Steps to creating your own painting.

People always say they are not creative, but I don't believe that at all.  Everyone is creative and has a beautiful spark in themselves that is urging to get out.  I met a couple of wonderful ladies at my winter painting class that had never painted before.  They jumped into painting with all their hearts and it came out wonderful. It does not have to be Monet quality to be the best painting in your house. Most of the paintings hanging in my house are not my best but they have some feeling that is captured in the paint itself that can never be recreated. For those out there who want to paint but are unsure how to make the first step, I am going to explain how my paintings develop, step by step. 

My favorite thing about painting with oil paint is that it is very forgiving.  If you touch the brush somewhere it does not belong, you can wipe it away with a paper towel or a clean brush.  If you start and half way through you don't like it, you can take a towel or paper towel and wipe the canvas clean and start over.  I don't recommend wiping it away, you should try to fix it or keep going.  But I understand if you do.  My mom is a watercolor painter and one of the things she would do is take her paper out into the yard and spray it with a hose. Sometimes it makes you feel better :)

First thing is to set up your work space.  you want everything you will ever need because if you have to stop in the middle of painting to get something you will lose that smooth flow to your painting. Place your paints according to color. I start with red and end with brown (I love red and use it most and I hate brown) but it depends on you. With a water color pencil sketch out your painting. 

If you are a bad drawer, it does not matter.  Draw a grid on your canvas and a corresponding grid on your photo.

Draw everything as light as you possibly can! Then you start by putting in the large colors and shapes with a big brush.  Keep an eye out for the things you want to emphasize.  In this photo, I darkened the sky colors and lightened the orange in the grass.

Don't worry about the details, like the grass and plants, until later.  Put in the large areas.

It is your painting, don't worry.  I think one of the two most important things to remember is to be patient and relax.  I often listen to soft calm music to distract me from everything going on around me. One of the good things about oil paint is that it takes a while to dry, so if you need to go back and change something you already laid down.  You can.

Anyone can paint! Paint things that you love, it makes it easier. I hope that people who always wondered how to attempt a painting will do just that.

Little things that make a huge difference

I have not painted for a while, sometimes life is busy and painting often gets pushed to the side.  We had family visiting and I have to admit, the house seems so quiet and lonely.  It was this week that I have been noticing how changing little things can spark a larger change. 

For example, I have been working on this tree painting for almost 4 weeks now.  I have finally finished but have learned so much about landscape painting.  Small details can make or break a painting.  The color of the grass, the branches under the tree, and the white tufts of grass have transformed this painting into something great.  Even in every day life, the small things can have a big impact on your life.  The other day my husband replaced my wooden art chair with a padded office chair.  What a difference! I know it sounds silly but I never thought of changing the chair, now I want to paint for hours! Outside the kitchen window we have hung a bird feeder and now doing the dishes is an interesting game of "what bird is that"? And in my paintings I am going to be less afraid of putting in smaller details and changes.  It might be horrible, but it also might make the difference between a good painting and a great one.

I also finished the bromilead painting. Both of these paintings have to dry, then they will be in my etsy store. 

End of Class :(

Today was the last day of painting class.  How sad! I am going to miss the inspiration. One of the benefits of attending a class is it boosts your determination.  I confess I am the type of person who comes to a problem and will more than likely give up and place in the trash than try to work out that problem. I have a giant pile of trash in my laundry room!  In class you have to work through your problems and that has been really good for me.  I worked on two paintings during the class and have learned so much.  The second painting is not yet finished but it will be finished soon. The pink flowers on the tree have gotten a dose of steroids and need to be reduced and simplified.
 Many of my Maui friends will recognize this tree and even where it is on Haleakala Hwy. This is a giant Jacranda Tree shading a Haleakala Green pasture.  I think I have passed this exact tree going up the mountain a million times.  Looking at this painting makes me miss home so much.  Hopefully we will be able to visit this year.

