A New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I cannot believe it is here already. Where did the holidays go by the way? Come to think of it, my brain is still on summer and here it is winter already. At any rate, I often find I'm in denial when it comes to the seasons as my mind likes to imagine it lives in the warm weather. Actually, in a couple of years, that will probably be a reality for us and it is something I'm very excited about.

I do have some cheerful, beautiful Amaryllis to keep me from falling too deeply into the winter blahs.

Last year I think I was in a really bad place with blogging, I've been doing it for years and I guess I got bored with it, annoyed at times and yes, even put pressure on myself to blog.....that's just not right. I think for a while, I was on the path to shutting my blog down but since then, have changed my mind.

Why can't I after all, just blog the way I want too? What if I just sit down to write and post pictures every 2 or 3 weeks if thats what I feel like? I kind of realized I was self-imposing rules onto my internet existence that just didn't make sense. This is the new me, blog when I want to/can etc, no pressure, just fun.

I've been painting some new pieces over my break, lots of butterflies. These are 3 of the paintings but I have a 4th and final (for now anyway) butterfly triptych I'm going to be finishing up this week. These paintings are so far at least, un-named. I'll have to work on solving that in the upcoming weeks.

This new year's day also brings a brand new website for me....Chris has been working on it for months and finally it is mostly done and ready to go. A brand new, crisp, clean look that focuses strictly on the artwork is what I was looking for in my new site. With a few minor changes/additions in the upcoming weeks, it is for the most part, DONE!!! www.artfulcreations.biz .

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday....I hope to be back in a couple of weeks, no pressure, just for fun.

Purple Phalaenopsis....Completed!

Although it was a challenge and kept me on my toes the whole time, my Purple Phalaenopsis is now completed.

It went from almost finding itself inside the kitchen trash can a couple of times to one of my favorites. That is really the way art goes though......you just never know.

When I last left off, the area underneath the painting had not yet been completed. I decided when I first started this painting that I wanted to have the orchid growing from bark. I thought it would look very textural and organic and really add a special touch to the painting. It took a while to get the bark looking just the way I wanted it too but I was finally able to create bark that has a real "texture" to it.

This moth orchid is painted in acrylic on 1 1/2" deep gallery canvas. The overall dimensions are 14" x 18".

The black background and bark are carried around all the sides. You will even find some bark chips on the bottom of the canvas.......

I'm really happy that I decided to go with the black background as I think it makes the painting "pop".

In the beginning......there was just a blank canvas and an idea which eventually developed into a sketch.

In the end.......the purple moth orchid or "Purple Phalaenopsis"is complete!! Coming soon to my website and my etsy shop... http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/ .

I've already got my eye on the next project I want to do.....a 24" x 30" still life orchid scene on gallery canvas. Before I take on that large task though, I'm working on an antique ceiling tin with african violets so stay tuned........

Red Dahlia Watercolor

I'm finished with my red Dahlia watercolor and above is the final photo. I had a few more tweaks and changes to make this past week, which I finished the other day. Then I spent the last two days just looking at it on and off deciding if things needed to be brightened or darkened in certain areas. It measures a large 18 x 24 and because it has been painted on masonite board, will need no frame, it can hang directly onto the wall.

Remember where I started with it?? I know we saw these photos little by little over the last months but I thought it would be fun to assemble them together now, to show the first stages to the finished piece. Above I had just sketched on the design and then did half of the background. You couldn't really even see what I had drawn out at this point.

Now the background is done and you can see that I've started to base in some of the petals. Playing around a little with the color, to see what I would like to do.

I realized that I needed to change the color to get it more like the original photograph. I mixed a nice red/orange for the petals which I really liked and stuck with through the whole painting. I've also in this photo above, started to work on the center area. That was a bit tricky color wise but I finally ended up with something that made me happy.

Here I am very close, although...not quite. I'm really seeing the painting coming together and it feels as though it is almost finished. Yet I still had to do a few more of the petals and then the center also. Then of course, come the tweaks that I spend a couple of days working on. Little things here and there that I thought could make it better. Always putting it away for awhile and then looking at it an hour or two later with a fresh eye.

