Keep experimenting!

"Quirky Friends"   Acrylic
Accepted into the San Diego International 2020 Exhibition

This painting started by me doing a blind contour drawing onto tracing paper.  I did each girl separately and then held my finger on the side so that I could maybe position them where I wanted them.  Blind contour means that you do NOT look at your paper, and you don't lift your pencil.  It's a great way to loosen up and get some unusual free paintings.  I had done a really abstract beginning, using acrylic and when I traced my new drawing onto the underpainting,  I loved how the design cut through their faces.  And the outfits just painted themselves, looking like the one on the right had bare shoulder.  This was a total experiment for me, and was so much fun to do.  I definitely plan to do more!  Notice how the light pathway leads the viewer all through the painting.  That's always very important to me.  This painting was accepted into the San Diego International 2020 Exhibition, where there were 874 entries and juror, Michael Reardon, picked 100 paintings to be included in the show.  This is one of the top shows in the USA.  I'm honored to be a part of it.

"Mermaid Madness", # 9 Wire Drawing of the 30 Day Challenge

"Mermaid Madness"        7" x 10"
Sold            Ink on Paper

I'm staying with a good friend in Florida right now, and she collects mermaids, so I gave this one to her for a hostess gift. This one was especially fun to do, and I love the shapes that appeared in the lower left corner that almost look like musical notes.  That was unintentional, but I like it! Right now, I'm painting with Tammy and Karlyn for 3 days before I start my workshop at The Villages on Monday.  We are doing all kinds of new techniques.  It's so fun to share with other artists and try new things!  I am blessed!

"Read my Mind", #8 Wire Drawing (30 Day Challenge)

"Read my Mind"  Price:  $50
7" x 10"    Ink on Paper

Yesterday, I spent most of the day creating starts for my demo paintings for The Villages workshop that I'll be teaching in FL next week.  I have to do that, because I'm basically a slow painter, and my rule is to only demo for one hour in the morning, and 30minutes in the afternoon.  I like to make my workshops fun and easy, and I know that most people tire of watching someone paint after about an hour.  It's a lot of work, but sure makes it easier for me once I get there!
So, finally, at the end of the day, I decided to sketch a bit in front of the TV.  This one was a real stretch for me, because it is more realistic than many of my paintings. I named it "Read my Mind" because I can't tell what she is thinking.  It feels so good to be feeling good enough to paint and sketch again. I am very thankful!