8 x 10 inch oil "Narrows Inlet # 6"

I really felt like doing a landscape today and did this one very quickly from a photo taken last summer at Narrows Inlet. It was nice to get away from the tightness of the still-life set ups and do something a little more looser.

14 x 18 inch oil "The Study"

This is my first attempt at painting "The Carder Method" (http://www.thecardermethod.com/). I purchased the video in the hopes that I would learn to see color more accurately. For me it really worked. Although there is a lot I don't like about this painting it did force me to check each color before I placed it on the canvas. The method was quite tedious for me to follow but since it is a direct method of painting with very little blending and no layering of colors it went a lot faster that some of my other paintings. I just need to slow down and learn to check each color before putting it on canvas. Hopefully my next one will be better. For anyone wanting to learn how to paint with oil, the Carder Method is well worth the money.

10 x 8 inch oil "Narrows Inlet #5"

This is another in my "Narrows" series, a logging road that we travelled on while on vacation last year. I am trying to decide if I should put a black bear ambling down the road. I will have to wait until it dries to do that.

8 x 8 inch oil "Narrows Inlet #4"

I just finished this painting, the 4th in my "Narrows" series. I am really enjoying doing these little paintings, mainly I think, because they are finished so quickly. This is the view looking down onto the inlet from atop one of the mountains. I took this picture last summer while exploring the area with my husband on an ATV. Great fun!

8 x 8 inch oil "Narrows Inlet #3"

This is the third installment in my little series. Again I tried to keep it simple and did this quite quickly, around 2 hours in total. I may go back in when it dries completely and punch up the highlights.

8 x 8 inch oil "Narrows Inlet #2"

This painting is another view on Narrow's Inlet. There is a mist that flows over the mountain and water quite frequently and I tried to capture it as it was beginning to form. I am liking this small format quite a bit for these landscapes. I can finish a painting in one sitting which is really nice.

8 x 8 inch oil "Narrows Inlet #1"

This is a small study I have started from a grouping of photos that I took on vacation last year. I did this one very quickly in about 1 hour, wet on wet, which is very different from how i have been working lately. I found it very hard not to stop and put in all those small details. I had to keep telling myself this is just a study, so keep it simple!

11 x 14 inch oil "Water Lily"

I have been playing with this one for a couple of weeks, just working on it an hour at a time but I think it is pretty close to completion now. I found the photo on WetCanvas (thanks to the contributor and loved the colors in it. I hope I did the beautiful photo justice.

8 x 10 inch pastel "Old Ford"

This was a fun little painting I completed today from a photo I found on Wetcanvas.com. I loved the colors and found the crop interesting. It felt really good getting to use pastels again.

24 x 30 inch oil "White Horse"

I think I may have finished this painting finally, just a little fine tuning left to do. I found this one quite challenging trying to do a white horse without using just white paint. I think it turned out ok although I am not totally satisfied with how the ears turned out. I think this is where the fine tuning will come in.

My Studio

I though it was about time I took a picture of my little studio. By little, I mean really little, only 8 x 9 feet. It may be small but I have a lot of things packed into this space. I use all the walls of course to hang some of my favorite paintings (there is not enough wall space for the 200 or so paintings I have hidden away in the drawers of the dresser!) I love this room because of the wonderful light I get in the afternoon from the floor to ceiling window. I also have my computer in this space to the right of the horse painting I am working on. I still have a lot of work to do on this painting, but it is coming along nicely. I will post a shot of the completed painting in the near future.

WIP -Finished!!

I think I am calling this one done for now although I may go back to it in the future. I am quite happy with the results. I have painted the sides of the canvas so this can be hung on the wall without a frame. I really like this look for the large canvases. I have started another canvas the same size (24 x 30) of a white horse. This should be a real challenge just getting the drawing right as I don't really know a lot about horse anatomy. Stay tuned!

WIP day #6 oil "Elephant"

I spent another couple of hours on this today working mostly on the background. This photo is probably the closest I have got yet to the true colors. I am very happy with the progress I have made to date and I can finally see the end in sight.

WIP Day #5 oil "Elephant"

I was home today from work not feeling well, so instead of lying in bed I thought I might get a little more done on this painting. I couldn't resist the urge to put in some of those wrinkles, but of course I have a lot more to go. I again worked on the shadows and lights on the head but did nothing on the background or legs. Tomorrow is another day so hopefully I will get some more done.

WIP day #4 oil "Elephant"

It probably doesn't look like much change has been made today, but I have put in about 4 more hours on this painting. I am using a "fatter" mix of oil today concentrating on deepening the darks and trying to get the colors just right. I think I am almost there although I haven't even started doing the background yet. I want to get the exact right color for this so that it really looks as if it is stirred up dust from the running elephant. I will let this try for a few days and do some more on the weekend.

WIP day # 3 "Elephant"

I have made a bit of progess today on this painting although I still have a ways to go. I so want to go in and start the detail work but I know the painting is not ready for it yet. I really want to get the foundation right before I start in with the fun stuff. I am working in thin layers (or glazing) building up the darks and lights and defining the shapes. I know the eye has a lot of work yet and I am not sure about the placement. I have to study the photo some more.

WIP day #2 "Elephant"

I had a day off today so I am back at it again. I am starting to get excited about the painting at this stage. It is really beginning to take shape. I am beginning to block in the colors I will be using is very thin layers. They dry quite quickly at this stage so tomorrow I will be able to go back and add another layer or two. I find as I stand back and look at the painting little things will pop out at me that need to be changed. I notice that one of his tusks looks a little off so I will do some adjusting tomorrow. Overall I am happy with the progess.

WIP in oil "Elephant"

This is the first stage of my painting of the African Elephant. It is done on stretched canvas and is 24 x 30 inches so it has quite a presence in a room. I started by drawing my image on the canvas with a pastel pencil. I like to use these as I can rub out lines easily if they are not quite right. I usually do a lot of rubbing out in the beginning. I think the main ingrediant to a successful painting is getting the drawing right. I wanted the crop to be quite tight with not a lot of background showing. This way the elephant has all the attention, as it should. I use the blue paint to draw in the image after I am satisfied with the drawing. I start to do some modeling at this stage indicating where I will be putting the shadows and the hightlights.

8 x 10 inch oil "Pewter and Plums"

This little painting is done on prepared masonite in oil. I really enjoyed how the oil worked on this surface. It was a lot easier to get good detail than when I use canvas. I have some more pieces of the masonite cut and ready to go, so I will probably do a larger piece in the near future. I am enjoying doing these still lifes especially when they are depicting light and dark and reflection. I have another painting started that is totally different from this and I think I will post my progress as it goes. It is quite large (24 x 30 inches) and is of an animal. That is all I will say for now so stay tuned to my progess!

20x 20 inch oil "Storm Clouds" & 18 x 24 inch "After the storm"

Lately I have a fascination with clouds and storms. The second image is another experiment using oils on canvas. It doesn't really show in the photo, but the background is a very dark navy blue giving the painting a moodly effect. I like the overall effect and will probably do some more large canvases very soon. The first painting is done from an image I found on Wetcanvas.com. I like the colorful palette although it has a totally different feeling from the first painting. Again this is done on stretched canvas in oil and is approximately 18 x 24 inches.