Snow light

I think this dog should be named Gen. Beauregard Lee.

In honor of Groundhog Day.

The snow light here is wonderful, soft and spirit lifting.

Learning when to stop painting

I think I stopped in time with this guy.  There's a lot to learn about stopping and looking while
putting down the brush.

I went a bit too far on this dog. Still trying to get that expression.

I learned to begin the value study with a larger brush here. Very over done but a good lesson
learned.

I feel the practice is having returns.This is much more expressive without the fussy little brush
strokes. I think it's almost done. The snow here wants to stay around with temps only getting
up into the 20s. We're having a heat wave today-into the 40s.

 The white-white snow light is great for painting. My little space is filled with light.

Buster

I love this blog.

Reminds me of a dog's viewpoint day to day. Lately I'm obsessed with dogs and how life
fills up with their unconditional presence in the moment. It drags me back from dreaming
about tomorrow or remembering yesterday.

My little guy is high stepping today with a few inches of snow to navigate. Not warming up
anytime soon.

Middle stages-dog paintings

After 3 days away from painting I was able to spend yesterday working
on the middle stages of these.  I'm not trying to make total realistic
paintings. Trying to find ways to paint the dignity, attitude and just
plain goofiness of these guys.

Sometimes leaving out detail helps.

Other times lots of detail added to be covered partially.

Noticing that colors are reflected from the background.

Beginning with a value study puts down some 'bones' so color can
pull together the shapes. I have so much to learn. I'd like to simplify shapes
and textures. For now, I'm just painting and studying.

Having a work station (small area) always set up lets me work a  bit each day.

Underpainting, beginning again

I've prepared lots of small illustration boards with gesso to practice with
oils. Not using expensive materials helps me make mistakes and learn from
them instead of cringing. Yesterday I began a lot of dog under paintings.

Some of these under paintings are encouraging.

Others are less so.

Turning them upside down for value studies was helpful.

Under paintings are not supposed to look perfect, just provide a value study
fore later stages or layers. It was so absorbing that I had to snap out of it when
the tornado warnings and a neighbor called to warn about the huge
storm that blew through here. Now on to the next stages. I found this book,
101 Textures in Oil & Acrylic, last week. Along with Oil Painting and
 The Oil Painting Handbook  it's all I've needed to paint at my level of skill.

Gillian Lee Smith is offering an online painting/drawing course soon. I'm looking
forward to it!

Painting again

For years I've collected dog photos and drawn them in graphite. Now, after about 30 years, I'm
trying to relearn oils and painting dozens of dogs. There's something so out there, soulful and
honest in those eyes. I hope these beginnings improve with more practice!

Heads up...

I followed the sound of tapping on the bird feeder to see this (not my photo) acrobat using
his tail to keep balanced. As large as a crow, the woodpecker kept up that tapping until
he finished snacking. He's been here all week tapping. When creatures unexpectedly
walk into my life I listen for their message. This seems like 'a heads' up to me. A reminder
to listen and share.

I've been quiet for some time and still read other blogs. More deaths have happened and the
shape of my world has changed. A broken toe has rearranged my freedom and I have turned
60. Rather than be depressed (much) I've listened harder and now feel more certain that story is the center of my process of making.

While being quiet I've been reading found  some excellent blogs...

http://windling.typepad.com/blog/

Terri Windling opens a gate leading to shared stories of the world. She's a talented artist. Her
blog reminds me of how connected we and our world stories are under all else.

http://spiritcloth.typepad.com/

Jude Hill shares her story in a quiet, powerful way. I follow her with deep respect for how she
honors the road of making.

http://gillianleesmith.wordpress.com/

Gillian shares her story as an artist who listens as she draws and paints. I relate to her
perspective on work. She inspires me to make time for making. I love her work.

http://lynnehoppe.blogspot.com/

Lynne has a wide open spirit when it comes to nature. I like that she visits trees and dances
under them barefoot. Her drawing/paintings come alive for me and she inspires me to listen
more while drawing...also to go barefoot.

 http://fancifuldevices.blogspot.com/

This artist is going to make you laugh. Her adventures with hardware
store stuff alone made me a fan. I love plumber epoxy, tin cutters, drills, abrasives, etc.
She has some wild muse living in her studio. She is a huge talent and a generous person.
 

As I list these artists I realize they also share another quality. They aren't fixed on selling and
making with an eye to what will sell fast and furious. With curiosity about materials and process,
pushing past safe results, they are clearing a road for other artists. There are more blogs I'd
like to share and will do soon. Happy Winter solstice and, as Lynne says, "more light"!!