Day 18 - Join Me For Tea?

Have you ever been to a tea party?  I have fond memories of one I went to when I was a little girl, in a bonified tea room.  I don't remember much, but I do remember the pretty teacups.. the fancy cookies and just being enchanted to be there.  Maybe that is why I like painting tea cups so much.. Teacups have made it into many of my paintings, indeed, and I've definitely pondered why.

"Join Me For Tea", oil, 8"x8", purchasing details can be found here

...perhaps another reason I like painting teacups is because I used to make pottery years ago and made my fair share of teacups..  So, I've explored cups from the standpoint of actually designing and making them. I appreciate, for instance, a well designed handle, or a particularly elegant curve in the body of the cup..

 I also love that teacups and even drinking tea is symbolic in many cultures.. for instance the Japanese tea ceremony considers all aspects of having tea sacred from the preparation and serving of the tea to the types of vessels used. (read more about this beautiful ceremony here)  

And lastly I thoroughly enjoy drinking tea!  Earl Grey, Yunan Bo nay, Special Gun Powder Green tea, and Jasmine are some of my favorites but I've a whole cabinet full of different kinds.  

So, I guess that is enough reasons why I paint teacups, don't you think? So anyway, will you join me? :)

Day 17 - On Closer Inspection

I love painting birds, and sparrows are one of my favorites.. They are just a friendly bunch who often will hang out in groups and are very common in many parts of the world.. Their markings are so pretty to capture as well.. :)

Marbles on the other hand.. no, just kidding. I do like painting marbles and in fact I love marbles in general.. pretty little mini universes that they are and all.. But man, I haven't painted marbles in several years and I forgot just how hard they are to paint! The reflections, transparency, shadows and distortion.. all in this tiny ball, are challenging to say the least. I am not complaining, I promise...  I enjoy trying to capture the complexity and hope I do a half decent job at it.. Not sure if I achieved half decency with this one or not, but I'm pleased enough.

On another note, if you have marbles from your youth, don't get rid of them! I was looking up marbles on eBay when looking for reference pictures and 'vintage' marbles are quite expensive!  So, save your marbles folks!

"On Closer Inspection", oil 8"x8", purchasing details can be found here

Day 11 - Cherished

 A plump sparrow sits atop a tasty cupcake with an icing rose nestled against a background of warm pink tones. Roses are traditionally symbolic of love and friendship which I think most of us know.. but did you know that in ancient Greek mythology, sparrows were considered a symbol of love too?  In fact the sparrow was the sacred bird of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. They are also known for their bravery and creativity and in some cultures, if a sparrow flies into your house, there will soon be a wedding in your family.

Since this one is all about the love, I titled this one "Cherished".  And yes, the whole time I was typing this, Cherish the love by Kool in the Gang was playing in my head...

Cherish the love we have
For as long as we both shall live
Cherish the love
Cherish the life
Cherish the love

♥

"Cherished", oil on panel, 10"x10", click here for purchasing details

Day 28 - Suzume Cherries

Cherries are such a delectable fruit. When they are in season, a bowl of them is about the best treat I could have. Cherries have symbolized many things through time, but I like the symbolism of good fortune.. so here is a cup full of good fortune, topped with a little sparrow.  Suzume means sparrow in Japanese and these little industrious birds are symbolic of finding the joy in the little things in life.  I like to think that by adopting the positive attitude of finding joy in the little things, we invite good fortune into our lives.. This little painting carries that message within.

Suzume Cherries, oil, 10"x10", to purchase click here

Guess where I was when I painted this...

Day 19 - Buttonwood Sparrows

 Good morning :) Today's painting is a new one in my Three Little Birds series.  I designed this one at the same time I designed day 5's painting - Good Things Come in Threes.  Charmed with sparrows and their curious little gazes.. it's fun combining 3 in the same painting to create entertaining compositions.  The leaves are changing color every day, inspiring this warm palette of Autumn leaves.

Buttonwood Sparrows, oil, 6"x12, purchasing details here

Here's a pic of my mobile studio set up while I painted this one :)

Day 20 of the 30 in 30 - "Unconditional"

I am entering this painting into a local show put on by the Berk's Art Alliance, that is themed "Aspects of Love."  The opening for the show is this Sunday, February 25th With all of the birds I am painting lately, I tried to imagine how birds might show their 'love' with each other.  I would think that the duty and love that parent birds show when they are feeding their babies with untiring consistency is encouragement for any parent who might need Inspiration from the natural world. 

I used acrylic paint for this painting instead of oils. As acrylics respond VERY differently when using them in a painting, I have developed very different techniques when painting with them.  I tend to use matte medium and paint layer upon layer (commonly called glazing) to create depth and the feeling I am looking for. Here is my take on Aspects of love. <3

Unconditional, acrylic, 12"x12", on hold

Berks Art Alliance Demonstration

I am doing a demonstration at the Berks Art Alliance tonight where I will demonstrate my alla prima techinque and talk about my materials and process that I have developed over the past few years. I wanted to post a video that shows one of my paintings being painted from start to finish as a supplement to my talk, and for people to reference later if they wish.  Below is a time lapse video of a painting I did yesterday which is very similar to the one I will be demonstrating tonight. 

* Please scroll all the way down to see the finished painting with a link to purchase.

Materials used:

Medium: 2 parts linseed oil, 1 part stand oil, 1 part gamsol

Paint: Titanium white, buff titanium white, cad red pale, cad red medium, cad yellow pale, ultramarine blue, burnt umber

Brushes: Blick Master stroke bristle brushes - Flats sizes 3,4,6,8,10, filbert size 4; 

Silver Bristlon - long filbert 6, regular filbert 4

Generic fan brush - smallish

Assorted Palette knives

Panel - Tempered hardboard panel coated with 2 coats of GAC 100 and 2 coats of white gesso

Finished Painting

House Sparrow on Red Chuck, oil on panel, 9"x12"
to purchase, please click here