Paintings for the SouthShore Arts Council Show

I plan to submit these two acrylic paintings to the SouthShore Arts Council Show at the SouthShore Regional Library.  Submission date is August 1. 

You are invited to the Artists' Reception on August 5 at 6:30 pm.

Orchid Basket

16 x 20

Banyan Cathedral

16 x 20

New Approach to Painting

We are learning a new approach to creating an acrylic painting.  The background is painted FIRST!  Yep, that's right!  And preferably with your reference photo UPSIDE-DOWN!

My painting of the Golden Gate Bridge from Seal Rock was my first attempt.  (Scroll down to see.)

Here is my second attempt at painting using this approach.  Steps 1 and 2 were done in class.  I continued Step 2 and added Step 3 this morning. 

STEP 1:  Painted background with canvas upside-down;painted; from my black and white sketch holding it upside-down even though I am showing it rightside-up in this photo:

Step 2: Turned canvas rightside-up and began painting the objects in the sketch:

STEP 3:  This morning I continued painting the objects for a while and then painted more background using my colored pencil sketch.

"A Painting is Never Finished; It Simply Stops in Interesting Places"--Paul Gardner

Here is my latest painting.  Not completely finished, but getting closer still.

Those of us from Florida have often seen the rain in the distance with a perfectly beautiful day around us.  The name of this painting is "Outrunning the Storm."  Just as we do in our lives, this sailboat is enjoying the beauty around it while attempting to stay ahead of the rain that is coming.

Close-Up:

MiraBay Welcome Center

So proud to have my artwork displayed as part of the exhibit in the MiraBay Welcome Center:

Thanks, MiraBay, for the Honor!

My painting entitled "Bird in Paradise" will be part of the display in the MiraBay Welcome Center soon.  It will be accompanied by my photo and quote.  Please stop by and comment if you have a moment.

Stop by my Apollo Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts Booth

Now that our daughter's engagement party is over (WHEW!), I can get back to my art.

Next weekend, March 13 and 14, I will be showing my work at the Apollo Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts.  Please stop by and say hello.

Apollo Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts

Today I received notification that my work has been accepted into the Apollo Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts.  Hope to see you all there on March 13 - 14!

Birds in and of Paradise

Both of these paintings were done from photos I took around MiraBay where we live.  It is a beautiful place.  I look at the bridges every time we enter or exit our home.  And the bird of paradise was in bloom just at the main entrance.  I walk to the bird of paradise and rest; then I walk home passed the bridge.

They are both painted around the edges so no frame is necessary even though they, of course, can be framed.  The colors are the same and they are the same size so they can be hung as a dyptic.

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed painting them.

Grace

Don't Be Koi - Acrylics on Canvas

I LOVED doing this painting!

My husband the scientist says the koi is eating algae off the back of the other koi. But I prefer to think she is kissing him.

Look closely and you will see the Chinese characters for "Don't," "Be" and "Koi."

Hope you like it. Click "Comments" to let me know what you think.

We are off to San Francisco in a couple of weeks and on to China for three weeks. Lots of opportunities to learn more about Asian art and for Archie to learn more about Chinese porcelian. Should be great fun!