Hummingbird - Foxglove work in progress

I have painted the background on the 16" x 20" canvas and started drawing in the floxglove. I think you can just barely make out the pencil marks. I lightly painted the outline of one flower stalk, but it is part of the background so it is not going to get any detail. Just vague shape and colour.

Now I've started the painting. I have put in the stems and started the buds. I also added some black at the bottom of the painting to give it a little drama and set off the light coming in from the top.

I'm also painting a 8" x 10" at the same time but am not going to do it as a WIP. I'll just post the finished product here when I'm done. It will basically be the same probably but with fewer flowers and birds.

WIP - Coming Soon - another in bird series

I am doing another 16" x 20" acrylic in my bird series. It will involve Foxglove and probably hummingbirds. I am about to start the background, so I will do this as a "work in progess". Photos will appear on the blog as I go.

Mermaid, Fairies and Fantasy

I thought today I should get away from my usual storms, and darkness....well not quite.. Still dark, but with a little different material. The first is my flower fairy. I don't paint figures very often. It's just not my thing, but I wanted to paint a bird of paradise and thought now was my chance to paint a fae. Both the flower and the fairy have the same colours. I painted the entire figure with white acrylic first and then layered thinned acrylic over it. It gives it a bit of a transparent look. A little magic for the fairy :)

This one is my usual storm (just can't get away from them) but with a mermaid in the mix. I was going to paint a fairy but I couldn't get the wings to cooperate so I got rid of them and turned her into a mermaid. (she shouldn't be flying with a storm coming anyway)

A little larger than normal for me. OSWOA size (4" x 6") on canvas paper. You will find both of them listed on Ebay here

What is OSWOA ( a copyrighted term for "original small works of art"~~ they must be originals and must be 4" x 6". anything else is not an OSWOA)

How are the Prairies similar to the sea? Ships and Storms

How are the prairies and the sea similar? The wide open spaces and the beautiful sunsets. Storm watching and dependence on the weather. I'm drawn to the sea, the same as I miss the flat land when I'm not here. Don't get me wrong...I love the mountains, but start yearning for open space when I am there. Give me a good old big sunset any day :)

Out of the Storm.....a 2.5" x 3.5" acrylic. Listed on Ebay here

Winter Meteor Shower

Deb was commenting on my other meteor shower paintings last week and mentioned "winter" falling stars, so I decided to do one. The light is different in the winter one because the light would reflect on the snow and ice and "light up" the area. (I think) That's my story and I'm sticking to it anyway LOL. I love the country side at night when it's clear and really really cold. You can hear everything for miles around. Your footsteps echo everywhere. And if the moon is out you can see for quite a distance even though it's dark. You will find the aceo (3.5" x 2.5") posted on Ebay here

Thanks for looking. :)

ACEO Playing Card Deck - 2009

Preparations for the 2009 ACEO Playing Card Deck is in full swing. I again have been lucky enough to secure a card to paint. This year I have the 7 of spades. Here is my card. These card decks (a double deck) should be available later in the summer. I'm really excited because my daughter (NennyO) Jenn is also taking part.

lighthouses, dolphins and storms Oh My!

I had these up for sale ealier last week. They didn't sell. I wasn't really happy with either of them so I did some tweaking. I took out the funnel cloud on this one and added a sailboat (poor fishermen....kind of mean plopping them down in a storm) I called this "Race against Nature". ACEO size (3.5" x 2.5") acrylic

This one I had envisioned with just dolphins dancing in the moonlight. It just didn't work, so I added a lighthouse to give it some depth. We'll see how it goes. "Dancing in the Moonlight" ACEO acrylic.

You will find both of these listed on Ebay here

Sunrise/Sunset aceo - Mermaid fantasy piece

Red sky in the morning...sailors take warning.

Mermaids were bad luck......red sky in the morning was bad luck. So many things were bad luck it's a wonder sailors sailed at all. With the sun casting a yellow tinge to the wave breaking against the rocks, this is my rendition of what it could have looked like to the unsuspecting sailor.

Listed here on Ebay. Enjoy!

Moccasin Beading - Work in progress

Slow and steady wins the race they say. I have the top of the foot about 80% done. It's been a learning process. You can see how the beads make it so much brighter. The bottom piece just has the pattern (no beads) on it.

Older Painting - Spider's Web

"Oh what a tangled web we weave............" A series of events last week made me think of this old saying. How true it is. Made me think of this oil painting I did a couple of years ago. An OSWOA (4" x 6") long ago sold. It is done primarily of little "drops" painted circles actually in acrylic and then layers of oils over the entire thing. It looks so mystical.

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I have been tagged by one of my favourite mixed media artist. I don't think there is any medium that Deb hasn't tried and succeeded in. She's a gifted artist and one of the most kind, supportive people I know. Go look at her blog at Artshtick's Corner to see loads of Fine, Fun Art!

The rules of the Blogger's Tag game are:
1. put a link in your posting about the artist that tagged you.
2. write 5 -7 unusual things about yourself.
3. tag 5 - 7 other Bloggers and let them

Some unusual facts about me are: my life isn't that unusual so it's not going to be easy :)

1. I used to be a stock broker and in fact Branch Senior, Options Trading Supervisor are some of the titles I've held.

2. One of my favourite things to do is camping and have a secret desire to own a RV/campground in the mountains (preferrably near Nelson BC) someday.

3. I like to work on our family tree in my spare time and have met many distant "cousins" on the internet while researching.

4. I hate bananas with an absolute passion. It makes me sick just to think of them!

5. I am allergic to wasp stings and have an absolute phobia of them!

Blogs I am tagging:

Loredana..........Beautiful watercolors

Blueyeduck Studios

Babycakes Cornbread kids

Julie T Gouge .....a Tennessee artist