wanna play wanna play

This is a painting of our doggie.  Sadie is a highly spirited border collie lab cross and is always looking for someone to play with or for someone to pay attention to her.  She is very expressive and communicates with us quite clearly - Almost always about attention and/or food or food and/or attention!

She is getting on in years now.  We think she is about eleven - not sure as she was a resuce dog.  Her hair is turning quite white and she has started to slow down some.

This is a mixed watermedia painting on Ampersand Aquabord.  This surface is wonderful for painting textures such as fur and hair.

Whatzthat....Sadie

Sadie

Stormy Sunday and what shall I do. Sounds like the perfect day to lock myself in my studio and paint away.  This is a mixed watermedia piece on Ampersand Aquabord of our dog Sadie.  She is so inquisitive. Either looking for trouble or looking for food.  I could not resist painting her.  This was c ompleted in about five hours - the background gave me trouble. You cannot be in a hurry with this painting surface.   


Sadie is a mixed breed - cross between a lab and a border collie - the border collie being dominent.  She has us completely trained!

What's next?

Now that I have finished painting the roses, I have to decide on the next painting.  I have a series in mind to create for another show… am pretty anxious to get going with it, but alas, have to wait it out until after my fall show.

I took the opportunity to sketch out a number of piecesmonday evening.  Really rough sketches to see where my heart is at.  I am also anxious to paint some more birds – but they too will have to wait. 

One of the sketches is of a vase of old fashioned pink peonies sitting on our concrete bench.  Another photo has some dropped petals at its base.  Hmmm... merging the two in a sketch would be quite complex and quite inspiring as well.

Drew out my potted begonias on a 22 x 30 sheet of Ampersand Aquabord as well – complete with a Herculean spider!  And also drew out two sketches of our doggie Sadie.  She is soooo expressive.   Makes me smile.

This may come down to a toss of a coin – where I start painting.

And in the fall, I will paint anything but flowers for about six months I am sure!

Rosy Red Roses - WIP completed - I think

 

And so,  countless hours, untold amounts of staring and figuring and color balancing... I think this painting is finally done!

I knew today that it was in my reach to finish this piece.  I hunkered down at 8am and just finished it at 7pm.

I spent a lot of time deleloping the foliage.  After I thought I was all done - I looked at it with squinty eyes and realized that I had to deepen the colors of the leaves.  I went back in with a wash of terre vert (a blueish green) and intensified the leaves.  And then once again thought I was finished.

Then I looked at it again with squinty eyes.  Saw a number of the rose petal has to be deepened and some of them needed a boost of personality (more colors).

I looked at it again and thought I was finsihed.   Then I realised the tiny fly had no legs or antennae.

I fixed up the bug and hung the painting on my fridge - yes my fridge.   And am determined no more squinty eyes.

I am declaring this painting finsihed.  At least until tomorrow when I look at it with fresh eyes.