My Memorably Long Road

"Woman in Pink & Gold" 16x20 oil and gold leaf on canvas

I do give private art lessons.  But not the kind of lessons that say - "this is the process of creating art".  The students I have varying levels of  artists who need guidance in accomplishing their art according to their skills and comfort levels.

My long road to an experimental portrait

 I don't have one specific way to accomplishing a painting.  Sometimes I underpaint in blue, green, earth tones, even hot pink or purple etc lol!  I do create thumbnails first though.  And I either do a bunch of pencil studies or go directly to Photoshop.  But my studies are to determine composition and values and color arrangements.  Then I do fleshtone studies.  Then I go all over the place hahaha This particular commission, because client said, "Do whatever your artistic calling wants you to do."  So I took my time. This project took 3.5 years.  I wanted to express the energy the subject puts out.  For the longest time, the traditional way I paint portraits competed strongly with what my creative self wanted to do, it was quite a battle oye! My mood went all over the place.

After much denial and negotiating and finally reaching surrender and acceptance, I was worn out; ready to listen to my creative self.  I took the unexplored road to gold leaf and gold paints.  The subject likes bling and she looks loveliest among gold colors and she likes purples and pinks.  Very, very slowly, I proceeded this direction.  Things were finally "feeling" more comfortable.  I wasn't missing the defiance from where ever the heck that energy was coming from.  This was still a bit nerve wracking because I don't do commissions herky jerky.  I only allow myself more play when it's just "my art".

Detail shot it wasn't easy to photograph

By the way, I usually either have TV or audible on when I'm painting because I need to divide my attention or I overthink things and scare myself.  Well I kid you not, when I finally felt I had just applied the last touch on the portrait, the trailer from from "Woman in Gold"  played on my studio TV!  WHOAH cue Twilight Zone music!  YEAH I felt like it was a sign of validation from Creative Universe giving me thumbs up for winning my battle the correct way!

Anna with "Woman in Pink & Gold"

Then Anna received her painting and she was delighted!  And immediately had it framed!!!  I was so dang worried when we were having tornado warnings, I was gonna get sooooo mad if the 3.5 year old project got flown to the land of OZ!  I suggested she saw the movie too which she did :)  Weeks later Mom and I went to see it too and loved my idol Helen Mirren.

Though my current commission pieces on the easel are traditional, I really enjoyed this project so much after the fact hahaha  I am happier that I didn't settle for my usual traditional style because it wouldn't have done Anna justice.

"Yellow and Red Roses" 4x6 oil on canvas collection of Patrick and Adriane Carr

Today the buyer of a recent painting I published on Facebook posted a beautifully framed photo of the painting!  It really puts a big smile on my silly face when I see that my works live in good homes :)

DSDF and HAPPY NEW YEAR WISHES!

9x12 charcoals and pastels (click to enlarge)

The time has come for Different Strokes by Different Folks annual portrait swap between artists. Karin Jurick is so wonderfully generous with her time and so dedicated I truly owe her for the inspiration to just do it! :)

My company left this morning so I quickly jumped on my piece and got it done! I wanted to do something different from my usual routine when I do the challenges because it's an opportunity to discover something. I really just wanted to do just a black, white and the toned ground. But I ended up rendering my piece like I do my usual charcoal drawings lol Anyway here's my portrait partner, isn't she beautiful? :) Please do take the time to see the other portraits be clicking on the link above!

I also recently finished my last portrait commission for my 2009 deadline. It's always a great compliment to have return costumers. I've done multiple pieces for these folks and I love that they think of my art to gift loved ones.

"Charlie" 11x14 charcoal on toned paper

My husband and I had a WONDERFUL 3-week visit from my Mom for Christmas. I hope you all had a good one yourselves. Here's wishing you all a very happy and healthy New Year! :)

Finally, I hope YOU DECIDE to check out this article!
CLICK HERE

Happy Easter!

"Orchid"6x6 watercolor
I am currently visiting in Southern California partly business but mostly pleasure - the pleasure of being warm, surrounded by food I enjoy and of course friends and family.

I had the opportunity to paint a quick commission for a business which I was pleased to do the day before a sudden eye procedure I underwent during the first week of my vacation. A casual visit with my Mom's ophthalmologist brought to our attention a rip in my retina which was a result of a detached vitreous from 2 years ago. I thought just in case worse case scenario takes place, I'd like to know I painted something successfully. Anyway, the procedure was 2 days ago and I'm feeling as if nothing happened already; I am glad I was in capable hands.

Here is the painting framed and ready for delivery! I think it will be a nice addition to their intimate lobby. It's a business by two sisters. One makes silk orchid arrangements and the other has an orchid nursery.

