What is Krista Painting Now?

My First Watercolor Batik on Rice Paper

2011-12-05T18:07:00.000-04:00

Here is the first batik I did. it is 11x14 on rice paper. As you can see I was able to get much more light in my second one below. It is a great experience and process for me because you cannot help but loosen up. Excited about starting my next one. I will keep you posted.

Watercolor Batik on Rice Paper - Forest Glow

2011-12-04T21:35:00.000-04:00

This is the second watercolor on rice paper I have done. I love the effect you get with the rice paper. There has been a bit of a learning curve, but I can see a lot of potential with this process. I am off to plan my next one! I will post a picture of my first one once I get a picture.

Close up of the detail of the batik effect on the rice paper.
Thanks for stopping by. Happy Painting!

Sunflowers full Sheet Watercolor Painting Finished!

2011-10-26T21:05:00.001-03:00

I am calling this one done, I will frame it tomorrow after I have a chance to stare at it for a while just to make sure. Feels good to have it done. I was just excited to pull the tape off of the edges (that is the best part)
Hope everyone has an awesome week!

Sunflowers full Sheet Watercolor Painting Update 6

2011-10-22T22:31:00.000-03:00

I thought I would post this on my studio easel to give you a better idea of the size. It is a full sheet of 200 pound cold press paper. I am getting close to having this done, I will post it up close as soon as it is finished.

Sunflowers full Sheet Watercolor Painting Update 5

2011-10-16T19:41:00.000-03:00

Update before this:

I posted my latest update and then the one before that so you could see the difference. I have done a lot of work on this even though at first glance it may not look like it. The biggest thing was adding some warmth to the shadows. I also added another layer to the background, and many layers of yellow to the petals some warm some cool. As I build up the shadows you can begin to see the depth that it creates. A couple little tweaks and the left hand sunflowers will be done. Then I will concentrate on the main one. You can see the process how my centers start out with blue (my husband says you are not leaving it blue are you lol) and then I will glaze over top until I get the desired value and color.

Wild Daisies - Watercolor Painting - Finished

2011-10-13T15:12:00.000-03:00

Here it is all done. At the very end once I was done with the petals I tweaked the background adding some dark and vibrant bits of color for more contrast.

Wild Daisies - Watercolor Painting - Step 3

2011-10-13T14:39:00.000-03:00

Once the background is mainly done I remove the masking. I will finish the flowers and at the very end tweak the background if it needs it.

Wild Daisies - Watercolor Painting - Step 2

2011-10-13T11:32:00.000-03:00

Once my initial layer was dry I went back and added another layer to deepen the colors. Also adding some red to get some nice violets. Once this is dry I will repeat this step to get the darkness that I want.

Wild Daisies - Watercolor Painting - Step by Step Demo

2011-10-13T11:20:00.000-03:00

This is one of the ones I started back with the Clematis painting. I will post this in between the sunflower. It is 11x14 on 200 pond cold pressed paper. I masked out the petals and stems then loosely dropped in some blue and yellow following the light pattern in the background.

Sunflowers full Sheet Watercolor Painting Update 4

2011-10-11T09:59:00.000-03:00

I continued working on the petal and starting some of the layers on the centers. All of the centers started out blue and were glazed over top with other colors. It is much brighter in real life, I am not sure why but blogger always seems to darken the pictures I upload.

Sunflowers full Sheet Watercolor Painting Update 3

2011-10-10T13:34:00.000-03:00

Still working away on the petals. I am really enjoying painting larger. I put the first couple of layers on the center of one of the sunflowers.

Sunflowers full Sheet Watercolor Painting Update 2

2011-10-10T13:10:00.000-03:00

Here I have continued working on the petals. I have kept the background the same, I will wait until I am finished the flowers and see if it needs adjusting.

Sunflowers full Sheet Watercolor Painting Update 1

2011-10-10T13:06:00.000-03:00

I wet the background and dropped in random colors letting them mingle on the paper. I also started defining some of the petals on the inside sunflower.

