Indigo

"Indigo" has some glorious scales to protect him during battles.  Dragons are always fighting battles with knights and other dragons, right?  Indigo is definitely a champion fighter.


See the rest of the 30 in 30 participants here.

Pearl

A friend of mine is part of a Dragon Boat team of all women who are Breast Cancer survivors.  Because of my Dragon theme, she asked if I could do a painting of a pink dragon to honor those ladies.  Of course I would!  In fact, I did more than one because, who wouldn't want a PINK DRAGON?!


See the rest of the 30 in 30 participants here.

Dangerous Waters

Confession Time.
Art is happening, but it is happening slowly.  And the weather is crummy which makes taking photos of the art that IS happening next to impossible.

I have four new completed pieces.

I started this back in January and wasn't satisfied with it.  I went back to it and made some adjustments and I'm much happier with the result.

24" x 24" [needs a name].

Another for the Serpent Series.  24" x 48" [needs a name].

I have two paintings that I intended to be part of the Serpent Series however, they both have definite shark shapes, which I love.  I'm thinking they might belong in their own series.  I'm open to suggestions for the name of that series.

I showed this one during some in-process stages but I'm really happy with how it has turned out.
18" x 24" [needs a name].  [needs a series name]

This one I did while shooting video for a friend.  I enjoyed this new experience but painting while filming a video is very distracting.  Some day I may try again.  I've got nothing on Bob Ross, that's for sure.
Dangerous Waters, 24" x 24" [needs a series name]

One more brand-new piece is on my easel.  It is a huge 24"x 48" canvas and while it fits the theme of my Serpent Series, it is really a departure from my usual style.  Every time I do something outside of my comfort zone it is an opportunity for growth but what often happens not only with me, but with many artists is, when we get to a point in the middle of a painting, we get frustrated and stuck.  If it's work we are comfortable with, we can power through (or sometimes limp through) to get past the really hard part so that we can finish and be satisfied with the result.  When a painting is a challenge from the beginning though, that middle bit where we get stuck feels insurmountable.  I have paintings I started years ago that are still stuck in that middle bit and I don't know if they'll ever be finished.

I had one painting in a gallery show recently and that is always fun.  Despite my shyness, I do have a good time meeting new people and seeing old art friends at gallery receptions.  Also, I have just entered several pieces into an event online.  I am wary of online events simply because it's really easy for disreputable companies to take your money and you'd have no recourse.  This event was recommended by a friend who is a member of the website, so I felt safe in joining the event.  So far, the number of entries for this particular show is fairly small.  We are nearing the entry deadline so that is a bonus.  Fewer entries increases the odds that I could win a prize.  [fingers crossed]

Follow me on Instagram for lots of cryptic, in-process photos of whatever is happening on my easel and (sometimes) in my life:
http://www.instagram.com/karimelenartist/

I am happy to report that I passed my math course at college and my new job is hard but enjoyable.

Updateable

It's past the Witching Hour.  Too early to get up for work.  Mind running.  (Yes, I know... I'm supposed to meditate to help with that.  I know.)  Since I'm up, I visit my canvas friends.

Two large canvases that may or may not be companion pieces.  I think they look great together.  The one on the left is black and grey.  The right is Dioxizine Purple and grey.  Each canvas is 24" x 48".

 A shot of the Dioxizine Purple featured on the canvas on the right.  I've had more than one art instructor tell me, "Don't use Dioxizine Purple."  "It's garish."  "It's unnatural."  "It will take over your whole palette."  Don't tell me not to do something.  I'm stubborn.  I'm going to do it just to spite somebody.

I do what I want.

Mixing black from a limited palette.  Alizerin Crimson, Sap Green, and Ultramarine Blue.  This makes a cool (blue-ish) black with a ratio of 3 parts Alizerin, 2 parts Sap, and 6 parts Ultramarine.  This black is also the base for all my greys and it works as a toner when used in small amounts to cut back the brightness of a color.

In other news, I got a new job.  Pretty much the same as the old job, but better.  I have just a couple of weeks left before Summer Break from school, and I'll have news of a gallery show coming soon.

Whispers

The Moon peers through the sheer curtain.  She knows me better than I know myself.  Your whisper is like a call and now I am wide awake.  Listening.  Listening.  To you and to the night.  I want to see you but must be cautious.  The Moon watches, waiting.  She knows what is coming next.


I'll show the progress in reverse here.  Start at the bottom of the post if you'd like to see it from the beginning.

I was noodling around with the dark purple and noticed the shape sort of resembled a shark. 

I added two similar shapes in the larger circle and will add a third toward the center of that circle.

