Pig Love

"Pig love"
6x6 oil on board

The pig on the right is making "cow eyes" at the other pig because he has a crush on her, but she thinks she's 'all that' and won't pay any attention to him. I think she's going to come around though because he's irresistible. Don't you think?

Check out the rest of this month's challenge paintings at Girls Just Wanna Paint.

I've been painting this little pig again and again to get value and color saturation practice and wouldn't you know that today, the brilliant Carol Marine and her equally brilliant husband David, announced their newest cool DPW idea which is called ArtBytes. 

They are mini lessons on, you guessed it, value and color saturation among other lessons and demos which they've just rolled out. They're making them instantly available through PayPal for very low prices. I snapped up a few today and I'm sure I'll be returning to the 'well' as they add more. I've taken workshops with Carol and she is the best, most thorough teacher I've ever studied with. 

This Little Piggy

 This Little Piggy

I have two fabulous ladies who are studying with me and they were looking forward to painting this little pig prop from the Dollar Tree. I have to say that these girls are really getting it and I am so impressed with their work. This is my value demo which I tweaked a little bit after class. 

Naples Pier Sunset

Naples Pier Sunset

 6x6 oil on gesso board 

 

  One of the great beauties of the Florida peninsula, is the West Coast sunset.  This of course, is the beautiful Naples pier, some 2000 feet long, and always busy with strollers, photographers and sunset seers. Come here early in the morning and you'll see birds galore and early morning anglers. I had to mute the bright colors in this to enhance the oranges of the sunset. We are enjoying beautiful weather here this winter.

The Foundry

The Foundry 
4x4 oil on board$100 plus S&H

I am fascinated by industrial scenes.  These complexes are really just big broad shapes and colors which makes them most interesting in terms of abstract design which is what each painting needs to be about. 
Abstract does not mean just throwing paint onto the canvas. In the best abstract paintings the eye moves over the canvas by design because the artist has a plan. This is not something I understood until I'd studied with some very good painters who pointed out the 'total picture'. We're never painting a flower or a beach scene. We're arranging paint into a beautiful composition on a canvas which just happens to end up looking like a flower or a beach scene. Each area of the canvas is equally important as the viewers eye moves around the picture.

One of my students on Thursday was a raw beginner and I must say I was impressed by his observational skills which included seeing reflections in the shadows and he also recognized that which I just stated. We're not painting lime slices it's about the big picture. The design. 

Nancy was on fire and very encouraging to Neal

Neal brought his sense of humor and he really 'got it'

We had fun.

Sanibel Lighthouse

Sanibel Lighthouse   
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Sanibel is a beautiful island but there's not much to see except this fabulous Lighthouse and of course, beautiful beaches which we also have here in Naples. My favorite part of the painting is the negative space in the struts of the tower. I love these kinds of structures and have many photos of water towers from our travels which I will turn into paintings. There's one in SC right next to the Piggly Wiggly that I've seen the sun rise upon, more than once. Dramatic. I'm working on some more Florida paintings for the Art Boutique at Tin City. Be sure to stop in and see the work there if you are in Naples. 
Happy Valentine's Day to all you friends and lovers. Wolfie and Abba gave 'Daddy' and I some cookies which I can't eat and some semi sweet chocolate which I can and did eat ;) 

Dunkin' Munchkins

Dunkin' Munchkins 

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This painting is a commission done from a similar painting, for a pair of sisters. I don't know who's going to end up with it but they are both DD fans. I admit I was hindered some (mentally) by having already done this same painting, but I set up my still life anyway and did it again. Hope I captured the same feeling that drew them to it. 
Speaking of donuts, my dear girl Kelley has been down for the count with the flu and has not been able to lift her head to paint anything. But, check out her donut wars with the West Coast jelly slinger Susan Roden.