Sunflowers full Sheet Watercolor Painting Step by Step

2011-10-10T13:00:00.000-03:00

This is a watercolor painting I have started for my show, it is a full sheet of 200 pound cold press. I am quite excited to do one this big I normally do not paint this large. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Purple Clematis Flowers - Watercolor Painting Finished

2011-10-01T14:06:00.000-03:00

Finished this last night. I darkened the background some in spots and I removed the mask from the center of the main flower making sure to keep my biggest contrast here. I added some purple shadows at the base against the yellow for added impact. This painting is 16x20 and it is hard to see the full effect when you make them a smaller size for the internet. Once I have it framed I will take a picture of it hanging and post it to give you an idea of the full effect. Thanks for looking. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Purple Clematis Flowers - Watercolor Painting Update 4

2011-09-29T13:17:00.000-03:00

Still working away on several paintings. Here is the progress on the clematis, I still have to work on the main flower some more and finish the background then I can go in and do the center at the last

Purple Clematis Flowers - Watercolor Painting Update 3

2011-09-24T17:57:00.000-03:00

worked more on the background and petals. This still has a long ways to go.

Purple Clematis Flowers - Watercolor Painting Update 2

2011-09-24T09:52:00.002-03:00

I continued developing the flowers and suggesting some of the background. I love the depth of color that this clematis has. I also have a light mauve one that grows with it.

Purple Clematis Flowers - Watercolor Painting Update 1

2011-09-23T22:51:00.000-03:00

I normally do my backgrounds first, but where the flowers were such a deep purple I decided to get the colors of the flower in first as not to make my background too dark.

Purple Clematis Flowers - Watercolor Painting Work in Progress

2011-09-23T22:48:00.000-03:00

I currently have 4 watercolors and 1 Acrylic on the go. I will post each one until completed before I post the others. This is 16x20 and I started this on Tuesday along with 2 other new ones. (acrylic and Peony have been ongoing) I actually have been making more progress with the white peony and will post it as soon as it is complete. These purple clematis grow up my light post at the end of my driveway, I love the movement and turns of these flowers. definitely one of my favourites. I will post an update soon as I have done more on this. I seem to be having a time problem lately .. I can't seem to find enough to do everything that I want lol These flowers are being painted for a solo show I have coming up in the spring. I hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Crazy Daisy ! Acrylic painting on textured gallery canvas

2011-09-19T18:21:00.000-03:00

This was a fun acrylic I did on an 8x8 gallery canvas that I had texture first. I used the acrylic in very thin washes slowly building up color and dimension. I really enjoy working on the textured surface. Thanks for looking, have a great night everyone!!

Back to Watercolors - Sunflower Painting

2011-09-09T10:07:00.000-03:00

Just finished this one this morning. It is watercolor and the size is 11x14. I had gone out last weekend to get some reference shots and this was a sunflower I can found along my way.

Fuchsia Flower - Acrylic on Paper

2011-09-03T14:54:00.001-03:00

This is another Acrylic layered on paper and mounted to a wood painting support. It was actually finished before my pears. Since painting on the textured canvas I have completed a few more on the textured canvas, I will post them later when I get a chance. This picture has a bit of glare from the varnish, so around the edges are actually a little darker.

Stand Off - Acrylic Pear Paintings on Textured Canvas

2011-09-03T12:50:00.000-03:00

These acrylic paintings were done on 6x6 canvases that I had applied texture to. I layered my colours with thin acrylic paint letting the underneath colours show through. I am definitely drawn to the texture and these little guys have given me so many new ideas. Hope you like them . Thanks for looking!

Close up of texture.

Acrylic Daffodil Painting on Paper (mounted on a wood support)

2011-08-27T16:36:00.000-03:00

This is also acrylic done in the same manner as I would glaze my watercolors. It is 8x10" and mounted on a gallery wood support.

Echinacea Pink Cone Flowers Acrylic Painting on Paper

2011-08-27T11:57:00.000-03:00

This was my next Acrylic on paper, I love the way the acrylics stay so bold and vibrant. This one is also mounted on a wood support.

Watercolor versus Acrylic - Clematis Painting done in Watercolor

2011-08-27T11:46:00.000-03:00

This is the same clematis as in the Acrylic, I actually painted this one first in watercolor and then tried the acrylic version (see post before this one) There are things I really like about both versions, but I really like the fact that with the acrylic I do not have to worry about framing behind glass.

