Its all in the Details.

Its all in the Details. Its an old saying and for me artistically totally correct. In my art work of course I need to have the overall plan for the painting and I need to block in my shapes and have a good idea for the colour composition but in the end for me - it is all in the details.

What attracted me to paint that big horn sheep? It is the impact of seeing him in his natural setting. Both the animal and the setting are made up of such incredible details.  His gnarled horned curved and curling, his hair and features presented front of in the natural elements of grass and rock, mountain and sky. Those details call to me to pay the attention to them and render them as true to life as I can. To respect their intricate shapes and textures and do my best to represent them.

Right now working on that big horn sheep painting, the textures and details are singing to me. Watch for the finished painting sometime soon.

Lil Bear Cub

This painting has been a fun one.  A bright blue sky is a great backdrop to the kind of cuteness that you can only see in a bear cub. This cub and his brother shot up a tree while his mom and the other cub ran just over the hill.  Looking a bit perplexed, he peers down from his safe spot. 

This painting was created using Golden and Liquitex acrylics on canvas. It is full of representations of the textures of nature...the clear blue of the sky and its soft light clouds, the fuzzy texture of fur and linear bark, bear feet and nails....even the little twigs have their own texture. It is a pleasure to create all those varying textures with a paint brush.

February - the month for love

It is February- the month for love. Not only the love of my life (my husband ) but also the love of life. It is a month to focus and do what I love to do. For me that is painting and dreaming. I am painting in an effort to share a dream. Trying to fill a painted image with an illusive feeling is difficult, but it can and does happen.

 It is possible to share what you feel with another using only paint and canvas. In February, I try to get back to my basics, to rebalance what I am doing artistically and check to see that I am still doing what I love to do. That I am still painting what my heart sees. It is a chance to fall deeper in love with magic of art. The world outside is cold and snowy but inside my studio it is warm and full of promise - the promise of many unpainted and yet unshared dreams.