I'm working on a new "Character Study" Miss Liddy with a parasol. I guess I'll call this my "umbrella series." I was having difficulty finding the right reference photo with her hand holding the parasol, so I used my digital camera to take a photo of my own hand in the position I need. I used a mirror and took several shots until I had what I needed. The computer can be a valuable tool!

The reception at the Gallery in Tamarack went well. My friends and I met some interesting people, and it is always nice to see the amazingly talented artists we have in our state. Judy Reed, Betty Neeley, Diane Mitchell, John Coffey, and several others including myself are all members of the WV Watercolor Society who regularly exhibit at Tamarack.

Thank you to everyone who voted for "The Shopping List" on the Daniel Smail Art Supply website! The painting was a Weekly Winner and will move on the the monthly voting round soon.  I will receive a 10$ gift certificate for supplies. I appreciate all your support! :)

This weekend I took my paintings as well as those of Judy Reed to Tamarack for the Places and Spaces Exhibit that will run Jan 27th through March.
Judy's Paintings are of the beautiful trees in the squares of Savannah, GA. All of the soft moss hanging makes you feel as if you were there to feel the warm Southern breeze.
While out and about, my husband and I made a stop in Charleston where we visited the "Tamarind Touchstones: Fabulous Fifty" exhibit at the Clay Center. This celebration of American Printmaking/ Fine Art Lithography was diverse in subject matter, and I enjoyed spending time reading the details of how the prints were done.
There is also a Fabulous Quilt exhibit, featuring many quilts from as early as the 18oo's. I was most impressed by the ones that had several generations listed as the quilters over a period of years.

Still a way to go, but I felt the painting was too "Yellow". It just seemed that something was bothering me when I looked at it, so I walked away and pondered for a while. Adding the red seemed to make all the difference to me, and seems to move the focus back to the girls. I am excited to work on the raindrops and to make the shiny effect on the umbrella.
I think the lighting seems to be coming from above the girls, which makes it feel like they are "making their own sunshine". These young ladies do seem to brighten everyone's day

A couple of things.... yeah, I know this is upside down. There a several reasons that I do this. Sometimes, I need the paint to flow "up", and sometimes having the  painting upside down helps me to not "see" the subject as a whole, and this makes it easier to pick out flaws in the painting. Especially after I have the eyes painted in, I tend to "make eye contact" and have difficulty evaluating how I'm doing. So upside down works.
I usually take photos along the way so I can look back later and remember how I accomplished something--(I'm not going to post every step of every painting), but I do have photos of most paintings in various stages.
I think this one is coming along well, and it is good for the soul when the painting "happens" rather than a struggle. I personally think the subject matter helps a lot, especially in this case!
Have a Good

My sister who is very talented with a camera and has an ENDLESS SUPPLY of subjects shared this photo of two of her grandaughters. I had described an idea that I had for the upcoming "Places and Spaces" exhibit at TAMARACK about an adorable smiling face peeking out from an umbrella. My sister said she had just the photo for me to reference, and I AGREE! I couldn't wait to get started on this one, and am calling it "Sunshine on a Rainy Day". This is one of the rare cases when I would use a photo that I didn't take myself, and the finished product will probably end up in her living room anyway.
As excited as I was to get started, I still made a rough sketch in my idea book and made notes about colors and changes to the photo. For instance, I wanted to see both girls' eyes in order to make a connection with the viewer, and I think the rounded edges as I have rendered them will frame their faces better than in the photo.
Initially, I had imagined a bright red umbrella, but when I saw the dots, I thought that would be more fun. I am going to try to keep the dots from competing with the expressions of the girls, and to create a "personal space" for them underneath the umbrella.
I'll kepp you posted.

I am starting the new year creatively by working on a label for my sister who owns a restaurant. (Grandma Cookie's Hot Dog Express).She is adding a line of sweets to her menu that feature family  favorites such as molasses cookies, hand-made chocolates, cookies, muffins, and more.
The label will feature a vintage photo of the three of us "cooking" when we were small.  I scanned the photo, then used the software to give it an "embossed" look.  I am going to use this as a background for the label, printing the wording overtop of it to create a "logo" that we can use on the boxes and bags. Right now, I am printing sample labels to show my sisters, and we will decide what works best. So far, the name "3 Sweet Sisters" is my favorite.- I hope they like it!