DAILY PAINTING: 11-24-15 The previous drawing was accurate, but it did not do enough to express this very interesting creature. So I've incorporated abstract elements that I hope will better emphasize this animal's uniqueness. I like the way the abstractions interact with the main image and with the background. This should create some interesting color possibilities, though I have not yet begun to think about color in specific terms. Those thoughts will have to hold unti

DAILY PAINTING: 11-23-15 Here's a sketch of a giraffe for the 3rd painting in the pets & animals series. You can see that I've prepared a mostly yellow background, with flashes of green and orange, on a canvas panel that I made. The sketch itself is done to scale, and I have incorporated some of the giraffe's shape markings in the background to break up the space. I haven't really thought much about color yet, or how I intend to handle the paint (i.e., transparently, opaqu

DAILY PAINTING: COMPLETED "Nappy Mews News" 11-20-15 This little girl likes to be involved in whatever's going on. And because she's part Siamese, she's very people-friendly and very vocal. Nappy is always on the scene, like a reporter getting the scoop, but she needs no microphone to broadcast! So the title, "Nappy Mews News", was a natural! I really like this one, I think it's fun, fresh & vibrant, which is just perfect for Nappy! I hope to see her over the Thanksgiv

HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE LINK FROM THE BLOG TO FACEBOOK. THIS IS A TEST.

DAILY PAINTING: 11-19-15 How nice it is to be feeling better! And it always helps when you feel the painting is going well. Our little Nappy is coming along nicely! I should be able to finish her without trouble tomorrow (God willing and the creek don't rise!). I like the way the colors are falling into place.

DAILY PAINTING: 11-18-15 Artwork takes creative energy, and I have used what little I had today. Still feeling wearing & worn from the cold, but at least I managed to put down some color. The stripes, which are done in either Ultramarine or tinted Cerulean, present a challenge. I realized that I could not paint it alla prima (from the Italian masters, a phrase which means "wet in wet"), because any stray brush stroke which carried some of the blues into the other colors w

DAILY PAINTING: 11-17-15 I'm getting over my cold nicely and managed to do this pen drawing today of the cat my daughter rescued as a stray kitten. Her name is Nappy (really Napster, but Grandma has given her a nickname). She is a tabby / Siamese mix, very people-oriented with lots to say (I understand Siamese are quite vocal). She's a very petite little girl, but she seems to be the last one to know that, believing herself to be quite the warrior when the mood strikes he

I mentioned in my last post that I was coming down with a cold--ugh! Let's hope I'll be back to the studio in the next day or so!

DAILY PAINTING: COMPLETED "Precious Pit Bull" 11-14-15 I'm really happy with this painting! I think it expresses Took's personality well, for those of us who are not blessed enough to actually be with him. As you can see, I made some minor but helpful adjustments. Yesterday, I was not completely happy with the Turquoise I had been using. The idea of a warm blue a good counter to the cool Ultramarine, but there was something about the Turq that just wasn't quite right. T

DAILY PAINTING: "Precious Pit Bull" 11-13-15 I chose intense color because Took is an intensely loving & joyful creature. Adjustments can be made, as needed, in the next few days, as the paint dries & the accent lines become apparent. But I'm happy with the way it's coming along. I look forward to getting started on the next painting in this series, which could feature Anna (a Labradoodle) and her best friend, Nibbles (a pug). Or it could be the Grace Kelly of cats: Napp