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!

Where I Stand Sunday

You may or may not know that 'big rig' drivers 'bump their tires' to make sure that all are inflated before traveling on. Here we stand at the RV tires, where hubster (Teamster that he was) is doing just that. A long day of travel out of Denver to home, lots of ice and cars in the ditches. A LOT of wind, 45 to 59 MPH..in a high profile vehicle makes for a tiring day, but we are home now and it's cooold outside.

The Land of Enchantment

Snowfall on Thanksgiving...couldn't be better and because this blog is about my artwork and my photos, here are a few shots I captured in the morning where we visited (and these are the sights from the neighborhood streets on the mesa - WOW!). I took lots, as I am going to a workshop next week with Graham, Texas artist Kaye Franklin, in Logan, Ks.

I hope to maybe return here in October next year, to capture the vivid colors of the Chamisa and the fall foliage...providing 'harvest' doesn't coincide.

The Continuation of "The Stuffing"

I don't know about you, but I am still stuffed. And as most, we will be eating leftovers for awhile. Everything was so tasty! And sooo filling...ugh. This is 'Sioux', an Aussie, waiting to see if there is any crumbs accidentally dropped to the floor. She is such a good dog, I bet if you left that turkey there and just her in the kitchen, she wouldn't touch it, she would think about it, but she wouldn't touch it. My dogs on the other hand...(were in the RV.)

Happy Thanksgiving

As I think about today's meaning, I am filled with the ideas that make my life so full with utter gratitude. Even in hard times, we all have so much to be thankful for. Hope yours is a good one!

Cupcake Paintings Put Together

This is the six little 6" x 6" cupcake oil paintings I did for our granddaughter's bedroom. We (hubster helped) framed a painted masonite board, then screwed the paintings into place from the back...I know some people like to hang them and move them around, however, not that many nail holes should be put into the wall it is going on. I think it turned out cute and I am ready to do more groups of six. Can't decide on the subject matter yet. Stay tuned.

Where I Stand Sunday

Thankful that I was able to get a new washer and dryer upon moving to Kansas.

Talk about taking something for granted...I never fear that my clothes won't turn out just excellent each time due to those machine's efficiency!

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.

On the Road Again

From my recent trip a photo in contrast to the wide open spaces with a flat horizon, Kansas occasionally has things that seem out of place. This is the Westar Energy Plant at Jeffrey in the distance. What caught my eye was the plume of smoke emitting from it's stacks. It is a coal burning, non-renewable (and perhaps pollutable) producer of energy. I will be on the road again soon. Not too much art going on, with all this travel. Had a nice visit with family in KC. Stay tuned. You can see a painting of this landscape done by Mark Bridges here!!

PS. I have been corrected on the 'pollutable' part. Look into the comments section of this post and click on "good thing". You never know who will find your blog...

Where I Stand Sunday

Throughout our journey on this earth, one thing remains constant...FAMILY.

I am thankful to be visiting with my mom and dad today.

They are wearing red, as they continue to be hopeful for a Chiefs win.

Today they were closer than usual.

This is my "Where I Stand Sunday" one year anniversary!

I enjoy blogging about where I stand, I look forward to it and hope to stand in

many more interesting places.

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.

Update

Sorry, getting ready for a show, also spending some time in the house as it's needed, and getting ready to travel to KC for a week, check back soon.

A Painting for Today

"Grounded" - 11" x 14" original oil on wrapped canvas

As I gathered the last of the apples before the freeze, they fell into this great composition. This photo has been calling to my senses ever since.

I couldn't wait to get the paint onto the canvas on this one.

Where I Stand Sunday and the Pulse of the Area

It's milo harvest time. Everyone is scrambling in this area of the US to get the harvesting done before the snow or ice come, which is predicted within the next few days. I am not a "farmwife", I have lived 'the big city life' for the most part, but sometimes I get to act like one. Today I was needed to drive some of the equipment up to where the next milo was being cut, as hubster "helps" with that as a part time job. Here I am standing over the milo. They don't think they will get this field done today, before the weather comes in tomorrow. There is a truck "line" at the elevator, where they are dumping it on the ground, cause the elevators are already full. So, as soon as the grain truck arrives at the elevator, he has to wait in line for awhile, slows everything down.
These are some of the abandoned farmsteads that I saw on my way up to the fields, about 15 miles away.




I knew we would be going close to an area of national interest and controversy, the site of the Global Country of World Peace campus.
This is the only building completed on the outside. Next to it and in the next picture are skeletons of other buildings. You can read more about it below.
I do not subscribe to any of the statements or beliefs made by the citizens of the area I live in with respect to this operation. It is just damned interesting to view it as an 'observer of human nature'!! You can form your own opinions. As an outsider...I'll keep mine to myself. (Perhaps that says it.)

http://www.arkcity.net/stories/091808/com_0005.shtml

Click on the above to read about the current situation with respect to the Global Country of World Peace palaces in my photos.

For art sake, check this out by Nov. 11 as there is a "Treasury" created by another artist on Etsy that you should see. It features art that compliments one another. My "Old Elm" is featured there. I like the look Donna created! See it here, http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=19861