Concentration

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I love the look of total, intense, focused concentration in this cat's eyes.

Playtime?

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I just love this little girl's expression. She so clearly wants to play!

This is another exercise in painting white animals. I'm using the technique that Julie Ford Oliver demonstrated in her blog, and I like the depth of color that occurs when using the transparent underpainting. It give me the confidence to attempt painting more white dogs and cats!

Katie

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Katie was much loved and left behind many fond memories. 

Waiting

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Cats often give the impression that they're just waiting for something to happen, don't they? I imagine this kitty is waiting for that darn bird to come just a little bit closer...

I experimented with this painting using the technique for painting white that Julie Ford Oliver demonstrated on her blog. This was my first attempt and it looks like it, but I will keep practicing until I get better. Julie's white flowers were lovely. If you have a minute, be sure to check out her blog (please see blog list on the right side of this page). Julie's work is beautiful and she is very generous about sharing her techniques.

Chat

I'm in Idaho this week. I miss being home and am antsy to get back to painting. Still, I really like Boise, and especially like the folks who work in the Boise office. If I were home this evening, I'd be painting at Open Studio. Instead, I watched a documentary about Mr. Rogers on PBS. What an extraordinary man he was. He had such wonderful outlook on life. It's ok that I missed Open Studio tonight. I think I re-learned some important things from Mr. Rogers. I anticipate that I'll return to painting with a calmer, happier attitude.

Westie

 

Here's a guy for the Daily Paintworks Challenge.

Bella

This is sweet Bella, my daughter's family's dog. She is the kindest, gentlest, most patient dog I've ever met. We all love Bella.

I've been having lots of problems with computer-type stuff. First, we lost our wireless connection...apparently I need a new router. Secondly, Blogger changed its format and I can't edit my blogs. It's extremely frustrating.

Next week I'll be in Boise on business. Since I can't take my painting stuff, I'll spend the week working on my new website, SueHarrell.com. It's up, but currently it only has photos of my paintings. I need to add a price list, how to buy, etc. I've also talked with one of the tech-type guys at work. He's willing to teach me the fundamentals of basic Photoshop so I'll be able to tweak my photos to more accurately reflect what the paintings look like.

Really, all I want to do is paint...I'm eager to get all the details taken care of so I can get back to my easel.

Figure Study

I hadn't planned to post a painting tonight, but what the heck...this is the underpainting for a figure study that I started this evening in open studio. This is a two-session pose, so I'll get to finish it next week. This model is the best in town - she's able to sit like a statue, and after each break, she manages to find the exact same pose - amazing!

I was trying to state values with this study. It's a real challenge for me, and good practice.

Chat

No painting to post today - I'll be going to open studio this evening to attempt to do a figure painting. I have ambivalent feelings about going. I enjoy the company of  the other painters - it's a convivial group and I always come away feeling refreshed. On the other hand...I've never completed a painting I like and always end up with a wiper. I look at it as practice. Who knows, one of these days I might surprise myself and paint something worth keeping.

I spent a little time reading "I'd Rather Be In The Studio" last night; hence, the change in my blog design. I learned that white on black is a killer to read (actually, I learned that from "Artists Helping Artists)."

I also learned that one should avoid "cutesy" - therefore, I got rid of the squiggly font. It's odd...I'm not a cutesy person at all, and I really don't like cutesy. Cutesy tends to follow me around, though, and often creeps into my writing and painting.

If my cat or dog paintings start to look cutesy, please let me know!

Painting Break

I was hoping to do some painting tonight, but it feels too much like a Monday (my "get up and go" got up and went). Instead, I'll spend the evening reading. I recently bought the book, "I'd Rather Be In the Studio," by Alyson Stanfield. The book has lots of info about art marketing. I've been doing some commissioned pet paintings for friends and colleagues, and would like to expand my client base, but I'm not sure how to go about it. I think it's time to learn something about marketing. I'll be interested to see what Alyson has to say.

The Easter Kitty

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The Daily Paintworks Challenge for this week is to paint something with an Easter theme. The Easter Kitty seemed like just the guy to paint!