Painting for myself

After creating so many paintings for other people, my husband and I decided it was high time I did one for us!

We both loved the red/orange tree branch one I had given my son Kris, so I did another like it for us. Except ours is huge (24 x 36) and now hangs in our dining room! It is simpler than the other. I tried using a heavy, thick brown paint (Liquitex Super Heavy Body) for the branches to give it more texture, but honestly, it was awful to work with since I was applying with a brush. I'm sure using palette knives it will do great, but with a brush, forget it! I had to redo parts of it several times over (the sky areas, especially) and decided to outline most leaves with a strong blue, the compliment to orange, to make them pop. I think it's a pretty decent one. Especially in digital version and when you stand far back from it.

Today's lesson: If you plan to use Super Heavy Body paint, use a palette knife!

End the madness... paint!

Today, I had a lovely conversation with Mary, my sister-in-law who is a skilled oil painter. I'm honestly shy talking about my painting endeavors with most people but she was so nice and inviting to chat with, and encouraging too.

And she put something I've been unable to express in words much better than I could: "I'm a much nicer person to be around when I paint," she said.

My mom used to swim laps in a pool to "swim the meanness" out of herself, and some people work out, do yoga, or whatever. I know when I can take a "purposeful" walk, it is pleasurable and relaxing.

I find when I am able to go into my studio or to painting classes, I feel this sort of release, a physical sigh, and my whole body relaxes into the moment. I forget about worries that I can't control, things that might or might not be coming down the pike, and just let go and create. There is something sensual and luxurious about controlling a paintbrush as it glides along the canvas or paper. As I mentioned, I write, and can get lost in typing onto a screen words that flow to the point I forget to eat. It is similar, but the dot dot dot of characters and words appearing on a computer screen do not compare to the pleasure of seeing a line of paint flow across paper or canvas support.

Today's Lesson: Painting is good therapy.

The last Christmas Gift paintings

I discovered what a great way to make folks feel loved and special AND practice painting all at once: PAINT them gifts!


And dirty little secret time: The middle one "Haybales" was done on recycled canvass I got at the local Goodwill store of a painting someone had started but never completed! It was a totally different style, so I gessoed over it and had a blank white canvas again!

The first one is also a sort of recyled one. It was done as an experiment using rubber cement as masking fluid before I ever bought any and with watered down acrylics, like in watercolor painting style. I hated it and it floated around the studio for a while until I took the brush and full strength paints to it, and really livened it up. It has special meaning to a lovely friend who lost her husband. She loves and collects hearts and we consider him a star in the sky. Get it?

The final painting is for another of my brothers. It's a simpler style crest which looks identical to the one we had hanging in our house as we were growing up. I think he's gonna love it!

Kris' Brooklyn Skyline

My older son, Kris, who lives in a gorgeous neighborhood in Brooklyn Heights, NY, wants a painting of Brooklyn. But he likes impressionist work, and wants one that has a sort of old-world feeling. I had a 6 x 12 canvas and a great image of the Brooklyn Bridge skyline at night and decided to try to convince him that THIS is what he really wanted for Christmas. It's in the mail and he's busy with final exams, work, and volunteering at a community shelter over the holidays, so I don't think he'll be reading this post and feel safe posting it...

Some of it works kinda nicely, I think. I used bubble paint for the light dots and some other streaks of light reflection in the water but didn't want to use too much of it.

I worked on this one, the Borch family crest, and the Bavarian Church scene all at the same time. Crazy stuff!