one year later

I have been painting, drawing, using fine point sharpies to create zentangles, sitting at galleries and other such things. Writing a blog on a regular basis is just not part of my routine.
So I will give another whack at it. and show you some of my artwork.
Blue birds.

I have been out and about, which is refreshing but at the same time limiting my personal time, for painting and writing. I managed to finish a couple of commissions. I am sharing one of the pictures here. I have also sold a couple of paintings, one was a Dr.Suess fish created for a show several years ago. It is feels great to actually sell my artwork. It's reaffirming, encouraging and of course, the money is nice. My storage area is jammed with paintings so a sale helps clear up a little bit of space as well.

This is Max. 16 by 20 oil portrait.

Jumping Ahead to August

I have been posting work done during the last year when I didn't post anything, in order to catch up to myself. If that makes sense. So  now I am fast forwarding to August, which is now. This month I am the featured artist at the Boulder City Guild Gallery, in the Dam Hotel at Boulder City. I chose to gather all the paintings I have done of children involved different activities. I decided to call the show "Children Unplugged". I have included paintings done in oils and acrylics, plus some drawings.

Several of the kids included are my own grandchildren, as well as some of my friend's children. Some of the paintings have a story behind them. I will focus in on a few of them in my next blog post.

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Chinese New Year

These were two pieces I did for Chinese New Year. The round one is for the year of the monkey 2016. Painted in acrylic on a circular piece of wood, the red monkey  sits on the moon. This piece sold at Jana's RedRoom. I had two wooden circles but only completed one.

The Dragon is painted in oils on a larger repurposed canvas. Whenever I do paint overs I apply a lot of thick paint. I really like this 16 by 20 piece. It was on display during the month of January and February..... With no takers. It really was fun to paint. I love doing patterns and using bright colors. I was able to utilize my gold paint on this painting as well.

A NEW START

Someone told me recently the it is important to keep up with a blog. something I find hard to keep up with. Anyway, I will do my best to catch up and keep up. Starting now.
Here I am at an outdoor art show at Boulder City last fall. I don't mind participating in these events as long as it's under 100 degrees and there's some shade.
The painting of the lotus blossom was my first painting of the year (2016). The reference was taken from a photo I took of my friend's beautiful garden pond.  It's a small piece (8 by 10) done in acrylic. The painting was displayed with it's lovely matching frame at 3 galleries, so I feel it will be one of those placed into my private collection at the home gallery.
I hear the lotus is a symbol of new beginnings. Every new year is a chance for a new start, actually every day offers the same opportunity. So here I go, a new start on the blog....still have to figure out how to place the photos where I want them.

Inspired Landscapes

 Landscapes are not something that I do often, however some of them have sold  which leads me to believe that they are executed in such a way as to make them desirable. It also encourages me to paint more of them. The top three paintings have sold, two by way of the gallery in Boulder City, where I show some of my work and one via Facebook. The bottom one entitled "The Road to Zion" is taken from a photo I took on one of my drives up to Zion National Park in Utah.  I began the painting as a lesson in painting landscapes, so it was laid out with acrylics to demonstrate the back-middle and foreground to my students. All paintings are done in oil. Three are 11 by 14 and the top left is a 9x9 deep canvas.  The one of the mountains at Red Rock Canyon was completed several years ago and it sat around looking boring to me...I decided to add a winter sky (which is its title)  and it sold quickly. I truly appreciate living in such an inspiring part of the country  that showcases so much beauty. Of course the paintings don't do any of the awesome views justice. Painting them makes me look longer at the wonderful scenery.

Forest of Color With Blue Rocks

This 16 by 20 oil painting took me several months to complete. The placement was easy on the trees...then the layers of different color strokes of leaves took some time. But the thing that slowed me down was getting the blue rocks to have some proper shape as they emerged through the leaves. I am happy with the finished product, and I am sure it would be enhanced greatly by the appropriate black frame.