Finally, just yesterday, the finished painting. You might remember from my earlier posts that this painting was taken from a photo of a dahlia in my garden this year. In fact, my husband used that photo in my new banner above. I'm very happy with the outcome. I've already purchased more masonite board to start my next painting on. We'll see what it will be, I haven't quite decided yet.

Almost, But Not Quite

Well, I'm much closer to being done with my Dahlia watercolor then I was in the last post. I've been working quite a bit on it and as you can see, it's almost there. I still have some white areas to base in and more shading and highlighting to do. Even after that though, I'm still not quite done. There are areas I want to go back to and rework or fix, things I'm not quite happy with need to be redone. I'll also decide what areas on the Dahlia I really want to highlight and at that time, I'll go back and outline certain petals or add some strong white to some of the areas to make them pop. But the next photo I post will show the finished painting. It will be finished, sprayed with a protective coating and called complete.

Red Dahlia Watercolor Progress

I'm taking my time but progressing nicely on my Dahlia watercolor. The outer petals that are filled in are basically finished now. I say basically because it really isn't over till it's over if you know what I mean. I can change things up until the time Chris sprays the watercolor with its sealer.

In my last Dahlia post I had based in a few of the outer petals. I've added many other washes of color since then. I decided that I wanted to have an orange/red mix to give the petals lots of depth. In some areas, after the petals were dry, I added orange by itself over the top of the red.

Today I started basing in some of the inner petals that are unfolding. They have a long way to go but it's a start. I also jumped around a bit because I wanted to take a break from painting the outer petals and just do something different. Working in a different area kind of gave me a mental break.

Dahlia Watercolor Progress

I've made a good amount of progress since my original post on the Dahlia watercolor. As you can see, I've finished the background at this point. I've also started basing in some of the petals. The above is the photo that I started with.

I could have approached where to start in a few different ways but in the end, I just started wherever I felt like. My next step will probably be basing in more of the petals that surround the ones that I've done.

After I've filled in some more, I will go back and darken and brighten. The colors of the petals as they are now, are just the start. A lot still has to be done to achieve the colors that I want. You never just put down one wash of color and call it quits....many more colors are added afterward to give the flower real depth. I think a nice orange/red will do the trick.

This photo shows how the picture looked after it was cropped. This kind of close-up and this particular view, is what I wanted to actually create my painting from.

A Mix Of Topics

I guess it just seems easier at this time of year, since there are so many good photo opportunities outside, to mix some of my posts up between the outside world and my artwork. I'm still stalking butterflies in my spare time and I was lucky enough to get some good photos of this little guy above. I was walking one of the dogs and saw the butterfly above on some of my potted plants in the front. I quickly got Willow back in the house and ran outside to take some photos.

My pereinnial Hibiscus are just beginning to bloom now. Although they bloom on and off through the fall, they are most prolific from late July to late August. For those 4 weeks I pretty much get non stop blooms. I have 7 Hibiscus right now, whites above (the first blooms to open) 2 different shades of pink and also a red.

I painted this watercolor 2 years ago...big surprise, it's called Pink Hibiscus. It was a lot of fun to do and they really and truly are some of my favorite summer flowers.

My Hibiscus are the tall plants in the very back of the garden. Only a few weeks ago, they were as tall as the lilies in front of them, but now, they have gotten way taller and will be bursting open any time now. The white blooms from above are on the smaller Hibiscus to the extreme most left and are only visible from the side. I'll also try to take a photo of the 7 of them when they are really in full bloom because they are quite a wonderful sight to see.

I shipped off a cat portrait mailbox this week, today actually and I hope the person who ordered it will really enjoy it. These mailboxes always cause me a bit of stress as I always worry about the customer and owner of the animals, liking the representation I've done. I'm actually quite relieved when they are finished and shipped out.

Beautiful Butterflies & A New Watercolor

I've been really lucky lately with being able to capture lots of good butterfly photos. I've always been in the right place at the right time I suppose.

I saw this little guy resting on my coneflowers when I was just finishing up giving Dudley and Orchid their walk. I asked the butterfly not to move, rushed the two of them in the house and grabbed the camera and ran back outside.

He did fly around a bit but afterward, landed this time on my purple conflowers and I was able to get more photos.

