Irises Painting Wins Award

My painting, Irises, received a Judges' Choice Award this weekend at the King George Art Show.  I received a beautiful ribbon and a very nice check.  The judge this year was Lisa Semerad.

Pastels Class

Taught my first class up here in the new studio and this was our subject.  We worked in pastels for this floral still life class.

Another Kind of Painting

I am recovering today from another kind of painting.  In days of yore, I supplemented my income by painting murals and doing faux finishing.  I have always painted my own home and have never hired anyone to do it for me.  Those days are over!  I ache all over today and my thighs and calves are screaming "You Idiot, we can't do all that ladder climbing anymore".  They are sooooo right.  I will get help in the future.  But, the interesting thing here is.......color is color.  I  really enjoy matching a color to another.  I love trying to mix a color that matches some color used elsewhere.  I did not want to paint the entire room, just two walls that had some damage.  The paint on the walls is from 2006 and there were no paint cans hiding anyplace to tell me what color or brand they had used.  So, I got out my trusty Sherwin Williams paint fan, from the old mural days and even though the paint fan dates to 2001, I was able to come up with a darn good match.  When I got down to the store, the clerk and I pulled out some current paint chips and I chose one that was slightly lighter and greyer than my paint fan.  Took it home and darn if it was not a perfect match.  I repainted the damaged walls and you can't tell my paint is newer than what was originally on the walls.  For me, Color Matching is like doing jig saw puzzles, but I just don't have the picture on the box to go by.

The Frame Store & more

Millions of errands to run today, as well as visiting my mom in the nursing home.  When all was done and I was heading back home, I passed by a frame shop for the 100th time since moving here.  I always am in a hurry or have someplace I must be and always tell myself  that I will stop in next time.  Today was Next Time. 

The Frame Store & more is a beautiful little frame shop with lots of ready made frames as well as custom made frames.  They also are a gallery space for some really talented
 local artists.  David and Kim Herman are the owners and I am really glad to have made some new friends up here.  The shop is located at 95 Featherbed Lane in Winchester.  If you go by there, be sure to tell them Linda sent you. 

Mermaid Sketches

I was teaching a drawing class recently and one of the students who was admiring my sketch of a reclining woman, commented that she would make an excellent mermaid.......I have thought a lot about this idea and here are a few thumbnails and the original sketch which I added fins to. Oh and an idea for a fish type face.  Maybe!

Woodpecker Family Finished

This is a really bad photo of my really pretty painting of the woodpecker family.  I used an old camera and the flash washed out all the colors.  Notice the sky is once again a cool blue grey, not turquoise.

Baby Woodpeckers Adjusted and Nearly Finished

I realized after painting the other day, my baby woodpeckers were a bit too large.  I have cut them down a bit and repainted them to an almost finished state.  MAYBE?

OOOPPPPSS, I Screwed Up!

OK, so I thought I had a really nasty looking grey sky and decided I could punch up the color and improve the painting.......DUHHHHHH.  Now my sky is too turquoise blue.  As soon as I looked at it this morning after working late yesterday on it, I just wanted to break open a bottle of Pinot Grigio and get sloshed.  Instead, I am putting on a pot of coffee and going to persevere.

Kick'n Green's Butt Today

I just spent the afternoon kicking green's butt.  I actually feel I have some pretty good greens in the woodpecker painting now.  Going to drop off some art in King George Virginia tomorrow and then hurry back home and try to keep my momentum going. 

Did I Mention - I Hate Green

Everyone has a favorite color.  Everyone has a color they hate.  Guess my least favorite color to try and work with.  YUP, Green.  I buy green in tubes and when I squeeze them out, I think to myself, no way this looks natural.  But, if I mix a green myself using anything but green, I find it actually grows on me after a bit.  The two bottom leaves (blobs at this point) are out of the tube green.  The two above were made using Cobalt Blue, Yellow Ochre and some Cadmium Scarlet.  OH and a bit of white to lighten in spots.  If I force myself to continue and ignore the color, looking for light and shadow, I finally get to a point where I just may be happy with what I have painted.  What's your nemesis color?

Day 2 of the Underpainting

Still not finished with the underpainting.  I hate green, obviously why I am leaving the leaves for last. 

Workshop Today at Studio Frame Shop

Today I am teaching a workshop called, Drawing The Human Form with Graphite.  It runs from 10 am until 2 pm.  and is held at The Studio Frame Shop in Warrenton.  Stop by and say hi if you are in
town.

Woodpeckers Underpainting

This is my version of an underpainting.  I go for solid paint, no glazes at this point.  After the first pass and all the white is covered.  I will then go back in and hit the whole thing again with final color and details. 

Now Teaching Classes at New Studio

ART CLASSES  beginning June 25

Drawing, Oil Painting, Pastels

Taught by Portrait Artist, Linda Lawler

Contact at lindalawler@outlook.com or call 540-686-6107

Woodpeckers - Grayscale

Here is something I have learned this year in the SmArt School classes.  Before committing paint to the canvas, do a map of your value areas in grayscale.  I have used four values here in an effort to plan out an interesting composition.  There is interesting negative shapes and good value contrast to lead the eye to the center of interest.  Next comes the under painting. I did a few color comps also, but on the computer and did not save them.  I am not very good at that yet, so its just as well you don't see that.  

How to Know when you are OLD!

You know you are old when you need to take a nap when your granddaughter takes her nap.  Enough Said!

Registered for SmArt School

I have now registered for another semester of SmArt School classes online.  This time I have picked Rebecca Guay as my instructor and I will be allowed to monitor another class each week in addition to her class.  I learned so much in the last semester and find that the structured classes have kept me motivated. 

Artshow Reception Tonight

I have two pieces in the "Canvasing the 1940's" show at Creative Brush Studio/Gallery in Manassas VA.  Tonight is the opening reception from 5:00 til 9:00 and I will be attending.  If you are in the area, come on by and see me and some incredible artwork.  The Gallery is located at 9082 Center St., Manassas VA 20110.  Telephone - 703-335-8005

Postage Stamp George

Today I am using a postage stamp of George Washington for my reference.  This miniature measures 1.75  x 1.75 inches.

My Kind of Humor

I have had these two Farside comics in my studio for eons now.  You can see a small part of my selfie I took back when there were no IPhones.  Seems I was cutting edge back then.  Anyway, if you can't zoom in and read these, just drop me a line and I will send them to you.  I am especially fond of the bottom cartoon.  I too was a "Draw Blinky" from the matchbook, student.  Took those mail-order classes at night after my son was in bed.

Mr. Lincoln Miniature

I finally finished my tiny miniature painting of Abraham Lincoln. He was started a few months back and I am just getting around to finding time to finish him.  My reference is a newspaper photo of an old Mathew Brady photograph.  This is how I occupied myself while waiting for the illustration boards to dry for sanding.  I am painting him on Ivorine (faux ivory) and he measures 2 X 2.25 inches.

Reference Photos for The Hardheads painting

Still waiting for the illustration boards to dry so I can sand them and transfer my drawing.  Speaking of the drawing, I went out with the camera and took some reference photos for the painting of the Hardheads.   I have removed the color from the photo so that I can get a nice accurate drawing without being overwhelmed by the green color.  Also, when I get ready to paint them, I will do this again.  The greens in these leaves are way too bold and I don't want it to overwhelm my painting.  I will reduce the intensity of the hue and lower the value when I paint them.