Happy Easter to all my readers! Please excuse my absence, tax time is busy because I am not the most organized person with paperwork so an elaborate scavenger hunt ensues LOL We are also (hopefully) going to be busy with remodeling of our computer area which will eventually become ... basically a "work playroom" for computers, painting and music making. Wish us luck!

Mommy Baby Dog commission oil portrait done!

"J&H" 8"x10" oil on canvas

I call that part of the chest where loved ones feel they belong perfectly a personal parking space :) I rarely do a commission where I don't have the need to modify the poses before I paint it. Most of the time I have to combine at least 3 photos so the composition doesn't look like a collage when I paint it. **Dec.22, 2008 I've updated this image with the scanned version. Hope you like :)

"Zoey" oil on canvas

Incidentally, same client owns this portrait of sweet Snoot Girl Zoey who sadly passed away recently. This painting is from 2000 I think. I've seen this painting hanging on every wall H moves to and I see the images on the Internet, it's so cool so to see my art continued to be enjoyed through the years :)

At this point I feel good about meeting my professional deadlines and now I can do some personal art except there's a big piece I need to finish by end of the month and it's a private piece I can't share others. So if it seems I'm even more scarce online it's because of the holidays and that piece.

It's been brought to my attention that some people post comments and they disappear :( I'm so sorry to hear this - I DON'T DELETE comments unless it's completely offensive, and in which case I contact the poster and ask for their address so I can personally run over their toes. Please don't let the website's occasional burps discourage you from posting. I love comments and am always grateful for the time people take to make their thoughts known to me. :)

**update on commission: She cried! I'm so mean! :)

DSDF 15-16 Watercolor Boots Oscar Myers

"My Winter Thoughts" 5.5x8.5 watercolors

Sung to the tune of the Oscar Myers jingle:
"Oh I wish we had a California winter
'cuz Arkansas just gets too cold for me!
My feet get cold and only Ugg shoewear keep them warm,
And those datburn things just do not come for free!" *curtsy* :)

Well we had our official snow scene yesterday and it was also a wet chill in my bones, I don't like it I don't like it WAH! Thankfully I have Karin Jurick's photo to vent out my WAH-WAH thoughts :) Please visit DSDF week 15-16 when you get a chance ;)

I haven't touched the Mommy Baby portrait but spent a little time with Mom. It's also officially Christmas in our heads since Mom has plugged in the fiber optic 4-ft tree LOL! The owners of Sandy and Domino's portrait picked it up yesterday and were very wowed so that that of course warms the cockles of my heart :) (But not me feet and hands hahahaha!)

Van Gogh, Betty and Baby Mom oil portrait WIP

I had to share that today Mom and I went to the car shop to get my wheelchair tire changed lol! The local wheelchair repair guy couldn't get the stripped stainless steel bolt out about 10 months ago. He was at it for almost 2 hours while I was being charged $45/hr so I had him stop then and let me take the new tire home. But hubby couldn't get the bolt out either. So today we just went for last resort because the old tire was more bald than Savalas. And while we were there we had the van get some love too for some lube and oil. Incidentally they are lovingly referred to as Betty and Van Gogh, right Red?

I was really hoping to get this piece done by now since it's fairly simple and small at 8x10. But I think Mom is getting restless and she was literally cleaning and bumping around me today while I painted so I had to stop and play Scrabble with her. I think the painting is looking so sweet in more ways than one. Sweet in that it's a sweet shot and sweet for artists who just melt when they feel they are hitting the right colors and the feeling they envisioned.

Baby and Mom oil portrait

I got final approval for Sandy and Domino and while I was waiting for that email, I went ahead and drew my next one which I've quickly under painted today. A new baby and his momma, 8x10 oil. This will go to Chicago.

Hillary asked me what I meant by final approval and/my process for commissions. First, here are my 6-yr old commission prices. I haven't read it in a while but I guess since I wrote it I agree with it lol!

Anyway I divide the process in 3-4 stages. First, the client "retains" me which to me means, I save a slot in my waiting list for this client for 1/4 or 1/3 of the final fee which is based on size and how complicated the piece will be. This retainer fee is unrefundable because it means their turn is guaranteed and I possibly researched and bought materials for it already. In all likelihood, I was already painting it in my head before I finished the previous piece.

Next I draw the art and get approval for the composition and maybe the likeness too. Then I block in colors and again I get approval for the colors and the look. Somewhere there the next payment is secured. Final payment is sent when the piece is about 95% or more done.

