Strong Women Series - #4 Leaving (Lady with Hat)

Detail from finished painting (at end of post)

This next painting in my Strong Women Series

 began with me considering women in hats. 

I sketched women wearing hats for days.

Thinking I was planning for one of our painting challenges ... I realized I was 

not correctly reading the parameters of the challenge, which were:

Do a painting from memory; referencing sketches made from life, 

but not painting from those sketches ... must be from memory of them,

and must contain these elements:

1 - A woman wearing a hat

2 - A night café

3 - A floral still-life painting in the scene

4 - The conveyance of music

5 - Canvas size, at least 10 x 8, no squares

6 - Unlimited palette

(add a cat if it works out for you - extra credit!)

HERE is my post about that painting, from exactly one year ago today!!

So anyway, I began thinking of a painting using this sketch. 

I loved the idea of her hat having a flower 

with a really long stem that bounced along as she walked, 

and I wondered if I could portray that.

YOU decide if it works!

The following photos will lead you through my process.

Leaving (Lady with Hat)   18 x 12 inches   oil on Masonite

 She is included in this series because 

she has the strength to leave

... when she must.

This is a frame I found in a driveway with a FREE sign on it,

along with some other things. I had the feeling it would be great for this painting ...

and as you see here, it is!

I didn't have to do a thing (except have my dear husband cut it to fit)!

I wish I felt like blogging more,

but right now all I can do is the "regular" things

and paint . . .

I do keep painting ... outside, inside ... and in my head.

I should blog about the free course I just finished ... ok,

next post will be about that.

It was really fun.

I hope you are safe and sound.

Please keep wearing your mask as it seems that is the most

effective way to prevent

the virus from getting to other people's airways,

because you don't know if you are carrying it,

without symptoms.

Take care

Keep painting

💕

Strong Women Series - #3 ANGEL

For my 3rd Strong Woman painting,

I chose Angel Olsen - someone who was on the NPR TinyDesk concert.

Took a screen shot, cropped and painted from that.

Progress pics below.

Angel - from TinyDesk concert January 2104     18 x 12    oil on panel

I found a vintage frame that works perfectly, too.

Why did I choose her? 

She, to me, is a strong woman - to appear by herself

singing and playing her songs

so confidently.

I hope everyone is hanging in there ... staying safe

staying sane.

Take care of yourselves and your fellow human beings.

♡

Strong Women Series #2 - ANN

Painting #2 in my Strong Women series, 
some progress shots.

Made a sketch from one of my photos of
a really interesting woman who, after we boarded the plane,
took off her headscarf revealing a dark bundle of long locks!

The underpainting is a burnt umber mix, 
I drew the image by scraping through with a "color shaper" tool, and a rag.

 I remember it was really fun 
to paint that fur on her coat.

Wanted to show you the frame I found for her ...
again, I did nothing to it but had my hubby cut it down to fit.

Ann      oil on panel  18 x 12 inches

Thank you for checking in, and I must mention that this painting is
already spoken for; transaction to be completed, when the show
 (whenever that will be) is over.

Cross fingers for the end to this pandemic,
or at least a safe vaccine.

Be safe and healthy
and keep painting or being creative however you do it!

😊

Mt McGinnis plein air painting, Juneau, AK

My plein air buddies (Juneau Plein Rein Painters) traveled to "our" glacier on Saturday.

(note: i used an old painting that you can see just peeking out of the pochade box 

... and dang, i wish i would have taken a photo of the underpainting!)

Mt McGinnis caught my eye so that was my motif.

T'was a beautiful morning ...

... that brought out several painters.

My effort to paint began like this:

and so far is ending like this:

Mt McGinnis Looms Over Mendenhall Glacier Lake    9" x 12" oil on canvas paper

I hope everyone who reads this is coping ok with the pandemic.

We just have to be patient,

which is the hardest thing ...

If you are finding it hard to paint,

go outside.

Happy Painting!

🎨

Strong Women Series - #1 NAN

I am planning to have a show some day ... 😷

of this series that I began long ago (about 7-8 years ago!)

and have been working on from time to time. 

It didn't begin as my "Strong Women" series;

it just has become that within the last several paintings.

I don't think I have ever blogged about "Nan",

but she's a favorite for a couple of reasons:

1. I took the photo of this lady candidly, and the pose she is in is very fun.

2. This painting came together nice and loose and painterly and I don't remember struggling too much.

3. I found a vintage frame whose color matched the background of the painting!!!

So here are the progression shots re: Nan

I did two preliminary sketches.

All of the paintings in the series are

18 x 12 inches, not including the frames,

which I always try to find vintage.

These 2 photos, in different light, kind of show the frame 

and the matching background of the painting. (!)

Nan    oil on panel   18 x 12 inches

Thank you thank you for checking in 

and 

reading 

all

the 

way 

to 

here!

I hope you stay safe and healthy

and I will see you in the next post.

😻