Early Morning Flower Series #8 and #9

Early Morning Flower Series #8

6" x 6" Oil on Board

This was fun as it was a farther away view of the vase and flowers. Less detail than in the same flowers below painted another morning. Muted flowers this time with a bright background. Painting with sunny yellow is a great way to start a day!

Early Morning Flower Series #9 - SOLD

6" x 6" Oil on Board

Love, love, love this one! Playing with my new Caribean Blue and back to looser painting. Again trying for new colour combinations. This one was fun to do and now fun to view!

Malek's Bear

Malek's Bear

12" x 16" Oil on canvas

I had started this bear in Ingrid's class but did not have time to finish it there. I thought it would be a perfect gift for my co-worker Nina, pregnant with their first child. As Nina and Kevin did not know the sex of their baby, I had to wait for the baby's arrival, a (healthy boy they named Malek) before I could put the baby's initials on the block. Their last name begins with a "W". As it is an oil painting, the problem was getting it done in time for it to dry before the shower! Nina said this would be the first decoration for Malek's room!

Happy Birthday Cake

Happy Birthday Cake

Oil on board 6" x 6"

Happy Birthday Curtis! I decided to create a cake for our son's birthday today. We love wine gums and the single 5 cent candies, usually decorating our family birthday cakes with them. Curtis doesn't live at home so this is my way of making a cake just for him.

Early Morning Flower Series #6 and #7

Early Morning Flower Series #6

6" x 6" Oil on Board

I had received a gift certificate for an art store and searched high and low for a special treat...ta da...Caribean Blue (from Holland Classic). It is a very bold colour and it doesn't need much paint to add some zing. I am still going to have to be bolder with it in upcoming paintings, it is truly beautiful!!

Early Morning Flower Series #7

6" x 6" Oil on Board

Again, a new take on this one with very muted colours and a criss cross pattern for the leaves in the background. I painted the flower with hard edges as well.

Early Morning Flower Series #5

Morning Flower Series #5

6" x 6" Oil on board

Now you must be able to see how much fun I had with this one! I was really trying to change it up after I saw how much the last two looked similar. I am not stressing myself out trying to complete one in one early morning go and it seems so much more enjoyable now. I am really having fun with these!

Early Morning Flower Series #3 and #4

Morning Flower Series #3

6" x 6" Oil on board

This is the third early morning painting. As stated in the last blog, Helen inspired me with her early morning/before work small paintings. Well I tried and the half an hour goes by way to fast, I just want to keep going as I am not done! Alas, the work bell tolls and off I go. The good news is I can hardly wait to get home and finish the painting. I have not been able to work on any bigger pieces since I finished Ingrid's class, due to time constraints.

Morning Flower Series #4

6" x 6" Oil on board

I was surprised when I posted this, how similar the backgrounds are. I painted these and set them aside to dry and had not noticed the similarity until I photographed them. I really enjoy the looseness and not getting bogged down in details due to time constraints. It certainly is easy to pop out of bed early in the morning to paint.

Speed painting - Flower series

Flower series #1 6"x6" Oil on board

Helen inspired me with her quick paintings of faces. She got up early in the morning, set her timer for 1/2 an hour and that is the time she had to paint before getting ready to work. I loved her free and loose paintings, they had such energy! I decided to give it a try myself for 4 workdays a week. Instead of faces, my focus will be flowers. Again 1/2 an hour is the time limit (that goes by way to fast).

Flower series #2 6"x6" Oil on board

It is surprisingly easy to get out of bed early to paint, but hard to stop. It is particularily hard when I am not finished or satisfied with where I have stopped. I may go back into them at a later date. 

Last Winter Still Life and Figure Class

Oil on canvas panel 16" x 12"

This was the last winter 2012 still life and figure class. I learnt a lot and was really challenged with both subjects. This painting was painted over 2 classes. The first night I wiped off my painting 5 times, it was a tough night. Sometimes it flows and sometimes the challenges are huge stuggles within. I am happy with the final result and really enjoyed my last class. I am sorry to see them end. I will not be taking her spring classes but look forward to Fall classes with Ingrid.

oil on canvas board 12" x 9"

This was our warmup 20 minute excercise (speed painting is what I call it!). The goal was to capture the model's position and fill up the whole canvas without filling any details. It was both stressful and exhilarating! We lined up everyone's work and Ingrid critiqued them. The easels were in a horse shoe shape around the model so it was fun to see all the different views of the same pose.

Waiting For Spring - oil painting

Waiting for Spring

10.5" x 13" Oil on birch board

This little ceramic frog in the melting snow is from a gift calendar (April 2012) my friend Sue made for me of her artful photographs. I had so much fun painting this little guy as he seemed a little hopeful and tired at the same time, a true "end of winter" feeling. We often get a big snowfall in Calgary after our tulips have graced our gardens.

Still life lesson - seeing colour in white

This is a picture of my easel, paint and still life set up in Ingrid's "Still Life and Figure Class". The lesson here was to see colour in a white set up - white flowers, clear vase, white background. This was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Thank goodness Ingrid does a demo first so we can "see" what she "see's" The lights above help to add shadow to the shapes which help to show the subjects colour.

Oil on canvas board 12" x 16"

This is the final painting and I am really happy with it. I had no idea there were so many colours in white!The colours are not muted or subtle in my painting (couldn't do it if my life depended on it!) and I like the "alive" feeling of the flowers.