Woman of Mystery

10 x 8 - Oil on rough canvas


This is my entry for Karin Jurick's DSFDF Year End Challenge - Swapping 180 Photos. I enjoyed painting this pretty mystery artist and want to thank her for posing with her mouth shut and ears covered! Just kidding - but I'm always uncomfortable painting teeth and ears! I used a scrap piece of unstretched canvas thinking the off white would substitute for toning only to discover it wasn't properly primed! So...this challenge was more difficult than it needed to be! Since I had already started over once, I kept going and am pleased with the way it turned out. It seems to have a pastel look to it due to the rough canvas and thin paint.

My first attempt was on a white canvas board in blue tones...didn't feel I had a likeness and wasn't happy with the white support or the palette...so...started over...

This was fun and I am so eager to learn the identity of this Woman of Mystery!

Karin, thank you for the opportunity to participate in the portrait swap and Happy New Year to you and all our blogging family!

Merry Christmas Blogging Friends!

LISTEN!
9" x 8" Oil on canvas

It was fun looking back through old photos to find a puppy as a subject for this year's Christmas card. Our second shepherd, Joshua, had a terrible time keeping his ears up! He was almost three months old before he held them up all the time and what a precious little terror he was at that age! An old photo of him looking for trouble while playing outside provided reference for the puppy. We've never had cats so the kitty reference was from a photo in my file.

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday season and your new year will be a healthy, happy and creative one!

Mary Cassatt's Children on the Beach (1884)

Oil on Canvas - 36 x 24

This is my entry for Michelle Burnett's Following the Masters monthly painting challenge. For this entry we could choose an artist who had influenced our work and, since children are my favorite subjects, for me it's Mary Cassatt.

Mary Stevenson Cassatt (May 22, 1844 – June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She lived much of her adult life in France, where she first befriended Edgar Degas and later exhibited among the Impressionists.

Cassatt often created images of the social and private lives of women, with particular emphasis on the intimate bonds between mothers and children. A few of these paintings may be seen here. (Wikipedia)

I painted this a number of years ago for a lady who lives by the water and wanted this reproduction to complement her family room's "beach decor". I remember how hard it was to "cut off" the little girl's legs! I even asked if I might incude feet (which would have probably made Mary Cassatt roll over)! The portrait class I was taking at the time stressed that we were NEVER to "cut off" limbs at amputation points...i.e, wrists, ankles, etc. Guess that really made an impression - at least I've never forgotten it! Looking at the photo of the painting now, maybe I should have been more concerned with softer edges and more colorful shadows! I wonder if it's still hanging in the "Dockside Room"? Thanks Michelle for reminding me to take another look at this one!