Cozy with Mommy

This week I was planning to finish a painting I started last year. It's of a Mom and daughter at the Ward 4th of July party at the park. I showed her the painting months ago before I was really finished with it. She said she really liked it and was interested in purchasing it. I looked all over but couldn't find it, but I found
the other one of her and her daughter I had started. I decided to just work on that one. I didn't know if she would like it as much, but I figured I would find the other one later and finish it.

So I've worked on this all week. It's only an 8 x 10 and I wish it was bigger because I've had such a tough time trying to paint the smaller details. I've ordered some brushes that I can't wait to get. I'm hoping it will be much easier with some good brushes.

Anyway so I pick the painting up to move it and take a picture of it. Josh says, "Oh, there's a painting on the other side?". I turn it over and there's the other painting I've been looking for. I was so mad at myself. I felt so stupid. How's that going to work? I guess they can turn it over when they get tired of it. Josh carefully said, "It's really kind of funny Mom". I said, angrily, "Yea I know".
The thing that haunts me the most is that I did the same thing with a watercolor over 5 years ago. I hope I've learned my lesson. So here's the picture. I'll work on the one on the back and show it to you next week.

Snow Angel

"Snow Angel" is my 7th painting this year. My daughter is so beautiful and sweet I had a hard time trying to pick which picture I wanted to paint. I think I really needed two weeks to paint this instead of one. Then I started thinking, since my goal is to paint one painting a week maybe by the end of the year, I will hopefully have learned a lot and next year will be able to fix all the paintings I've painted this year.

I am happy with this painting. I wanted to paint her in her black coat that she wears everywhere, but as I painted the red underlayer I liked it too much to change it. Then I took a black and white picture of the painting and thought it looked really good black. Let me know what you think looks best.

I finally got my Southwest Art Magazine. My subscription had expired and my husband renewed it for me for Christmas. I look forward to it each month and find new favorite artists. This month there's a wonderful figurative painter named Marci Oleszkiewicz ( pronounced o-la-skevitch). I love her use of light and shadows. You can see her work in the Waterhouse Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA. Each day as I try to run on the treadmill I find a painting I like and look at it for 1 mile and then turn to a new one after each mile. Yes I am crazy about art. I told my Mom today as we drove by some bushes and trees that are starting to show some color of spring that I can't drive by without wanting to paint it. I'm still having a hard time going to sleep at night because I'm so excited about painting. But I did buy a Williams Sonoma Appetizer cookbook today.

So that's this week. Next week I'm changing things up a bit. I'm going to finish a painting that I started last year. I decided that was ok. Otherwise I'll never have time to work on it.

Everyone in our house is feeling better, including me. So I think next week will be a lot better. Until then.

Working on portrait

This time I thought I'd show what I'm working on before it's finished. I'm painting a portrait of my daughter. I was going to paint the underlayer red so the black on her coat was not so flat, but now I'm really considering leaving the coat red.

It's been a crazy week. I finished my last painting on Friday. Saturday night my baby got sick. He threw up on my husband first and then on me. Sunday was spent trying to recover from being up all night. I sure missed going to church. It's always such a good beginning to the week (or ending, however you look at it).
Then on Monday my oldest son was sick - fever and no energy. So this morning he comes in shaking from nightmares (He always has bad dreams when he's sick). It always freaks me out when he's had a nightmare. Sometimes he talks in his sleep about it.

Then I moved my six year old out of my bed to let him sleep in my bed and she started to cry and say she doesn't feel good. Since my oldest is snoring in my bed now I decided to get up. I haven't been feeling well for the last three days either.

Today my parents are coming to town and I've got a bunch to do and don't want to get them sick. But this is life. Things hardly ever go as planned do they?
I hope I can still finish this painting this week. I have one more son who hasn't been sick yet.

I keep telling myself, little by little is how things get done. Especially here. I just have to stay focused.

Safely Hidden

This week I really struggled with making up my mind about what I wanted to paint. I really didn't make up my mind until Monday night. But I always liked a picture I took on our trip to Vegas in November 2008. It looks so cozy to live out in the country with no one else around. I believe it is Parowan, Utah because of the P on the mountain.

I noticed I am drawn to pictures of cloudy days. It must be from being raised in Washington state. I love rainy days. It makes me feel at home. When I first painted the clouds they looked awful (I think this is my first time ever painting clouds). I wiped them off. I got on youtube and searched "how to paint clouds in oil". I watched a couple movies and couldn't believe how easy it was going to be. Well, it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped, but I'm decided to think of them as pretty good for the first time.

I am really enjoying this challenge. I find that I'm seeing things very differently. I see folds, shapes and shadows in places I never noticed before - like dirty socks on the floor. Crazy huh? I really get when they say that being an artist is just learning how to see. I love it! It's a whole new world. I lay in bed at night, not able to go to sleep because I'm thinking of all the things I'd like to paint. It must be what I'm meant to do.

Those who know me know I have a cookbook addiction. Somehow I can never get enough. Well tonight I looked at some but the same excitement wasn't there. I couldn't believe it. It pales in comparison to how I feel when I can look at something I've created. Wow! It's a good change. But I'll always love to bake.

So Happy Valentines day, I'll talk to you next Friday.

She is more precious than rubies

Wow! I'm cutting it close. I finished my fifth painting for 2010. I have one minute to upload it on my blog. Oops! Now it's midnight. I still reached my goal. I've just been struggling to upload my picture. This is a painting of my neice. I hope she doesn't mind, since it's a surprise. I had a great time painting it and learned a ton.

The name of the painting is from a verse in Proverbs 3:15 "She is more precious than rubies; and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her".

I've really been thinking about Proverbs 31:10 all week as I've been painting my neice. It says, "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies". It's true that virtue is rare nowadays - but is still is worth far more than rubies. Our bodies are an incredible gift given to us from God. I'd like my art to portray young women in a way that respects them and their worth as a child of God. I'd love to see all women come to know how special they are and that they are daughters of God.

We are asked to be light to the world - a light that can lead others to Christ. He will fill our lives with the peace and happiness we're seeking and a love of self and others. Since we all sin and become unclean He makes us clean and new again as we repent. No matter how many times - He'll never give up on us. He is our creator and loves us unconditionally. When he looks at all His children he is filled with love for every one. He wants us to repent and follow Him because He knows it will make us happy. Young women are so special to Him. As we look at them as He does we see beautiful individuals of eternal worth, with incredible Godgiven potential. Can you imagine the pain He feels when the world portrays them as objects to be used? And even more so when a young women sees herself that way and believes that's all anyone could want her for.

Young women are people who are loved and cherished by God, Mothers, Fathers, family, friends, etc. They can and do contribute so much good to the world. They should be respected and valued. Not used or abused. So lets do what we can to help them see themselves as special and valuable. Young women should know their value. They are truly masterpieces of God's creations and should be treated that way.