California Magnolia….

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abstract art, abstract photography, bnwphoto, bnwphotography, California Magnolia image, landscapes, nature, nature art, nature photography, photography, tree

Misty Island……

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getting outside, impasto, island painting, landscapes, life of an artist, nature, nature art, nature in art, rural georgia landscapes

Below is pictured an oil painting of a little island on stretched canvas. I used very thick layered paint to create a misty look. I got to visit the island this year and below is the story behind the painting…..

This summer was full of outdoor adventures. As a Georgia State Park Naturalist, I get to met and do outdoor stuff with people who like to do and be outside. The park where I work surrounded on three sides by a beauty lake. Off our shores are several little islands of which I have been dying to visit. I finally got my chance this past fall with 4 other ladies to visit one of the most notable islands.

We took off around 10am in canoes and a kayak. The head wind to the island was brutal and the journey took us a little longer than expected, but once there we were able to relax with lunch and a round of apple juice.

The island itself is small, about 60 feet across. We landed on the south side, which has a little beach, where we parked our boats. A short hike to the interior of the island led us to some makeshift seats and a fire ring. There we let our muscles re-coop and ate our lunch.

On the way back, we spotted one of our park resident Bald Eagles. I never grow tired of seeing those guys. No matter how many times I see them, my heart always races when I see them or hear their call. Over all the day was perfect.

A few weeks later, I experienced the island in a much different way. Being a Naturalist, I am outside rain or shine and on this particular day it rained non-stop all day. Part of my job is checking on campers, so on this rainy day I was checking on a hardy group of campers and from their camping spot, I could see the little island. The rain was so heavy the island nearly disappeared. Only the darkest colors of the island where visible and the edges of the island fused mysteriously with the lake.

So the painting below is a combination of these two experiences….a lovely day with a group of canoers and a very rainy day of wet boots and rain gear.

Pictured below are the ladies I went island hunting with…..that’s me in the middle.

See ya outside soon….
Sabi

Finding Inspiration…..

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Bar Harbor images, landscapes, nature, nature photographs, photographs of Acadia National Park

Being an artist isn’t just about being in the studio. Artist have a way of life that is exploratory and these experiences are in some way or another expressed in their art. For me getting outside and exploring the elements of nature is very important. I find nature visually and emotional stimulating. The next few blogs will be about my recent outdoor experiences in Maine and New Hampshire. My family took a week long trip and we were blessed to be able to treaded in some amazing places.

This was one of our first sights of Bar Harbor, Maine. I was amazed by the colors of the Atlantic Ocean here.

Next stop was a flight over Acadia National Park in a single engine plane.

Although, I have flown many times…this was my first time flying in a single engine plane. With the spring winds fish tailing over Cadillac Mountain, the ride was bumpy and exhilarating. While up in the air, I kept thinking of Georgia O’Keefe’s paintings that she made after flying over the New Mexico desert. Perhaps these pictures will in time be translated into abstract birds eye view paintings of the coast of Maine.

Whatever the outcome is in the studio….the experiences of this day are treasured.

Abstrast Foxy……

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abstract, abstract fox, abstract landscape, art, fox, getting outside, hiking, landscapes, nature, nature art, painting

This is an original oil painting on a 12×12 inch stretched canvas. The colors are rich yellows, oranges, reds, and blacks. The painting continues onto the sides, so this piece can be hung with or without framing.

My inspiration for this painting comes from two sources. First, is the red fox who lives in the pasture behind our house. One evening while out for a stroll this little fellow nearly collided with me and my husband. The second inspiration is my love for the landscape of the American southwest. A few summers ago my family spent weeks hiking and camping in deserts of New Mexico and Arizona.

I began this piece with a drawing….once I got the drawing the way I liked it….I then use my overhead projector to enlarge the image and to transfer it onto the canvas.

Next step was the under painting……I chose colors that would work well with the final colors I had in mind. Notice an under color of red was used for the fox, but he ultimately ended up being yellow tones.

For me an underpainting is essential to my style of working

Below are a few close ups…..just to give you an idea of color and brushwork.

As always thanks for stopping by….and I hope you have some time today to let your creative side explore.

Sabi

Finding One’s Visual Voice…..

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abstract, art, artist, Christ, christian art, christian artist, drawing, flowers, georgia, georgia o'keeffe, giovanni, icon, icons, impressionism, impressionistic, Jesus, landscapes, monet, nature, oil, oil painting, original, original painting, painting, paintings, pantocrator, still life, still life of flowers, van gogh, visual voice

Making a yellow paper mache piggy bank was the only thing that got me through 4th grade…..so I have been a visual artist since I was 9 years old. I say this lightly but with a solid belief that art should be readily available to everyone.

Many like me have the need to work in color and line, but might not be able to make their complete living at it. So what……getting money for one’s visual expressions is not always what matters at the end of the day.  For me time in the studio gets me through life. I’m happy when I see a beautiful orange or yellow on the canvas. I like sharing with others these colors.

While studying painting and drawing at the University of Georgia the focus was more on developing one’s personal narrative as an artist. That’s great if one has a firm grasp on basic drawing and painting skills. I did not…..so I limped through art school.

Before graduation, I backpacked through Europe and got the chance to study many great European artist. Getting a chance to see drawings and under paintings of the great masters encouraged me to work on my drawing skills and basic painting techniques. So over the years I have made many studies of some of my favorite artist.

