A Painting for Today

"Harness"

6" x 8" original oil painting on Raymar canvasboard

by double clicking on the photo you can view the brushstrokes on this painting

I just learned that the wooden or metal frames that go up the side of the horses neck on a driving harness are called "hames". The source photo I used was captured on the Wet Canvas library site. They have a plethora of horse photos.

I remember drawing and drawing horses when I was a youngster. I wanted a horse sooo bad! I rode rented horses when I could, my uncle and cousin owned horses and I rode them whenever I could, us kids played 'horses', we wrote and read stories about horses. I begged my Grandpa who lived on a farm to get one, so I could ride it for 2 weeks every summer when we visited. You have to LOL now. Back then, I just didn't understand the reason he didn't do that for me. Being around horses here, I NOW get it - lots of upkeep and I am certain my Grandpa had better things to do, like farm, which is such a big task, then and now. I still love them, have knowledge of when and where the 'sale barn' thing happens, and you just never know...

Where I Stand Sunday

'Nuff said...

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on.
The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. Check out the others who blog on this subject on Sundays in my sidebar.

Cygnus

"Cygnus" - 6" x 8" original oil on Raymar board

This painting looked like it would take no time at all,

but the white swan's feathers contained so many colors in the shadow.

I like the way the light filters through the edge of the neck and under the chin.

That's what I worked on the most, capturing that light on and through the feathers.

SOLD - collection in Portland, Oregon, thanks!

A Painting for Today

"Tom" - 6" x 8" original oil painting

With camera usually in tow, I took a photo of my friends Tabby cat who likes to greet you by climbing up on the railing at your height as you ascend the stairs at the back door. Touted as the best cat she's ever had! He had such great sunlight on him from the south. I couldn't resist painting him. This one is painted on Raymar linen board, the texture is just right for me. My goal is to be more 'painterly' with animals. I often find myself, 'drawing' and the fur details get in the way...so minimal fur detailed brushstrokes, just around the ears and the whiskers.
SOLD - collection in Cawker City, Kansas, thanks!

On This Christmas Eve..

A wish for you and yours!

Portrait Challenge on Different Strokes from Different Folks

I would like to be able to tell you who this is, but all I can say is, it was a pleasure painting them. As I stated earlier, it was a good photo, and the face being spotlighted in the natural light was a big help. You can check Karin's blog from time to time, I won't know, until this person posts their portrait of me. It's done in oil paint and measure 9" x 12".

Addendum: I now know that I painted artist Victoria Culbertson and she painted me!

Weimaraner

"Bailey" 6" x 8" original oil painting

NFS

This one shines in the light, cause I just finished it, it's very wet. It's very coooold today and windy. Good time to paint another dog. DSFDF challenge is done, waiting for it to dry a little before I photograph it. I am excited about how it turned out. Check back.

Where I Stand Sunday

I'm undertaking the challenge of Karin Jurick's DSFDF blog, check it out. The outcome of who we are and what we look like in each other's portrait is yet to come. I received a very good photo of my subject, she on the other hand, didn't receive such a nice one. Stay tuned for the surprise around Jan. 7th.

So...here I stand in my studio, didn't want to stand on the table, pizza pans R us...spending lots of time there these days, doing lots of planning and painting up a storm. (Did I say storm? Didn't mean to send one your way.)

Where I Stand Sunday is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on.

The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell.

A Photo for the Christmas Card

For years, I have been wanting to make a photo Christmas card, and each year, the time slips away...especially when the weather is more right for outdoor photos. But this year, we made it!

Here is a few of the shots leading up to the one that would be on the card, it's like our personal "out takes". Luckily, it only took about 8 tries on a 20 second timer.

Not bad, considering it was like wrangling 3 toddlers.

Happy Holidays!

The Morning After

These are images taken this morning, after the ice storm last night, which froze the back door and the dog gate shut. I love the last one. One of my little friends made it from one weed cluster to another.

A Day to Paint

Today was supposed to be freezing rain after 'noon'. You can see we already had a dusting of snow. The rain hasn't started yet, but you can feel it in the air. This is the view out my north window in the studio.

I have been TRYING and AGONIZING over the double portrait for the last day and a half. Sometimes, it just wasn't meant to be. I bet I have wiped it off 5 times. Decided to move on to a different subject for now. Will revisit it later. Or maybe try a photo of them with more contrast.

In the meantime, I got permission from Lynn, to paint her little deary, Dooley. He is so cute, I just couldn't resist. I need to work a little more on the bottom below his collar, but otherwise, it is pretty well finished. There seems to be a little glow where the wet paint is. I love painting animals! They don't critique and never say what they don't like about a painting. LOL.

"Dooley" - 6" x 8" original oil

SOLD

It's TOO LATE for Christmas, but I am available to paint your pet's portrait. Email me and we can discuss what you need.

Practice Layout and Features

Sitting around after dinner last night, I got out my new Moly (Moleskin) sketchbook and used colored pencil and did a real study of the photo I will work on below. This drawing looks very much like the photo, especially my son-in-law, handsome dude that he is. BTW his eyes are very dark..when I squint down at the picture, they stand out as the darkest darks. It occurs to me that when you look at those photos that are taken by the person who is in the photo by a cell phone or digital camera, you are usually dealing with an arm that is raised off one side of the photo, in this case, my daughter's. I will experiment in taking that arm down to her side if I can - in the painting. I need to work on the sketch/drawing on the canvas before continuing, because it is not correct yet, and I never continue on, hoping to correct it as I go. It doesn't work that way.

