"Ivy" in the Zorn Pallette of colors

New Painting from PAOA's Portrait Studio Today...guess I missed all the St. Patty's festivals! But, really enjoyed working in the "Zorn Pallette", though I used French Vermilion (blue red) vs. the recommended Cad Red, Ivory Black, Tit. White, and Yellow Ochre. Lot's of fun. In our demo at PAOA on March 3rd given by Romel de la Torre he brought an example of his portrait work and one of the paintings was done in this pallette and it was so beautiful I just had to give this a try.

Study of Brandon

Monochrome oil painting (about 2.5 hours) from life done this last Sat. Feb 18th at a PAOA Portrait Studio. Used Paynes Grey and Tit. White. It was a very full session, over 16 people came to paint or draw from Brandon..he was terrific!

"Girl with a Gold Earring"

Another study started from life in a Portrait Studio of the Portrait Artists of Arizona. Made some refinements in the studio. Really had fun playing with color! Her rich skintone provided for a variety of colors, reflections, etc. Oil on canvas panel 12"wx16"h.

Final "Pensive" all ready to go!

Completed and already submitted to the Members Exhibition of Portrait Artists of Arizona. I little more refined and fairly happy with the outcome. Now to find the perfect frame!!! Oil on canvas 18"wx24"h

Stage 7 - nearing completion

Painting hands are tough! After doing them 3 times now, I've got to step back and take a breather...they are more proportioned now, but not 100% happy yet. Put in some background, but I think it needs more work.

On the Easel - Stage 6

Didn't post Stage 5 which was mainly her face. I've finished the blouse, but not completely happy with the hands. Will wait for the paint to dry to go back in and do some refinements on hands and finish the background. Also, the pearls, look more like gold beads, than pearls, so need to figure out how to fix those. But, looks like I will make it for the deadline next week and I will be able to work on a couple of other over the weekend. More updates later :)

On the Easel - Stage 4

Moving on with adding the background. Having transitioned back to regular oils using "odorless" spirits...I love the work, but the "fumes" are bothering me :( ...it's isn't always the smell people have problems with. The chemicals can be a killer. That and spending a whole day on Saturday in a room with 11 other oils painters. My allergies are really bothering me. But, I will continue to use current oils to complete this particular painting...am reconsidering the water misible...hmmmm...

On the Easel - Laura Di "after" Princess Di

I can't believe it's been nearly one year since I've posted to this blog!!! Shame on me. I have done some painting, but mostly studio work and just haven't gotten around to posting here. But, I have renewed vigor and excitement in working on a new painting. I was inspired by the famous portrait of Princess Diana by Nelson Shanks, so dress up my gorgeous niece in an outfit I can no longer wear :( and posed her in a similar style to the "master" work. It came out very nicely and I am in the early groundwork. It is on my favorite surface "Yes" triple primed linen streched, 18x24. I really wanted a 20x30, but they did not have my brand in that size, so I settled. Anyway...this is a start and I have a dealine, again, of Feb 18th to enter the Portrait Artists of Arizona 2nd Annual Members Exhibition coming up in April!

Art Shows and Exhibits

New for 2011, I have work exhibiting from Feb-July at the Skye Restaurant in Glendale, AZ off Bell Road and the 101. Also, from March 8 through April 6th, I have work in the Portrait Artists of Arizona Members Exhibition at ASU Gammage. Gammage exhibit is availabe for ticketed patrons or on Monday's between 1-4pm.

"Andalusian Spirit" - equine painting

Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 18"w x 24"h

I have always loved the beautiful Spanish breed of the Andalusian horses, because of their beautifully curved necks and extremely long and flowing manes. I searched extensively for the right inspiration, one that exudes fire and drama to bring out my own passion for horses. I had a short turnaround time because I wanted to enter it into an art exhibit and only had one week. So, I chose acrylics because they dry very quickly, yet also allow for blending, glazing and texture. To achieve the dappled gray effect on the body, I used sponging techniques with natural sea sponges. This is the first horse painting I've ever done, and what I hope to be the first of a long series of Andalusian equine paintings.

It will be on exhibit/sale at the Alliance show at Skye Restaurant in Glendale, AZ from Feb-July 2011.
This painting also won 1st Place in the Artist of the Month for Tempe Artists Guild in January 2011.