Indian Ink Drawings…..

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bird images, birds, image of hummingbird, image of magpie, image of plieated woodpeacker, indian ink, nature art, painting

This summer I have had many wonderful encounters with birds….and wanted to capture the spirit of a few of them on paper. For these drawings I used Indian Ink and watercolor.

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Blue Dog…..

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blue, blue dog, blue dog painting, dog portrait, original painting, painting, pop art style dog, yellow

Seems that blue is the in color. Just finished this commission of a Blue Dog. Done in Pop Art style…. the blue and yellow vibrate off each other. The size is large and measures 24×28 inches.

Finished Painting

Cookies and Milk……Commission Work

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art, art for children, art for children's rooms, commission work, cookie, cookies and milk, milk clip art painting, original, original painting, painting, whimsical

Just finished these two paintings that were commissioned for a baby’s room. The mom sent the images to me as a download. From the download I was able to draw the images, then transfer them to 11×14 canvases…. then on came the color.

This was a straight forward job…very clip arty. Although, I don’t normally paint in this style….I did enjoy doing these.The mom knew exactly what she wanted….I like that because it takes the guess work out of it… Plus the images were clear and straight forward…..again this made my job easier.

As with all commission work…I try to get all the specifics…such as size, color, composition and price…down in writing with the client, before I begin working. There is nothing more frustrated than getting part way through a project and having an undecided client change their mind.

Also, with commission work….I always send pictures to the client as I work. Pictures of the various stages is a good way to communicate with clients and acts as visual record. It is harder for a client to change things later on if you have kept good communication throughout the creative process.

These two still have to be signed and then coated with a UVA protective acrylic coat….if all goes well… should be able to mail these out by the first of next week.

All the best to the family and their soon arriving baby!

Sabi

Zannie Artist Portrait……Letting Loose

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abstract art, abstract portrait, art, blue hair, painting

Had to cut loose with this self-portrait. Usually don’t paint like this…..but boy did it feel good. Not sure if I like this painting, but the feeling of freedom while working on it makes me love it.

Blue Horse III

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abstract horse art, art, blue, blue horse, blue horse painting, horse art, horse painting, painting

Here is a sneak preview of a new painting in the works. The underpainting is done as shown here….will start building the colors this week. This painting measures 12×12 inches.

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

Folk Art Bird Finds a New Home….

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art, folk art, folk art bird, folk art painting, painting

This little bird just relocated to Vancouver, Canada. All the best….I know you will make new friends soon.

Mary…..

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art, icon of Mary, icons, mary, painting, Virgin Mary

Having a great time in the studio…..this is just a peek of a large canvas I’ve been working on….would like to think I could finish it by next week…..fat chance says the realistic side of my brain.

Blue Horse II

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art, blue, blue horse, HORSE, painting

In the works……under painting complete…..will start layering colors when dry.

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.