A Mother and Artist's Heart, Overflowing

I wasn't ready.  At least, I thought I wasn't. I had commissions to finish, and a myriad of other painting projects that my stubborn mind thought needed to be completed before you would be allowed to enter this world. But, having inherited your mother's tenacity, you decided to do what YOU wanted to do... and that was to arrive twelve days early. All the anticipation, education, and testimonials from other moms couldn't have prepared me for how I would feel when you, Cecelia Joyce, were placed in my arms. I thought I wasn't ready. But when I finally got to meet you for the first time, there was no looking back. I was completely smitten! That first night in the hospital, they tried to lay you in a cold plastic bassinet. I missed you when I wasn't holding you, and f… Read more »

A Mother and Artist's Heart, Overflowing

How to Feel Better: Paint Something!

There was a moment (okay, several moments ) of self-pity this past weekend as I perused Facebook and saw most of my artist friends living it up in Washington, D.C. at the annual "Art of the Portrait" conference. I so wanted to be there, taking it all in, talking about art, and learning from the best. But it wasn't meant to be. So I painted something. Slept in. Walked the dog. Enjoyed the gorgeous weather. Spent time with my husband. Caught up with old friends. I may not be counting down the days till my due date (the daily baby emails I get are doing that for me!), but I am keenly aware that life is about to change VERY soon. Something tells me I'm not quite ready  yet. I still have a couple of paintings to finish. I've enjoyed working on several commissioned portraits… Read more »

How to Feel Better: Paint Something!

For Love of the Demo

March was a busy month for me. With my third trimester well under way, I was a little concerned that I wouldn't have the energy for it all. But the passion and drive didn't wane, and I was able to accomplish a lot in spite of the need for much more sleep and the irritating plague of heartburn that happens when you're carrying high. Between my two-day portrait workshop and painting at my gallery during Fort Worth Spring Gallery Night, I happened to be working in the public eye a bit more than usual. On Gallery Night (Saturday, March 29), I set up my easel in a corner of the gallery and collectors could come and go, or stay and watch while I worked on a current painting project. Many of them commented, "I don't know how you can stand having people watch you work!" … Read more »

For Love of the Demo

Angels of Death - Progression Shots (Post 2 of 2)

While " Remembrance " was painted using the colors I actually observed from my life studies with the model, "Passage" required some more preparation in order to give it the dark and moody atmosphere I wanted. After doing a color study from the model and taking some photos, I set to work on the reference photos in Photoshop, modifying my temperature scheme entirely so that everything looked a bit darker, more blue, and melancholy. My studio lights are already on the cool side, but I wanted it to look like the figure was outside at twilight. She was posed on a green rug in my studio, and I was able to maintain the color from the rug in the final painting, while modifying it to look like grass. I also used some of my own reference photos from northern skies at sunset to cre… Read more »

Angels of Death - Progression Shots (Post 2 of 2)

Angels of Death - Progression Shots (Post 1 of 2)

For my artist friends and collectors alike - it's always fun to see how a painting develops from start to finish. I don't have a specific method that I use every time. Instead I rely on intuition and start a painting based on the subject matter, overall color temperature, and level of drawing difficulty. Regardless of the colors I choose to tone the canvas or to begin the painting, I always start with big shapes and the separation of light and shadow. Below I give you "Remembrance" from start to finish. 1. "Remembrance" was started with a light vine charcoal drawing on a white oil-primed linen panel (SourceTek). Knowing that I wanted the overall color temperature of the piece to warm and glowing (angelic, no less!), I used a thin wash of raw sienna (thinned wit… Read more »

Angels of Death - Progression Shots (Post 1 of 2)

Recent Painting Workshop - Photos & Video Clips

This past weekend I had my last major teaching gig for the season, leading a 2-day intensive portrait painting workshop at the Trinity Arts Guild in Bedford, TX. After this I will probably not be teaching again until the fall (thanks to Baby Bain arriving in May), and will instead be focusing exclusively on painting projects and commissions for the next few months. The workshop went well and I very much enjoyed the dozen or so attendees who came. We also had a couple of excellent models. Here are some photos from my morning demos, and a couple of short video clips that were taken. Enjoy! Day 1 (model: Gord Shriver): Read more »

Recent Painting Workshop - Photos & Video Clips