Harvest Sunset Part 3

I started on the field portion now. I want to make sure that I capture the texture, and not hide it. I will be adding some glazes on top I think. I've also controlled the yellow a bit more and got rid of some of that muckiness.

Here is a detail shot:

Harvest Sunset Part 2

I've begun to work the sky. I wanted to incorporate some yellow. It didn't go too well when mixed closely with the purple-blue (obviously, because that combination just makes colour mush). I'm hoping I can clean it up after I let it dry and add more white highlights.

I think the white portion at the top right I will build up quite a bit.

Harvest Sunset Part 1

I've been wanting to experiment with some texture. And since acrylic can go under oil paint, I used some gel medium to create a textured field. This will allow me to be more liberal / free with my brush work and texture in the sky. I hope. We will just have to see how this experiment turns out.

This piece is 8 x 8" on wood, with .75" sides. I'm trying to keep the sides clean, so that I can leave them unpainted and have the wood shine on this project.

Here is a close up of the texture in the field:

Bleeding Hearts Part 6

This painting is officially all done! It was a lot of fun creating this piece, and I cannot believe how quickly it went - I guess I just loved painting it so much. Quite honestly, I never thought that I would be able to capture a bleeding heart, because of their complicated white part - but I did!


I'm super excited to get a nice scan of it. Right now it'll have to sit for a long while to dry up before I can get some print-quality pictures of it. During that time, I'll decide whether I want to put it up for sale or not - I won't list it until it's dry and ready to go.

I'm also trying to decide whether to paint the side black or not. What do you all think? With the black it won't need a frame, but the sides aren't that 'dirty' with paint marks. And if it gets framed, then it's insignificant that it was painted or not. Hrm...I'll have to ponder, but I'm definitely interested in what you think.

Here's a nice compilation of the whole process :) Gotta love mosaic maker...

You can read about the whole process by clicking here, or the label below.

Pink Trio Part 5

I've painted that little leaf in the top right that wasn't done (no real reason that I didn't paint it, just was more occupied with the blossoms I suppose).

I've started the white bits, and now I have to wait for them to dry at least a little bit. I can't put white highlights on them until they are dry, or else it's just been turning into a mush of colour. I added a little bit more shading to the heart parts - just some green in an effort to try and tie things together.

Almost there! :D

Bleeding Hearts Part 4

I've added some more definition to the pink parts of the flowers. I'm almost done. Just a bit more shading to them. The white bits are up next...and I am not looking forward to it. Well, sort of looking forward to it, since I'm looking forward to the completed piece :)

Little pink hearts part 3

I've begun to paint the actual blossoms of the flowers now. I had initially had a brighter pink in the plan, but I think this slightly muted pink works better with the greens, and doesn't over power too much.

I think the white bits that hang are going to be my greatest challenge. They have to be a sort of off-white so that they don't stand out too much amoung the rest of the composition.

Out on a Limb Part 2

I'm almost done all the foliage for my piece now. Just one more little leave on the right, and then some tweaking throughout (but after I'm done the blossoms), just to make sure its balanced. The fragile heart blossoms will be my biggest challenge in this piece, and hence - like everything else that it hard - I leave it for last.

I'm not 100% sold on the pink that I have mixed up so far, but I will let it rest for a day or so and look back at it to see if I'm going to change it or not.

For those who might be interested, this is my palate for this piece:

• Zinc White
• Cadium Yellow
• Alizarin Red
• Phthalo Blue
• Cerulean Blue

It is quite a limited palate (for my experience, where I use so many different colours in my acrylics and watercolours at times). But the oil colours are just so vibrant and really shine through.

For more posts on this piece, click here.

Hearts Hung Out Part 1

It's the beginning of a new year, and this is my first oil painting! It's from a picture that I told in my Mom's garden one summer of her bleeding heart flowers (also know as: Venus' car, Dutchman's trousers or Lady in a bath). I've always loved playing with this flowers as a kid, and thought they would make a perfect subject.

I was initially inspired by a Vincent van Gogh painting, Irises:

It was the heavier outlines within the painting that prompted me to try some sort of style of the like, but with my own twist. The heavier lines and simplified imagery is a bit more modern.

Here's a close up: (You can click it to make it a lot bigger :)

My other 'in progress' paintings have somewhat hit dead-ends. I know I will continue them again soon. But, I have been intensely occupied with studying for my provincial certification exam - in one week! Eek! - as well as packing up holiday orders, and completing new watercolor commission pieces. That being said, I've been very engaged and motivated with this piece, so I feel that it will be completed shortly. :)