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!