song sparrow

 

(8x10)

Many sparrows--mostly song, house and tree--at my feeders lately. I won't see white-throated and fox sparrows until it's colder.

buddies

 

(11x15)

 Another cat photo from Paint My Photo, this one by Dracaena.
Trying to show the details and form but not add so much that I go beyond freshness. I could specify more, add details, but I think I'll leave it as is.

 

(4x4)

...It was fresher before I started trying to delineate all the reflections and shadows in the water! What a mistake to try to do in such a tiny space!

profile

 

(7x10)

I saw this photo in one of my knitting pattern books ... I usually shy away from profiles, but I'm attracted to ones like this: where a big knot of hair at the back of the head forms a visual counterweight to the head ... Reminds me of Renaissance portraits.

I was going to leave the background white, but I was trying to "fix" or refine the under-nose/lip line.

How many times do I tell myself, Don't "fix"? But I don't listen.

Maybe a little darker behind the neck?

artu

 

(11x15)

 From a photo by Cheri Speri on Paint My Photo. 

I'm not sure this is quite done; now I think I need to adjust the line of the back (in the photo there are more leaves back there, but I decided to leave them out) and tone down the pinkness on the nose. I may add a little detail to two or three leaves, some veins perhaps.

Enjoying these cats: giving me good practice on painting loosely and on mixing grays.

 

(6x9)

Persimmons.

cat nap

(7x9)

From a photo by Farbenhexe on Paint My Photo.

So far, I have been managing to get into the art room daily, even though I spend as much (or more) time puttering around as painting when I do. 

resolved ...

 

 (7x9)

As happens now and again (actually, with enough regularity that I should be able to anticipate and compensate), my life, or at least the allocation of the time that comprises my life, has gone all out of whack. Such that I'm surrounded by undone things: piles of work, skeins of yarn, uncooked vegetables and unpainted ideas.
I figure I can do something about at least one of these, and have resolved to spend one hour a day, five times a week in my studio--painting, drawing, or just organizing and planning.
This sketch of a cat, from a photo by Lorenz at Paint My Photo, is the result of my first hour.
I have had cats all my life, but find them hard to paint, so I was pretty happy with this sketch.

Next day, I tried another, also from Paint My Photo, by Janina Suuronen, which I'm not too happy with (he looks awfully grumpy).

 For my hour today, I started another of this ginger kitten, which is coming along much better, I think--definitely looks more kitten-like; I had put the eyes up too high on the first attempt.

 

And here are a couple of photos I took today: a yellow-rumped warbler in my yard, mute swans at Cape May Point, and some weeds at the marina.

 

Back to birds. My trees are full of warblers.

 

There's a persimmon tree at the end of my street that always looks so lovely in fall as the fruits ripen and the leaves wither. Painted this branch, but thought it needed something, so I added a little sparrow-type bird--totally out of proportion; should have made it a hummingbird.

in progress

 

Negative painting: more work on darks ... If I can get them dark enough, the flowers should really pop.

chickens ... and the subconscious

 

 (12x8)

 A little practice on chickens ... trying to darken my darks, and to see them better.

 

(4x6)

 Noticed the other day that what I was wearing, eating for lunch, and knitting were all the same colors! I have found in the past that when shopping, I buy things that are the same color as whatever I happen to be wearing.

little autumn still lifes

 

(5x7)

These little ornamental gourds are fun to paint, and quick, which is good since I find myself, once again, with little time to paint. An unfortunate side-effect of working at home is that the pile of work is always there ... I can eke out an hour or so to paint, but getting in the right frame of mind is more difficult!

 

(5x7)

cape may point

 

(7x11)

Started this outdoors a few days ago, but only had an hour to spend ... which may turn out to have been a good thing.

And, just looking for a little something to fuss with, found an old painting of my Smilla that I had abandoned ... trying to "save" it : added more flower shapes to fill the space and also the shadow shape. Still needs something ... maybe a very dark background on the right that fades to a lighter color on the left?

 

(11x15)

higbee beach

 

(5x5)

 

(6x12)

More plein air: another beautiful day.

(5x5)

willow creek

 

(8x10)

Painted on location at willow Creek Winery in West Cape May.

It was a beautiful day and always a fun challenge to paint outdoors ... Still trying to find the way to paint trees! Perhaps that's a lifelong endeavor.

(6x8)