I've Come a Long Way baby

Back in January, Istarted throwing clay pots and totally fell in love with it. I began veryhumbly, creating little pots. The clay and myinexperience, totallydictated to me what I was going to make and the result was never very big, tall or exciting. Iwas proud of what I did, but I think Iam progressing very nicely. I have begun making some very cool pot bellied vessels with lids, that are still evolving. some bowls, that are a nice
size, some vases... the list goes on. I still love my paintings,but look forward to when the clay studio reopens in September. I have already made a list of things I am going to make for Christmas gifts and to sell at my open Studio in the Fall. I love the challenge of the new medium and the camaraderie with other artists in the studio. Below are some examples of my new pieces. Some are already sold, which really blows my mind since I just started. Thanks to those of you who have been buying both my ceramics and paintings.

Painting Demonstration

Every artist has their own certain style and way of painting. I have often been asked about mine and I thought that it would be nice to share how I do a painting, more or less step by step. This is a Blu Hen cutout given to me by the Newark Arts Alliance for a fundraiser they are doing now through September. Please go to my Facebook page for bidding info.

After applying gesso to the plywood cutout, I draw my images with a light pencil. I start by mixing acrylic emerald green with a little cadmium red for a deep green background and paint in around the images. Next, I mix that same cadmium red with a transparent rose and white to lay the middle tones for the flamingos

.

Next, I mixed a little ultramarine blue into the pink and red to paint in some of the darks on the flamingos and some cadmium orange light into the beaks.

Next I mix a little viridian with yellow and start painting in some background leaves

overlapping the flamingos in some areas.

From this point I start working the painting back and forth.

I mix some emerald green with some cadmium red to create dark darks in the back ground that will give depth to the painting. I mix cadmium red with the ultramarine and rose to get deep shadows on the Flamingos also adding to the depth and creating a 3 dimensional feel. The transparent rose is just that, so I mix it with some white and go over the flamingoes to get them to give them a solid pink .

Next I go back into the leaves, having mixed highlights with cadmium yellow light and viridian. I start to add flowers, overlapping them in places with leaves and flamingos approaching them in the same manner as the entire painting. Lay in the middle tones, add the darks, then the highlights. I want the flamingoes to kind of glow, so I go over them with a thin wash of the transparent rose a couple of times.

The last thing I do is add the little details of the eyes. I painted the whites, let them dry and used a black sharpy to draw them in, then added the little reflection with white paint. Voila! Done and done! Please let me know what you think of my painting and ask any questions you might have :0)

How I Paint-Challenge #7

I got in the studio at a decent hour today and produced this little painting. I don't think it is done, there are a couple of things I would like to improve upon but I had to get off of my foot. I have had it in an air cast for the last week after having the dreaded steroid shot in my heel for plantar faciitis. It was feeling pretty good but I

guess maybe I overdid it, so here I sit- blogging

with ice under it.....I thought I would show you how I sometimes paint. Often my work is straight out of my imagination

but I sometimes need a prompt or reference like I showed you in the "Can We Play More?" painting. Here I will take you through the whole process of this

painting.

This is the clip art reference I started from

I initially envisioned it as a beach scene and started laying in color for sand and sky

Then I start painting in the children

I decided that it was too flat, that there was not enough contrast, so it became a lawn game :0)

So I added a few small details, like grass and polka dots on the ball and there you have it. Like I said, I think it still needs a little work, but a good exercise nonetheless.