Acrylic Clematis Painting on Paper - Mounted on gallery wood support

2011-08-26T15:06:00.000-03:00

This is my first attempt to use acrylics like watercolor, I love the depth you can achieve. Being a glazer it is nice to have each layer to be permanent. I have done some more and will post them soon. Over all I am really like the effects I can achieve with the acrylics.

White Peony Watercolor Painting - Update 5

2011-08-23T17:32:00.000-03:00

I am still working on my peony, not as often as I would like. It is still not close to being done, hopefully I will be able to give it more of my attention. I have also been busy experimenting with acrylic and paper, also mounting and varnishing watercolor and acrylic used as watercolor. I will post some of my pieces hopefully tomorrow when I get a chance. I am also busy painting for a solo show in the spring of 2012. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog I appreciate it, I also welcome comments and suggestions. Have a great night everyone

White Peony Watercolor Painting - update 4

2011-05-14T22:19:00.000-03:00

It is slow going with the peony, I have to work on other things as well so I started an oil landscape and I also stretched some watercolor paper onto stretcher bars and I am doing a watercolor on that as well. This peony is 16x20 as well as the oil. the watercolor stretched is only 8x10. I did not want to get into anything big trying something new. I will post pictures of the others as soon as I get caught up. Happy Painting and have an awesome weekend everyone!

White Peony Watercolor Painting - update 3

2011-04-25T20:53:00.000-03:00

Still working on my latest peony watercolor painting. I am just starting to develop some of the more shadowed petals, this will give me a reference to compare all of the rest to. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. I also finished a painting of a green crab for a calendar to raise money for an educational aquarium, I will post about it later on when I get a chance.

Happy Painting!!

White Peony Watercolor Painting - WIP Update 2

2011-04-08T12:54:00.000-03:00

I am working away on the shadowed parts of the petals, this is going to be a long one lol, I think I will start another painting so I have something to work on as this one is drying.

White Peony Watercolor Painting - WIP Update 1

2011-04-08T11:53:00.000-03:00

I mainly worked on the background making it darker, I also started a couple of the petals.

White Peony Watercolor Painting - Work in Progress WIP

2011-03-31T21:22:00.000-03:00

This is the latest watercolor painting I am working on, it is a White Peony 16x20" on 200lb CP paper. I have started working on the background, I will add a couple more layers before moving to the petals of the peony. These peonies grows in my neighbors garden and they are so beautiful, I can sometimes be found early in the morning in my pjs sneaking through their yard taking pictures, with permission of course (for the pictures not the pj's lol ) Sometimes the light is just perfect and I know if I take the time to get dressed I will miss it. Thank goodness nobody else is up this early on my street :)

Tulips and Crystal Watercolor Painting WIP on Art Board - Finished!

2011-03-19T12:01:00.000-03:00

Just finished this one this morning. It is amazing the color difference when you actually shoot in daylight :) the blue is still a little off, but that's on my monitor who knows lol I calibrate my monitor with software and hardware and it is still a mystery to me.
It is sunny here today I am hoping that the temperature gets high enough for me to varnish this one today.

Tulips and Crystal Watercolor Painting WIP on Art Board - Update 4

2011-03-17T22:36:00.000-03:00

I am still working away on the vase, I think the tulips are just about right, I will continue to work on the crystal, one shape at a time, adding the same colors that I used for the tulips and background :) I also started a 16x20 white peony today and it was so nice with the sunshine I got to varnish 4 watercolor paintings out on the deck, wow what a difference the varnish makes when using the board.

Tulips and Crystal Watercolor Painting WIP on Art Board - Update 3

2011-03-12T14:39:00.000-04:00

Still continuing to develop the tulips and I have started to block in some of the color shapes of the crystal. I forgot how much I enjoy painting flowers, I am starting to paint for an upcoming show so I will be doing a lot more in the months to come. I have used the same colors for the pattern in the crystal as I have been using for the leaves and background. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend :)

Tulips and Crystal Watercolor Painting WIP on Art Board - Update 2

2011-03-11T12:31:00.000-04:00

I added the shadow from the vase and flowers with Cobalt + Perylene green and while it was wet I dropped in some winsor red. I worked more on the tulips and leaves. I meant to post sooner but as you can see I got carried away. I did use a bit of new gamboge on some of the leaves and a few of the tulip petals to warm them up some.

