Hello! Here is the final look for the under painting for the big piece we have been watching. It looks wonderful so far, doesn't it? I am still waiting for a couple stubborn spots to dry and a large chunk of time to get going on the colors. I can't wait to start adding in the rusts, golds, and burnt oranges in to the trees and shrubs. It will be a beautiful autumn day when all is said and done.

Until next time...

More trees!

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Good Afternoon!
We've got more trees! What is interesting about picking up where I left off a couple weeks ago is that I'm feeling a little more relaxed with the painting now. I find myself softening some of my earlier brush strokes - which is fine, I like the effect better. However, it just adds proof to the fact that I am quite the moody painter!! Also, the first batch of paint on a piece this big makes me nervous for some reason. Once I get into it more, I realize I'm on the right track and the piece flows more freely. It's really starting to develop its character now. How exciting!

Until next time...

Today I have been working on the 48 x 60 creek scene. I need to finish the under painting very soon. Here is an idea of scale when it comes to painting such a large piece. Granted I am not the tallest in the world and the painting is on the easel, but look at the size of this thing in comparison to me! Very exciting.

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Hello! I thought I'd share what I was actually drawing yesterday in my mug shot. This will possibly be a scene painted on 6 ft long old saw blade. How very interesting and wonderful would that look? I'm very excited about the prospect. Meanwhile, I can continue painting on the big commission we started looking at earlier in the month.

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Hello! Boy, it's been a whirlwind of activity since the last I've checked in and not a whole lot of that has happened in the studio, unfortunately. However, I'm back and I'm ready to continue what I started, as well as start some more! I have finished my arts festival schedule for this season. That means it's painting time again! On the agenda I have commissions, autumn scenes, and a running painting. Can't wait to delve right in. Above, I am working on a drawing for a special commission. As you can see, my assistant got a bit bored and fell asleep! It is fun to have her undivided attention! More soon!

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Good Friday Afternoon!
I'm about to head out for a show or two but I thought I'd end the week's blogging with a look at the finished willow tree. I love the movement in the tree as if it is blowing gently in the wind. This paint is very fresh so you can even see a little of the wet sheen in the photograph. Time to dry!

Until next time...

Good Afternoon!

Here is a look at some tree and grass progress for our creek scene. This piece is actually inspired by a creek on this particular patrons land. There is a lovely path that leads back into a creek bed area. The idea to use this creek as the subject of a painting came to mind when looking at "A Favorite Spot" in my booth. We are combining our favorite attributes from "A Favorite Spot" with this specific creek and making it autumn in season. We are looking for those warm rich tones in this piece. More soon!

Until next time...

Good Day. The last couple times we have been looking at the progress of the willow tree commission. I thought you may be curious on the progress of the creek commission as well. Here I have started on the under painting and have gotten the sky and creek laid in. I have declared today a full day of painting so here I go. More soon!

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Hello! Welcome back! My trusty and hardworking computer decided enough was enough last week and crashed, so now I am finally back with a new computer and something to look at! We were following some commissions when I last wrote and I am still working on those. Here is the second piece I wanted to share with you. This will be the first willow tree we have followed but I can really see me enjoying another someday. Willows always remind me of going to my Grandparents house when I was younger. They had two huge willows side by side that grew so large that we would play house under them and we each had our own room! It was fantastic. My patron for this piece has some special memories for her willow I am sure because it was a special request. I get to mix colors for it today. More to come!

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Hello. Here is the drawing for one of the commissions I am working on. This piece will be 48" high and 60" wide. That's BIG! It will be lots of fun but lots of hours are ahead on this painting!

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Hello! As we are following commissions now, here is the final look for the winter scene commission we have been following. It turned out amazing! It is 20" tall and 24" wide. This patron already has the same hill and tree in summer time. How fun it will be to hang them in the same room together. The studio is a hopping place right now. 14 days until my next show and commissions already started. Crazy but wonderful!

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I'm so excited, my photo is going the correct direction this time!! This is a photo of me finishing my first 10k race. I've done several half and full marathons but never thought about how much funner it might be to run fewer miles! I ran for a great cause though. We were supporting the Children's Hunger Alliance. Make sure those kiddos get the food and nutrients they need.

So now it is back to the studio. It has been quite a while since I've been able to spend some quality time painting. Now I have 4 commissions to be working on so I'll be painting quite a lot in the next few weeks! We will following a couple of those commissions because they are very fun and I can't wait to share the progress on those.

Until next time..

Well, I tried to wait out the system to see if it would figure out why my pictures keep posting sideways, but evidently I didn't wait long enough! So, our heads are turned again! Here is the latest shoreline painting I have to share. It is called Whispering Grasses. I am in Chicago now for a show in Glenview. If you are in the area, please stop by!

Until next time...

My apologies for the sideways photos. I cannot figure out how to fix it so I suppose we'll have to turn our heads for now. This is a finished look at "Distant Shores." It was one of the under paintings we saw earlier. It is 11 x 14". Enjoy!

Until next time...