Evening at the Beach

An 11x14, oil, beach scene I just finished this morning. Love the way the rich evening colors came out in the painting, providing a wonderful backdrop for the two happy dogs silhouetted against the color. Sometimes the colors at a beach in the morning or evening are just unbelievably beautiful aren't they? I love to attempt to capture it. And of course I love the happiness the puppies emanate. I am trying to ease into bigger canvas'. Next one will be a 16x20. Yahoo!

Philippians 4:6-7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

American Eagle

An 8x10, Oil of the proud American Eagle. God Bless America! Again I am thankful for living in this land of the Free. My prayer is to keep our country intact, free and at peace. God has blessed us as a country in so many ways. I give Him the glory and credit. This painting is the last of the patriotic theme I have been pursuing. On to different subjects. I plan on trying to paint on larger canvas'. We shall see what happens! Have a great week. Thank you for looking.

Psalm 121:7-8
"The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore."

American Flag # 4

The 4th American Flag, 8x10, Oil. Just finished it this afternoon and had a nice sun shiny day to photograph it! It has been a gorgeous day today. Sitting in the shade on my breaks from painting. This is the life! We are enjoying our newest addition to our little family, DeeDee, our 9 week old miniature dachshund. She is a tan/white piebald color. Getting her trained and settled into our routine of things. So I spend alot of time outside, playing and not forgetting to pay alot of attention to our 6 year old miniature dachshund, Maggie. I decided to use a more loose tech with this painting. Bigger brushes and lots of paint! Thank you for looking. God Bless.

Psalm 107:9
"For God satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."

Stars and Strips

A 12x12, oil I just finished today for the "Strips" Daily Paintworks Challenge for this week. I might have one more in this American Flag series. I have some Eagle ref photos. I might do that next. The dark areas in the white strips and banding to the left did not show up as I would have liked in the photo. The original painting shows much more color and texture. I am enjoying doing these patriotic paintings. I like the dark of the trees at the water's edge in the background, contrasting with the pink/red of the sunset sky. I was trying for repeating "Old Glory's" red, white and blue in the water, sky and building in the background. Thank you for looking.

Colossians 3:23
"Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ."

Remembering Dollie

This is a recent painting I did of our beloved Dollie. She died this past weekend at 12 years old. She had a happy and long life. I was holding her in my arms when she took her last breath. Both my husband and I are grieving her passing. She was not in pain....just drifted off peacefully. We buried her out on our 5 acre land outside of Kingfisher. Our other 6 year old puppy, Maggie is feeling a little lost and lonely. Giving her lots of attention and snuggles. We are planning on getting a companion puppy for her as soon as possible.

Unknown
"All good dogs go to Heaven."

American Flags on the Beach

Finally!!! Back to painting. I have been wrapped up in preparing for and participating in the 2nd Annual Festival of Arts here in Kingfisher. It has been too long since I have been able to paint! A grateful "shout out" to those that helped and supported me before, during and after the Arts Festival. (Most of all my husband, Kent) I am so thankful to have such great sisters and brothers in Christ. And thank you to all the friends and family that came out to see me!  This is an 8x10, Oil with the patriotic theme going again. I have more ideas coming up around this patriotic theme. Having fun with it. The original plan for this painting was to have some long grasses in the foreground but decided to leave them out. I like the simplicity of the composition without the grasses to distract. Have a great week. Enjoy.

Psalm 107:9
"For God satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."

American Flag #1

A 5x7 Oil I finished last night. I plan on a few more of the American flag. Photographed  this one this morning. It has been cool and cloudy here in Oklahoma and I was afraid the light wouldn't be good enough. But It came out ok  I think. Natural light to photograph my paintings is so much better than artificial inside at night. I am pleased with the shadows on the flag, indicating the wind causing the waves in the flag material. The ref photo I used showed the gold stitching between the strips. I pushed the gold color a little. Just cuz! I like the way it finishes off the look. It's funny how the stars are distorted with the motion of the flag. I like the imperfect look of it. I am feeling a bit patriotic these days. I do live in a wonderful country. Am thankful for all the wonderful privileges I, my family and friends enjoy. Lets protect what we have! Thank you for looking.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Apple #4

OK, so I messed with this canvas AGAIN! Just had to make the apple a little more red than orange and put a curve in the stem. I am promising myself that it is done now. For just a little 5x5, this one has taken up alot of time! That's the way it goes sometimes. That's the beauty of working in oils....can push around the paint until one is satisfied.  I have a little over a week to prepare for our annual Kingfisher Festival of Arts Show. Looking forward to it. Here's to hoping for nice weather! It's an outdoor event. Will be fun seeing all of my friends and family come out for it. Have a great weekend.

