12 hours total

It's getting there. I got a couple hours on it today and haveta let it sit again before i can do any more to it.

progress on 4-H painting

10 hours into it so far. The background has been tamed down with a layer of burnt sienna but is still not done. (When totally dry I will add in the shadows with a dry brush) The kids are beginning to look like kids, the calf has another layer and some detail, and Bear the dog has been added. Only been able to work on it an hour here n there this past week, and no idea what tomorrow brings. I'm thinking it'll live above the tv when it's finished.
I have the next couple ones planned out but have no big enuf canvases. I decided against painting murals in the boy's rooms- for one, they'll probably outgrow it, and two, they will move out eventually, and three, the mural at work- well, let's just say it's not a scenario I wanna repeat here, even if my time here is mine. So Paintings it is, and they can keep them if they want to. One is to be dragons and the other is to be a scene of Africa, so that'll be alot of fun to get to play with some new subjects....

Oil Painting progress

This is a 24x36" oil on canvas. 6 hours progress so far, and trying glazing techniques with this one. The hard part is leaving it alone to set when I'm used to finishing up a painting in a day or 2. It is to be my boys and thier 4-H calf, plus the dog, when it is finished.
I found today that even with the fantastic deal I got last year with buying somebody's studio clearout, I still need to replace some oil colors, as the lady's pallette was 'brighter' than what mine typically is due to her painting abstract and florals. So I need to get to a Hobby Lobby soon!
I also decided to start subscribing to some art magazines, namely 'The Pastel Journal" to aid with pastels, and am hunting for watercolor and oil paint themed ones as well. It can't hurt to gain knowlege anyway....

soft pastel attempt

Here is my first attempt at working with soft pastels, done in the fall of 2009. It is 9 x 11". Big suprise, it is my Paint mare Twista again lol. I don't recall what paper it is, as it came with some art supplies I'd bought at a garage sale, but the pastels were Rembrandts so it was a great deal! I have since gotten a set of 40 Sennelier half-sticks but havent tried them out yet.
I really love the way soft pastels handle and how vibrant and 'instant' they are compared to oil paints and watercolors. I still need to learn how to control the pigment and get some brushes and tools to use instead of my fingers for the tiny areas. However, I dont have an easel that tips forward or any quality papers right now. Add it to my list next time I get to a city lol. The wishlist keeps growing the more I get to play with art...

A finish!

This is a thank you gift for the gal who gave me Sierra. It is an old logging circular sawblade about 36" across, and has thier names on it as well. I left the full name off this photo for privacy reasons, but you can see the horses. They were very fun to do :). Done in latex exterior paints, 6 hours total work. It weighs a ton! (Well almost lol)

pictures to follow..

Have some more in the works that I hope to finish up and/or get pics of. Gonna be a crazy week at work so who knows how much free time I'll get. But hope remains

some more

This was another of Hubby's requests- 24 x 32" oil on canvas. In the origional the cattle are longhorns and the calf is laying down, and the horse and cowboy are different. He wanted the cattle to be Black Angus, the calf to be standing up, and I made the cowboy look like him and the horse look like my Paint mare Kajun. It was a fun painting to do, but I enjoyed painting Kajun the most ;) . This painting took 9 hours to do and was an all-nighter session during Xmas season 2007.

a sample

This is a painting I did 2 years ago. It is 24 x 32" oil on canvas. It is based on a painting by Larry Fanning, but my hubby wanted it to be us, my horses, his dog, and a black calf. So far it's my favorite painting but I need to get making more and then see ;) . The Paint horses in the painting are Twista, my Paint mare, and her sister Rohan (whom I no longer own). This painting took 14 hours to do.

2010 Begins.....

...With the resolution to take the artwork seriously. I've been dabbling in watercolors and made a few but nothing that's a big deal. Got out several orders for Christmas that were acrylics, and plan to start another soon. The mural at work is coming along slowly. Very Slowly. Becuz it's AT work where interuptions are inevitable.
What's really been on my mind is trying some new techniques with the oil painting- but in order to do so I need to get some oil mediums so have a shopping list as well. But oils are my oldest and still favorite medium, however, I wish I had more practice and even some teachers for it would be great. Havent had an art teacher since I was 11 years old, and that was 2 hours a week for 6 weeks. But she got me started in oils but only taught the 'wet into wet' painting technique, so there is SO much to learn.
So the list of art mediums to conquer in 2010 is Oils, Watercolors, Pastels, and more Pen n Ink for the graphic novels awaiting. Not to mention all the other art mediums I'd like to try!