Oh Baby It's Cold Outside!

Sometimes there is a painting that just makes you smile when you are working on it. This was one of them. I just loved bringing his expression to life and making him look and feel really cold by playing with colours on his face and giving him dragon's breath.

Transparent Watercolour 15 by 22 inches

Do you think I ought to let him in to warm up now?

A Glimpse into my process of Creation:

 I guess when you paint pretty realistically, a lot of people presume you just copy a photo. With me, this is so far from the truth. I love taking photos but if I am happy with them as photos I personally feel no need to paint them because I am happy with them as they are. What I enjoy painting is something I can't capture easily in a single photo. So if, for example, I see an expression I love or an icicle that looks super awesome shining in the light I capture these small aspects and file them away in my 'one day....' folder. They aren't great as photos in their own right but the potential in each one is there. Every so often I look through this folder and sometimes when I do an idea for a painting just pops into my head. This usually happens because of something YOU have all written about or said, or something has happened in the world to trigger my idea. So Thank you all. You might all think you are just flittering away hours posting on facebook but you all help me by doing so. Keep it up folks!

With this painting I used a photo of Garry I took at a photo shoot about 15 months ago now, back at a time of year it was a lot warmer than it is now. I had no pre conceived thoughts of a painting when i took this photo. I merely asked Garry to convey a series of different expressions/feelings. In this one I asked him to look a bit pissed off. I had a LOT of work to do adapting this photo and making his expression into someone who was cold but the basics were there! I really accentuated his nose... I wanted to make it feel ultra 3D to really show the cold blues I was going to put on it. I also changed his lips a little (and yes, I did wander around the carpark at Walmart for a good half and hour pretending to look for my car LOL to see peoples expressions in the cold. I also changed his eye brows a touch... it's all very small changes... millimeters difference but enough to adapt his expression to suit what I wanted the painting to say...

... and yes... in -20 I did go outside and actually paint part of the painting there. Why??? because water freezes in these temperatures and so as I was painting the background the watercolour froze and formed ice crystals. Its only subtle because I didn't want it to detract from his face but if you look closely at the background you can see tiny ice crystal patterns. How cool is that!!! (pun intended LOL) So there it is... from start to finish. Realistic... YES but very different from what I began with ... such fun to do!

Puzzled

Life is a puzzle without edges. No one is born with all their pieces, or knowing what their life puzzle looks like. It's something that has to be pieced together as we go. Eventually all the pieces will fall into place but until that time we just have to accept the confusion, live for each moment and know that even when things dont immediately fall into place things happen for a reason.

Transparent Watercolour 23 by 14 inches

Broken In Transit

'Broken in Transit!!!!....the nightmare of all artists who transport paintings to and from exhibitions! We put so much of our hearts into our work and are so pleased when they are accepted into big exhibitions ... then this happens...

I think my models face says exactly how we feel. Don't you?

Thank you so much to Garry Sugden for agreeing to be my model for this painting. Think I am going to have to find a really distressed frame for this one.

Transparent Watercolour 25.5 by 17.25 inches

Vertigo

Transparent Watercolour 30.5 by 21.5 inches. 

This one was such fun to do. It's the 2nd in my new series of  portraits focusing on larger than life expressions. Most people experience a degree of natural fear when exposed to heights but for some it can be overwhelming. 

I was going to call this painting Vertigo but technically a fear of heights and a feeling you are going to fall is actually Acrophobia. Maybe I should just call it Hold on tight! Any other ideas would be very gratefully received.

RED ALERT!!!

It has been such fun painting this, just capturing that expression and playing with some really bright colour.

I have always struggled in the past when painting predominantly red/orange paintings because I feel colour as emotion and emotions as colour. So for me to use a predominantly orange/red palette makes me much more daring, determined, energetic, powerful, impulsive and slightly aggressive than usual.  It is a highly visible colour that makes me make spur of the moment rash decisions which is so unlike my style of painting and, in the past, has led to me making mistake after mistake. My saviour in this painting was Dawn's green eyes. when I started to get overwhelmed by all the orange/ reds I would just focus on the eyes and add a little more detail to them until I felt calmer again.

Do you find you are affected by the colours you paint with?

From Major to Minor

" Life is like a piano; the white keys represent happiness and the black show sadness but as you go through life's journey, remember the black keys also create music."

Ehssan

We cannot really appreciate happiness without its mirror emotion sadness. Both are part of our  journey of life. Happiness provides satisfaction and resolution, sadness on the other hand helps us develop perseverance and strength.  Accept both and hopefully you’ll be playing a perfect concerto. 

It doesnt really come over well in the small jpg but I tried using several contrasting elements to help accentuate the mood in the 2 sections. In the main happy section my model Mira is using all white keys and in the reflection using mostly black keys. I also played with the sense of light in the main part of the painting versus the comparitive darkness of the reflection to help enhance the happy or sad feeling and lastly I used warm reds for the happy section versus cooler purply reds for the sadder reflection. These subtle colour differences are really lost in the jpg, sorry.

