"Spring Pleasures" Completed

Yesterday I finished painting "Spring Pleasures" and just in time too as I needed some spring cheer to help deal with the blizard we got yesterday.  Shoveling out in the biting cold wind with a foot and a half to two feet of snow in some places is just one of my favorite things to do.... (not even close) .  I know I sound a bit snarky about it all and well, snow makes me very grumpy.  All I can say is....Orlando here I come, there is nothing in the NY winter that I will miss, not even a little.

Now it is revealed that my woodland creature is a happy little chipmunk nestled on one of the tulip leaves.  The tulips, leaves, chipmunk and some of the background swirls are 3D with a texture you can see and feel.  A stucco medium was used in these areas to create this texture.

This painting measures 24" h x 8" w x 1 1/2" d.   I hope the yellow, pink and magenta bring cheer and make everyone think of the color and warmth of spring ahead.

Bearded Iris Garden Complete.........

"Bearded Iris Garden" is complete, I just finished it this past week.  It went through many stages along the way, painting the leaves, flowers and adding all the little details that complete a painting.  I love seeing my work through the eyes of my camera, it lets me know what I'm doing, what needs to be changed and how the painting is progressing.  I'm starting a small companion piece that will continue the theme of this painting, it will be 10" x 10".  Plus I"m adding a little winged surprise to that one.  Maybe next week I'll be able to show a little bit of the progress........




Sitting Pretty Monarch Butterfly

Another month has slipped by and I'm not really sure where all the time went. I've been working on some new canvases and making some changes in my marketing as well. The above is entitled "Sitting Pretty" and is a monarch butterfly painted against an abstract background. I'm in the process of painting some spring and summer themes at the moment and hope to finish up with those soon.

I love painting butterflies, all kinds of course but my favorites are the Monarchs. I find myself drawn to them again and again and somehow, they always seem to end up on my canvas.

All year I review butterfly photos that I've taken in the spring and summer to decide which beauties to paint. If you love to paint nature subjects, I highly recommend running around with your camera to capture your favorites on film, they will provide you with inspiration all year long.

"Beyond The Depths" - Abstract Acrylic Triptych

"Beyond The Depths" is the newest abstract triptych painting to leave my studio this week. Would you believe when I sat down to first start working on this, it was supposed to be a hummingbird painting? After the first day I was thinking "ok, maybe I see a hummingbird in there somewhere." By the end of the second day this piece let me know that it wanted to be an abstract, one that focuses on the deep, dark and unchartered depths of the ocean. I think it is really important to listen to my work; my paintings always guide me in the direction they want me to take. Sometimes pieces turn out just as I envision them and other times, like with this painting, they take me in a totally different direction and it is up to me to listen.

The painting I'm currently working on was supposed to be a garden sculpture painting with abstract elements and instead, it turned into a fairy painting......see what I mean? I just listened and that is where the painting led me. Hopefully that one will be finished in the next few days.

"Beyond The Depths" measures 12"h x 24 1/2" w x 1 1/2" d. www.artfulcreations.etsy.com