11 x 12 inch pastel "Marbles"

This is another attempt at still life on the suedeboard. I found this one to be very challenging, mainly because it was hard to get good detail on the suede. Anyway it was a learning experience.

9 x 12 inch pastel "Ballet Slippers"

I am falling in love with my pastels again after briefly switching to acrylic. I like acrylic, but I really LOVE pastels. I can't seem to stop painting! I have so many ideas for paintings that I only wish I had more time! O well, someday I will be retired from working!

10 x 11 inch pastel Koi Fish

It has been a very productive weekend for me with the two paintings I have completed. This is a first for me and something that I have wanted to try for a long time. Again it is done on suede matboard in soft pastel.

24 x 24 inch pastel "Water Lily"

This is another pastel done on suedeboard. It is a lot larger than I usually work in pastel so I found it quite challenging especially since it is done on suedeboard. It was hard to cover that much space with the pastel but I think it turned out ok. It is a lot brighter in RL since I was photographing it at night and the colors seem a little dull.

11 x 12 inch pastel "Young Girl"

This is another attempt at portraiture, again done on suede matboard. This has been really fun for me trying new subjects lately. Each painting is a learning experience.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Egyptian Man"

This is a second attempt at portraits in pastel. This reference photo came from WetCanvas.com. Thanks very much to the contributor. I loved the character in the face and really wanted to give it a try. This is done on suede matboard in mostly soft pastel with some pastel pencils.

16 x 20 inch acrylic "Jar full of marbles"

I had a lot of fun working on this one. I love all the different colors of the marbles. This was quite a challenge for me trying to keep those marbles round! Anyway here it is finished I think. I am almost finished by ballet dancer in the window so I will be posting it soon.

Quick study of ballerina

This is completely out of my comfort zone, but I have wanted to try this for a long time. I did this very quickly (about 1 hour) with mainly pastel pencils as a study for a larger painting that I will do in arcylic or maybe even oil (that is REALLY stretching it!). I have this really gorgeous antique gold leaf frame that I am itching to put something in so if it turns out, it will have a home. Stay tuned!

Misc. paintings done in pastel

I have been working on this group of paintings, and I thought I would show them here as a whole. They are all done in pastel on suede matboard and are 5 x 7 inches matted in an 8 x 10 mat. They are in glassine envelopes, so there is a bit of a glare in the photos. I have a few more that I plan to do in the same way.

9 x 12 inch acrylic "Malahat Evening"

I finished this one a while ago and forgot to post it. This is from the top of Malahat mountain where my daughter works at the Aerie Resort. It is an absolutely gorgeous place with breathtaking views. I did this one as a little experiment on canvas paper with very watery acrylic paint, almost like watercolor. I like the colors and the way it turned out.

Revisited painting "Silent Watcher"

I have played around with this painting after some excellent suggestions from the good folks at Wetcanvas.com. It was suggested that hump of the mountain and the tree were too in line with each other and would look more balanced by putting in some more hills in the background. I tried to make them look further off in the distance by fading the color. I think this looks better now.

9 x 12 inch acrylic "Silent Watcher"

I took a bit of a break from my flower series to do some wildlife. I took this photo while on vacation last summer and have wanted to paint it since. I did this one on watercolor paper. I am not sure if I like this as a support for acrylic or not. I found the paint really absorbed into it quickly and I did not have as much play time as I do on canavas. I think I may do this one larger on canvas sometime in the future.

16 x 20 inch acrylic "Poppies"

This painting is another in my flower series. I am getting very close to my goal of 15 but I think I may go even further as I am really enjoying this. I have so many photos of flowers I would love to do. If only I had more time! This is done on stretched canvas done in the gallery wrapped style of painted sides and is for sale. If I don't sell it here I may put it in the spring show that I am entering in the near future. I have several paintings that I am planning on entering.

20 x 24 inch acrylic "White Peony"

Here is another in the flower series. I like this size for florals as I can get them in the 2 inch profile gallery wrapped canvases. I paint the sides and they look very good hanging on the wall without a frame. This painting was quite challenging for me as I used a very limited palette of black, white and yellow.

20 x 20 inch acrylic "Cherry Blossom"

Here is another flower painting in my series done on gallery wrapped canvas. This one has an almost abstract feel to it, a bit different than what I have been doing lately.

30 x 30 inch acrylic "Red Dahlia"

This is # 7 in my floral series and the largest. I actually stretched this canvas myself on stretcher bars (a first for me) because I wanted it large and square and I couldn'd find the right canvas. It worked out ok but it was a little more work and the canvas really soaked up a lot of paint (because I didn't prime it!). Tomorrow I think I may work a bit on the background, perhaps adding a few leaves, as it is a little bare as it is.

20 x 16 inch acrylic "Gerbera Daisy"

This painting is another in my flower series, #6. It is again done on stretched canvas in acrylic paints. For now I left the background as white but I am thinking that I may go for a darker color, perhaps a dark burnt sienna. I think I will just look at it awhile as I am sure the right color will come to me.

12 x 24 inch acrylic "Tulips #2"

This painting is #5 in my floral series. I am enjoying working on this series, trying to complete 1 painting a week (working mainly on the weekends). This one was fun to do. I am still trying to improve my technique with acrylic. It can be quite challenging at times because the paint dries so fast but I think I am getting better with practice.

20 x 24 acrylic "The Rose"

This is #4 in my flower series and probably the one that gave me the most trouble. I spent around 12 hours on this one and I think I may be finally finished except for the varnishing.

22 x 26 inch acrylic "Four Tulips in a Row"

This painting is #3 in my floral series, done on stretched canvas, gallery style in acrylics. I love tulips just before they open, and I fell in love with this photo. This is the largest acrylic that I have done to date, although I found that it did not take me any longer than some of my smaller pieces. I am having fun and discovering new techniques with glazing multiple layers of paint on the canvas. I found that by glazing a thin, transparent bright yellow over the painting at the end, really makes the painting glow. This painting is for sale. Please contact me at lyurge@telus.net for more info.