I have been trained how to paint portraits without the sketching, but I find I get a better likeness with the sketch in place.

I am thinking of some art goal setting for the month of January, stay tuned!

Ha, ha, ha, ha....Wipe Out

Remember that 60's song by the Safari's with the insane laugh and drum roll, then a crazy little dance tune? It's on the movie "Dirty Dancing" for those of you who might not be old enough. Well, that's what was going through my mind, when I first took the caked on paint from this portrait, only to later completely "wipe it out". It was going really well yesterday and then today... it went somewhere else. I forgot to document it, so this photo shows it pretty well scraped off.

So, now it's all gone and in it's place is a different source photo of my daughter and son-in-law. They have some great 'cruise' photos on Facebook, which I found interesting and have been downloading. They were screaming for a painting. The one I am using now, doesn't have much contrast, the rosey colored paint is all the warmth/contrast there was, so I came in from the cold to tweak the photo and put some warmth/saturation and color into it on PS. Now I have a WIP (the first 3 letters of the above).
We have about 2 inches of snow and lots of wind and cold. What do you have?

Where I Stand Sunday

I am standing over my knitting, thinking I want to work on that today after I unload the car from yesterday's show. It was well attended. We sold a few paintings. It was our first annual at the Depot in Beloit. Nice building. No one uses it anymore. We shall probably have another art show there next year and make it an annual event.

Sorry for the fuzzy photos. I had given up wearing eye makeup for quite awhile, but decided to try to improve my looks a little and wear some shadow and mascara... only to have my eyes get and cloudy and not be too certain about what I was seeing out of my camera lens and all these photos have camera shake, darn. I had the aperture open too wide. But you get the idea. Anyway I have totally given up on the make-up!

Ken, Savannah and Andrea were our entertainment. Savannah plays the violin and some songs were done with guitar, ukele and violin - with the three voices in harmony, very nice!

A special thanks to Joyce for all her hard work to make the Depot a nice place for us! She painted the walls seen behind these performers and 'spit and polished' the place this week. This stage used to be used for local plays at one time...so the old Depot lends itself to use from time to time.

Busy Time of Year - Holiday Art Sale

It isn't fair to be so busy this time of year, but everyone seems to be. I'm getting ready for a show on Saturday in Beloit, Kansas from 1:00 to 7:00 PM at the Union Pacific Depot. If you live in north central Kansas, swing on over for some refreshments, merriment and holiday singing by Ken and Andrea Benedick! There should be about 11 of us - displaying and selling our art, we are the North Central Kansas Association of Artists.

A Portrait for Today

"Ute Leader" - 11" x 14" on canvasboard

The photo I used for this portrait of a native American, was taken in Telluride, Co. which makes me think this could be a Southern Ute or Mountain Ute leader in tribal dress. I am open to correction or suggestion. If I had a book or two on the subject, I think I could have sumised more accurately. This one will go to the show this weekend, unless you are interested beforehand...the price is

$250.00, unframed, shipping is on me.

It is still wet, but would be dry to be sent and received by Christmas.

Email pattiewall@hotmail.com

A Portrait for Today

"Ana" - 12" x 12" on gallery wrapped canvas, original oil

This is my daughter's friend's little girl. She lives in Idaho. Just this past year, my daughter and her friend found each other, after those years of college,

travel, life somewhere else and being out of touch.

I wrestled with a different portrait in my class for awhile, then wiped it out, started this one and I am pleased with the results, which is every artists' goal, right? 'Painterly' with loose brush strokes, all the way!

Where I Stand Sunday

There is something special about getting up early on a farm, you get to see the most amazing sunrises. This time of year, they can be spectacular. This is me standing on the road on my way to my art workshop yesterday AM, I am probably still asleep this morning, as you read this - then again, maybe not because I am so inspired!

I just have to keep going and going right now, no time for the holiday.

After running around the trees by the pond and catching a few shots, I just had to stop on the top of the hill for some more.

And then I stopped again at the corner..

and then I saw the light creeping up the power poles and shine on the elevator.

Wow, it doesn't get any better than that! As I drove west, of course, I left the sunrise scene, the clouds obliterated the sun, but I was more than glad I had the experience!

A Painting for Today

"Backroad to Ridgeway" - original oil painting on

9" x 12" Raymar canvasboard

This one was done from a photo provided by the instructor in my class. It is a road between Ouray and Ridgeway, Colorado. Although I haven't been there, I have been in places that were sooo similar. I love the Colorado Rockies! I am working on improving my landscape technique. This one worked out well for me. I think I finally understand the color theory for them.

This one will also be at a show in Beloit, Kansas at the Union Pacific Depot on Saturday.

A Painting for Today

"Barranca Mesa Sunrise" - original oil on 11" X 14" canvasboard

Finally, I am back to painting. The holiday has been a time away from my art, but I am ecstatic to be back to it. Taking a workshop right now. More to come! I used a photo that I took in New Mexico for this one. It had snowed and the sun was just up on the horizon,

but already behind the low lying clouds.

I think the chamisa (in the front) is beautiful this time of year!

This one will be going to a show next Saturday.

Mark Your Calendars

Thanks to Brian Williams, I didn't miss this. OK, I had a glare on my photo of the moon, and had to 'photoshop in' the crescent as I saw it, but this phenomenon (that's what I call it) will not occur again for 44 years, so mark you calendars for Nov. 18, 2052. The moon, with Venus on the bottom of the triangle and Jupiter to the farthest right. What a cool show! Catch it in the sky tonight!