Completion of water lily painting!

 I decided to name this painting Sunset Reflections at the suggestion of a friend.
It won an award at the show where I first displayed it!  For now, I am enjoying it over my mantel!

What Happened to Me?

Dear Friends who have not heard a peep out of me for ages and ages....what happened to me?  Nothing bad at all, but let me explain.  First of all, I MYSELF am shocked that my last post was in January.  WHERE does the time go??? 
  My two reasons for not appearing here as I have done for so long are these:  The new Eblogger format to post things is the first reason and Love is the second one.
  I am a creature of habit as are many of us.  The new format is now something I have to take the PATIENCE to learn and find where all the stuff I knew went to and now is.  I have not, needless to say, taken the time and applied the patience to learn this.  I used to just take a photo from my Picasa collection and post it and then write the text and voila, there it was for all to see.  So I guess I will have to face the new system because I really enjoyed posting all sorts of things on the three blogs I have and hearing your comments.
  Love.  Well that's another story.  A very very good story.  And suffice it to say that REAL LIFE is way better than being on the internet all the time (not that I was.)
 
  The in-progress painting I posted in January has long been finished, framed and got best in show awarded to it in April.  Guess I'd better let you see it!  You can, however, go to Facebook and find it on my page, The Joy of Art Studio. 

  So this, in a nutshell, is what happened to me!

First new work for 2012!

I am finally into my first work for 2012!  It is 24" x 36" and I
am using an amazing photograph I took of waterlilies which
I have wanted to paint for a long time.  The reflections are 
awesome and you see them here in black.  The colors are
just as amazing with lavenders and pinks and blues.  It hardly
seemed real.  I have been looking at the photo for a long time
and finally decided to try it.  
   After laying out the drawing with charcoal, I put in a wash
of the colors that are so important to me in this piece.  This 
is an oil painting by the way.

Winter Moon

There are certain times of year when the moon is
in just the right position as to reflect off the lake.
The trees must be bare in order to see this.
Last night was one of those nights.  A cold
clear night with the moon and even a star or a
planet just to the left of it....



I've painted this scene a few times and now others
own those images.  But I never tire of this winter 
moon dance.  Might have to paint one for myself!



Love the tracery of branches where the reflection
is rippling....

Rose!

I haven't been painting for a while, except for my pet commission
which I didn't dare show until it was presented!  So I will show it
soon!  This is a rose that was among a bouquet that lasted for
a week and was so lush and gorgeous I could hardly believe it!
I've been glazing it mostly, but going back in with more opaque
paint for areas that have been tricky.  


I only painted roses one other time.  SO HARD!  Hope you like this
one.  It is to be a gift to the rose giver!

Merry Christmas to you All!

May the bright cheerful decor and the music that brings good 
memories make your holidays full of good cheer and happiness 
with those you love.  Wishing you all a wonderful time today 
and may it herald the start of an extra special New Year!

The Canal by the Potomac River

Just a little bit of summertime nostalgia

now that it has turned cold! This is a little

painting, 5 x 7 inches. I had fun with all the

light effects from the water to the leaf

shadows on the path.

Bright colors at the holidays

As the colors of nature drop back to subtle

greys and browns, red becomes an important

color note in our holiday decor. As I was decorating

my mantle and shelves with my doll collection, I

realized that I play with this color balance all

through the year. Punch it up for the winter

months, and tone it down when the colors and

bright sunshine take over.

It's something artists know in doing their work.

Back off the color and tone in parts of the painting

so that the key parts can pop!

Just some thoughts for you.

I'd like to post my latest work, but it is to be a

Christmas gift and I don't want to give it away!

Showing my art work!

These are shots from the Art League of

Germantown show just held this past

weekend. It is a three day show and is

called "Winterglow".

I love taking shots of people at the show!

And of course I have to show you what

paintings of mine were in this one.

After all, you have watched them develop

on this blog, and now you see the results!

Total immersion!

I consider that when we really step into an area with both feet and live in that realm, ideas just are not hard to come up with because we immerse ourselves in what we have chosen to do. It is, to me, one of the key ingredients of creativity. You can't just skim across, you have to get in and swim! (I'm hopelessly addicted to analogies as you see!).

This is why I never run out of ideas. They come faster than I can do anything about many of them! Now executing them is something else again!

