Christmas
Office Commemoration
Pink Princess
For a 4 year old who loves princesses and pink.
A Purple Unicorn
Lily
My Favorite House
Same house as in the previous post – different year, different niece, different angle. Still the same pleasure to paint!
2018 Ornaments
The problem with Christmas commissions is that I can not share them at the time of creation – and then I sometimes forget! So here is a catch-up on last year.
This was a gift to my first born niece (of 27 nieces and nephews). I hope to do one for each of them as they start their own home. This is the home she grew up in and one of my most favorite bulbs.
And pets! Always pets. I think of painting in oils in miniature as similar to sculpting – a little nudge of the paint here and a little one there to create that expression around the eyes. I remember a lot of nudging on this little girl.
This beauty went together in one sitting – a rare and wonderful experience.
I painted 9 last year (I will write up another post for the 9th). I keep my counts low so I can spend quality energy on them. When I was younger, I would paint many, but the images were quick and not personal (traditional New England horse and sleigh or barns and snow scenes.)Â This type takes far more time and the quality is crucial to preserve those memories.
So, no, I do not advertise on Etsy and other spaces.
The others created in 2018 can be found here:
- Hummingbird – a commission from the photographer
- Jack – an adorable little white dog
- A new home
- A couple of impressionistic kitties
Ornament Season
A Hummingbird Bulb
I have broken out into a whole new phase of my ornament painting. Realistic nature!
Remember the Inktober drawing I did of a hummingbird? The photographer of the “model” for that image contacted me to commission an ornament. Something I had not contemplated before.
I had never painted a hummer in oils, and certainly not on a curved surface. I started it then panicked, “I can’t do this!”
However, I know my process pretty well by now and panic is part of it. So I broke state, went shopping, then came back and was in a much more steadied state to finish the first layer. I began to breathe again.
After a couple of days to let that dry to a tacky surface, I began shaping the next layers, pushing paint around and making tiny little touches. Finally, today I finished it and feel like I have had a tremendous breakthrough in my art. This will always have a special place in my heart. I plan to use this little Rufous Hummingbird to help me push through some watercolor practices in the next month. He is very inspiring.