I've also started a new watercolor, the progress of which I'll try to chart as I go along. My subject is going to be a large red Dahlia. I've taken lots of photos of the Dahlias that I have and finally narrowed it down after some zooming in and cropping, what portion of the flower I want to paint. I started with an 18" x 24" masonite board, applied several coats of gesso to the surface and then sketched on the design. I actually have my best luck drawing when I'm watching tv and sitting on my couch. Probably because I don't take it too seriously while doing that, I'm more relaxed. So Chris and I were watching the move "Crash" and I was drawing this out at the same time. I'm also doing this piece in watercolor as well. I wanted to see how the watercolor would look and feel on the masonite board. I have to say, I really like it. It is a forgiving surface that dries quickly and gives some very nice effects. Here you can see I've started the background and gotten halfway done with it. Although I'll probably go back and alter a few things, it gives you an idea.

In this photo, you may or may not at this point be able to see the center of the flower. It will however become more obvious though as I go along. I've made a decision over the last couple of weeks that I'm quite happy about. After discussing this with two online artist friends whose opionions I value and respect, I've decided in the next 2 years or so, to open a second website, this one will strictly be for watercolors and products made from those works. This will really give me a goal to work toward and a reason to get going on more watercolors. I really feel that for me, artistically anyway, something has been missing over the last few months. I want to get more into my watercolors and developing products made from them. If any of you have every visited Cafe Press, you know what I mean. You can have some super products made from your original artwork on that site. I've been testing their services out and have been very happy with what I've seen so far.

Georgia O'Keeffe is one of my favorite artists and a lot of what I'll but creating for this new site will be large, modern florals, along with other things I'm sure. I also want the paintings to be created on a very modern surface and that is why I've decided on masonite board. They can be hung directly on the wall without a frame as well, which I think will be a real plus.

So back to butterflies...... Although this little guy looks the same as the one above, this was a different day. Who knows, maybe he is the same or maybe not but they were both around at different times. I saw him on my way to the recycling bin.

This little butterfly looks really fascinating, he has a very lacy look to him. He didn't stay around that long but he did pose for me long enought to get some great photos of him on my Hibiscus leaves. Unfortunately for Dudley and Orchid, I spotted him when we were on our way out for a walk. Hey got hauled back in the house, told to cross their legs and wait for a few minutes while I ran back out to take some photos of this little butterfly. I didn't get happy looks when I said this but, there were no accidents on the floor either so it all worked out ok.

Back To The Garden Center & Painting A Hummingbird

Today I went back to the nursery I love to shop at, actually, I visited 2 garden centers that I love. Chris and I made an afternoon of it, he went with me and we had lunch, dessert and yes, my extra hot vanilla chai latte with spices as well. Then we went shopping for some more flowers for my summer pots.

I bought some more Geraniums as well as Potato Vines to put in my hanging and large standing pots. I think the Potato Vines I bought last time, that I've already potted, have been growing longer and longer. They look very pretty potted with the Geraniums. I also bought Dahlias this year and I'm very excited about adding those to my potted collection. After talking last year with a lady up the street who loves her Dahlias, I decided to get some for myself. It was a tough decision let me tell you because there was a whole huge greenhouse filled with nothing but all different color and varieties of Dahlias. In the end, I settled on 3 I really liked, a red, a pink and a pinky/peach with yellow. They were all so beautiful, it was hard to decide.

Well, aside from buying plants, I have been painting as well. I painted the above miniature the other day after I saw a hummingbird right outside my kitchen window, he was flying around by my hanging Geranium pots. I was so inspired by this little guy, I got busy painting right away and the above is my own version. Now that planting season is here, I'll be mixing art and flowers a lot more in my posts. They are both interconnected for me anyway so I'll be able to show a lot of inspiration pieces.

The Dahlia is a flower that I haven't painted yet so, I hope to take care of that this summer by creating my first watercolor Dahlias.

Watercolor Cards

I've decided to make some prints of some of my watercolors for cards to list on my ETSY shop. This is a card made from my original watercolor, Ocean View.

The cards measure 5 1/4" x 7 1/4" and come with matching envelopes. I've added glitter to some of the background areas because well......I couldn't resist.

This card was made from Peony Bouquet, watercolor on canvas. I'll be adding more over the next weeks.

They are on-line at my ETSY shop at: http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/