Curious

It was a winter goal of mine to spend more time focusing on portrait work in oils. I envisioned months of continued study, honing my skills on every painting.  Real life has not quite worked out that way, filling my days with so many other things, and teasing me with landscapes I couldn't resist!  On my mind, I have continued to return to portrait work, people, cats, dogs, cows(!), painting more of them than usual, which is a win.  Perhaps slipping them into my schedule ever so often is a good way to keep the learning fresh.  I do learn so much with each painting, loving the process of it all!  Painting number 2998 in 2998 days. 

Impressions of Charlie

Finally, a quiet day with family!   While everyone was sleeping, I took advantage of this surprise free time and picked up my brushes!  Oh - what sweet release to feel the painting roll off my brushes again!   My plate has been very full, and my mind pulled in every direction, that a little at therapy was sorely needed.  Our beloved Charlie is no longer with us,  so this painting is a special little memory of a sweet and loving soul.  Painting number ?  I really need to get all my posts logged.   With the scattered Internet, a few are still waiting to be uploaded.  Silly Internet.   Whatever happened to every person in America having high speed access?   Just another forgotten campaign promise,  I'm afraid.

Impressions of Charlie
Oil on panel, 6x6
purchase here

Charlie in Ink

Charlie in Ink
Pen and ink on paper, 6x5

I have a personal pet theme started in the last couple of days!  After a busy, busy day - my birthday - with the boys helping me plant countless summer bulbs, I am very tired as I finally slow down tonight!  I have commissions, I need to paint, but all I want to do tonight is draw.  So, I pick up my Pitt pens and start with loose, sketchy strokes.  I play in my journal with a few borders, and then settle on painting one of our favorite cats, Charlie.  He is getting older, and this spring he seems to be showing his age just a bit.  His long, glorious fur is perfect for paintings and drawings alike, and his royal carriage makes his every pose a work of art!  Such a sweetheart is my subject du jour!  This pen and ink drawing makes 1190 pieces in 1190 days, and some days it seems like a miracle that I can keep this roll going :)

Thoroughly Modern Charlie

Thoroughly Modern Charlie
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 12x12

Oh my!  My wild side is showing on this painting!  I don’t think I’ve painted like this since I was 12 years old....so I must be channeling my inner 12-year-old!  The desire to get into some bold paint has been nagging at me for a couple of weeks.  Ideas for paintings will pop into my head - and they are not my normal stuff!  Unable to resist the urge any longer, I have painted over an old landscape on this gallery wrapped canvas, and my country cat is now a city cat!! I have used brushes and catalysts here, and some little used colors, yellow green, perm. rose pink, turquoise, and cad orange AT FULL STRENGTH!!  Super fun.....and crazy!  My youngest son affectionately refers to this as my “acid trip art”!  This crazy painting is my 1152nd in 1152 days.

first marks - surprise landscape underneath!!

in progress

Charlie Cat

Charlie Cat
Acrylic on masonite, 6x6

After two frustrating attempts at paintings, one a cloudscape and one a large, rainy evening scene, I am turning to something familiar - Charlie!  It is rare that I start a landscape - and dislike the progress. I will look at them both tomorrow, and see what needs to be done, but as for tonight - I just didn’t feel like working on them!  But this painting, I LOVE!  I love his expression, and the languid way he rests like royalty!  I am experimenting with a new tool tonight - the Princeton Catalyst.  It is a flexible, silicone like, thick palette knife head on a long brush handle - and it is awesome!  Not only can I pull it across the surface for normal palette knife marks, but it retains paint and allows me to “paint” with it, leaving textural marks (like the hair).  I bought two of these, and have only used the chisel edged one so far, and I am impressed!  Can’t wait to see what else this tool can do!  Painting number 1128 in 1128 days.