Bouquet in a Watering Can

Bouquet in a Watering Can
mixed media on linen panel 8 x 8 inch
available here

I was taking pictures of this little 8 x 8 inch mixed media in our sun room today and it seemed as if I had painted the room, however that is not quite true. This piece was all about the floral arrangement. I saw a similar arrangement in our local grocer's coupon book and just had to paint the bouquet. The rest of the scene was purely from imagination...or was it? Hmmmm.

Besides painting, I have been planting flowers...

and watching puddle ducks swim and dive in the street!  What they are diving for, I Have no clue.  I imagine bugs and worms, but whatever it is, we sure enjoy having ducks and geese in the yard so often.  Our dog and two cats like to watch them also.

Looking for a good art-related movie to watch?  My husband and I recently saw this one which is a story about Klimt's painting Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I.  Helen Mirren is spectacular in this one. Here is the trailer:

We had the chance to see the actual painting in New York City at the Neue Gallerie in 2011, not too long after it was purchased.  I could not believe my eyes...the depth, the color and her face looked so real.  You can get an idea of the size of the painting on their website. 

Hope you had a great weekend!  Thank you for visiting!

♥ Lisa

A Family on Summer Vacation

A Family on Summer Vacation
oil on panel 12 x 9 inch

The vintage photo that inspired this piece  was the same photo I used to paint Mother Daughter in Blue, Brown and White.  Initially my attention was drawn to the woman with the girl on her lap, and as I painted I sort of grew attached to the whole group of people, feeling compelled to paint them as well.

detail

 I am assuming they are family, but I am not sure about that because the photo simply says Grandpa at Long Beach.  It must have been a cool day, as they are dressed in coats and hats in the photo.  I always think of southern California as warm and summery place.  Perhaps on the day these folks were there, it was not...thus the long faces.

detail

The color palette was also blue, brown and white (ultramarine blue, burnt umber and titanium white to be exact).  In the mother daughter painting, I used raw umber rather than burnt umber.  The raw umber makes it more green and the burnt umber is much more warm.  

I wanted to keep things loose, not get too fussy with facial details or any detail for that matter.  I wanted visible scratches and interesting lines too.  It came together in the end, but it was challenging  because of the number of people in it.  

the inspiration
1935 photo reading "grandpa at Long Beach"

I feel as if I know them now.  Isn't that strange?

Have a great rest of the week! 

♥ Lisa

Three Still Life Paintings, A Portrait, A Sketch and Scenes from Riverside

This week I painted three still life paintings.  It all started with this jar.  My aunt had it in her apartment and when I commented on how it was pretty enough to paint, she gave it to me.  This is the way of the elderly in my family.  My grandmother used to say at every single visit, "now when Granny croaks, be sure and take that music box" or "that vase", etc.  I'm not kidding.

Terracotta Keepsake Pot
acrylic on paper 6 x 6 inch

The scan of the terracotta pot came out very yellowy, but it is actually olive green. 

Carafe With Two Cups
acrylic on paper 6 x 6 inch

 The carafe painting was inspired by an espresso machine ad.  Go figure.  It is how my mind works.

Clay Pitcher With Two Roses
acrylic on paper 6 x 6 inch

The clay pitcher was a gem I purchased at an estate sale near our home. The couple of the estate owned 7 houses and the sale was the compilation of those homes. The husband passed away 4 years ago and the wife was planning to settle in one of the houses with hired caregivers. This clay pitcher was one of the beautiful gems I found at the sale. I wish I knew its story and from which of the 7 houses it came. 

Young Mabel Musser
acrylic and ink on paper
4 x 6 inch

Young Mabel Musser was inspired by a vintage photo that had Musser and also Harrisburg printed on it. The photo was not dated, but looked to be around early 1900's.  This sort of thing always leads to a google search and in that search I learned there were several prominent "Mussers" living in Pennsylvania.  I found an interesting family photo while searching.  So I picked the youngest girl in the photo (who was named Mabel) and voila!  I had a title.  

sketchbook sweetie
graphite in a tiny Moleskin

My art instructor loaned me his book titled From Van Eyck to Bruegel:  Early Netherlandish Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art  and I love to do sketches from this book.  The above is my simple pencil sketch of Gerard David's Four Heads (about 1495) which is a "metalpoint over traces of black chalk on prepared paper"...whatever that means.  All I thought was that it was beautiful.  Not the head in the upper right though.  That one is plain scary.

That is all I have accomplished this week artwise.  I am still pecking away at my 9 x 12 inch oil painting of six people.  I have only been working on that one in my class though, which is why it is not done.  Soon!  The above paintings are in my Etsy shop if you are interested in purchasing.

Scenes from Riverside This Week

Forget-Me-Nots on the riverbank

These are photos taken on my daily walks.  I still walk two to four miles every day and my love for this activity is renewed with our new surroundings and this lovely, vibrant season.

Arkansas River on a gorgeous Spring day

I hope you have a beautiful weekend!  Thank you for visiting!

♥ Lisa