Very thin beige and light neutral-grey are added in layers over the background area and in the larger circle so the eye is drawn to the smaller circle at the top left.

Scales patterns in turquoise and purple are added using a stencil I made.  I wanted to add texture to the background area as well as accentuate the circular motion and to indicate that the circles are moving in opposite directions.

 I began with a few dribbles of yellow and allowed those to dry.  Then blue-grey and light neutral-grey are added with a lot of water.  Some areas are allowed to run and other areas are painted into circular patterns.



Sharks.   Powerful, focused, curious creatures. Superior instinct and a remarkable drive for survival.  Actively moving forward through life.  Silent before they attack.


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Stealing Moments

I have crept out of my bed and met my lovers in the dark of night.  I am cautious.  My breath stops in my throat at every creak of the floorboards in the bedroom above my studio.  Does my husband sense he is alone?

Sounds like a trashy novel.

Perfect!

My lovers are these:

Adding more color and defining the focal point of the top painting.  The painting with circles gets scales to help suggest motion and to add texture.

Here are the beginnings of each:

The top painting has the focal point pretty near the center and that's generally not where I want it to be.  I will probably make some adjustments later to draw the eye slightly to the right of center.

The scales painting will get a transparent layer of color over the scales outside of the circles so that there is texture there but the eye is not immediately drawn to it.

Day 29 - Several Beginnings

Ending the 30-in-30 with more beginnings gives me a lot of inspiration and it reminds me that my painting is NOT done for the year.  I don't know where to store all of these giants but I had a blast painting them and I'm so so glad that I resisted the urge to paint small and try to just finish each day.  I have enjoyed sharing my process with you and I hope that you enjoyed the journey.  I have a few new friends to follow from this challenge and I'm excited to see where they go from here.

One
This is going to be another dark serpent painting.

Light grey is added to the top one third, then deep and light sap green are added to the lower two thirds.


Two
This is the yellow-only painting I was stuck on for some days.  I was inspired by a lot of other paintings I've seen recently that featured circles.

Medium grey and light blue-grey are splattered, sprayed with water, and then circles are drawn to give the feeling of movement.


Three
Going back to the neutrals and violet scales with this one.  I'm going to keep it very light and airy, to contrast with the one with dramatic maroon.

Burnt Umber is washed on in a wave shape.  Violet scales are added with the stencils I created, then medium grey and light blue-grey are added to the upper kidney shape.  I also added some light spritzes of water here and there.


30 in 30 Blog.

Beginning Eleven

Part One

I wanted something a little different with this painting so I began by drawing some large shapes on the canvas with a colored pencil.  Charcoal smears, but colored pencil disappears quite easily under the acrylic.

I like the colors of it already so think I will keep this painting rather light and use a lot of blending techniques for a soft, flowy feel.


30 in 30 Blog.

Beginning Ten

Part One

Another in the series using scales stencils.  I did a time lapse video of this painting and posted on Instagram.  (You'll have to tell me if you can view that.  I have no idea if the link will work.)
I think the fact that almost everything is neutral color keeps this from looking too busy.

A light wash of Burnt Umber is applied and allowed to dry.  Purple scales are added with a large stencil then warm grey is used for the smaller scales stencil.  Black marker for the marks along the right and left edges, then light grey is washed over much of the painting.



30 in 30 Blog.

Painting Six Continues

Part Two

Half way!  I can't believe I am half way through this challenge.  This is the furthest I have made it in the challenge for some time.  Life just always seems to get in the way and I feel a lot of pressure to complete a painting each day.  Giving myself the freedom to just work on art and share my process has made this challenge work much better for me.  A friend asked me what I wanted to accomplish through the challenge and my answer was simply to paint more.  I actually did very few paintings last year and maybe that was because I felt too much pressure to complete... but completing wasn't actually the issue.  The issue was not starting.

Liquid white and liquid black are added for interest.  I was thinking I wanted a bit of a monochrome painting this time and I like the lightness of the background but I may have to visit this painting one more time before it is complete.

I haven't talked much about the sizes of the paintings I have been working on this month but all of them have been either 24" x 24" or 18" x 24".  Large paintings compared to those I have done during previous challenges and I have enjoyed these larger works, however I'm running out of storage space for these guys!  Ha!


See the beginning of this painting here.

30 in 30 Blog.

Beginning Six

Part One

Pretty soon it will be no secret how much I like turquoise and grey.

I started with a very light wash of warm grey around the edges and in the darkest area and then allowed that to dry.
Light grey, black, and turquoise are applied in patches with a palette knife and blended with a dry brush.


