"Goin' West" Landscape and "Seaside" Coasters

**(Update on Seaside Coasters--they DID stick together using just the artist's Liquitex gloss varnish. So after that disappointment, I got out my small can of Varathane that I'm using on the chalk-painted chairs and brushed a coat of that on them. Worked great! No stickiness. I painted the sides like sand and they kind of also look like cork, even tho the coasters are hard inflexible material ( don't know what exactly..) Here's the final photo.

In the process of practicing clouds from a reference photo, I added land to the bottom. I heard that without a back, middle, and foreground, it is just a "study." Goin' West"---something I will be doing in the not so far off future.

And I was going thru stuff, trying to get rid of lots of things so our cross country move will be lighter and cheaper. I came across a cheap coaster st from Dollar General. I thought I could paint on those, so I gessoed them and today finished painting little seascapes on them. They are "reversible" because I painted a scene on both sides. I still have to do the edges and gloss them. And then make sure they don't stick together. I will probably make them available to purchase, but I don't mind keeping them!

For The Birds painting

Originally I did this large abstract landscape triptych in 2007. It was a creepy tree on a hill against a green and yellow sky. It hung in my living room for years, then I packed it away. Recently I got it out and decided to add some birds to the branches to add life to the painting. It's for sale on ebay.

Steps in making it.

 

Recent Practice Paintings/Drawing, 4 good, 3 not so much

 From a lesson on how to paint "Sand and Foam" in an art book I bought at Michael's. Very happy with the bottom 1/2 of the painting! Top would be better if I wasn't painting on top of an old textured painting.

A pencil sketch that I then edited in Picasa to increase the value range, and I added a frame and matte effect. I did this to see if I could still draw. Took about 75 mins. Good, but I don't enjoy drawing. I'd rather paint.

This is an exercise in value range for myself. I finally got around to testing out the 2 free Atelier Interactive Paints I got last summer. Pthalo Blue and Titanium White. Done on paper. Frame and matte from Picasa. 

A quick painting based on a lesson I purchased from a great Australian artist online.

Next was trying out painting the patterns of the surface of ocean water. I don't like it.

And this was based on a YouTube lesson. I hate it--they look cartoonish with the black.

More surface waves--I don't like them at all. 

Commissioned Portrait

Done for a friend, 16 x 20 deep canvas. She's so pretty.

Beach Chairs Paintings set

I did this 2 piece painting on a pair of 15" x 30" stretched canvases with acrylic paint. Sides are painted black. This is my favorite painting that I've done to date!

Close Ups:

Daisies painting

Same size and texture and style as my "Starfish and Lighthouse" painting. I like the colors in this one. Very cheery.

Starfish and Lighthouse Painting

I think I am finding my own style of painting (at least one of them). I primed the canvas and made texture and drip spots on it then painted over it in glazes making watercolor-like layers and I also used sand medium on this one for the starfish. I made a pattern with painters tape and smeared it on and then painted it after it dried. I like the end result. I like this textured but soft style too. Maybe it will look good on my underwater pieces when I get around to doing them.

Starfish and Lighthouse

Close ups

Ten Cardinals in Birch Trees

Newest painting on 18x24" canvas. This is the first time I have tried painting birds and it was kind of fun. They are nice and small and I can only see them clearly with my glasses on. And as usual, I see when I crop my painting to give a close up view, it looks like another painting composition I could have or even should have used, lol. 

 Close-Up

Birch Tree Paintings

It's amazing how fast I can do a painting when I'm free of self-criticism. I did each of these in one day and I'm very happy with them. I will do more and want to add little animals like squirrels rabbits chipmunks and groundhogs or birds to them someday to give them more character and life. They're 18x24".