Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Rose 10x12 Acrylic on Canvas






The Christmas Rose is finally done. I'm very pleased with it. It looks busy and the idea is to give viewers a lot more to look at than just the roses. I especially like the depth in this painting, not only the enjoyment of the primary subject being the roses, but I also enjoy the hidden places behind them. It leads one to imagine that there might be something lurking within! I think that's why I like painting florals in this manner. The attraction for me is the mystery behind all that is beautiful. Enjoy! And Merry Christmas to all!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Work in Progress 4 ~ Christmas Rose






It's starting to look more interesting now. Details are showing through. Lights and Darks are coming together. What is really interesting to note here, is that, there is no rhyme or reason to it, everything is random, leaves that may not normally be present with this particular rose, is present and those that should be, are there too. But somehow, it all works. Harmony.  Anything goes in Art! 



This is the first time I photographed my own hand showing how I get into those little nooks and crannies. Not an easy thing to do. You can see I'm using a detail brush. I'm big on those and have lots of them in my arsenal of brushes and a must if your a detailed artist like me. Here, I'm using a no.1 round and applying the paint in small careful strokes. I have to be totally relaxed when I do this so that I don't touch the already painted areas. "Yikes!"



My palette is very limited. It wasn't always this way, but over time, I've learned it's best to keep it that way. I like to mix only what is necessary for a painting, using pure opaque colors and a few transparent ones. And by the way, try making your own black. It doesn't show it but this paining has all the colors used in it to make black,with the exception of white and yellow. It's fun to try.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Work in Progress 3 ~ Christmas Rose






You can now see the progression on this third post. I'm working from a photo but it's not one of mine. The background leaves on the photo is very fuzzy, making it difficult to make out shapes, so instead I just improvised. I still need to work on the rest of the leaves and work out some of the dark and light areas. It's looking good so far and almost finished.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Work in Progress 2 ~ Christmas Rose






I'm moving along just nicely on this Christmas Rose painting. I'm liking how it's turning out so far. I'll be turning my attention to the bud on the upper left corner next and then on to the leaves. I'm not sure at this point what I'll do with the background, but maybe I'll play around a little and experiment. Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

New Work in Progress ~ Christmas Rose




I'm calling this work in progress, my Christmas Rose because it does look like a flower appropriate for Christmas time. I'm not sure what it's really called but I hope I get it finished by Christmas. Sorry for the low lighting on this photo, I took a picture of it in the evening, on my table easel with the light coming from above. Still looks nice though.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Three Sisters 10 x 12 Acrylic on Canvas





A few years back, while on a summer day trip to Lake Minnewanka, I spotted these three Western Mountain Asters, in the thick under brush beneath a large tree. There they were, alone, protected by the elements and were just waiting to have their picture taken. I couldn't resist !