"Lauryn and Matthew" pencil, 5x7

Lauryn and Matthew

pencil, 5x7

A good friend asked me to draw her and her husband as a Valeninte's Day gift. Loved the strong light, dynamic diagonals and personal connection of these two fabulous people. Such fun to draw!

"Arabesque" 11x14, oil

 

"Arabesque"

11x14, oil
sold

This piece was created for Jessie Boyland's "Let's Dance" project in the Jane Sandelin Gallery at Artworks.

Check out the entire show of artwork by various artists inspired by the dancers at Dog Town Dance Theater on Friday February 28, 7-10 PM. The event is free and open to the public. Show ends March 23rd, 2014,

"The Three Bears", 6x6

"The Three Bears"

6x6, oil on panel

This little painting was created as a gift for a friend (and his wife) who helped set up and hosted my website for years and years. (Thanks, Tim!) It was so much fun to paint -- those colors, the kids expression/stances and of course those beautiful blues of the ocean. I painted from an Instagram photo (i think) taken by Gail Emerson.

Six Beautiful People

Allow me to introduce you to six beautiful people.

These were commissioned by my uncle as a Christmas present to his family.

Ed

8x10", graphite on bristol

 Carol

8x10", graphite on bristol

Will

8x10", graphite on bristol

Vandi

8x10", graphite on bristol

Sarah

8x10", graphite on bristol

Helen

8x10", graphite on bristol

These were an absolute joy to render. Hope it shows.

Thinking back I just wanted to share the "mosts" of the creation of these portraits:

Most tedious part: All those curls!

Easiest part: Those lovely toothy grins were easier than anticipated

Favorite feature: The eyebrows! It's amazing how unique eyebrows are to each face. We take them for granted way too often.

Climbing Mount Rainier, 18x24

Climbing Mount Rainier, 18x24, oil sold

This commission appeared on my newsletter at the beginning of the month. This piece has to be one of my favorite commissions of all time. I had a low dpi reference photo, which can make things difficult but with the graphic nature of this piece plus those dazzling deep blues, this piece, while challenging, was quite fun and gratifying.

 Below are the step by step photos of the creation of this painting.

1. Before beginning the final piece I completed a loose 6x8" study painting and sent to the client for approval:

 2. All elements are penciled in, then the first layers of the background are applied.

 

 3. The first layers of the snow in the foreground are begun below:

 

A shot of how I set up to paint from the study:

 5. More layers added to the sky, background and snow, figures and gear are painted in as well.

Climbing Mount Rainier

18x24, oil on canvas

sold

Closer look at the figures:

Mount Rainier is located in Washington State, elevation 14,411 ft. 

Interested in commissioning a custom painting?

E-mail me for more info or head over to the Purchasing FAQ page on my website.

Gunny on the Beach

Gunny's Beach House

The Lookout

Gunny was a 8 month old Yorkie I met on the beach in Nags Head this summer, filled with wonder and adored by his owners. His owners asked me to paint a piece of Gunny on the beach. These were two of my study paintings from the brainstorming process. It was too cute not to share on the blog.

"Cleo" - Black and White to Color

I know I've been MIA for the past week or so, but that doesn't mean I haven't been painting. If you're on my Facebook page, you've seen I've been doing a bit of painting on location as well as sketching for the Summer Sketchbook Challenge. In addition I've been working on a number of commissioned paintings. I hope to share a few of them here over the next few weeks.

Below is one that took quite a bit more effort than most. I don't typically paint portraits from black and white photos, although we did quite a bit of that while in art school at VCU. I wouldn't even consider myself a portrait painter. This commission was a tough one to tackle, but I am happy with the result.

Cleo

16x20, oil

I recorded each step in the painting's progression:

I started with a 5x7 "study" to make sure I could handle it.

Here I set up the underpainting with burnt umber, then added the dark areas of the hair, eyes and eyebrows.

My palette and the flesh tone mixtures.

 

Here is the reference photo next to the study. Flesh tones were being placed and the blouse painted. The request was for a blue blouse. :)

 

 

A loose block in of the flesh tones, and some refining of the tones & transitions.

Finishing up with the eyes & then painting in the background.

Now I'm ready (as I'll ever be) to paint the full-size piece - 16x20:

After laying in the underpainting, I decided to start with the eyes this time.

 

Here I'm beginning to lay in the skin tones & clothing.

Finalizing the facial structure & defining the hair.

 

Here, the reference photo with the study & final after the background was added.

 

The finished piece. 

16x20, oil.

She loved it. :)

aunt jean

aunt jean, acrylic on canvas, 11x14

gift to my grandparents

my favorite person in the world

23x35, colored pencil on ivory mat board

all 8x10, graphite on bristol:

Giant Update (long overdue) Part 2

And here are some of my personal drawings and paintings from the past several months:

Carter Mountain
16x20, oil on canvas
(SOLD)

Three Birches
10.5x13.75, oil on canvas
(SOLD)

Golden Tree
16x20, oil on canvas

My wonderful husband took me on a hot air balloon ride for my birthday. This was painted from one of the photos I took.

Woolridge Lake
8x10, oil on canvas
(SOLD)

Notice the two little ducks swimming in to shore.

Erin's Pumpkin Patch
sold

Autumn Blaze
16x20, acrylic on canvas

I had this one hanging up in my house during the fall.

Summer Archway
sold

Taken at Maymont Park. The stone fence is part of the Italian Gardens.

details:

Granddad at Great Point

My grandfather passed away this past September. I began this drawing of him preparing his fishing lures for an evening at Great Point, Nantucket back in 2007. After driving up to PA to say goodbye before he passed I began the "mad dash" to finish this drawing in time for the funeral. We'll miss him.