30 in 30 Blog.

Painting One Needs A Name

Part Four

Wrapping up Painting One.  When I'm driving to work pre-dawn, I listen to music and just kind of let my mind wander.  Sometimes song lyrics catch my attention and I note them for painting names.  Here are a couple of possibilities:
"Complication"
"Don't Expect an Easy Answer"
"Burn Out Bright"
...Or maybe you have a suitable name.  Let's hear it.

Black was dry brushed over the area left to bring out the texture from the fork marks.  Then liquid black was added around the areas of white for visual interest.

See the beginning of this painting here.  And some mid-stages here and here.


30 in 30 Blog.

Painting One Continues

Part Three

I was really having too much fun with the Pipettes here and the effect is getting rather chaotic.

I give more "breathing room" to the painting by adding warm grey to about two thirds of the painting.

When I added the grey, I accentuated some texture areas by using a squeegee to remove some of the grey, which also helped to bring a muted version of the original color back so the whole painting was not just one grey mass.  You can see the area of dark purple/grey that had fork marks previously is now very obscured and nearly disappears.

Adding back some blockier shapes for more interest and setting up for the center of interest.

30 in 30 Blog.

Through the Mist

Through the Mist

The chilly air of Autumn touches the water that has been warmed by and through the summer sun.  Like a gentle kiss that grows a passion in the heart.  The heart grows until it is ready to burst.  The nearly bursting heart touches the mind and the mind reels.



14" x 18" Acrylic and oil on stretched canvas.
The image on this painting continues around the sides of the canvas so it can be hung as is, or framed if you desire.
Buy on Etsy

Rainy Reflection

Rainy Reflection

Abstract mixed media in blues, greys and brown with a splash of orange/red.
The weather forecast for tonight is heavy rain.  I hope it also brings some thunder.  I love the thunder at night.

"Rainy Reflection"
20" x 24" mixed media on stretched canvas
This painting is available at my Etsy store.

Ice on Round Bay - The Last of Winter's Paintings

"Ice on Round Bay"

I hope winter is finally gone but I had one final painting from an icy cold day on Round Bay.




"Ice on Round Bay"
20" x 24" acrylic on stretched canvas
This painting is available at my shop on Etsy.

First Blush

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Eleven

The first pink trees of Spring are Cherry, Flowering Crab, and then Redbud.  And they are glorious.  Gorgeous pin petals floating on the wind like confetti.  This tree is still in all its glory, not yet ravaged by Spring rains and wind.

"First Blush"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Cage Free -- 30-in-30 Day Twenty Six -- SOLD

Man of Mystery
Cage Free Series 033

Having never been much of a hiker, I know very little about birds of the forest.  The Cedar Waxwing with his striking mask and peachy/grey body coloring is absolutely beautiful to me.  He is a bird of the forest and it's unlikely we have met.

I would definitely like to spend time hiking however, my horrible sense of direction finds me lost even on simple trips I have made many times in the past.  Even following a GPS on roads that are marked with signs to let me know where I am going is not foolproof when this fool is behind the wheel.  So, I feel as though hiking is not something I should spend a lot of time doing.  Also, I have no desire to encounter a bear.


"Man of Mystery"
6" x 6" oil on gessobord, unframed.
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.
See the other artists participating at Leslie Saeta's blog.

30-in-30 Day Seventeen. Cage Free Series 024

Power Disguised
Cage Free Series 024

Barn owl watches her prey intensely.
The power of the claws disguised by a beautiful face.

Boy Howdy I am extra tired this morning.  I even hit the snooze alarm, which is not a good thing.  I keep a tight schedule and now it's tighter.  Tonight is definitely an early-to-bed night.


"Power Disguised"
6" x 6" oil on gessobord, unframed.
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.
See the other participating artists on Leslie Saeta's blog.

Edging in For August -- SOLD

"I am the Leader.  I Have the Bell."

One of my goals for the year was to post at least once per month.  August allllmost slipped by.  September will bring you 30 paintings in 30 days so that balances out, right?

Today's painting doesn't count for the 30, it's just to whet your appetite.  It's a painting I did from a photo by my dear cousin.  He lives in Norway and his neighbors have sheep that roam free in the area.

The 30-in-30 painting challenge is the baby of Leslie Saeta.  Check out all the participating artists, here.  The map shown on the link can be expanded to search any area and if you click the green icons, you can see the artist's name.  Last I heard, there were over 700 artists participating from 22 countries.  Pretty amazing.  Look for my first entry tomorrow.


"I am the Leader.  I Have the Bell."
6" x 6" oil on gessobord
This painting is SOLD.