Lamentations 3:21-23
"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Shoot and Paint; May Art Challenge

An 8x10 Oil I just finished for the Shoot and Paint Challenge. I have been wanting to do a spring, blooming tree this year. My mother did a miniature of three flowering trees in a row that I really love. I have it displayed in my studio here at my home. Wanted to try my hand at it this year. Used three different sizes of brushes on the foliage. Wanted to capture the wispy blooms in the tree around the edges. Dropped some on the ground too, Mixed in some blue to the green surrounding the tree. It was fun to do. Thank you for looking. Have a great weekend!

Deuteronomy 32:3-4
"I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just - A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he."

Strawberry

My third 5x5, Oil, gallery wrapped deep canvas. Decided to do a strawberry this time. We have a great crop of strawberries this year with the early warm weather. Delicious! Fun to do. Mixed in a little yellow in white to do the highlights. Used the same format as the Apple and Fig paintings. I'm really liking this canvas size. Thank you for looking.

Psalm 23:6
"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD."

Apple a Day Revised

I decided to revise my little 5x5 Apple painting. Wanted to place it in the same format as the Fig painting. Using the same wooden table and more muted background. I have the 3rd 5x5 canvas sketched out. It is a Strawberry. Will be a vibrant red in this same format. I'm thinking that the three would make a great grouping. Thank you for looking.

Isaiah 30:18
"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"

Colorful Figs

My second little 5x5 Oil, gallery wrapped, with the deep sides painted. These figs were really that colorful. Love them! The little 5x5's are fun to do...the paint goes on so fast, once I have decided on the subject and composition. Nice immediate gratification! Have not decided what the subject will be on my 3rd 5x5 canvas. We shall see. I am planning an American Flag series. Kind of excited about that. I have some cool compositions planned. I just can't paint fast enough to keep up with my ideas. Thank you for looking.

Psalm 62:1
"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him."

An Apple a Day

A 5x5 Oil, gallery wrapped, chunky canvas that is about 1/2 inches deep. I have painted the edges. No need for framing. I have two more canvas' like this one and am looking forward to doing similar compositions of fruit or veg's. Another nice day of painting with my buddies! Can't beat the fun and inspiration derived from creating with other artists. Thank you for looking.

Deuteronomy 32:1-2
"Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; hear, you earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants."

Little Owl, Revised

Did a little revision work on this little guy. Decided to stop and call it finished! I was also able to take the photo outside in the natural light. It is amazing what a difference that makes in the finished photograph! Doing it inside always seems to wash out the color. On to my next painting! Hope everyone is having a great week. I am looking forward to my day off  Thursday to paint all day.Thank you for looking.

Proverbs 22:6
"Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it."

Little Baby Owl

An 8x10, oil I finished this evening. A little baby owl. I can't seem to resist them! Pushed the color just for fun with this piece on the back ground and perch the owl is standing on. Wanted to achieve a little bit of a make believe, magical place for this little guy. Practiced back lighting technique with the lighter color of feathers at the edges. I may play with this one a little more tomorrow. Thank you for looking.

Mathew 11:28
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Daily Paintworks Challenge; Up Close Animal

An 8x10 I did today for this week's Challenge. Loved the bright orange beak, the restful, soft look of the feathers and blue green water. Lots of fun to do. My two painting buddies did close ups of cats. Loved them too! I hope to paint some more later this evening. Thank you for looking.

Psalm 91:11-12
"For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone."

Paint and Draw Together Challenge: Spring is Coming

An 8x10, Oil I completed today for the Paint and Draw Together Challenge. Another nice day painting with an artist friend! The emphasis was to paint the subject with a strong back lighting. I began to see many colors in the back light of the photograph. I almost got carried away with it! I plan to paint again tomorrow. Not sure what I will do. Have a great weekend! Thank you for looking.

Luke 27:27-28
"But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Daily Paintworks "The Easter Challenge"; Bunny

An 8x11 Oil I completed for this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge. Decided to do the classic Easter Bunny! Could not resist this cute little guy. I used a large brush and wanted to come up with a loose, more representational painting. I broke down and reached for smaller brushes for the "detail". My intention was to stick with the larger brush only. Oh well! I like the way it turned out anyway. May you have an enjoyable Easter Sunday. Thank you for looking.

Mark 16:6

"Don't be alarmed," he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him." 

Three Baby Owls

An 8x8 Oil I have just finished today. I had the pleasure of painting with two of my painting buddies today. Was a blast. This little painting was fun to do...giving these little owls a little personality..through the expressions in the faces and eyes. Two of them peeking out from behind the more brave sibling! Fun to do! I am working on a little Bunny for this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge (dailypaintworks.com). So I think I will get back to painting! Have a great weekend. Thank you for looking.

Luke 6:38
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Winding River

An 11x14 oil of a winding, meandering river in a lush green landscape. Had fun layering on the different colors in the green. Had to put this aside to do a teaching canvas last week...and the paint dried a little halfway through the process. So it was easy to glaze on the different color on top without things getting "muddy". Thank you looking. Have a great week.

Luke 6:31

"Do to others as you would have them do to you."