Deb's Lily Pads - layered with epoxy

Deb's Lily Pad

12`` x 16` Oil on canvas with half inch black painted sides.

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Yes, you may have seen this one before in another posting. I took a workshop with the FCA and learnt how to apply epoxy to paintings. At first I applied it only to the water but it made the leaves look dull. I let that dry and then coated the whole painting and added a few metallic flecks in the water that catch the light. I absolutely love it, the colours really popped with the epoxy coating. It was too reflective to take a photograph of the final painting. I have it up temporarily in our lunch room at work and it is fun to watch people get right up close to have a better look and touch it.

Merry Christmas with a Canadian winter scene

"Dancing Shadows"

Water colour on paper

6 1/2" x 10" double matted in a 8" x 15 1/2" metal frame

Merry Christmas everyone!

 This painting was done from a photograph taken while out cross country skiing. The shadow looked like it was dancing as I was moving past the dead tree stump making it look very lively as well as striking my funny bone.

I hope celebrations are in the order today with friends, loved ones and celebrating relationships we have enjoyed throughout the year.

 

Newton - A commissioned dog portrait

``Newton`` - NFS (Comissioned)

12`` x 16`` Acrylic on canvas

This dog portrait is a Christmas gift for Shelly`s hubby. Newton was posed at the table during some family fun. He looks like he is in the middle of a serious discussion with you and with a cold drink in paw, ready to hear you out. Painting a dog pretty much all one colour was a fun challenge. I thought the old fashioned yellowy-green pop glass fitted the picture better.

Christmas Party Fund Raiser

This framed water colour painting was put in my work Christmas party silent auction. Unfortunately there is a shadow in the upper right!

 Every year we have a silent auction of items coworkers bring in and sell 50/50 tickets with the proceeds going to a different charity. This year was to a charity that provides Christmas presents to youth and teens, a forgotten group at Christmas time. I also put in 2 sets of blank gift cards of some of the pets that I have painted. I figured the cards would sell well as the pets belonged to my co-workers. It was fun to celebrate each other, bid and be outbid for different items all the while adding to a worthy charity.

Deb's Lily Pads

My friend Deb and I took a weekend workshop with Rick Berg through the FCA. I couldn't decide on what to paint so Deb offered me her photographs. I loved this one with all the different shapes and it was perfect for a workshop as I had no idea how to start it! I changed some of the shapes and started with a black gesso thin underpainting to get the shapes down. I then worked on the dark tones, the light tints then the highlights as Rick had done in his demo. Rick helped me with the edges of some of the leaves to help separate and show the leaf folds.

Deb's Lily Pad

12`` x 16` Oil on canvas with half inch black painted sides.

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Happy Tulips

"Happy Tulips"

Oil on canvas 24" x 30 1/2"

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This painting basically started painting itself. I used it to clean my brushes off with all the colours from a  previous painting. I don't usually tone my canvas that way but it was staring at me almost daring me to start a new "large" painting. When I came back to my studio, I could see the tulip shapes on the canvas.

I was quite happy to start painting without having to come up with the idea, design, colours etc, they were already basically there. I have some texture on it as well, but it doesn't show up in my photos. I painted the sides so it can be hung without a frame. A large, nice happy, and bright cheery painting.

Paintings for sale can be found on my website.

Fun on Fraser Island

This painting is from a picture my daughter Kristen took on her holiday to Fraser Island in Australia. She had so much fun camping with new friends and driving all over the island in these jeeps.

"Fun on Fraser Island"

Oil on canvas with 1" painted sides 16" x 20"

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Paintings for sale can be found on my website.

Zebras in Blue, Yellow and Copper

"Zebras in Blue, Yellow and Copper"

30" x 22" Acrylic on Watercolour paper

Framed under glass in a dark brown 33" x 23" frame

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I really had fun with this one. I worked on a full sheet of watercolour paper and used only blue (3), yellow (1) and iridescent copper for paint. It was a challenge to make more colours using only those 5 and with my love of colour, not to add more!

I started this painting by wetting the whole sheet and dropping colours in, letting them mix and mingle. This is what the light stripes on the zebras consist of. I painted the dark stripes with the variety of blues with adding small amounts of the copper. The foreground was done last with all of the colours intermingled. I have now done this painting 3 different ways and 3 different sizes (1/4 sheet, 1/2 sheet and a full sheet of watercolour paper).

I had so much fun with the photograph my friend Joan so graciously let me use, change and add to my satisfy my artist eye.

Paintings for sale can be found on my website.

New Lily

This is a lily and bud from a bouquet of lily's that my daughter Kristen gave to me. It was given as a surprise thank you with gratitude and love. I am going to keep painting it as it warms my heart.

"New Lily"

Oil on board 7.5" x 7"

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Paintings for sale can be found on my website.

Contemplating The Next Painting

I painted this abstractly working with colours and shapes that fit my mood at the time. I was initally just going to use it as an underpainting, but the more I worked on it, the better I liked it.  I am really happy with it but unsure which way I like it better. I haven't signed my name yet until I decide which way it goes. I may have to sign my name twice so it could go either way. Which way do you like it better?

"Comtemplating The Next Painting"

Oil on Board 16" x 20" or 20" x 16"?

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Paintings for sale can be found on my website.