Tulips and Crystal Watercolor Painting WIP on Art Board - Update 1

2011-03-10T19:16:00.000-04:00

I worked some more on the leaves, glazing over the previously painted ones with hansa yellow. I started working on some of the the tulips (one petal at a time) with winsor red and winsor + cobalt for the shaded areas. I will probably put in the shadow from the vase next. Have a great night everyone, happy painting!

Tulips and Crystal Watercolor Painting Step by Step demo on Art Board

2011-03-10T18:46:00.000-04:00

This is the tulips and crystal painting I started while working on my last still life with Pee Wee. This is also 16x20 and done on the watercolor board. I set this still life up with the help of my shadow box (yes I am addicted to it) in my studio. I started the background with some cobalt blue dulled down with a tiny bit of dark green, then I started to define a few of the leaves with hansa, sap and cobalt.

Pee Wee in a Still Life Watercolor Painting - Finished!

2011-03-10T18:32:00.000-04:00

Here it is finally, all finished :) I finished this one the other day and i am also working on a still life with tulips and crystal. I will post some on the tulips hopefully tonight. Have a great night everyone! Thanks for looking and thanks for taking the time to comment

Pee Wee in a Still Life Watercolor Painting - Work in Progress Update 5

2011-02-25T10:35:00.000-04:00

I am feeling like I can start to see the light with this painting lol. I am starting to work more on the glass bowl, everything else in the painting is just about done except for a few tweaks at the end. once I finish the glass bowl I will go back and see what needs to be tweaked and then I will be done. This Watercolor Still Life is on the Canson Art Board and is 16x20".

Pee Wee in a Still Life Watercolor Painting - Work in Progress Update 4

2011-02-24T22:30:00.000-04:00

An update on the still Life Watercolor Painting with Pee Wee the Elephant. I worked some more on the fabric, I did not like how the fabric was hitting the left edge of the bowl creating a distraction from the bowl so I scrubbed it some making it go behind the bowl. I will go back in once it is good and dry with more paint to blend it in with the rest of the fabric. I started working a little on the bowl and some on the pear and Pee Wee. Hope everyone has a great night!

Pee Wee in a Still Life Watercolor Painting - Work in Progress Update 3

2011-02-18T11:48:00.000-04:00

I added a layer of cobalt to the background and a layer of B. Sienna to Pee Wee. I have the mango almost finished, I just need to adjust the highlights and paint the stem. I have also started to build up the shadows on the pears and Pee Wee. Have a great weekend everyone and happy painting!

Pee Wee in a Still Life Watercolor Painting - Work in Progress Update 2

2011-02-17T16:29:00.000-04:00

I worked more on the shadows, adding indigo and maroon. I also worked on the fruit more, glazing the orange with new gamboge and adding some permanent green to the pears. I like to get my darkest point in early as I used it as a reference point for my other colors and values.

Pee Wee in a Still Life Watercolor Painting - Work in Progress Update 1

2011-02-17T16:00:00.000-04:00

Started to add more color to the fabric and fruits. I masked out some small highlights on the orange and the mango.

Pee Wee in a Still Life Watercolor Painting - Work in Progress

2011-02-17T15:26:00.000-04:00

This is my latest watercolor painting I am working on, again I am using the Canson art board. It is 16x20" and I started off just blocking in the fabric with cobalt blue and a layer of B. Sienna on the shadows. I used Lemon yellow on the fruit. I picked this fruit bowl up at a local thrift shop. I have a whole shelf in my closet full of things I pick up to someday paint :)

Pee Wee the Elephant - Watercolor Painting Finished!

2011-02-16T14:02:00.000-04:00

I also finished Pee Wee this morning, he is 8x8`` and is also done on the Canson Artboard, each painting I do on the board gets easier , it was a little tricky at first but it actually works well with the way I paint. Pee Wee is starring in my next painting also, it is a still life with some fruit, a bowl and of course Pee Wee, I will post some picture after. i think the thing I like about Pee Wee is his texture, he is solid brass and very old and corroded, it is this rusted marred surface that drew me to him.

Bella the Elephant - Watercolor Painting is Finished!

2011-02-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

I finished Bella the Elephant this morning, I am really starting to love the Canson Artboard, Bela and Pee Wee are both done on the board. Bella is 8x10 inches.

Watercolor Painting of Elephant #1 I am working on - Update 3

2011-02-13T21:55:00.000-04:00

I worked some more on the larger elephant, I am thinking maybe she should be called Bella. She is much fancier and in much better shape than Pee wee. I started adding some of her shadows and contours, I am liking the background still so I will leave it alone for now :). Hope everyone is having a wonderful night.

Watercolor Painting of Elephant #2 (Pee Wee) I am working on - Update 2

2011-02-12T12:30:00.000-04:00

I started working more on his body and worked on the background a bit also, you can start to see where he is starting to get some form. Thank you for stopping in, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! :)

Watercolor Painting of Elephant #1 I am working on - Update 2

2011-02-12T12:26:00.000-04:00

I started working a little on the body. The biggest difference here is the glaze of Alizarin Crimson that I put on the entire background, it really helped to push it back. I still have not come up with a name yet... help :)

Watercolor Painting of Elephant #2 I am working on - Update 1

2011-02-11T21:27:00.000-04:00

This is elephant #2, he is actually quite small in real life and elephant #1 is larger, they are both brass but have a dark patina, the smaller #2 is very old and pitted and rusted almost, love the texture. I did not realize until I looked around that I seem to have quite a few elephants hanging out in my studio. I might call this one Pee Wee, I am not sure yet so if you have a better name let me know :)

Watercolor Painting of Elephant #1 I am working on - Update 1

2011-02-11T21:21:00.000-04:00

I worked some more on the elephants, I have not named them yet, so if you have any suggestions feel free to share them :)

New Watercolor Paintings I am working on - Elephants

2011-02-10T23:01:00.000-04:00

I started these 2 paintings today, they are both watercolor and are on Watercolor board. The top one is 8x10" and the bottom one is 8x8". As you can see these both have a long ways to go, but the are off to a good start. Hopefully I will have an update to post tomorrow. Have a great night everyone! Thanks for looking.

Acrylic Painting Still Life of Eggs Step by Step - Finished !!

2011-02-08T22:00:00.001-04:00

I just finished this tonight, I am glad to be done. I found it challenging with the acrylic, but kept going and finally finished it. Now I can start some new ones :) Happy Painting everyone!

Blue Otis the Japanese Dog Watercolor Painting - Finished!

2011-02-07T13:20:00.000-04:00

Just Finished Otis this morning, he is relieved :) He was getting tired of sitting. Now I just have to sign it and put on some varnish. I am finding the board was easier to use this time (as with everything you do, practice makes perfect) Hope everyone has a wonderful and creative day! Thanks for looking

Watercolor Painting of Otis the Japanese Dog - Update 2

2011-02-03T15:38:00.000-04:00

Otis is not done yet but he is getting close. I am finding the more I use the board the easier it is getting. I am hoping to finish this little guy and the eggs up by the weekend. See you soon :)

Watercolor Painting of Otis the Japanese Dog - Update 1

2011-02-02T19:35:00.001-04:00

I worked on the drapery behind him some more and I am starting to work on his body. This is 8x8" on Canson Arches watercolor board. I might call this one Blue Otis. Maybe I will call the acrylic one Otis Sees Red lol, just a thought. Hope everyone has a great night!

Watercolor Painting of Otis the Japanese Dog I am working on

2011-02-02T18:22:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed the acrylic of Otis (yes I gave him a name) so much that I decide to set him up with a different background and position. I decide to paint this one in watercolor just because I have missed it and I wanted to give the Canson Artboard another try. I am finding the board an adjustment as it is very absorbent, but that might turn out to work in my favor. As I mentioned before with the pears I had a problem with it bowing. A rep for the company saw my post and emailed me with a solution, he said to paint an x corner to corner with water on the backside and let it dry... and it worked perfectly...no more bow, it was nice and flat. Thank you Canson :)
I am hoping to finish this one up quickly, I will post an update as soon as I can. Thanks

Acrylic Painting of a Japanese Dog Ornament Finished!

2011-01-31T21:50:00.005-04:00

I just finished this little guy and I am almost done the eggs. I enjoyed this dog ornament so much I decided to start another on, this time in watercolor, I will post the start later along with the eggs as soon as I am done. This painting is 8x8" done on a gallery wrapped canvas. I am off to varnish him now. I hope everyone has a fantastic night! thanks

Working on Acrylic Painting of a Dog Ornament from Japan - update 3

2011-01-27T22:30:00.000-04:00

Still developing the ornament, I still have to add some deeper shadows. Getting close to being done as are the eggs. I will post them as soon as they are completed.. stay tuned :) Have a great night everyone and thank you for stopping by.

Working on Acrylic Painting of a Dog Ornament from Japan - update 2

2011-01-27T22:15:00.001-04:00

I am really enjoying the square format and the acrylics. I am still just adding the base of his shadows and form, worked a little on his eyes.

Working on Acrylic Painting of a Dog Ornament from Japan - update 1

2011-01-27T21:57:00.000-04:00

This is the 8x8 Acrylic dog ornament I have been working on along with the eggs. I thought I would post my updates for this before posting the finished egg and dog painting. Below I glazed over the background with some red and started adding some of the shadows. Above I started to rough in his black markings.

Acrylic Painting Still Life of Eggs Step by Step - update 4

2011-01-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

I worked some more on this one and the dog. It is getting closer to being done, still a lot left to do on the eggs.

Acrylic Painting Still Life of Eggs Step by Step - update 3

2011-01-15T21:22:00.000-04:00

I have worked more on the egg cups and started the eggs. This still has a long ways to go but I am enjoying the acrylics. I am also coming along with the dog ornament from Japan, I will post the WIP after this one is done.

Acrylic Painting Still Life of Eggs Step by Step - update 2

2011-01-15T20:22:00.000-04:00

I darkened the background down a bit more, worked on the fabric and started to work on the egg cups. These egg cups were made by Foley Pottery, Mr Foley was a well known potter in the Saint John area, he has passed away many years ago. They hold sentimental value for me as when I was young my family lived with him as my mother used to care for him. He was a very wise and kind man.

Acrylic Painting Still Life of Eggs Step by Step - update 1

2011-01-14T23:31:00.000-04:00

Originally the background was painted in a dark green, which I did not care for. I went over the background with a blue and then in the second photo you can see where I loosely glazed over it with a red. I also started to develop some of the shadows in the fabric.

Two New Paintings I Am Working On - Eggs & Dog Ornament from Japan both in Acrylic

2011-01-14T23:26:00.000-04:00

I am currently working on some still life, these are both on 8x8" gallery wrapped canvas and are being painted with acrylic. I will post the step by steps for these as I go. I have just started to block in some color for the foreground and background in these. I am working on them at the same time but I think I will post the eggs first and then when they are done I will post the dog, it is easier to follow that way.

2 Pears Watercolor Painting on Board - Finished

2011-01-09T14:49:00.002-04:00

Took longer than I thought to finish, ran into a problem with the board, it does not like to be scrubbed and I found it hard to lift without damaging the surface. The other thing that I did not like s it bows, I will weight down the painting under some heavy books and see if it takes it out. I will let you know . I am not completely unhappy with this for my first try, will give it another go later.

Watercolor Painting of a mixed Dog

2011-01-08T09:00:00.002-04:00

This is another painting done for Christmas.

Watercolor Painting of a Boat - Red Dory

2011-01-07T12:49:00.002-04:00

This Watercolor painting is 11x16 and was a commission that I completed for a client before Christmas. It was a present for his wife, who is into photography and took the reference photo. It was one of those paintings that I really enjoyed doing.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T18:01:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to say Happy New Year to everyone out there. Thank you for all of your support and thank you for all of your kind comments in 2010. Heres hoping everyone has a fantastic and productive 2011.

Happy New Year !

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings !

2010-12-23T18:39:00.000-04:00

Let the spirit of love gently fill our hearts and homes.

In this loveliest of seasons may you find many reasons for happiness.

Merry Christmas and Seasons Greetings!

Thank you all, for your wonderful support, it is greatly appreciated :)

Coco the Black Pug - Watercolor Painting Commission Finished

2010-12-15T20:26:00.000-04:00

I am officially done my commissions for the season, I finished up little Coco today and all I can say is ... I want a pug ! :) these have got to be the cutest most expressive dogs. Don't get me wrong I love my boys Jack and Sandy ( my 2 Cocker Spaniels) but My next dog is going to be a pug.. such attitude :) anyway I hope everyone has a wonderful night. I will post my other commissions after Christmas for you to see. Thanks for stopping in.

