Keeping Warm

 

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

We've had a super mild winter here in Missoula, but right now it's having one last gasp with several inches of snow. Fortunately it's pretty to look at out the window as I nurse the last of my cold. This dog can relate.

Perched on Dots

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've had a cold for a few days. The pressure in my head when I become horizontal makes it hard to sleep, so even though I feel crummy, I've mostly kept myself upright and busy, at least during the day. But I tried to paint yesterday, and what I found is that the crumminess was too distracting, and probably the exhaustion from not sleeping well, and nothing I painted turned out. Luckily I'm still ahead with my paintings, so here's a cute kitty from better days.

Simply Delightful

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

This was one of those times with painting where I went into a zone and when I came out there was this lovely dog. It required no thinking or fussing. It's what I call a "paint-gasm." And I live for them. : )

Don't Get Distracted

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

My dog loves to go outside and sniff. She'll wander around happily sniffing every part of the yard, even when it's super cold and we have to just stand there and wait. I say "potty" every few minutes just to remind her of the task at hand. Otherwise she just stays distracted.

Paddling in Cobalt

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

I found a reference image with too many ducks, so I cropped in on this little batch. Even then I had to omit a couple to make it work. Then I started to paint, keeping it very abstract. I put the eyes in at the very end, stepped back, and suddenly they were ducks. So cool when that happens.

Got Nuts?

 

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

This is from another borrowed photo reference by Dan Johnson (who painted these gorgeous swans recently). This squirrel became a lot more tediously painted than I normally do, but I really enjoyed it, and I like the result. I think I always shoot for simple and minimal, but sometimes an image just asks for more refinement. I guess this must be a very refined, super-posh, gentle-squirrel.

Power of the Flower

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I just did an AI image search on this painting to see if it would identify the kind of flower (even though it's just a fake one, haha). It says, "The artwork is a still life by artist Carol Marine," and identifies the flower as a "sunflower," which I've painted a lot of, and it showed examples. Obviously it got the artist right (which I probably shouldn't be surprised by? even though I am), but I'm not sure about the flower. Maybe a cone flower? Thoughts about any of this?

So Happy to SEE You

 

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

I'm getting to that age where I need glasses to see anything up close. I have yet to come up with a system whereby I carry them around with me, so I will screw up my face trying to see until my hub says, "Oh just use mine!" I suppose it doesn't really matter for dogs to see that clearly. We have domesticated them into (mostly) pure uselessness. Well, I shouldn't say that. They are providers of cuteness and love, which is a lot.

Did You Say Ball?

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've discovered a new use for my ipad. After I've worked on a painting for a while, if it still doesn't seem quite right, I take a picture of it with my ipad, and put it in an art app side by side with the reference (preferably the same size). My goal is not to make them identical, but often I can see quickly where I might have gone awry with proportion* or value. I might make some adjustments to the image of the painting first, undo and redo until I like it, and then commit to the changes in paint.

*If you use Infinite Painter, you can drag the reference image over the painting image, make it the same size, and hold it with 2 fingers. This makes the top image translucent, and then you can really see any proportion issues.

Oldie

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I thought this was probably a bulldog, but I wasn't sure so I did an image search - on my painting. Boy is it gratifying to have the internet identify it immediately. That means I painted not only something that is recognizable as "dog" but also the specific breed. And all with a stick with some hairs stuck to the end, and some colored goop. : )

Newbie

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

This cutie is looking for a forever home. : )

Twisty Perch

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

A lot of the bird photos I find include pretty uninspiring perches. This bird (a Coal Tit) picked a lovely branch to sit on. Many thanks to the bird and the photographer!

Shocking

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

This tiger had a surprised look that I wanted to try and capture. It's surprising, I know.

You're My Bird

Click Here to Bid - 8x6in. - oil on panel

I found the adorable reference for this one on a new (to me) site called Envato. I always thought it would be prohibitively expensive to buy reference images, but this one has a reasonable subscription plan.

Credit for the title goes to MY bird, Mr. Marine.

Oh Yawn

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

I'm told this is an African wild dog. As opposed to a hyena. Caught in mid-yawn. So bored. But so great to paint.

I'm All Ears

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Here's one with a similar theme as my last painting. You might think I like sad dogs, but really these last 2 images were just a perfect opportunity for me to dive into all those little bits of fun color, especially in these ears!

I'll Just Be Here

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x8in. - oil on panel

Whenever we leave the house, our dog sits and watches the door, waiting for our return. We know this because we have a camera and no matter when we check, there she is. Poor dogs. What goes through their minds? Are they traumatized by this? Thank goodness our dog seems to forget immediately upon our return, completely joyful and ready for a long nap.

Soulful

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

One of the things I've been doing lately that is really helping me, especially with these animal paintings: sneaking up on darks. Basically I am squinting at the dark areas so they kind of run together, and then roughing those areas in with a paint color that is not my darkest color, but also doesn't include any white. I usually do this with a mix of ultramarine blue, cadmium red, and cadmium yellow - which I can lean towards whatever color is there (for example, this guy had more red in the darks). I get the entire animal filled in with other colors before I add the darkest darks wherever they need to go.

Egg Order

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

Here's something a bit different for me. ; )

Peli

 

Click Here to Bid - 6x6in. - oil on panel

I've only painted a handful of pelicans, but I think they're really marvelous. We once came across an old one at the coast in Oregon. It was a little ornery (probably because it was old and hurting), but it was so cool to see it up close.