Italian Girl With Flowers, 11x14 Oil on Canvas, after Sorolla

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I've had no time for painting this week, so I am posting a throwback to 2008, when our painting group, Pieces of Eight, decided to copy Impressionist masters as a learning exercise. I love Sorolla, so I copied one of my favorites, with the above result. Below is the original by Sorolla.

I also copied John Singer Sargent, the master portrait artist. The best thing I've ever done is team up with seven women with the same passion for painting that I have. It has been such an enriching experience in so many ways, and I have learned so much. 

                    Carmen

Bouquet, 7x5 Oil on Canvas

$89, Click to Purchase

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? Even though I live in Florida, my yard is so bedraggled right now. A tree is dying of a mysterious disease, my huge frangipani tree has not a leaf on it, but a little cluster of pink blossoms sits at the end of one branch, embarrassed at arriving early to the party. Oh, how I want that TV guy who comes home with you and redoes your whole back yard! I'll be watching for him when I'm at Lowe's! Until then, I'll just paint cheerful flowers and be happy I live in Florida, where the winters are beautiful.

The Lonely Little Frangipani

Palm Before the Storm, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

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I must be losing it. I could have sworn I posted this painting before, but I couldn't find it anywhere on my blog. I referred to it in my last post, then couldn't find it. It's always good to come up with another painting to post. This is my neighbor's coconut palm again, and a big storm was coming. When I see weather happening, I try to grab my camera and shoot this palm as it gracefully braces for some of the exciting weather we get here in Florida.

If there were a competition for "Widest Variety of Media this Month" I think I could win. I have oil paintings, poured acrylic, zentangle, and a graphite drawing that I am posting this month. I haven't done a collage lately, and I won't be squeezing that time-consuming activity in any time soon.

Creek Flowers, 6x6 Oil on Canvas Board

Robert Genn wrote in his blog PainterKeys.com about challenging students to paint a landscape in either 37 minutes or 37 strokes. I tried both, and above is the one I painted in 37 minutes. This was a fantastic exercise for loosening up, thinking more simply, and as the master Qiang Huang says, painting mindfully. I am pleased with the result.  

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Below is the one I first painted in 37 strokes, and that just didn't work. That is very few strokes; the trees used up 14 strokes. When I finished it looked like a first-grader did it, so I went on and noodled around with it a bit until it resembled something. It is the same scene I painted in my previous post dated June 19, with a lot more strokes. Next time I try this I'll make it a simpler landscape. I'm not thrilled with this one, but I'm not giving up. It's also good practice for painting greens, and who doesn't need that?

Mystery Bird, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

I am not sure what this bird is, and if anyone knows, please let me know. He was hanging out in the Everglades looking so cute, I just had to paint him. I donated him to the Lagoon Fest to be held in October 2014 to benefit Oyster Restoration for the Indian River Lagoon.

I read in the paper that a large number of pelicans and manatees have died here on the Space Coast, and it's likely because of the sorry condition of our waterways. The Banana River and Indian River are polluted by runoff from pesticides and fertilizers, and this is good for no one. Our river used to be full of clammers and I never see them any more. I don't think a green lawn is the priority here. I think I should have pride in the sorry-looking lawn we're sporting these days. I'm looking at it in a whole new way.

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Lydia at a Tapestry Loom, 24x18 oil on canvas

This is a direct copy of a Mary Cassatt painting done in the 1800s. My painting group, Pieces of 8, did copies of masters as a learning experience, and I went on to copy Sargent, Gauguin,Van Gogh and Homer. This was time very well-spent. My last post was a copy, too, which I neglected to mention.

 PURCHASE

Three of us Pieces of 8 members took Dianna Gessler's journaling workshop last Monday, and had a great time wandering around Cocoa Village sketching and painting. I am flush with ideas, and hope I remember them when I have some time! Check out our efforts by clicking here.  

Dream Boat, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Board

Going for a dreamy effect here, because the original scene was quite dull, in very flat light. In reviewing my work of the past two weeks, it looks like I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

I used to have a friend who would say, "When you grow up, you grow old, when you grow old, you die." Let's hear it for immaturity!

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Brass Bowl, 8x10 Oil on Canvas Board

The only thing that would make this painting harder would be to add a lemon. This was the result of the Qiang Huang workshop, which was a fabulous experience. If you like a challenge, try painting pewter, glass, brass and fruit in one painting, like this one.

I painted one yesterday that was a "scraper." I don't often scrape a painting away, but the one yesterday deserved it. A large part of a still life painting is the actual setup, and I should have known the pot was too bright yellow and the spotlight too far away. The irises were beautiful, but they got scraped too. Darn yellow pot.

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Feed Me, 6x6

I read online that artist Carol Marine challenged herself to do a painting using one color for each stroke, so I decided to try it. It was challenging and messy, but I was really happy with the result.  

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My Happy Place, 5x7

My friend Donna took this picture while I was doing the painting called "Riverside". The photo gave me such a happy feeling, I just had to paint it for myself. The sun was warm, the river was babbling, and occasionally a leaf would gently float down from a tree...(sigh).

NFS