Baby on Board in the TWSA exhibition

I had confirmation today that the painting that has been selected for the TWSA 2012 Exhibition is Baby on Board!

I guess I will need to invest in a bigger shipping box  :)

I'm still working on the background for my new painting but I also have a commission that I am working on too so my progress is going to be slow. Hopefully I will have something to show you in the next couple of days.

Ona

Published in Canadian Brushstrokes Magazine!

I had some more good news this morning. My painting 'When you need a Friend' has been chosen as an award  finalist and is published in the latest issue of the Canadian Brushstrokes Magazine... This is a great start to the day!

TWSA 2012 Acceptance!

I had an exciting e mail this morning informing me that one of my paintings has been accepted into the Transparent Watercolor Society of America's 2012 Exhibition! I will get the details by regular mail sometime next week but I couldn't wait to share the news with you all.

I'm now waiting.... not so patiently... for the mail so I know which of the two paintings I entered was accepted.  Whichever painting it is I'm very happy. 

Ona

Interes-Ted

Positioned in his favourite reading spot, this small child is engrossed in his favourite book about bears. His faithful companion, Ted, is also carefully seated beside him, raised up on cushions so he too can see the story about his friends the bears. There is nothing quite like sharing your favourite story with your favourite bear.

What is the title of this painting ' Interes-Ted' referring to though? Is it referring to the child who is so obviously interested in his book about Teddy bears, or is it referring to his well loved friend Ted? Maybe Ted is even raising his arm to ask a question about his furry friends in the book or is he just leaning on the cushion as he listens... I guess we will never know :)

Encouraging a love of reading in children is one of the greatest gifts, apart from your love, that you can give to a child. Not only does it open up a world of information and knowledge to them but it can also help develop their imaginations and encourage more creativity. Sharing a book can be a lot of fun too.

Ona

Interes-Ted WIP 2

Its such enormous fun developing light in a painting. I have been working on the child. I wanted to really develop both the light from the window on his hair, skin and clothing and the reflected light  shining up on his face from the white pages of the book.

Since I wasn't aiming for an exact likeness in this painting, I also changed the expression on his face slightly to make him appear more engrossed in the book.

I will probably work on the window seat next.

Ona

Interes-Ted WIP 1

Yes, I'm still on the theme of teddies :) I have a whole selection of ideas  to paint  so expect to see several on a teddy theme scattered throughout the year. This is another 'feel good' family orientated one that I hope will be a popular locally.

The idea for this painting began when I found a snapshot of my son when he was a lot younger sat by a window reading a book. I loved the effect of the sun light pouring in from the window behind.

The actual window behind him though was a little modern for the atmosphere I wanted to create in my painting and the rest of the background pretty distracting. I wanted more of an oldy worldy feel so I looked through my photo libaray and found this photo of a window. The shelf would need to be emptied but I liked the style of window.

The lighting direction would also need to be changed a little but the window had the right feel for the effect I wanted.

I also decided to mirror the squares of the window and create some warm wooden panelling on the wall instead of the colder feel of the stone and then add in a window seat below for my child to sit on.

Then I chose another of Rebecca's  teddies  and took some photos of him as if he were  sat beside the child looking across at the book...It was hard work getting him to sit in position so I needed to hold him in place as I took the photo. I will need to develop his character a little more as I paint him but at least this photo gave me the basics to draw an outline from.

 Using multiple photos to create an idea can be a challenge as it is unlikely you will get both lighting and perspective correct in all the photos but with a little adaptation you can get a much more pleasing composition.

The background is now completed on my painting. I stuck to a very limited palette and mirrored the colours used for the interior wood for the view outside as I didn't want it to be distracting but at the same time felt it needed something. I have now removed the masking which was protecting the child and teddy off so I am  ready begin working on the interested child and the Interes-Ted...

Ona