Orange Flowers Study

This is a progress shot, even though it looks exactly the same!  Goes to show sometimes that you can spend a lot of time on something, and sometimes it doesn't make a difference at all.

Pink Flowers Study

Final

Another thing that I'm working on with still lifes is the background.  I don't want  it to be a boring table top and plain background.  I also don't want to add more subjects, or too much detail.  So these studies allow a controlled environment where I know most of the painting will be successful, and I can do a little experimentation.

Underpainting, looks way more orange than it was.

This is presently in my bedroom.  I love it.

Blue Flower Study

This was my Saturday night.  I just wanted to practice some techniques I watched on a youtube tutorial recently (by Kelli Fulsom).  I really feel like the translucent quality of the petals is much improved, even compared to my painting I just did of a bouquet of flowers. In the youtube video, I noticed that Kelli changed the color on her brush after 3 strokes.  Sometimes I will use the same color for 5 minutes, but she only used the same color for 30 seconds before updating the color.  Very interesting.  Updating the color really adds depth to the shapes, and adds variety to the shades of color in the painting.

Also, it was interesting watching Kelli put highlights on the petals.  She would suprise me and just put a highlight in an unexpected way, like at the tips of the dark flowers in the shadows, or a brighter highlight just on one petal.  And wow, what an impact the right highlight can make.  I just feel that focusing on highlights and shadows in a different way added much more life to the petals.  

She didn't necessarily paint the flowers as a perfect representation of the flowers, but she found the beauty, picked out the best parts, and highlighted that beauty.

Flower Bouquet - repeat of smaller painting

As I have been doing some paintings, I've been redoing the same subjects.  So I'm painting flowers multiple times.  I recently painted these for a 5x7, and in a more blue tone.

It's really good practice to explore a subject more than once, and use better colors.  I'm pleased with this exercise.  Some parts of it are great, (vase, blue flowers, table)! Some of the actual flowers could use improvement, but there was no point in continually reworking them.  Time to finish it and move on.

Notice the flowers have a much brighter because I glazed some red over them in the next picture.

I totally struggled with the middle yellow flower.  So tough!  I redid it like ten times.  

Bruges, Belgium - For My Valentine

I wanted to do a painting for Russell for Valentines from his mission.  So here we go. Here is a scene from his mission.  He is very happy with it.  I really like it, but it is just one of those paintings that did not live up to my dreams of what I envisioned.  Looking through the process pictures, I really like the coloring of some

I love paintings in this phase.  So suggestive and pretty.  I almost wanted to leave the painting just like this, but Russell didn't.  He wanted a little more realistic.

Oh no!  Look at the sky!  It is turning so amateur looking, and muddy.  Browns in the sky?  Just looking weird.  So I really learned that I needed to brighten up the sky, and then it would look more natural, even adding some blue. 

Much better blue sky.

 I won't point out all the flaws that I see, but instead I'll just be happy that Russell loves it.  Happy Valentine's Day!

Nautical Nursery Theme Prints

I did a baby shower recently, and conveniently, my friend needed Nautical theme nursery art.  I had just recently done some for a commission.  I always scan whatever paintings I do, so I edited the scans, printed them out, and framed them nicely. I thought they looked amazing!  I think prints look just as good as the real thing, especially framed.  I get framing mats for all my 5X7 paintings, and they really elevate paintings a lot.

Haceta Head Lighthouse

 My best friend Laura wanted a painting of the Haceta Head lighthouse.  The lighthouse is supposed to be a symbol of Christ, which I thought was so sweet.  The Savior truly is a symbol of light amidst the storms of our life.  She's going to use this lighthouse in her kids' room.

Flowers, mourning for a loss

A sweet woman in my ward at church suddenly lost her husband.  This was my gift.  I often feel weird about making paintings for others, and I hope that they like it.  I don't want to force my art on anyone.  So far people usually love having a painting, but it's not always easy and sometimes a little embarrassing.  I don't share paintings to seek praise.  I just am touched that a painting means anything to someone else.  I received a FB message this week from another person suffering a loss who I gave a painting to, and she said it deeply touched her.  I'm willing to put myself on the line if there is a chance that it will lift someone else.

I did a larger version of this painting this week, and I'll post that next.  The colors are a little different.  I love both of them for different reasons.

The final

Experimental Abstract

My friend Heather was working on an abstract DIY, and fortunately she needed my help.  She tried to do it on her own and she realized it was a little harder to do an abstract than she though.  It was a weekend where we were snowed in, so she came over and I fixed her paintings.  I've really wanted to try out some abstracts, so it was nice to have chance at one on my own for practice.  I think it's something I would be good at because I don't like love drawing a ton.  It's not amazing or perfect, but it was fun to have her there telling me what she liked and didn't like as I painted it.  I think it's beautiful now.

How it started. (Heather's attempt)

In progress. My work.  I just covered up everything she did.  Woops.

Hung in her house.  It certainly could even be bigger.