And here is the just about done version of Sandy and Domino, I just need to paint the edges of the canvas :)

I apologize for not visiting my usual rounds. I'm on the roll and sorta don't want to break the groove ;)

Chihuahua oil pet portrait update and wii

Update on Sandy and Domino. Got 100% approval from client on this stage so I will now take it to the finish. However I've decided I will go ahead and lengthen Domin's left leg because it bothers me. She has it pulled in closer to her in the photo but nobody will see the photo so she looks a little odd this way. So I will just give it a little more even look, don't you think? Man will they ever be surprised with the finished product. Most clients don't really know how much better the final look will be and they're basically approving the artwork about 2/3 into it teehee :)

Yes, running behind. We ended up cleaning the house for two days because we don't have a housekeeper. Working from home can really create a mess. And usually one can tell I'm busy with art when the house looks like a war zone, I'm not kidding at all!!! Thank goodness hubby dear is game about helping me clean.

And MOM IS HERE! So I now get daily massages ooooohhhh sooo nice! And you can be proud of me that although Mom, Pops and my sister got us wii sports and fitness bundle for Christmas, and it's now hooked up, I haven't let myself get addicted yet because of the commissions lol But I played tennis, bowled and got strikes 4x in a row, gooofed around golfing, but knocked out my opponent on the 5th round (yes, better than Paquiao) -- all in one night! It was sooo bad for my rotator cuff problem so I'll await Mario Kart which cousin Ed ordered for me, so I can drive. Thanks to Theresa for raging about wii on her blog, I decided it was another active activity hubby and I can do together. So far he LOVES it and has played tennis daily! Believe me, he needs to be pried away from work badly!

Hope your holiday season is cheerful so far!

Pet portrait in oils in progress #1

Here are Sandy and Domino looking a mess in their initial state. This is 20x16x1.5 oil on canvas. Now hubby and I must begin cleaning the house in anticipation of Mom's arrival on Sunday.

Final and approved oil portrait + Leap of Faith

(remember to click images to enlarge)
"D&M" 11x14 commission oil portrait on canvas

I love love love how this portrait fell together. The photo of the hubby was nice and clear to work from. But the one for M posed a bit of a challenge because though they are good looking people, they just have limited pics of themselves! And I'm such a sucker for love stories and couldn't wait to do this portrait. They've been sweethearts since teens and now successfully married and just attended their eldest daughter's wedding. She found me on Etsy! She originally hired me to do a portrait of her hubby for their anniversary until he found out and was sad that she wasn't going to be painted too. So there ya go, we have, as we do in real life, D&M together forever! And truly is one of the best clients I've ever met. She saw the email and responded SHE LOVES IT and the final payment is in the mail YAY! And this painting is off to Michigan! Hmm there's here left ear peeking twixt her hair which shows fleshy unlike the photo so I don't know what happened there...

Alice Thompson asked me to post old work and open them up for discussion. Ok it's dark and I've stopped painting for now so I can play a little. I've chosen a series I did right before I moved to Arkansas in 2004. It all started with one painting for a show that EBSQ called "Cirque". After painting the first one, I enjoyed playing with the colors so much that I eventually ended up painting 3! Each one 18'x24" on canvas. The first and last were acrylics; the 2nd in oils. They were originally titled "Cirque 1 -3" lol But after I saw them together, they became the "Leap of Faith" series. Unintentionally, each piece progressively told a story. The first one was tethered like the cirque du soleil performers. The 2nd piece, looks like she went and jumped off with the ball. And the third looks like she has finally mastered the leap and was actually able to float gracefully. All these have sold! This year I sold and shipped the last and my favorite of the three painting #2 to Australia to one of my Ebay buyers who saw the painting in my website :) Man was that a learning experience to send a big flat package there! Incidentally, each was especially composed from my fuzzy head; none was based on a specific photo. The first was inspired by someone's Halloween costume, the second one I completely concocted the figure and the background inspired by a ceiling of a building in Cuba, the last one was inspired by a buddhist tent at an annual food bash they hold annually in Sacramento. :) What a triumphant series to be able to sell pieces I made all up in my head. They really made me feel like the artist I want to be when I grow up!

Chop chop, I'm in the middle of painting Sandy and Domino now!

Oil portrait commission and Snapfish.com

update #3 on this oil portrait commission

I've been working on a few portrait commissions for the last stretch of the holiday season. I was hoping to be done this week in time for my Mom's arrival on Sunday but I don't think it will work in my favor as I have 5 more to go!!!! I might be able to finish three this week and one next week but the big one I have until end of December. For some reason my brain knows exactly when my deadline is so the rest of my body will find all kinds of obstacles so I only have but a small window to meet my deadlines. Do any of my artist friends know what I mean, I wonder?

I had a lovely Thanksgiving I hope you all did too! I got full too fast for my liking so I didn't get more than 3 slices of turkey at my SIL's. So yesterday I roasted our own turkey :) In fact I roasted just the turkey body (is there a more proper way to say that?), as in no limbs. And I think that's the way to go for us because neither one likes the dark meat. We also met for the first time our first grand niece, little Ava Elise, who is every bit as pretty as her name! I'm sure to paint her at some point and I will share it with you.

