fairly, happy with this but the nose is wrong.

Pretty happy here, but sweating the scarf on her head.

Think it may still need some tweaking.

 Just have to worry about the background now.

Thanks for checking out my blog and not giving up on me!!

Serenity

Serenity

8 x 10, pastel

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This is a painting of the pond and water feature at my brother and sister-in-law's home. It is so relaxing to sit and enjoy the sound of water trickling, sort of serene. 

It was a challenge to create the the image of water both flowing and as a flat surface. Always good to challenge yourself.

Exciting Barn news!

Carolina Barn

9 x 12, pastel

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Had some exciting news today. Daily Paintworks chose this painting as a Facebook Pick of the Day on their Facebook site. Over one hundred artists submit paintings daily to DPW and out of those 6-8 are chosen  to be featured on their Facebook page. If you get a chance, check them out there are some lovely paintings.

Winkin' Llama

Winkin' Llama

8 x 6, pastel

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This llama was too cute. He looks like he is puckering up to kiss, or is that spit???????

Sunlit Iris

Sunlit Iris

22 x 15, watercolor

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Painting days have been few and far between these past several weeks. This painting has taken weeks to complete. There were weeks that it only got attention one day that week. It is a large painting by my standards and those are always a challenge for me. Another challenge, when do you know a painting is finished? Sometimes I just have to "step away from the painting".

Painter's Block

Bath Time

about 20lbs.

Goodness gracious! Attempt to paint after 2 weeks of not painting at all and it is like never ever painting! My attempts today at a pastel study were woefully sad. I had intended to paint yesterday but my new job threw a wrench in that idea. So I got up early and finished my work and hit the pastels. Ugh!

But the good news is, today is over and I get to paint everyday next week. WooHoo!!

So since I have no painting to show, thought you might like seeing a visitor who frequents our backyard. He/she likes to bathe in the tubs of water we put out for the deer.

Weathered Beauty

Weathered Beauty

12x9, pastel

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This is just the first of, hopefully, many more paintings with this woman as the subject. She is a gypsy woman, who lives in Italy. I was blessed to get to see her while visiting Citta della Pieve. She played the hand organ as marionettes that were attached to her feet and legs danced. It was such a joy to behold and the small children loved it.

This is also my first attempt at a portrait of a female using pastel as the medium. I truly believe that portraits are easier in watercolor. Now there are plenty who would argue that point with me. 

Poppies

Poppies

22 x 15, watercolor
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I had to pull this painting out of the past. Unfortunately, painting just has not been a part of my life for the last couple of weeks.

Painting large is not something to which I gravitate, but I enjoyed this one. As always filling the the background is a challenge, didn't want to detract from the the stars---the poppies!

Four of my paintings are on display and for sale at the Arthritis Association, in San Antonio, off Medical Dr. It is a beautiful office and I hope the original art displayed by several artists brightens the day for visiting patients and their families. 

Sir Basset

Sir Basset

12 x 9, pastel

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Love basset hounds, those sad eyes and droopy ears.  I have been wanting to paint this guy since I saw him at a Farmers' Market. He had a buddy (another basset) but he just wouldn't cooperate with the camera.

I took a hint from Rita Kirkman and under painted the non-white areas of the dog with Azo Gold acrylic paint (diluted). You can see it peeking through on the body, ears and head. I tried really hard not to go heavy with the pastel and leave it showing through. Thanks, Rita. Without the under painting, I don't think I could have covered the Wallis white paper without using heavy pastel . You can see below that with the layers of gold acrylic, I had a head start on completing the painting.

I also added green and violet in the white shadows--who knew! What they say holds true--value is more important than color!  If the value is correct, almost any color will work and it is way more interesting than gray!!!

Study #11

Study #11

6x6, pastel
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I really have been painting. There have been multiple minor catastrophes in the Beard household this week, so painting has been my calming force. The good news is the college kid survived his ski trip to Taos and made it back to TAMU, the reception for the Austin Pastel Society at the Corridor of Art was great yesterday. The art will continue to hang there until April 21, so drop by if you are in the area. Also, I have been invited to hang art in the Arthritis Association in San Antonio. That will be up around the first week or two of April.

So even though this past week the bathroom heater burned out, the refrigerator died Friday and the upright freezer died last night, it's all minor. Life is good!

Workshop production

Orvieto, the Ratindra Das Way

15 x 22, watercolor
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Well, there is a little bit of normalcy returning to the household following the new addition. So it seemed like a fine time to take a workshop! I was able to attend the workshop because the Wimberley Fund Raising event did not have enough interest, unfortunately for them, but as they say, "When one door closes, another opens." That just might be what happened to me. I wasn't just chomping at the bit to take this workshop, but very glad I did.

I had a wonderful time exploring a new way (at least for me) to complete a watercolor. The paper was saturated, but as you can see I could still get hard edges. The opportunity to play with color, a number of them I rarely use was a freeing experience. So the weekend was a great time for learning.

I have been working on pastels of a most interesting Italian lady I encountered on my visit there. Will hopefully post one of those soon.

Bundle of Cute!

l

Spinner

8x14, shih tzu

Click to Love!!

As if I didn't need another excuse not to paint on a daily basis! Dan named him the day we test-drove him, because he goes in circles when he is nervous. He is 8 months old and a joy! He loves to play, something our sweet rescue Yorkie was too brow-beaten to ever understand. We try to play and she cowers so all we do is give lots of love. 

I did paint a portrait of an Italian woman, just a head shot. It looks like her but not thrilled with it. I plan to try again. She is going to be the subject of several paintings. She played the hand accordion and had marionettes attached to her feet! She made them dance as she played the music! It was too cool. 

Biltmore Lake

Biltmore Lake

9x9, pastel

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The last full day we were in North Carolina, Hurricane Sandy finally decided to move on and allow the sun to shine. The November sun was glorious that day. The grounds of the Biltmore Estate were beautiful.  I have a friend from Ashville, North Carolina who has painted plein air on the Biltmore grounds. How awesome would that be!

Study #10

Study #10

6 x 6, pastel

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After completing the challenge painting yesterday, I couldn't wait to get back to pastel. I just couldn't decide on a subject-----so I turned to my old standby to get back in the swing.

Several new happenings going on, joined Facebook (don't have a clue what I am doing), and sold a painting on line last night! Exciting and overwhelming times---feeling like I am getting old if that is overwhelming.