When life gives you lemons, draw them, 11 x 14 inches dry pastels, graphite on paper

"When life gives you lemons, draw them." (Nikki)

"Color! What a deep and mysterious language." (Paul Gauguin)

summer

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Shadows of Summer – work in progress

Monday, September 15th, 2008


 

Shadows of Summer - Phase 2 of work in progress, top detail 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas  Shadows of Summer - Phase 2 of work in progress, lower detail 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas

Thumbnails: Shadows of Summer, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas Phase 2, top and lower detail

Shadows of Summer Phase 1 of work in progress, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvasLeft: Shadows of Summer Phase 1 in progress.

Tomorrow: plans are to create more flow and less of a hard line between background leaves and the trunk, plus add more reds and make this an early Autumn scene. Also I’d like this one to be less representational, so now that it’s mapped out will change to imply leaves and space more abstractly and play with subtle changes in planes.

 

 

 

Rainbow at sunset

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008


 

Rainbow at sunset Lewisville TX, July 30, 2008

Rainbow at sunset and Oak trees, Lewisville Texas

New heart-shape

Monday, July 28th, 2008


 

Heart shape in the center of a Sunflower, newest photo of the series.

A new heart shape in nature to add to the series today.

Pumpkin leaves and blossom

Monday, June 23rd, 2008


 

 Pumpkin leaves and blossom

The first of the pumpkin blossoms are opening; they open early in the morning and close fairly quickly. This morning a bee was struggling inside a flower that had collapsed before it finished gathering pollen. When the flower wilts, the sticky soft petals bond together, and the bee would never have escaped had I not investigated where the frantic-sounding buzzing was coming from. I didn’t think a tender flower could be so strong!

The 4th of July on the 22nd of June

Sunday, June 22nd, 2008


 

The Fourth of July, 36H x 48W x 2D inches acrylics on canvas, work in progress

Added darkest values, mapping out the composition more clearly, now will define a few blossoms in the foreground by washing off dark areas and paint with pure colors from the tube and bring back to the cheery lights and brights that were present at the start.

The Fourth of July 01, work in progress

Friday, June 20th, 2008


 

 The Fourth of July 01, 36H x 48W x 2D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted, work in progress

The Fourth of July 01, 36H x 48W x 2D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted, sturdy custom built stretcher frame. Work in progress. Rarely do I draw outlines to start paintings.. just start splashing paint in a frenzy around the canvas, responding to the subject matter.

Not only does the Orange Milkweed remind me of fireworks, but it was on July 4th last year that I stopped to photograph the vibrant wildflowers growing alongside the highways in Kentucky.

 The Fourth of July, 36 x 48 x 2 Acrylics on wrapped canvas, work in progress, just started

 

Happy Tree

Thursday, June 19th, 2008


 

Happy Face - Pecan tree, Lewisville, TX -photography

Happy Face – Pecan tree, Lewisville, TX

Sun Shower 04 update

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008


 

Sun Shower 04 work in progress, June 19th after a layer of white wash

Sun Shower 04 work in progress, June 19th after a layer of white wash; white diluted with matte medium, then am giving the whole surface a layer of streaks of masking medium to bring all that texture out again that was there at the start. Tomorrow will start another painting and study this one before going back into it. My husband said this morning “Uh-oh Nik, you’re losing control of it”. He’s not an artist and rarely comments on paintings, but he sees things that I don’t. He saw exactly what I was starting to feel about the work. More accurately, I was starting to take too much control.

Sun Shower #4 bottom left detail - June 19 Sun Shower #4 bottom left detail - June 17, 2008

June 19th                     June 17th

 

 

The Art of Caring

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008


 

Boys will be boys!

Haydon is squinting from the bright sun, not the toad on his head; it was entirely his idea to do that.  The Art of Caring - the two boys who saved a rat from drowning in our neighborhood pool.  The Art of Caring - a rat that was saved from drowning by two boys in our neighborhood pool.

Who would save a drowning rat? These two little boys, Haydon and Noel would.
When I arrived at the neighborhood pool this morning they had just scooped a helpless rat out of the water with a little pail. It was still alive but barely, and the oldest boy who was six years old, explained to me about the circle of life – he used this term, not me. He explained that if rats died then snakes could not live, and so that’s why he saved it. I was impressed, but their other new pool playmate, a toad also discovered in the water… not so much!

By Natural Design

Saturday, June 7th, 2008


 
Canna Lily leaf swirl

Canna Lily leaf swirl  Canna Lily leaf design

Canna Lily leaves.

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