14 Jan 2011

Great Grandpa Bunny Bunny – My Mentor?!?!

posted in: inspiration | 3

Do you know who Great Grandpa Bunny Bunny is? You might think this is silly, but the beautiful blue shadows on the snow that fell here earlier this week have made me think of this character from my childhood. In a Little Golden Book called Walt Disney’s Bunny Book, Great Grandpa Bunny Bunny teaches all the little bunnies in Bunnyville to paint everything around them – the flowers, the autumn leaves, the butterflies, the ferns… and the winter shadows. The … Read More
5 Jan 2011

December Snow

posted in: landscape, New Artwork, Tips and Techniques | 3

My newest painting is a result of our Christmas Day snowstorm, which left 6+ inches of fluffy snow. Freezing temps kept it on the ground, and, when the sun came out two days later, everything twinkled like a fantasy-land! The roads were a mess, so I donned my hiking boots and grabbed my camera and set out to capture the beauty… and ended up with oodles of inspiration. There are working farms with aging buildings all around this area, and … Read More
26 Dec 2010

Merry Christmas Jeb

posted in: dog portrait, New Artwork, Tips and Techniques | 0

I couldn’t spill the beans before Christmas since this was a surprise gift, but here is my newest painting, a portrait of Jeb. I was commissioned by Jeb’s mom Pam, as a surprise for his dad Jim. The biggest challenge with this portrait was taking reference photos. Not only did we have to sneak around Jim, but Jeb is a very active, big, 2-year old lab. We did the first photo shoot indoors since the weather on our rendezvous day … Read More
21 Oct 2010

Glazing Layers of Color

posted in: Glazing, Tips and Techniques | 0

In my newest painting, a commission called “Greenhouse & Gardens,” I used a technique of layering in the bottom right corner, to get the effect of masses of leaves. This technique is often called GLAZING. I do this in acrylics by painting with white (I actually use acrylic gesso for maximum opacity), letting it dry, then painting over the white with very transparent acrylic colors. As with watercolors, some acrylic pigments are more transparent than others. I can choose those … Read More
30 Jun 2010

Traveling Show

posted in: news | 0

The Tennessee Watercolor Society’s 32nd Exhibition has ended in Chattanooga, TN, but 30 selected paintings will travel around Tennessee in three other shows in the next 5 months. My award winning painting “Decadence” is part of the Traveling show.You might live close enough to catch one of these venues: Customs House Museum, Clarksville TN (Nashville area), for July and August West Tennessee Regional Art Center at Humboldt (Memphis area), for September and October Pryor Gallery at Columbia State Community College, … Read More
25 May 2010

TWS Award :-)

posted in: news | 0

I just won an award for “Decadence,” one of the two paintings I got accepted into the Tennessee Watercolor Society’s biennial exhibition. The show opened at the Chattanooga (TN) State Community College last Saturday with the awards ceremony, and runs through June 25th, open M-F 9-5. It is a beautiful show, with some fabulous paintings, so I am very proud to have been chosen for the show, and delighted to get a prize! My second painting in the show is … Read More
22 Apr 2010

Tennessee Watercolor Society Exhibition

posted in: news | 0

Here’s the official poster for the TWS 32nd Exhibition, for which my paintings “Decadence” (described in my previous blog post) and “Nature Paints a Picture” have been chosen. I learned that there were 213 paintings entered from all around Tennessee, and my two were among the 70 juried into the show. The selection was made from digital photos of the paintings; the juror will select recipients of the 18 awards when the actual paintings are delivered to Chattanooga, TN, prior … Read More
9 Feb 2010

Calling All Chocolate Lovers!

posted in: New Artwork | 0

My newest painting, titled “Decadence” by popular vote, is now complete. It’s a different subject for me, and variety always makes the painting process interesting. My intention before starting was to do a painting to enter into an upcoming exhibition, and this necessitates something bold. When a juror stands in the center of a room with over a hundred paintings surrounding him/her, a painting needs to really stand out to make it through the initial cut. Of course, from there … Read More
25 Jan 2010

Trying Gessoed Paper for a New Effect

posted in: New Artwork, Tips and Techniques | 2

I made a resolution to experiment with my art techniques, and here’s my first exploration. It’s a technique I learned years ago using watercolors, but I’ve applied it to acrylics (which I often use much like watercolors, but they react differently). It starts with a sheet of watercolor paper which I coat with a layer of gesso. Gesso resembles white paint but it creates a harder surface and blocks the normal absorbency of the paper so paints applied on top … Read More
25 Nov 2009

Sally Mae Dog Portrait

posted in: New Artwork | 0

I’ve just completed a new dog portrait, of “Sally Mae”. It’s a surprise Christmas gift for her dad from her mom, so don’t tell if you know them! Take a look at the reference photos I took of Sally, using some of the tips I shared previously on photographing your pet. You can see which photo became my main reference, and how I simplified the background. Sally Mae is part of the same family as “Tom” who I painted two … Read More

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