Family pictures

This 12 x 16" acrylic is of my daughter, Laura. It was challenging because I was trying for a likeness Happy to say, I think it looks just like her. Painting people in acrylics is nerve-wracking- the slightest error and the person looks grotesque. I have learned to just keep plugging away with each little area until I get it right. Usually I would choose to use oils for a figurative piece, because blending is easier,  but this one worked out ok in acrylics.

Italian scene

Rock of Ages, Italia

24 x 30" acrylic

This painting was close to finished for a week and I lost momentum on it. It just didn't feel compelling to me. I usually paint landscapes of familiar places and this image was from a trip to Italy that I took about 5 years ago.

In the photo, the foreground was very dark and I lightened it up considerably. Yesterday, I got the notion to glaze the foreground with black and let the light sit in the sky and distant fields.Then I glazed the clouds with very dilute layers of quin red and hansa yellow. It made a huge difference and suddenly I'm happy with the painting.

pet portrait

This is  20 x 18" acrylic of my beloved dog, Havi. I haven't done many dog portraits but it was really fun to do. Right now there are several artists that I know who have taken the pet portrait to a whole new level- great brushwork and innovative approaches, with backgrounds and colour. I'm inspired to paint more dogs.