Tuesday

Have you ever had something really give you a hard time, and you were so determined to "beat it", but the harder you tried, the more you failed? Well, I am at the point where I am going to have to say,"You won" to one of my paintings (whatever that really means) Does a painting really fight against an artist? I have worked for many hours on this portrait, and the more I paint on it, the worse it becomes. I have tried allowing it to dry, so the paint won't mix and make mud (that's what happens when you paint with oils and you don't allow your layers to dry).I have tried changing my palette colors, even using the colors and paints suggested by several famous portrait artist;but nothing is helping! I hate to give up on anything, so I will say that I am going to lay this one to the side, (like in my deepest,darkest closet) and start on something new. Maybe 6 months in storage will give me a different perspective on it!
Happy Painting!

Monday

Yeah! I think I have called my longhorn finished. He is rather a big boy, on a large canvas ( 24x30). I used  thick paint in some areas, several large brushes, and changed my mind about so many things, so many times.It is a wonder that I could ever really call him finished. I hope you will enjoy looking at him.
Happy Painting!

Wednesday

No rain today, so I painted for hours on my longhorn. I can hardly wait to finish him. Since he is on oils, I have to be patient! I take lots of digital photos of my paintings in stages, so I can see my work from a different perspective. I do move back, away from my painting at times, take breaks, etc., but I find that seeing the painting on my computer screen shows me my mistakes, and/ or areas that need work a lot more clearer than any other method I have tried so far.

Blessings, and happy painting,
Sandra

Monday

I hope everyone had a blessed Labor Day. I labored in my studio; layering paint on my longhorn! Isn't that sentence rather like a tongue-twister? :) It stormed at my house, and we lost power once, but my husband grilled burgers while I painted. I can hardly wait for him to retire, so I can paint more- if he will cook like he did today- yummy!
Happy Painting!!!

Saturday

Wow, the days fly by! And, when I am painting, the moments fly like a breeze on an April day!
I am working from a photo of a longhorn bull. I don't know whether he is a Texas Longhorn, or another breed, as my husband and I have heard different stories and are looking at different articles on longhorns. It seems there are so many breeds that we didn't know about in the USA! Interesting stuff.
Anyway, I took this big guy's photo on a TX Hill Country getaway a few years back. Right now I have the lay in, but haven't decided whether I want to paint him with a palette knife or brushes!

Tuesday

As you can see, I have finally finished "Gone Hunting". I guess all of this Texas hot weather and humidity has me yearning for cooler weather. I especially loved putting the bright colors on the canvas, and remembering some of my favorite vacations up in the Smokie Mountains of Tennessee.

Monday

Good morning! I spent a good part of my weekend finding,reading, and buying some interesting art books and magazines. I found a great article on how to paint metals; copper,brass, and such. I hope to experiment with the colors recommended by the artist. They even show a small demonstration on how they apply the colors in rings, and then their blending technique. So, I had better get my work done around here and go paint today!
Happy painting everyone, and enjoy a blessed day!