Santa and His Pack

Santa and His Pack
Acrylic on masonite, 5x5
purchase here

Another late night to the easel - but oh, what a productive day!  Feeling more vintage today than yesterday, I am painting Santa in nostalgia.  The days are dwindling before my company arrives, and I am pouring far too much into every minute! Dad is still healthy, and each holiday is a gift to rejoice in.  With so many things to take care of, I am checking my list, and checking it twice, too!  I am back to acrylics today, but who knows where I'll be tomorrow.  I just hope I get to the easel earlier!  This time of year is SO CRAZY BUSY!  It is late, and my image is not very good on this post - but I will try to get a better one tomorrow.  Painting number 1070 in 1070 days :)

Santa by the Fence

Santa by the Fence
Acrylic, molding paste on canvas, 5x5

As I paint this Santa, other Santa images keep popping into my head - just like visions of sugarplums!  So many paintings just float around up there - far more than I can actually get onto a surface.  This has been another day of crossing things off my list - but so much still remains!  Getting ready to hang a show of 48 pieces next Monday is the biggest job on my list - and I have only made a dent!  This painting is also painted with acrylics and molding paste on primed canvas.  It is interesting how the wet acrylic spreads over this canvas - it can easily be seen by enlarging the image.  I'm having fun using the old medium in a new way - and with a bit of whimsy instead of my natural traditionalism.  Painting number 723 in 723 days - now back to work on that show (while watching Christmas shows and visiting with my parents) :)

Santa and His Bag - miniature

Santa and his Bag
Acrylic on canvas, 5x5

Today was a day filled with family, a big pot of chili, and visiting.  It is wonderful to have my dad here - and healthy!!  What a gift this is!!  Now, most of the company is gone - and I return to the easel, painting a vintage Santa surveying his pack!  I started this painting by washing the canvas with a warm yellow acrylic.  Once dry, I then sketched out the scene with a pastel stick.  Using layers of color, I started thin in the sky and dropped in the blue from the top.  You can see the irregular spreading as the paint moved at will.  I'm enjoying the different color palette, and the whimsical nature of these "santas". I still have so much to do - and the time is simply vaporizing!  I'd better get back to work!  Painting number 722 in 722 days :)

Old World Santa - miniature

Old World Santa
Acrylic on canvas, 5x5

I started this vintage Santa painting with a watercolor wash - only with thinned down acrylic instead f watercolor.  You can see the movement of the paint over the canvas in the sky and hills.  Building up layers on the focal areas, I then mixed up the titanium white acrylic with the molding paste for the drifts of snow, beard, and fur trim of Santa's outfit.  When mixing these two mediums together, the texture is grainy, and the application with the knife feels different than the paste alone. What I like is that the paste already has the color I want, and I don't have to paint over it, often times missing the low areas with my brush.  Perhaps I'll change up the mix a bit next time....just to see what happens!  This painting makes 721 in 721 days in this busy Christmas season!

Walking Santa - miniature

Walking Santa - miniature
Acrylic on canvas, 5x5 gallery wrapped

Some new paints arrived in the mail today - and I simply could not wait to use them!  So, I sketched out a few Santas, and thought I would just start with acrylics and top off with the new oils.  As I worked, I like the feel and mood I was achieving with a very limited palette.  I actually grabbed the first yellow, red, blue and green that I put my hands on - and started painting!  The result is something out of my ordinary!  Instead of topping with oil, I mixed a little molding paste with white acrylic paint - and applied with my palette knife.  I painted four of these - all for my new oils - and I will not be using the oils on top of any of them!  Guess I'll have to start on a winter landscape to try out those paints!  Painting number 720 in 720 days :)

Father Christmas - miniature

Father Christmas - miniature
Oil on canvas, 4x4
sold

With a very long list of things to accomplish within the week, I am now buckling down and working like a machine!  Starting with this vintage style Father Christmas, I sketched three of these today.  I am painting on little canvases, and have the easels to match.  Laying the paint on with Gamblin's solvent free gel - hoping this will increase the drying time for Christmas!  I will also spray these with fast drying oil medium, which will also help.  I know that I should have used acrylics with the time crunch, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it!  I have also finished the second, and am moving onto a third - with a Christmas party to attend when Mike gets home!  I think I'll get ready now, and paint right up until the last minute!  Painting number 714 in 714 days.