Monarch Butterfly and Egg, Oil on Linen Panel, 6"x6"
I read recently that painting an egg was one of the hardest things to paint and that supposedly, the it was the test for old master painters. That means I should practice painting an egg, if ever I want to be considered a painter of some kind one day. This is my first actual go at it. The butterfly was inspired by the French movie, The Butterfly. It is a wonderfully sweet movie. Among other loves, it is about a man’s fascination with the Isabel butterfly. He collects butterfly of all kinds and you see the walls of his apartment decorated in the butterfly trapped behind glass in picture frames. I would not dare purchase or capture a butterfly for decoration, so I gathered some old photos and painted one. The egg is of course from the OSU-OKC farmer’s market.
Peonies in Glass Vase, Oil on linen panel 4"x6"
Pear on Slate Tile, Oil on Linen Panel, 5"x7"
Oh, I got a wonderful new camera. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time using it. If I use the flash I get truer colors, but I get light glare spots on the painting, which are very distracting. With no flash, my colors tend to show up a bit more red. I ended up taking the photos outside, which seems to have helped some, except it started to snow. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. It is a Sony 230.
The Peonies and the pear paintings are a donation for an art auction on March 4th , for the Harding Fine Arts Academy.
Orange on Stone Tile, Oil on Linen Panel 4"x6"
I have learned a few new things things this month, and I believe it to be apparent in my last few paintings. I still feel that I spend too much time going over the same problem. So, a painting that should last a day or two, is taking me a week or so to complete. Of course these are not full days. This is usually in the evening, when the girls are in bed, and in the weekends, between all the “to-do’s”. Still, I am having great fun painting, and painting is slowly becoming less frustrating.
One of the things I discovered, after researching artists whose works I admire, was that my pallet had too many colors. I needed to simplify it. The colors they chose seemed to give a more natural effect, and resulted in a less muddy painting for me.
I am very pleased with the paintings from this past month and I look forward to the paintings I will be worning on the rest of February and then on.
One of the things I discovered, after researching artists whose works I admire, was that my pallet had too many colors. I needed to simplify it. The colors they chose seemed to give a more natural effect, and resulted in a less muddy painting for me.
I am very pleased with the paintings from this past month and I look forward to the paintings I will be worning on the rest of February and then on.
Oh, I got a wonderful new camera. Unfortunately, I am having a hard time using it. If I use the flash I get truer colors, but I get light glare spots on the painting, which are very distracting. With no flash, my colors tend to show up a bit more red. I ended up taking the photos outside, which seems to have helped some, except it started to snow. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. It is a Sony 230.
I wish you a beautiful Valentine’s Day.
Beautiful work Carolina . . . just beautiful. Happy Valentine's Day to you. Have an art-filled day today and do something nice for yourself!
ReplyDeleteI love your orange on stone but am particularly drawn to the butterfly/egg painting. Nicely done. I was recently in Pismo Beach and found out that Monarchs over-winter there in the Euculyptus trees near the ocean and I was fortunate to get to see them. I think they are the most beautiful creatures. Like your blog.
ReplyDeleteI was recently in Pismo Beach and found out that Monarchs over-winter there in the Euculyptus trees near the ocean and I was fortunate to get to see them
ReplyDeletedeck tile
these are all wonderful paintings but my favorite is definitely the one with a butterfly and an egg :) thanks for sharing :)make sure you show us your work with your new camera
ReplyDeleteThanks for your great post, love the way you explain it.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful paintings! I particularly love the peony (and it makes a great blog icon, too!).
ReplyDeleteI've found that shooting outside in bright shade (pick a spot with even shade, not dappled light) gives me the best results.