Angels Everywhere

This is another "Michael". Creating artwork as a career is a very solitary business. Many of you checking out my blog probably know what I mean. I am so fortunate to have a circle of artist friends who live near enough to get together for painting, for coffee, for a glass of wine, for brainstorming.

Nancy was my angel last week, when I was asked to paint these little man-angels I realized that I was out of the 6x8 Raymar boards I used for all my angel paintings. Although I went online immediately and ordered more boards, it'd be over a week before I'd get them. Thankfully Nancy had several and I was able to get started on these paintings right away.

"Michael"

6 x 8 inches, Oil on Board, Palette knife

Michael the Angel

I was asked if I'd paint a male angel. I had fun trying to think of how to paint a male angel - bare chested with billowy pants? Legs? Michael, the angel portrayed by John Travolta wore a trench coat. I wanted to keep the style of the other angels I painted so this is my male angel; I painted two - they are both named Michael for the movie angel:

"Michael 2"

8 x 6 inches, oil on board, palette knife

Goodbye and Hello - A Hug

It was a goodbye and a hello...A hug

6 x 6 inches, Oil on Board/Palette knife

Happy Thanksgiving

A big Thank You!

Blue Trees and as of yet untitled

I finished this painting last week and having not come up with a good "catchy" title. Any suggestions? I might just call it what it is "Blue Trees". I look at the painting and the feeling I had when I painted it. It is not a lonely piece, though it has a lot of blues and dark colors. Since it is Monday today "Monday Morning"

It is a larger painting - 24 x 24 x 1.75 inches - oil, palette knife on stretched gallery wrapped canvas.

Fascination - A painting of tulips

So much to write about. I've taken a couple of pottery classes with Kim Norris but I haven't any photos to post. I'm covered with clay when I am finished and my pieces are lopsided... But Kim has started me with the wheel - when she touches the clay it's magic, when I touch it...ha!


Tomorrow I'll be at Grapevine Mainstreet Art Gallery during their Christmas Market. If the weather is permits? I've joined the artists at Grapevine Mainstreet Art Gallery - and have some of my paintings exhibited there. If you are ever in Grapevine, Texas the address is 121 Main Street. Stop by!

I painted the above last week when my painting friend, Nancy Medina, and I painted at Cafe de Soleil. I enjoy painting with her because we are on the same page and can bounce ideas off of each other.

"Fascination"

14 x 14 x 1.5 inches

Palette knife on Gallery wrapped canvas

We Did It

We did it! We braved the cold and set up our easels to paint outdoors!!

Though the temperatures were in the mid to high 40's and the winds were out of the North, the sun was out and made for a pleasant morning.

Here is Nancy at her easel. She painted a beautiful Texas landscape with bluebonnets.

Painting outside the studio is always a challenge - packing the paints and easel and all the other "stuff". And wouldn't you know it I forgot to pack my paintbrush holder!! I didn't have any brushes nor palette knives to paint with! Fortunately Nancy had brushes to spare and let me borrow her palette knife and brush! It's great having a painting buddy!

And this is me with my big aloe looking plant. : )

It was fun nonetheless.

Saturday Painting

On Saturday, November 15, Nancy Medina and I are going to be at Cafe de Soleil in the Southlake Town Center painting outside.

We'll probably set up around 1030 in the morning and paint for a couple of hours.

If you're in the area - stop by and say "hello".

Cafe de Soleil

1244 Prospect St.

Southlake, TX 76092

And if you can't stop by, at least pray we don't get rain or wind...Nancy says she can paint in the cold...we'll see : )

Distance

A customer who'd bought a 7x5 inch painting from me in the past asked if I had another small painting of "Distance" which was on my website to add to her small art collection. So I painted the smaller version. The reason I named it Distance was because although the couple sits together it just appeared that they were miles apart in thoughts and perhaps desires. They aren't even touching. So I'm not going to change the title of the smaller painting and am calling this one

"Distance II"

5 x 7 inches, Oil on Board

Palette knife.

Lost and Found

Finding something lost is such a keen feeling. A misplaced key, a friend from the past, a pair of glasses, the favorite pair of jeans we tossed into the corner of the closet when we could no longer fit into it, a secret beach where we used to hang out when we were teens, a phone number scribbled on a notepad...

What interesting joy have you had when you "found" something you thought you'd "lost"?

"Lost and Found"

12 x 12 x 3/4 inches, Oil on Canvas

Palette Knife

Sweet Rememberances - Vase of Sunflowers

A true friend is one who thinks you are a good egg even if you are half-cracked.

~Author Unknown

Nancy, my art friend blogged about me. I was trying to think of a good friend quote in response. I think this one is a perfect one. (She thinks I'm a funny friend - dunno if it's "funny - ha ha" or "funny - peculiar")

I think I must have still been thinking of Van Gogh when I painted this vase of flowers. I almost named it "Vincent's Flowers" but decided on:

"Sweet Rememberances"

Oil on Canvas, 14 x 11 x 3/4 inches

Palette Knife

Available on Ebay.

Quiet Dance - A Painting of More Irises

I liked painting the smaller paintings of Irises so much that I had to do a larger version of it again with the palette knife. The irises seemed to be dancing in a gentle twilight breeze. I also found the title of this painting from a title of a song I heard on Hiroshi Yamaoka's Soundclick page.

"Quiet Dance"

20 x 20 x 3/4", Oil on Stretched Canvas,

Palette knife

Click here to Buy.

Escape - A Painting of Irises

Have you ever felt like running away? Where would you go? I love painting because it allows me to "escape"...I painted another Van Gogh-esque Iris painting. Perhaps he wanted to get away from it all...that is why I named this one:

"Escape"

Oil on stretched canvas, 10 x 8 inches x 3/4" depth

Palette knife painting.

Irises at Twilight

Painted this during our "kinda weekly painting night". It's good to get together with friends to catch up on what everyone's been up to, drink a little wine, nibble on crackers, get inspired, ask each other to critique and make suggestions and get a little paint on the canvas.

Our local museum, The Kimball in Fort Worth is wrapping up their exhibit of the Impressionists. Van Gogh is my favorite impressionist artist, so with that inspiration in mind -

"Irises at Twilight"

8 x 10" on stretched canvas

Palette Knife

Available on Ebay.