More tiny paintings...

Short version:

Here's 5 little paintings I just finished.

They are now available in my Etsy shop, or contact me directly.

(smilingbluedog@yahoo.ca)

Long version:

I started 10 little paintings, a couple of weeks ago, and have taken photos, as I go. Five of them are Tiny- 2x2 inches

and the other five are 3x3 inches.

They are bright, cheerful, little works of art for

your work or home - they're inexpensive,

collectible, make great gifts and are easy to ship,

anywhere.

It takes a lot of concentration, working on such small canvases, and that's why I enjoy making them. By building up thin layers of paint, letting them dry in between, then adding more colour and detail;

I have retained the original texture of each canvas.

The finished paintings have been allowed to dry

(for at least 24 hours),

before I paint at least 2 coats of glossy, clear finish on them,

which is what I did today, so now these 5 paintings

are very shiny and complete.

The little ladybug painting and purple bird are now available in my Etsy shop.

Colourful bird painting

I hope you like this fun little painting, I've just about finished.

It's a vibrant piece, with lots of colour, it just needs a little more detail

and a clear coat before it's complete, then I will list it in my Etsy shop.

Update Sept 14 - completed & listed on Etsy: Bird painting

size: 8 x 6 inch painting.

Click here if you'd like to see more paintings and bird items.

A large colourful painting, in progress

June 26, 2011

A BIG painting in progress…

I normally make small and very small, paintings, but recently unwrapped a 36" x 24" inch canvas

Every painting seems to present it's own challenges.

This one was a bit daunting because of it's size.

Instead of writing about it, I'll add photos as it progresses.

Working outside is such a treat, as I have lots of space

to move around the canvas, however, the sun and heat dries the

paint a lot quicker than in my studio. (I water down the paint, so it flows

better, when working on the details. )

It will have to wait until Sunday now, before I can work on it some more.

I hope you'll come back to see how it is turning out…

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Monday July 11, 2011

A day at the beach, and I brought my painting so I could work on the background

patterns and details. This is the1st time I've taken a painting to the beach (anywhere public), and it was

wonderful! As I had hoped, we had the beach to ourselves for most of the day, and

when it got hot, I went for a dip in the lake :)

(Sunday was Dave's birthday, so I didn't do any painting instead we went hunting

for huckleberries and they are late this year, but we managed to get some.)

I can't wait until Saturday, when I hope to work on it some more.

***************

Tues July 19, 2011

It's huckleberry time, so we've been up in the mountains berry picking these past couple of days.

We were too sore & tired to go picking today, plus the weather was unsettled. As for painting,

I spent more time moving my painting station around- into the carport, and then into the kitchen when a rainstorm started blowing everything around. I managed to build up the colours of the birds and some of the foliage around the edge of my painting, but that's about all. However we've got 11 1/2 sandwich baggies full of huckleberries, in the freezer.

Until next weekend....

***********************

July 31/11

More time at work + time at the beach + visiting friends = little time for painting.

Changes are much more subtle now, I've added a bit more detail to the birds, and added more green and have lightened up some foreground parts.

I'll be concentrating on the leaves bordering the edges next.

Also need to think of a title... "large colourful painting" just doesn't cut it.

Suggestions are welcome!

***********

August 9/11

The weather, here in the Kootenays, has been awesome, but

I've been concentrating on my painting. (Obsessed might be more apt).

I didn't like the pink dragonfly, so I changed it.

I've got tomorrow off, so I intend to do more refining & touch-ups, and hopefully finish it up.

I've had some heavy-duty emotional upheavals this past week,

and found my painting to be a sanctuary from the emotional storm around me.

The energy and inspiration I started with, is starting to fade. I've put a lot of time and effort

into this work of art and will be proud to call it a masterpiece.

When I started this painting, I was going to put it in my Etsy shop for sale, but now that it's almost done, I'm not sure if I can part with it, and if I do what price to list it for.

But at least I've decided on a name for it :)

*********

I've come up with a title-

"Sanctuary from the shadows".

Aug 10, 2011

It's complete, except for a protective clear, coat which I'll do in a few days, the paint needs to fully cure first. It'll be shiny and hard to photograph so I'll see if I can get someone with a good

camera to take some photos for me.

"Jungle cat" painting.

Last summer, I had an idea for 3 different paintings, so I started with a colourful wash on three 8"x10" canvases. I finished the 1st one- "Fowl Play", and have periodically worked on the second one, it's not finished yet, but I'm going to call it "Lovin' sun".

The last one I've looked at many times over the past year, but just wasn't inspired by the original idea and so it sat… until today. It's completed and called "Jungle Cat"...

