You have GOT to see Alex and his detail shots. Click here to see him on auction!

Here’s a little bitty image, but clicky on the link above to go see the good stuff. I am SO pleased with this piece!!

I’ve decided to name this sweetie Alex. It’s a gender free name (since I am not sure of the gender), and it’s abbreviated for Alexandria, which is where I met him (her?). Remember that airplane sketch/study? I will probably include the study with the painting. 🙂 The first WIP shot is pretty funny, looks like blue feathers and a beak just floating around, this one is more grounded. I should have it finished tonight or tomorrow morning and will list it on eBay. (it’s 12×16 in oil)

Mackie is finished! Here she is!

I am so excited, my new dishwasher will be delivered and installed today!

Since Mark’s initial departure in November, we lost the stove, the furnace, and the dishwasher. I had the stove replaced before he came home for Christmas, the furnace went out shortly after he left again so we had that repaired, and then the dishwasher. I’ve been handwashing for over a month. blech. Yesterday morning, Jayden and I went and picked out the new one, and I am excited to test it immediately with the 4 days of dishes that I have refused to do. hehe!

I began working on my pet portrait commission yesterday, the Cockatiel. What a beautiful bird! I love their rosy cheeks. 🙂 It will be finished later today and go to my client for proof/approval. It felt good to paint yesterday (in india ink), I have to say I am in love with all of my chosen medium. Seems like each new thing I learn in a different medium I can apply to another, and it’s really cool!

I’ve also decided that I am going to rework Mark’s portrait in oils. This will happen between commissions and ebay pieces, either that or I’ll break for a couple of weeks to just paint him. I really want to push myself to do awesome figurative pieces in oil, I also want to feel closer to him by painting him and remembering little things about his appearance that seem to fade with so much time apart. It will be a good thing!

Lastnight I tried to play Dr. Doolittle, with no success. 🙁 I heard a cat crying outside so I went to look for him and saw him, a sweet black cat, near my fence. I approached slowly, and he seemed receptive, rubbing up against the bushes and yowling. I didn’t have any luck making contact though. He wanted to stay out in the cold and snow. fooey.

I spose I better get back to “work”, though it doesn’t seem like work to me!

Have a great day!!
xoxoxo

I’m creating this sweet Bernese Mountain Dog puppy painting for a raffle at the 2004 Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America National Specialty taking place in Mesquite, Texas in just a couple of weeks. It’s 8″x8″ on a canvas panel, in OILLLLLLLLSSSSS 🙂

Here it is now, I finished it up and it’s wet, hence the glare. It’ll be a couple of days before this one is dry enough to ship.

And the first wip shot:

I listed the Egret here: eBay Egret Listing

Using my new template! Have a look and let me know what you think!
🙂

Here’s the Monochromatic Blue Egret piece, I’ve signed it, it’s done, but I won’t list it on ebay until tomorrow when it dries. (and I will be listing with my new fancy schmancy site-matching template, too!) I hope it feels as peaceful to you as it does to me. I really enjoyed working this. Here was my palette: Cerulean Blue, Cobalt, French Ultramarine (oo-lala, Lolo), White, Dioxazine Violet (just a smidge to deepen the French Ultramarine) and Alizarin Crimson to deepen even further on the beak and foot reflection (and my sig).

Yes, that’d be plural. I did start both of my next paintings lastnight. You can click the thumbs for a larger view. 🙂

The Macaw (the ref pic is tacked above the painting):

The Monochrome Blue Egret (ref pic beside the piece):

Both pieces are in oil. Finally, something artful!

I’m back. Mark departed early AM for Kuwait, with stops along the way. He already called from the first stop.

The trip was wonderful, I arrived to find him waiting at the airport – we went to find our hotel and WEE that was fun! Have you ever driven a “roundabout”? Crazy I tell ya. Can’t you just make a left? No, you have to go down 2 miles and then follow this big circle and come back. LOL Once we figured out how a roundabout worked, we were good. 😉 Got checked in, and went to dinner at a Cajun restaurant next to the hotel. I tried so many new things, I’m proud of myself! That evening we started with stuffed mushrooms (yum) which were stuffed with a chopped crawfish breading. I had Stuffed Snapper (also stuffed with crawfish and topped with a creamy seafood sauce). Mark had Blackened snapper, and we both had seafood etoufee. (and wine, and beer!)

He wanted to get his fill of fast food before we left as well. So there was Taco Bell, McDonald’s and Applebee’s on that last evening for steaks, Long Island Iced Tea and Raspberry Kiwi Margaritas. 😉

Things are closed on Monday’s down there, so we didn’t get to go to the art museums in Alexandria as we’d hoped. I did get some neat pics that I’ll scan later on. We ended up spending Monday driving to Marksville and stopping at the Paragon Casino & Hotel Resort. BOOOOO we didn’t win anything! We lost. 🙁 It was fun though, we paired up side by side on some nickel video poker machines and lasted a good hour before we depleted the rest of our casino fun money. When we got back we had enough time (I think it was Monday?!) to hop over to the local zoo, where I got some more very cool reference pics to paint from.

Tuesday we did it! We got our TATTOOS! That’s just the pic of mine. Mark’s is on his left shoulder, and I did get more pics on my regular camera that I have to have developed. I took progress pics of JD doing mine, I hope they turn out well! Our Tattoo artist was amazing, and funny that we ended up selecting him, because he’s originally from Iowa.

I had picked up the book “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Tracy Chevalier and read it on the way down. Well the natives were restless, so I also did this in gel pens in my little notebook I brought along. I’ve been wanting to paint that piece for a lonnng time, and now that I’ve worked that little sketch I think I’m feeling brave enough!

On the way back, I had stowed some of my zoo pics in my purse to work from, and we had also stopped at Hobby Lobby and I picked up a smaller purse sized sketchpad and more india ink brush pens. On the flight from Alexandria to Memphis, I doodled this macaw and then from Memphis to Minneapolis I doodled this squirrel. I met a really nice man in the seat across the aisle who watched as I doodled and it was neat to see his interest in art!

Ok I’m done for now, more later!!

Missed you all!
xoxoxxoo