I LOVE how my grandma's book turned out!!!!!!! Excellent quality I completely endorse Snapfish.com photobooks! I know my Mom will SO CRY, she will be all weepy at Christmas Eve when I give this to her mwuahahahahaha! I got her 3 books so she can give copies to a couple of her sisters. She has 4 sisters but these books aren't cheap.... in fact I will get myself a copy later. But I made another book which is about portraits I've done. (the title is "My Favorite Portraits"). I wanted to try the book with dust jacket for one thing. But I prefer the hard cover. The jacket will fall apart faster than the cover which doesn't have anything written on it. On the cover is the 3"x4" oil portrait I did of my Mom which printed beautifully even as a bigger version of the original. Ok I must go back to painting!

Double Oil Portrait Commission WIP#1

Here's a current commission I can share with you in progress with permission from my client since her hubby already knows of this anniversary gift. In fact, she just wanted a portrait of him, but when he found out, it made him sad that she was not going to be in the portrait, sweet huh? They look like a Hollywood teen couple, I told her she reminds me of Lindsay Lohan. It's 11x14 oil in its under painting stage. I'm really enjoying this project as it's a portrait of a couple just as in love since they were teenagers - and they recently married off their college aged daughter! It will be painted in full color and of course you can follow the progress along. Ugh I already see many things that need adjusting.

Well I voted (early) today! I can't believe how long the line was! My friend Linda was kind enough to drive me so I can vote. We got there at 10:01, a minute after they supposedly opened and there was already a long line! Way to go, I say! Your vote counts, I don't care how you vote, but if you don't vote, I don't want to hear any belly achin' coming from you about the country!

Is it me or does it seem like there's never enough time to do everything? lol What would it take to feel more in control of our time? It seems it's always a choice between painting and clearing the kitchen sink or folding the clean laundry, etc. (I usually choose painting lol)

Family Oil Portrait commission

"Kelsey with Great Grandma" 11x14 oil on canvas
This is a portrait commission from a client from North Carolina who has been a few times a return client. The client wanted to make sure her Mom's favorite lamp was also in the painting :)

Anyway, this post is really about children. We don't have kids but it doesn't stop me from being protective of the ones I am exposed to.

This Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 is the deadline for "Protect the Children Act Bill 1738"

• Authorize over $320 million over the next five years in desperately needed funding for law enforcement to investigate child exploitation.
• Mandate that child rescue be a top priority for law enforcement receiving federal funding.
• Allocate funds for high-tech computer software that can track down Internet predators.

Go to www.senators.gov to find out who your senators are. You can either, call, write, FAX or email to urge them to vote YES on the Protect the Children Act Bill 1738.

Here is a sample letter to send that Oprah.com has published. The Sample Letter

Unfortunately I've witnessed some of this sort activities online when I first started to explore the Internet chats. And I can't believe how one easily falls prey to people with ill intents. I ended up playing "Mom" to those I've become aware about until it just became no fun to socialize online any more because I couldn't really help them effectively.

Just like the real world, the Internet is particularly dangerous to those who are new to its possibilities. This bill will help pave some new directions to help protect not just the children but also the rest of us who wander through the infinite world of this new dimension.

But I also do wish every computer, and Internet cable would come with a manual for adults on how they need to pay attention to the young ones and get more involved in their lives so they know who the children are associating with and be aware of their environment because we can't expect the government or the teachers and priest or ministers, etc., to do the job that should be implemented and regularly done at home.

Ok that's my contribution :) And before I go off to experiment if I can duplicate PF Chang Restaurant's lettuce wrap chicken, I now leave you with something autumn and delicious!

"Mangoes (study)" oil on canvas paper 6x6

Dearly Beloved Child

My commission oil portrait of a baby born prematurely and who sadly only lived 4-6 hours, is coming along to my liking and I'm so pleased! I can be such a sorrowful artist that my system has a hard time going forward when all is not right with my execution as far as I'm concerned. This baby's grandmother commissioned this and she is not just a regular client for about 5 years, but I've also grown so fond of her as a dear friend though I haven't met her in person. I just feel like she's always paid such a caring attention to me and my art and I just want her to know I appreciate it and return the kind gesture to what's important to her.

Anyway, I spoke to her on the phone for the first time last week and I was able to ask her some sensitive questions about the baby that I felt uncomfortable to ask via email. And I guess that was the key so now I am able to go forward. :0)

Here is the rest of it, but it's all still a work in progress.

11"x14" commission oil portrait on canvas. The sunlight on the right is more yellow and will get even more so as I work on it; that section is very under developed right now.