Multiple Projects

These are my two newest works of art.  They are about 80% done but still need a lot of work and lots of drying. The first is a painting of a Bromeliad found in tropical climates. I took this photo while walking through Waimea Falls with a friend of my mother's Carole.  My mom was supposed to come with us but once we arrived, we discovered the dogs could not come in the park, so mom went back to the beach house and Carole and I went on.  As my mom sped off leaving us in the dust, Carole looks at me and says "Well it's happend....you are finally forced into spending time with me all alone." We laughed and started the hike in to see the famous water falls.  The 4 mile hike took 3 hours because we kept stopping and taking photo's, 200 to be precise. And spending the day with Carole was one of my favorites.

The second painting was something I had painted back in 2009.  I am redoing it because everyone loves it.  But for me this painting means fear and awe.  I painted it after going through one of the worst lightning storms I have ever seen (or want to ever see).  It was a nice late July morning in North Carolina and I was sitting down to start painting and in the distance these huge clouds started rolling in.  Thinking it might storm, I checked the news.  Yes, light thunderstorms.  As I sat mixing paint the sky darkened and the world erupted.  From my Dinning room I looked out over a huge corn field.  You could see a good 4 miles.  And as I was staring out into the storm a bolt of lighting struck down on the far edge of the corn field.  Wow that was cool.  Then another struck down a little closer, then another, and another.  Then it dawned on me, those lightning strikes and slowly walking down a straight path....straight towards me.  I started freaking out and filming my eventual death.  I kept filming and by the time it was really close, I was hiding in the bathroom, with thunder so loud it was shaking the dishes in the kitchen.  Once the storm passed and I went outside, shaky, I looked for scorch marks in the grass I didn't find any but I am sure it struck near the house. That afternoon I painted this.

Thunder still makes me jump 3 feet in the air.

Replication is a hard thing

Well, I have been working on a replication of one of my original paintings that got a lot of praise.  It is a larger painting and is pretty intricate so it has taken quite a while to paint.  I am about 60% done with it  and am posting my progress so far.  It is very hard to redo paintings.  It may not seem hard to someone looking in, but it is hard to capture that original feeling you were experiencing when you completed the original. For example, the original painting was painted under stress.  I was so afraid of being the worst in the class.  This replication is painted in my comfortable art room where I am more impatient to move on to a new painting and it is forming completely different. I have also learned to paint from the photo and never look at the original painting, it will only mess with your mind.  

Oh well, I have bought a new violet paint that I am so excited to use! I have been dreaming in violet for the last week.  Can't wait......

Well, I have been working on posting my artwork on Esty and I think it is going to work out.  I have had quite a few looks at my art, which is good.  Tomorrow I am adding a volcano painting.  The little blue abstract is still drying, but should be ready by the end of the week.  I am trying to work on the replication of the class painting (green plant with pink center).  This morning I stepped out and saw that my garden had yielded beautiful blue crocuses.  I am planning on painting them.

It has been raining a lot and I have not been feeling very creative these past couple of days, but I am sure tomorrow will be a better day. This is one of my first paintings, a troubled sky like today. I have found it is hard to say good bye to some of my paintings.  It is almost like posting close friends for sale.

Simple Blue Abstract

Today it was rainy and cold and I think it influenced my painting a bit.  I do like this abstract, it is calming and cool like today.  I was thinking of making a series of simple abstracts like this one in different colors.  One of the hardest things is trying to make the photo capture the painting best.  As in this photo, the painting is 100 times better in person.

The Start of something Great!

I have started this blog so fans out there will be able to see all the new paintings in the works before they go on sale in Etsy.  I love painting so much, and I am so happy that my husband and family are so supportive of my hobby.  Why have I decided to start selling my paintings? Well, honestly, they are starting to pile-up in the laundry room and if I make some room I can add new ones :) In addition, knowing that my paintings are being enjoyed by others makes me want to paint more.  I am planning on painting as much as I can.  A hour or two a day is my goal.  Starting tomorrow with a replication of the painting of Bromiliades completed in painting class last week.  It was a huge hit at the class, hopefully it will sell well. Fingers crossed!