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By the way:

Recently, someone asked if I could make a large

( 24"x36") painting- similar to the tiny "Forest of Feathers" one, in my Etsy shop. I loved the idea, and was thrilled to find that I had a brand new canvas in that size, still wrapped and waiting to be painted.

I haven't done any paintings this large yet, and just looking at that big white canvas was a bit intimidating… so I kept looking at it, while working out the details and a plan.

I wet the whole canvas, then brushed on yellow, red and blue, allowing the colours to bleed together. While it was still quite damp, I used a sponge to add more shades, depth and texture, then had set it aside to dry. I've made a new blog, showing the painting as it evolves.

I'll continue this painting on my next day off.

*****************************

Since all my paints & brushes are on the picnic table, to enjoy the sunny day, I brought out a started 8x10 canvas (the one I from last summer) and chose to use it as a warm-up, before continuing the big painting.

I decided that the subject for this painting will be a cat portrait,

surrounded by leaves.

It took a very steady hand to paint all the black details with very fine brushes, and I'm thrilled to have completed it!

All it needs now is a clear protective coat. I like to use a shiny finish as it intensifies the colours a bit, but makes it hard to photograph. So this "finished" piece isn't actually finished…yet.

UPDATE: June 28, 2011,

I used two coats of shiny clear Varathane to complete my Jungle cat painting.

This completed photo doesn't do it justice, as it's hard not to get glare, (so the previous photo

is more true to how it really looks.)

Finished "Jungle Cat" painting.

(Now for sale in my Etsy shop).

My paintings - Twittering In The Trees

I made this folk art style acrylic painting. April/09
It's called "Twittering In The Trees".

I donated it to B.E.A.K.S's silent auction.
It depicts early spring in the bright green grass, while the cool blues and white hint at the chill, which is still in the air. The 3 walnut trees are still bare, although the buds are starting to swell.

I recently made a tree stencil (to use to make a clay wall hanging), and thought I'd use it for the trees in this painting first. I did paint over them and make slight changes, as the texture of the wood board has an impact on how the stencils worked.

There are also many steller's jays randomly scattered in the picture. I made 3 rubber stamps of crested birds (steller's jays) to stamp them onto the painting. Again the rough texture of the wooden board prevented the stamps from giving me the effect I wanted, so I painted each bird as well.

By doing this painting on a scrap piece of wood, I had more obstacles than I would on a prepared canvas. That's part of the fun, running into problems and solving them:)
Yes, sometimes I just enjoy painting on wood more than canvas. (Plus it's usually recycled=free).!

Meanwhile, I've recently joined "Twitters" (not yet sure why) and the steller's jays are returning from their winter grounds, and are starting to show up here at my home. I can often see them in our walnut tree & hear them in the trees around our yard.
I think I'll go and watch them...
Angie



June7/09
UPDATED:

Yesterday I stopped in at the mall to see the silent auction, and
the bird-related artwork.
There sure are some really nice paintings there!
In particular, there's one of a blue heron that caught my eye,
and I wasn't surprised to see that it was painted by Shirley Miller!
She is a lovely lady and a talented local artist. I would love to have one
of her pieces, so I bid on it, but I know there's no way I'll get it for $30.00

I did check on my painting (of course) "Twittering In The Trees".
I was pleased to see that there were already 4 bids!
I had estimated it's value at $50.00 and it's almost there!
The BEAKS organizers had a couple of appraisers value each piece,
and I was thrilled to see mine valued at $100.00!
It just shows me that I under-value my work.

Anyhow, this is the 1st day of my VACATION!!!
I've got a load of greenware firing in the kiln, and lots of packing
and preparing to do, before we drive to Vancouver Island on Tues.
Cheers!

Update: July 16/09
Ok, so now it's July 16 and I suppose I should let you know that we had a wonderful
holiday, even if it was short. We had to take our truck 'cause my car broke down, (long
story, don't want to go there even now, 'cause it's in the shop...yet again!)
Good thing we took the truck though! I found a used kiln while we on the island, and it
wouldn't have fit in my car. Needless to say, it's in better shape than mine, now to just fill it
and try it out!
As for the silent auction, what a blast!
I showed up just before the bidding ended, so I was able to purchase the blue heron painting!
It was a steal!!!! and I'm thrilled to have it!
The lady that purchased my painting came at the end too, to make sure she got it, as she really
liked it. I forced myself to say Hi & let her know that I was the person that painted it. She was very pleased to meet me, the artist, which is a title I still struggle with.
I tend to be shy about my work, so it takes a lot of effort to promote my creations. It's
something I really have to work on... any advice would be helpful!!!