Buzzy Bee

Buzzy Bee
Acrylic on masonite, 5x5
purchase here

While waiting for Michaela to renew her license, I went browsing through a couple of the antique shops on Main Street.  The wonderful, old bumblebee was sitting on a sideboard, begging to be painted!  His pull string is gone, paint weathered and worn around the edges - but oh, SO full of vintage charm!  This little piece was a joy to paint!  I really love painting these old toys!  It is hard to believe I have not come to these little darlings before now!  I am still working with a limited palette, yellow oxide, indanthrene blue, cad red light, cad red medium, red oxide and alizarin crimson - and black and white, of course.  I did add a tiny bit of cad yellow light on the bright yellow of the wings, as yellow oxide just doesn’t get to the bright yellow of the plastic wings.  I adore the way that limited palette works for the bulk of these paintings.  It really leads to strong color harmony, and I am getting that vintage feel, too.  I have to thank the red oxide for that.  Love that color!   Painting number 1096 in 1096 days and day 2 of the current 30 Day Painting Challenge.

Stormy

Stormy
Oil on panel, 7x5
bid here

Hooray!  Mike finally cut some hardboard up into 7x5 panels for me to paint on!  I had a 4'x8' sheet of birch cut the other day at Home Depot, and for the first time ever - not a single panel was the correct dimensions to fit into any frame!  This poor young guy did not have a clue how to measure and make a cut!  SO, my husband gets to correct all of this guy's mistakes - thank goodness he will do it for me!  After priming roughly 30 panels with tinted gesso, I then started painting one of our old cats, Stormy.  It was bliss to paint on the smooth surface after so many days of canvas!  The paint bends totally to my will when there is no toothy cloth to grab at it!  I will need to take another photo in good light tomorrow, as there is a little "slide" mark on this one to the right - where it slid behind another wet painting!  Ah, the perils of having so many paintings in the drying stage!  This is painting number 759 in 759 days and Day 28 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge :)