So this is what has been keeping me busy creatively. I’ve never been inspired to try a landscape painting but I gave it my best after I received a request from a relative. It is large, 3ft x 4ft. I like to work in large scale but this proved to be an ambitious decision since I am not well practiced in the landscape department.
I’ve been painting the local wildlife lately so my husband sent some pictures of a distressed eagle that he found at work. I went pretty large to try and fill the space above our fireplace but I’m not sure about this one, might have to give her another shot. My daughter named her Lucy and I think she would do a good job of watching over us but I’m not sure if the environment suits her just yet.
I’m still captured by the different creatures that keep emerging. I’m less excited about the bugs. This painting is dedicated to the poor squished frogs in our driveway – we didn’t know that was something to watch out for. Their chirps are getting quite loud at night.
We have been inspired by our new surroundings. My husband has many excuses for more power tools and endless trips to Lowes. My daughter enjoys playing in the mud and experiencing all the new wildlife. I’m enjoying the wildlife too. I guess this is my next piece in my Neighbors series. We really do see a lot of wild turkeys in our yard. Hopefully, soon there will be more flowers too.
Here are some other birds also inspired by our new local wildlife.
We moved into a new house a few months ago so we have a lot of wall space to fill. We are also surrounded by new scenery, a different climate and a more rural setting (I think I might call this painting Neighbors). It’s on 2 canvases, each one 2x3ft. The critters are fun to paint so hopefully more to come. Our trees are finally starting to bloom and all kinds of living things are starting to emerge.
I have been trying out different, less toxic, media. I was trained in oil paint and I’ve been experimenting with watercolor on and off for a couple of years. I figured I should try out acrylic paint too. Here are a couple in the same food and weapons vain.
I will say I don’t like that acrylics dry so fast, it seems wasteful. I don’t usually have large chunks of time to paint… must remember smaller blobs. I do like the bold color and the white! Much more forgiving than watercolor. I am curious about tempera paint, maybe that will be next.
I’ve been using watercolor. Not something I learned in college or used back then when I felt more like an artist. My school was traditional and only taught oil painting. I started to experiment with this medium after my daughter was born and I was (again) trying to squeeze in some art time. I wanted something less toxic and easier to clean. So far it’s a love/hate relationship.
I mentioned in my first post that my daughter is helping me out and asking to see a new painting everyday she comes home from school. The days sometimes get busy so I started these small flower sketches filled in with watercolor. Just enough to get in my creative fix. I am so looking forward to Spring weather!
Thank you friends that brought by these lovely forsythia branches. Love east coast Spring flowers!
This is a combination that interests me for a couple of reasons. I began thinking about it when I first started living with my husband. He was in the army and the combination of things that would end up on our dining table caught my attention. Years later, inspired by motherhood, I started to be more interested in what is in the food we eat. I read a lot of unsettling articles. Food and more obviously, potentially dangerous gadgets no longer seemed so dissimilar. I’m still searching for the right result but this is a theme that I’m not ready to let go.
It’s Spring break. Only a few days off of school but we are trying to make the best of them. My daughter likes animals and asks me to paint them. These pieces often turn out very different from anything else I make. Like this bunny, a little fun a little creepy. Happy Spring!
