Painting #4 Addie

This is part of a painting. I had her full body, but it was an odd angle and I didn't like it so I will probably crop it to something like this. I always paint on boards so it is easy to cut off if I feel like it makes a stronger composition. So far I have not used underpaintings with any of these 4 new works. This is new for me. I have found that I like the clarity of the colors on white and I have used color mingling to unify, maybe not enough,though.

Dan McCaw, my all time favorite painter did a painting from his imagination and this is my attempt to copy it. It is a different size and again I used a palette knife.

My husband really surprised me this Christmas by giving me an out of print, painting book by Dan McCaw. I was so excited I actually cried. They are very expensive, but after reading a couple of chapters, worth every penny.

Painting #2 copy of a still life

I like the painter Peggy Kroll Roberts and have bought her videos on painting. Sometimes I like to copy artist's who I admire, their style, brush strokes, composition, etc. However I did this with a pallet knife, so it would never be exactly the same. It seemed like it would be pretty straightforward but it was surprisingly complex. Good practice!!!

Painting #1 Apples

This is just a little still life, practicing painting planes. I still don't like the background, but it was fun.

New Year's Resolution!!!

OK, anyone who knows me also knows that I am technologically incompetent. (My daughter Charity had to set it up for me) So why I am doing a blog?? Two reasons, the first is because it will help me keep my New Year's Resolution to paint 50 paintings in 2011!! (They may be horrible and I may paint over them the next day, but I can't help but progress if I paint that many) I will actually have a goal with each painting, paint quality, composition, feeling of light etc.
The second is that it will help me keep up with my kids blogs and enjoy their posts on a more regular basis. It is pathetic that sometimes my friends know more about my kids than I do, even though I see most of them regularly.
We will see what happens, now that I have to be somewhat accountable. Mary Anne