Coco the Black Pug - Watercolor Painting Commission WIP - Update 4

2010-12-03T10:21:00.000-04:00

I am still working away on Coco, it is amazing how many layers it takes to get the depth that is needed. She is coming along well and will be done soon :)

90 minute Landscape Painting Acrylic changed WIP update 1

2010-12-03T10:18:00.000-04:00

I had a chance to work on my painting from last week a little. After looking at it for days I made some compositional changes, lowering the horizon line and moving the road so it was not so close to center. Hopefully I will get a chance to work on this some more soon. I have posted the original below so the differences are more obvious.

Watercolor Painting Inside view of a Mercury Monterey - Cropped and finished

2010-11-28T14:03:00.000-04:00

So this one is going back to June, but it has been sitting where I could see it (and driving me crazy) so i decided to crop it to 11x14, it was the background that I was really not liking, I am glad to have finished it. (it bothers me to have unfinished pieces laying around) Anyway that is it for posting today, I have finally caught up for the month lol. See you next time :)

Coco the Black Pug - Watercolor Painting Commission WIP - Update 3

2010-11-28T13:31:00.000-04:00

She is starting to take shape, starting to get the darker values in, still has a lot of work left to do on this little girl :)

Coco the Black Pug - Watercolor Painting Commission WIP - Update 2

2010-11-28T13:28:00.000-04:00

Slowly building up the layers still a long ways to go....

Coco the Black Pug - Watercolor Painting Commission WIP - Update 1

2010-11-28T13:26:00.000-04:00

Personally I own 2 Cocker Spaniels (great little dogs), but if I were to ever get another dog it would have to be a pug. I just love the little wrinkled faces, they are too cute, anyway enough babbling lol. I am just starting to define the underlying pattern for the wrinkles and shadows here.

Coco the Black Pug - Watercolor Painting Commission Step by Step WIP

2010-11-28T13:23:00.000-04:00

This is an adorable little black pug named Coco, It one of the commissions I am working on. I can post this one, I will have to wait until after Christmas to post the others.

Cardinal Watercolor Painting - Finished !

2010-11-28T13:17:00.000-04:00

I have been painting even though I have not been posting. I also finished the Cardinal I was working on in Watercolor. Thanks for stopping by, I hope everyone has a great day!

90 minute Painting done in Acrylic Work in Progress

2010-11-28T13:13:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday nights I have a couple of friends over to paint, we decided to try to paint as much as we could in 90 minutes. I thought this would be good for me to try to loosen up and stop over thinking :). Here is what came out of the 90 minute session, I am hoping to work on this some more and see if it can be saved lol. My reference photo was from wet canvas, I have plenty of my own photos but was looking for something simple that I could possibly tackle in such a quick time. Overall it was a worth while exercise.

Old Barn Acrylic Painting I Am Also Working On - has turned into my first oil painting Update 2

2010-11-28T13:06:00.000-04:00

This is the barn I was working on in acrylic... I ended up painting completely over it with oils (I always wanted to try my hand at them anyway) so it still has a long way to go. I have been very busy trying to finish up commissions for Christmas so I have not been posting as often as I like, but soon I will have more time :)

My First Landscape Painting Attempt in Acrylic - Finished

2010-10-28T11:02:00.001-03:00

OK I am calling this one done :), There are things I really like about it and there are things I might do differently if I painted this again not that I am going to do that) Over all it was a great experience with acrylics, I am still working away at my others, I will post them when I get a chance. Thanks for stopping in, have a great day!

My First Landscape Painting Attempt in Acrylic - Work in Progress Update 2

2010-10-26T13:38:00.000-03:00

I worked some more on this one as well. I feel it still needs some finishing touches. I am hoping to have this one finished by tomorrow. Still working away on my commissions as well, I will share them with you after they have been completed and are in their new homes. Have a great day everyone! Thanks for stopping in :)

Old Barn Acrylic Painting I Am Also Working On - Update 1

2010-10-26T13:33:00.000-03:00

I did some more work on my paintings last night. Here is the barn so far, this still needs a lot of work. There are a lot of things I feel still need to improve, but it is getting there :)

Old Barn Acrylic Painting I Am Also Working On - Work in Progress WIP

2010-10-24T19:50:00.001-03:00

I also started this one of a barn I took a picture of the other day over on the Kingston Peninsula. I find even with the acrylic I need more than one to work on. This still has a very long ways to go. I am really starting to enjoy the acrylics, I feel I can be a little looser with the subjects I have been painting lately. I will post an update of the Cardinal as soon as I get a picture. Hope everyone has a great week!