The Italian painter Matteo di Giovanni painted his ‘Christ with Thorns’ sometime between 1480-95. The format was very much like the Byzantine icon, but the orange and blue color combination was what attracted me to do a study of this work.

Study of Giovanni’s ‘Christ Crowned with Thorns’

Another work that I painted a study of was the ‘The Sinai Pantocrator’ also known as the ‘Blessing Christ.’

Study of ‘The Blessing Christ’

Although these two works are different in tone and style these paintings taught me much about the process of making a proper under painting and facial modeling. One of my professors in college who was an abstract artist said that ‘One should first learn to draw realistically before venturing into the abstract.’ I really took his words to heart. I still have much to learn and practice, but studying these two images of Christ forced my eye and hand to see the geometric proportions of the face.

 

Next, I  wondered onto the paintings of Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe taught me to paint as a woman. Below are several paintings that I did as a study of and inspired by her paintings. In 2010, I got the chance to see O’Keeffe originals in the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her colors are much more vivid than any photograph of her work can reproduce.

After visiting a Claude Monet exhibit at the High Museum in Atlanta, Georgia I was struck by Monet’s subtile tonal and color changes and was inspired to do a study of his ‘Morning on the Seine, Geverny, 1897’

Of course no study is complete, without the influence of Vincent Van Gogh. His usage of color still amazes me and is very difficult to pin down. Below are a few studies I have done of his amazing work,

For 2013, I have decided to find my own visual voice and narrative. I’m sure influences of these great artist will still be present in my work, but I want to focus on what my eye sees and how it sees it. After all, we are all different and bring our own unique interpretations to the palette. Finding out who we are and what we are about is a part of our collective human narrative. Long live the line and the color that comes with it. May we all discover something new about ourselves and share it with others. Being creative is a part of being human.

 

Gray and Yellow Abstract….

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abstract, art, georgia o'keeffe, grey, landscapes, nature art, oil, oil painting, original, painting, sabrina samuel, south west landscape, yellow

Really enjoyed painting this piece…..

Our trip to the American Southwest and seeing Georgia O’Keeffe paintings in Santa Fe were the inspiration for this piece.

The painting was done in oils on a canvas board and measures 16×20 inches.

Folk Art Landscapes……..

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abstract, art, folk art, folk art landscapes, folk art painting, landscapes, nature, oil, oil painting, original, painting, paintings, rural georgia landscapes, whimsical

Had a busy time in the studio….must say it was hard considering we are having beautiful weather here in NE Georgia…..today was in the 60’s.

Pictured are two Folk Art Style landscape paintings with a path leading to a little cottage on a hill. These paintings measure 12×12 inches and are oil are stretched canvas. The painting continues onto the sides so there is no need to frame. Can be hung as is…..

The colors are from a warm palette making a happy mix with the simplified designs. Simplicity and brilliant colors are what I like best about folk art. For me it’s pleasant to look at and loads of fun to do!

These paintings and others can be purchased on Esty.com at my Sabicons store.

Thanks for stopping by………

Abstract Landscape and Seascape……

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abstract, abstract art, abstract landscape, abstract seascape, art, getting outside, impasto, impressionism, impressionistic, landscapes, nature, nature art, oil, oil painting, original, outdoor living, painting, paintings, rural georgia landscapes, sabrina samuel

This is an original oil painting of an abstract seascape on a stretched 5×7 inch canvas.

 

This is an original miniature abstract landscape oil painting on a 3×9 inch stretched canvas. I live in a rural NE Georgia and the inspiration for this piece is from a farmers field and house near our home.

 

Mushrooms……

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forest, getting outdoors, getting outside, hiking, landscapes, living outdoors, mushrooms, nature, nature art, outdoor living, pictures of mushrooms, pictures of nature, Tugaloo State Park

In between paintings, I love to spend time outside and snap pictures. This summer I spent a lot of time at Tugaloo State Park and while there I was overwhelmed with nature’s abstract beauty. One of my favorite finds were the abundant late August early September mushrooms.

Mushrooms give and take all at the same time. Mushrooms are designed to take nutrients from decaying matter and then return these nutrients to the soil. Pictured below are only a few of the mysterious mushrooms that I found this summer……

Mushrooms in the Woods

Big Mammoth……

Forest Friends

Sunshine…..

Needing a Visitor…..

Abstract Cap

Thanks for stopping by……hope you can get outside soon.

Nature is a big inspiration……gives the creative mind something to ponder.

Flowering Tree on Yellow

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flowering tree, Japanese landscape, landscapes, nature, nature art, oil, oil painting, tree, yellow

The picture of this painting is fair representation of the actual colors of the painting, but I think you get the idea. The dark brownish-red tree trunk pops on the yellow background. The red flowers accent the reddish tones and give a dark contrast next to the light ground.

This painting was done in several steps the first being the drawing. The drawing was laid straight on to the canvas with  pencil. Second step was to cover the entire canvas with a golden yellow acrylic.  The third step was to lay the flowers, buds, and tree trunk out in acrylic. Acrylics are used in these preliminary steps because of the fast drying properties of acrylic paints.

All the final stages are done in oils. Oil paints have a luster and can be varnished to protect the painting and create a deep rich color. The yellows used were yellow ochre, Naples yellow mixed with white in places. The yellows are darker around the canvas edges and gradually get lighter toward the tree trunk. This gives the trunk a slight glow.

The flowers are a mix of crimson red and cadmium red. The trunk is a  simple mix of crimson and burnt umber. A hint of black was used to create knots on the trunk.