Seeing color

Why, you may ask, would I post a photo of nail

polish and my towel? Because sometimes I see

combinations that thrill me. The grey-green

towel and the purply polish just look good to me.

Now to find a dress that color. Oh, and a painting

subject where I can utilize such a sophisticated

combination!

Partners in art and petting

Now this is the close up photo I was looking for!

Miss Lucy earns her keep, huh? And gets petted

at the same time.

Helping at the easel

A friend of mine has been coming to paint her

large work in my studio. This is fun for me to have

company while I work! But it is more fun for Lucy

who is getting lap time. I'd call my friend an art

multi-tasker!

VERY smart cat!

I had to post this. Isn't it funny? My cat Lucy is aligning herself

with my new arrangement of animals for my students to draw.

Previously, they were all mixed in with the other still life stuff.

Only now, with Lucy there, I can't really call it still life now can I?

Me and my Dad

This is a portrait of my Dad at thirteen. Can you guess the

artist? It was done as a logo for the Hohner Harmonica company

in the U.S. in the early 1920s.

Garden Gate

 

This is my neighbor's garden in full summer. Oil on canvas. 8 x 10.
So much fun to do it. Work out the tones/values and the pops of color!

Girl's Night Out

 

This is my latest oil painting. It is 23" x 29". While the frame is a bit askew in the photo, you can see the painting just fine! I am happy with the color of the frame choice. It really did what the painting needed to make it pop! Let me know how you like it please!

Where have I been?

I see I'd better get busy and post new work! I have been doing some and just have been having a wonderful busy time this summer. But now it's September, no more excuses! Stay tuned!

Umbrellas

I'm always on the hunt for the bright umbrellas of

summertime. Found this recently in my travels

and I'm thinking about it as a painting. But I

would want to 'punch up' the girls sitting together

because pleasure moments is what I am after.

I seek to paint people enjoying themselves or

others because I want my paintings to remind

any viewer to do exactly that - have fun and

enjoy yourself!

"The Conversation" completed

At last I have finished this painting. And

I have changed the title to "The Listener".

After working on it over these many weeks

I saw that it was really about the woman who

was receiving her friend's communication.

She is calm and attentive, just the sort of

person we need to hear our thoughts and

concerns.

Let me know what you think please. It really

matters to me to hear how it has affected you

and how well I got that communication across.

Thank you!

"The Conversation" part 5

It's much closer to what I am after. Painting things into submission so I can get the main event of the window and the 'girls' to shine. Love the black shape of that sweater! But WHY is this format like this now? I have NO idea!

"The Conversation" part #4

I don't have a deadline for this piece as I often do. And so I am letting it 'simmer' in between the times I work on it. I have a vision for it, but at this point I am simply getting the elements carefully worked out. There is the perspective to it all, the odd and mysterious shapes of legs and napkins under the table, the very subtle tone and color changes of the walls, window moldings, etc. It is rather like building a house. You first must have a vision for what you want. Then you have blueprints (or the sketch you make for the painting) and then you build the structure. Only then do you return to your vision and make the necessary changes that bring that vision to life. Or else it is just a copy of the physical universe. In that case, might as well just make a photograph!

"The Conversation" part 3

I'm working to get everything major in place so I can make judgements about how light or dark I want those things to be. That part under the table is challenging because it is hard to tell from the photograph exactly what is going on. As a painter, you have to know what the H is going on and paint with understanding!

You can see that the photo I am working from is partly showing on the lower right.

"The Conversation" part 2!

Just getting started and working out the window which is where I want emphasis of the lightness of the tones of the leaves that cast a sort of glow on the ladies who lunch and chat!

Something extra

This lovely fellow was a gift I did for a friend for whom I did a large commission. I thought you would like to see it. It is just 5" x 7" and I used alkyd paint to get it done and dry in time.

New work - "The Conversation"

This work is 24 x 36 inches. It is meant to

be a testimony to friendship and the pleasure

of conversation.

I want the glow of the leafy green trees

outside the window to somehow transmit

the magic of true connection, being to being.

Keep your eye on this as it develops!

My latest commission - Windy Hill

This painting was commissioned as a birthday gift. Three

family members got together to have me do this painting of

the home of the 'birthday girl'.

It was quite a project because while they wanted a springtime

scene, it was in snowy February that I was getting started on

it! So just a week ago, the fabulous cherry tree on the right

burst into bloom and I got the last part done in time for the

presentation.