My First Landscape Painting Attempt in Acrylic - Work in Progress Update 1

2010-10-24T19:42:00.000-03:00

I have been working away at this, but seem to make little progress. I am also working on an old barn and the watercolor cardinal. I have been extremely busy and hopefully will get a chance to catch up with all of my favorite blogs. Thanks for stopping by. :)

My First Landscape Painting Attempt in Acrylic - Work in Progress

2010-10-17T14:05:00.000-03:00

This is my first attempt at painting a landscape, please keep in mind that it is far from done and I am just starting to use acrylics, which i am starting to enjoy more and more. I started taking a 5 week workshop with a local artist Andrew Giffin, who is very helpful and has a wonderful way of working with people. I am hoping that I can get a couple more started so if I run into any problems i can get some help with them over the next few weeks. I started this painting on Wednesday night and only worked on it at home for a bit last night, but I ca see improvement, when i first started it I hated it :(, but as I work on it I think it might just turn into something :)

Cardinal Watercolor Painting I am working on - Still has a long ways to go :)

2010-10-17T13:54:00.000-03:00

This painting still has a lot of work to be done, the background and the bird need a lot of refining still., I am also working on some acrylics too. I will post a picture of my landscape that I am working on a bit later. hope everyone is having a great weekend.

My Latest Painting I am Working on a Chickadee in Acrylic - Finished

2010-10-17T13:44:00.000-03:00

I finished this little guy as much as I can for now. I did not get the background the way I wanted but I think practice will solve that problem. This is not a good picture, I varnished it and then realized I should have taken a picture of it first. :(

My Latest Painting I am Working on a Chickadee in Acrylic - Update 2

2010-09-26T14:15:00.000-03:00

I am now trying to work on the other chickadee, he was in bad shape lol, as I work along on him I think there might be hope. We will see there is still a long ways to go.

2nd Chickadee Painting in Acrylic - Finished..I think LOL

2010-09-24T21:14:00.000-03:00

I am calling this one done for now ( I will look at it for awhile and see) I am ready to move on. The picture is not that good , I will try to get a better one tomorrow in the daylight. It was a good learning experience, there are parts I really like and other parts not so much, I might decide to change them later on. My other chickadee I am working on is in desperate need of help lol so I will see if I can salvage him if not I will move on. Hope everyone has a great weekend :)

2nd Chickadee that I am Working on in Acrylic - Update 3

2010-09-22T18:03:00.005-03:00

I am still working on the chickadees I will post the other one when I make some progress. I still have a ways to go on this one. The background still needs to be softened more and the chickadee needs more form.

2nd Chickadee that I am Working on in Acrylic - Update 2

2010-09-20T19:32:00.000-03:00

I worked a little more on my 2nd chickadee, lightened the background and made it softer and I am starting to block in the chickadee. Still a long ways to go. I am just closing my eyes and crossing my fingers lol.
Have a great night!

My Goldfinch Watercolor Painting was Accepted into the Max 5 Exhibit at Heron Bay Gallery

2010-09-20T17:30:00.000-03:00

I just got word yesterday that my painting Goldfinch was accepted into the Max 5 Gold Exhibition / Competition at the Heron Bay Gallery in Shediac NB

Vernissage /Announcement : October 2 7-9 pm

Exhibit and Sale: October 2 to October 16

Hope to see you there :)

2nd Chickadee that I am Working on in Acrylic - Update 1

2010-09-17T21:03:00.000-03:00

As you can see I have worked on the background and started blocking in the darks and shadows for the bird. I still want to have the background soft and faded, I am planning on layering some transparent glazed over top to knock it back some and fade out the branches. Wish me luck :) Hope everyone has a wonderful and creative weekend!

My Latest Painting I am Working on a Chickadee in Acrylic - Update 1

2010-09-17T21:00:00.000-03:00

Here is an update on the first chickadee I am working on. I glazed over the background some and started working on the bird. This has along ways to go yet, we will see if I can get the results I want with acrylic.