Ona

Animato Assai

I had enormous fun doing this painting, especially capturing the movement of the hair. I have chosen the title 'Animato Assai' because it is the Italian musical term for very animated and I hope the painting evokes both happiness and the feeling of movement.

Thank you Sarah for being such a wonderful model for this painting.

Ona

IWS 30th National Exhibition Acceptance

I am very pleased to let you know that my painting 'Coded Thoughts' will be travelling soon to the 30th Illinois Watercolor Society National Exhibition which will be held at The Next Picture Show Gallery in Dixon, Illinois.

Only Fifty five paintings were selected for this exhibition by the juror Lenox Wallace. I am honored that Coded Thoughts will be one of these.

Ona

Rhythm 'n' Blues

The saxophone dances the rhythm of her notes across the air and between these notes, our heart and soul beats to her sound.

The painting certainly provided challenges... Working with such a limited palette meant that the awareness of values was a very important key to the success of the painting. It also involved a play with warmth and coolness of colour, not just in the contrast between the golden yellows and the cool misty blues but also within the individual colour ranges. It's hard to see from the jpg (apologies for this) but the blues in the background warm up nearer to the source of the light and there is also graduation  between the warmer and cooler blues on the shirt, getting cooler as you move away from the saxophone. Lastly I had to battle with all the fiddly keys and levers on the saxophone to give the impression of reality but not too much so that it becomes the total sole focus of the painting. I wanted it instead to be more part of the whole... almost an extension of the person. The use of warmth in the hands and face mirroring the warmth in the saxophone hopefully helps with this too.

Ona

Coded Thoughts

The mysterious goings-on inside teen brains have befuddled countless parents over the years. At times it is almost feels as if teenagers are thinking in an alien or 'coded' language that adults are not invited to be part of or simply do not 'get'. 

The simple fact is that teenage brains are still developing. They do indeed think differently.  So the next time you're ready to yell,

"WHAT in the world were you thinking when you did that?",

remember ...teenagers are not thinking the way adults think.

Tansparent Watercolour 31.5 by 21 inches on Arches cold press paper.

You are the Sunshine of my Life

It was the words of Stevie Wonder's song and the wonderful personalities of my two subjects that inspired this watercolour. 

 You are the sunshine of my life

That's why I'll always be around,

You are the apple of my eye,

Forever you'll stay in my heart

I feel like this is the beginning,

Though I've loved you for a million years,

And if I thought our love was ending,

I'd find myself drowning in my own tears

You are the sunshine of my life,

That's why I'll always stay around,

You are the apple of my eye,

Forever you'll stay in my heart

You must have known that I was lonely,

Because you came to my rescue,

And I know that this must be heaven,

How could so much love be inside of you?

 Love has joined us,

Love has joined us,

Let's think sweet love

I hope that even a small part of the emotion in these lyrics comes across in the painting.

Ona

Chapter Two... Making Eye Contact!

When I start a portrait I almost always begin with the eyes. It just helps me 'get in the mood' of the portrait and I do like them 'looking' while I paint :)

Often the eyes are very small in a portrait but in this one I have plenty of room to develop them. I like to take my time when painting the eyes  and will often have long gaps in painting while I just look at what I have done and work out whether I need to make adjustments.I don't usually put in the eye lashes until later but I needed to really get a feel for the eye direction so this time I have added them in lightly at this early stage.

It was especially important for these eyes that I get them focusing down at the worm. Its amazing how the direction of sight can change when the pupil is even just a millimetre too far left or right or up or down so you just have to keep working away at it until you get it right.

At last.... two eyes looking at one worm, or at least looking at the space where the worm will be :)

Next  I will work on developing the rest of the facial features.

Ona

Time Warp WIP 4

I have really enjoyed painting the biggest portrait over the last two days. I still have some defining to do on the far ear and to paint in his eye lashes, eye brows, and facial hair, but its great to now have that  mischievious face looking at me as I paint. He just seems to set the mood of the painting and this will hopefully help me bring out the fun element in the other four portraits too.

 

A long way to go yet but its beginning to take shape.

Ona

And all Because......

...one of the pieces of music I used for my slideshow was called 'I believe I can fly' and as I listened to it over and over again while I was putting the slideshow together, an idea for a painting popped into my mind.

My daugher Rebecca has been learning to fly  this past summer. Her tuition is on hold now over the winter months but she is looking forward to the spring again when she can complete her training and finally be able to fly solo. She seems so young to me still,  but I know she is growing up fast. She is so full of ambition and motivation to succeed. Its wonderful to see.  You know the saying 'the sky's the limit'... that is certainly true for her. I didn't want to put her in a glider for my painting though because I also wanted to encorporate the more imaginative side of her personality into the portrait too.