Helping our fellow man in Japan

Dear ALOG Members and Friends,

We have all been stunned to see what the Japanese people have been enduring in these recent days. Three major disasters (earthquake, tsunami and Nuclear plant issues) and then on top of that it snows. What it has to be taking for these people to endure through this I can only guess at here in the warmth of my home.

I was very impressed to see that this site called Daily Painters (www.dailypainters.com) is doing a special fundraising effort for several agencies that can distribute needed help to the beleaguered Japanese.

Please look at it and see if there is anything you would like to bid on and then you can pick the agency you wish to receive the funds you have paid for the painting you will receive.

Click here: The DPW Painting Challenge! - The Help Japan Challenge

The innate resilience of mankind in the face of disaster will surmount all this, but in the meantime let us remember that Life is a Team Effort. So however you help, do help in some way.

Starting a commission

This is a gift commissioned by the family of someone who will

be celebrating a 'big' birthday! It took quite some time to get

the drawing done so very carefully. I went out to the house

and took lots of photographs so that I could suggest the best

angle. Seemed to me that the full house, full on, was the best

to do. The clouds were spectacular the day I went and so they

will be part of the drama of this early spring view of the home.

AND you get to see my loaded work area!

Stage Four of 'Bicycle' Painting

Here you can see that I have repaired the back wheel of the

bike so it is more properly in perspective as I mentioned in

my last post about this painting. Also the railings have been

improved upon and I have done more work on the 'girls'

who are enjoying themselves.

See what you think and let me know!

Invitation to my other blogs

Dear Friends of Joy of Art Forever!

I have two other blogs which you may not have seen. The links are on the right side of this, my main blog.

But you can go to Art and Life Interwoven right from here: http://artandlifeinterwoven.blogspot.com/

Let me know what you think!

Thank you!

Stage Three of 'Bicycle' painting

This painting is quite an interesting challenge which I am

sharing with you as I develop it. The bike needs work in

that the back wheel is the same width as the front wheel and

that is NOT proper perspective! I have made the changes

now, and have refined the railing behind the bike as well as

taking more care to refine the faces of the gals enjoying

themselves. Soon I will post that image so you can see

how I improved it!

Would anyone like to suggest a title?

Stage Two of 'Bicycle' painting

This is the first overall painting layer done in one sitting.

Probably around 2 hours of work. I am mainly working on

the tones of the ladies at the tables, and getting all of them

right in relation to each other before attention to details or

specific colors.

This painting is 23" x 29". It is a 'custom' size for a

particular frame I have for it.

Beginning a new piece

I don't generally use a ruler. But if there are really long

lines in the painting, or a lot of perspective that needs to

be really right, it saves me a lot of trouble if I find something

needs changing after I get into applying paint!

The thing is, doing this before I start painting gives me the

control I need to get it down right. Then I follow those drawn

lines with careful application of paint (but no ruler), and it

doesn't look mechanical because of the aliveness of my hand

and body movement, however slight. Doing it this way gives

life to those lines.

This is the beginning of a cafe scene at night. I love the bike

which has its own perspective challenges!

In order for this painting to have the composition I wanted

I added pieces of paper to the edges of the photo.

If you go to my teaching blog, you can find out more.

The link is on the right side of this page....Teacher Tips.

Flowering into the New Year

So what are you nuturing so that it flowers for

you this year? This is a collage I made from

bits and pieces of my watercolor paintings

along with some photographs I took. Soon

I will be showing you my latest work in

progress, but I am still in the 'get it together

for the new year' mode!

What will the new year hold?

What lies ahead? Lucy is looking

down the road to see. She tells me

there is expansion of happiness

for all my friends and family.

And for her too, of course!

Happy New Year!

Moonlight and holiday lights

This month we had such a gorgeous full moon that came

in tandem with everyone's holiday lights. I was able to

catch this shot just as the moon was coming up and I do

think it should probably be posted on my Art and Life

Interwoven....my other blog to which you can find the link

on the right side of this page.

Wishing you a new year filled with all you desire on every

level of life and living!

Waaaaaaaaaaay too much dessert!

The first part of this holiday meal was

fantastic, but the visual art is in the

desserts! Greek delights that are

homemade and delicious!

Thank you and Merry Christmas!

To all of you who have made this year so wonderful.

May your holidays with friends and loved ones be just

as you imagined it to be!