It’s June

Time to catch up- here’s the finished portrait of my son Seth. I’m slowly going through the family, painting portraits in oil.

Then I got a commission to paint these three sweet dogs. The one on the left, Beau, recently passed and I was approached by my friend’s husband. Finished in time for Easter, where he presented it to her at brunch. Grateful for his trust; quite the challenge as the photos were less than ideal. But painting them, and thinking of the close relationship she had with all of them was truly a labor of love.

                  Me and my sweet friend Sue- the painting was for her.

Stop the Procrastination!

Started up again with my family portrait project-this is my son Seth- will be tweaking it tomorrow and putting in the background. Not sure what; sometimes I put the photo in procreate and experiment.

So I just did that and chose this color, used the Niko roll brush and roughly put it in. I think I like it! This technique can be a big time saver too; when I’m ready to start painting tomorrow I have a plan.

 

Sharpening Skills

Happy to have been able to attend a couple of life drawing sessions here on Hilton Head. Instead of lamenting- “I’m not painting. I’m in a slump. I’ve lost my way.” And, by the way, we ALL have these thoughts.  I’m grateful I can turn it around to-“I’m drawing. I’m on a different path today. I’m learning and discovering new things.” Attitude and how I think about things is everything.

 

January Challenge Complete!

This was such a fun way to spend January- I’ve posted a few in my last post- but here are all 30. 6 different instructors- some of the classes were almost 2 hours, the quickest was 22 minutes! I decided not to continue to work on them after the lesson had ended, so some have a higher degree of finish. Which doesn’t mean it’s any better! Thanks Sktchy for a great month of drawing some fascinating and fabulous muses!

 

Winter Doldrums are Banned

 I’ve seen this #30faces30days on social media the last few Januarys but this year I joined in on Sktchy- it’s a class with 6 instructors who provide their own muse, then a video of them drawing the portrait, which I’ve been following along with. They are all different- in technique, and time, so it’s been a good January project. I’ve been posting each day on IG. Some days it’s been hard to post and I missed the first two days since we were driving down to SC, but I’m mostly caught up now.

New Year’s Eve

 We started making the vision boards together in 2017- my daughter Jessica and I. I have been doing mine in a larger sketchbook which I like, because I bring it with me when I travel. We leave RI tomorrow for Hilton Head, SC. I wish you all the best in the new year- health, peace, acceptance, and …..much joy!

Plum Beach Light

 This lighthouse stands in Narragansett Bay in North Kingstown- built in 1899 and now on the National Register of Historic Places. It was deactivated after the first Jamestown bridge was built in 1941, and was sorely neglected until 1999 when the Friends of Plum Beach Lighthouse took over and totally restored it. Also, it is now licensed by the Coast Guard as a navigational aid. It has always caught my fancy, and it’s been depicted by many artists and photographers. This painting is 8x8 on a cradled panel.