She is just like me in that way...she has such a vivid imagination so it was easy to get her 'to believe' in my idea for the reference photo shoot.

" Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!"– Dr Seuss

.... so I placed a chair in the middle of the basement and a  fan beside it, gave her a summer dress to put on and told her to sit on the chair, feel the summer's breeze through her hair and imagine she was on a swing high in the sky, above the clouds. 

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.  ~Henry David Thoreau

yes, I know she only really had the floor to look at, and a chair instead of a swing but  her imagination could fill in the rest and hopefully my pencil and brushes can bring to life what was in her mind. (fingers crossed)

The outline is drawn onto watercolour paper and stretched on a board. It is another big one... I just couldn't resist it. Its 24 by 33 inches.

Ona

Spinning a Tale WIP 7

I've been busy painting the folds in the apron fabric over the last few days. I'm a bit sick of red now (grin). I decided to use red for the apron as it will provide a good contrast to set off the hands. The camera really doesn't like red but I have tried my best in photoshop to get the photo looking as close to the painting as possible. Some of the subtle colours in the glazing have been lost though.

Now I am going to paint the spinning wheel. My husband pointed out to me yesterday that I had missed a vital connection between the big wheel and the smaller bobbin wheel.  Its good to have a technical person in the house. Luckily this should be an easy fix with the help of a magic eraser and some tape:)

Ona

Spinning a Tale WIP 6

I have spent the last couple of days painting in the pattern on her dress and creating the folds of the fabric. I have also been working on developing the contrast between the light and shady areas. The light of the paper only becomes really bright when it is contrasted closeby with some really strong darks. I have also painted the cloth around her neck. I decided to use a contrasting colour here as it seemed to help draw attention to her face and lead our eyes down towards where her hands will be.

I have now masked around the edges of her hands so I can paint her apron.

Ona

Spinning a Tale WIP 5

I know many of you are keen to see my progress in this portrait. I'm really enjoying it now all the weaving is done:)

I wanted to create that late afternoon/ early evening atmosphere  so am using a mostly warm colour palette for this painting with just touches of cool to add contrast and effect. The woman's face is now basically finished. To suggest the light shining in on her from the side it was important to really develop the darks to provide a real contrast to the almost white of the light side. I am pleased with the effect.  Her face is only a small section of the whole painting so I have cropped right in for the photo so you can see it clearly. I will begin working on her clothes next.

 I have also been busy designing some brochures. Debi Watson gave me the idea. Thank you Debi. Business cards are very convenient to have with you but at shows or sales its great to have the extra space that's available in a brochure to give potential customers more information about you. So here are a couple photo's of my new brochure.

Ona

Spinning a Tale WIP 3

It's been slow going weaving this background fabric in watercolour. I've still got a small section to paint but I know from your e mails and messages that so many of you are keen to see the effect so I didn't want to keep you in suspense any longer;)

I love how, when viewed from a distance, it just looks like a simple mottled background. It isn't until you move closer that you begin to see the woven pattern, the sheep and the boy. It's just like when someone is talking. At a distance you can hear the sounds but they are all muffled. It's not till you come closer that you can hear the actual words spoken.

I'm looking forward to the point when I can remove the masking fluid and start on the woman.

Ona

Portrait WIP 3

Its been interesting having Alexander's face looking at me as I painted today. It felt almost as if he was inspecting every stroke of the paintbrush hurrying me along so he could have eye lashes eye brows and facial hair. Nothing like having an audience!  I've also begun working on his clothing but there is still a way to go on the left side.

 I've included a close up of the face section below. I still have some minor adjustments to make but its almost there . His expression is just priceless isnt it! I wonder what he is saying to us now?

Ona

Portrait WIP 1

I'm still not sure what to call this one. Anyhow, I thought it was high time I posted an update.

I've finished the background. In my reference photo, the background is very distracting and I didn't want this in the painting. I decided therefore on a slightly more 'edgy' plainish background which would help to create the mood of the piece but at the same time allow our focus to be on his face. To achieve this effect I decided to use vertical brushstrokes rather than a smooth or mottled background with the darker tones increasing nearer the bottom of the painting. Symbolically this could be the world weighing down on his shoulders but it could just be out of focus background. I love how a background can set the mood for the painting. Using print outs of the outline I played with different colour combinations and it was amazing how, even with the same style of background, it totally altered the feel or mood if I chose say greys and blues instaead of the purples yellows, greens and browns that I chose.

I am now beginning the underpinning stage of the face itself. There is still a lot to do to mould the shape and form of the face and shadows to increase but its beginning to take shape. I can start to see 'the look' appearing from the blank white paper. It's a big face so it's going to take me a while even to finish the underpinning. The painting is on a full sheet of Arches cold press.

 I'd better get some ears on him soon. He looks a bit like he is wearing white ear muffs at the moment (grin)

Ona