Merry Christmas!

Today I had two paintings to wrap up...one, is an acrylic on canvas (24x30 inch) of Scooter "A Warm Place By The Window".  This is a painting you may be familiar with that I thought I'd attempt to paint much larger...and in acrylic no less (a medium which I seldom use and am not proficient at).  It turned out well enough to put up in my studio at least until I decide if it's actually finished.

The second painting is a gift....(I'm hoping I'm not giving it away)...after all, Christmas is a day away but I'm betting this recipient isn't subscribing to my blog.

Atlantic Salmon Fly

5x7, soft pastel

Hyde Park - 13th Street Pub & Grill

Hyde Park 13th St. Pub & Grill

2.5' x 4', acrylic on canvas

Nothing feels better than to finish a challenging painting that became a "beast" along the way but was ultimately tamed.  Three weeks later I can now declare it finished!!  This was the case with Hyde Park.  A 2.5' x 4' triptych acrylic painting on canvas. 

Having  focused for the past year on learning to paint with soft pastels, I was far FAR outside my comfort zone switching to acrylic paints...especially for a painting this large.  Picking up paint brushes and struggling through this painting wasn't easy.  However, it was a labor of love for a dear friend.  In the long run it was well worth the agony it bestowed upon me (even though I will always wish it was just a little bit better).  At least it's finished!  Yay!!  I'll post a couple progress shots.  Then I'm going to enjoy a beer and salsa on the back patio.  Ahhhh, life is good! 

The first step was to complete the sketch...then outline it with a fine tip marker.

This stage was a mono-toned under painting.

The finished piece:

The First Dance

The First Dance

6x6, acrylic

An abstract underpainting and then a spin-off into a fantasy world.  I imagine these two are on their first date together, a bit shy yet attracted to each other.  Oh, what delicious tension.

Playing Catch-up

Today was a play day...well, not exactly. I needed to paint three paintings to catch up with the 30in30 Challenge so I dabbled in multiple abstracts...representational abstract I think is the actual term. It's surprisingly more difficult than it looks...at least for me. All I can say is...keep an open mind. (lol)

Market Lady

12x8.5, acrylic

Winter Storm on Weber Road

5x5, soft pastel

Coming Up For Air

(....which is how I feel about now during this 30in30...😊)

8x6, acrylic