Rusty the Boardwalk Cat

 Rusty, The Boardwalk Cat 

8x8 oil on birch panel 

$400 click on link to buy

This was last month's theme for Girls Just Wanna Paint. We had a lovely dinner meeting at Sally Dean Mello's awesome, artsy house and you can see the paintings here.
Rusty lives under the Atlantic City Boardwalk. He and his feline friends are cared for by volunteers from Ally Cat Allies. Rusty's human friend, Tim, told me that through the trap, neuter, release program, they've completely eliminated the birth of kittens in the Boardwalk area. 
Rusty's left ear is tipped, to identify him as neutered. I left that in.

Tulips

"Tulips"

11x14 oil on canvas

My sister left me these tulips as a welcome present and I painted them in acrylic which is a new medium for me. 

I really like the smoothness of the paint. 

Because it dries quickly, but not as quickly as I thought it did, you can work over it and the under layer shows through.

I'll post a step by step of the next tulip painting. 

Stay tuned.

Ernie

"Ernie" 

12"x12" oil on panel

SOLD

This commission had to be painted from a photo, of course, but there are many pitfalls in that and it takes some knowledge to find a way around them.

The original photo gives me enough information in the dog's face but the glare on his body erases his chocolate brown markings. What I ended up doing was to just fill in what I knew to be there. 

Don and I are packing for our annual trek to Naples, Florida on January 8th. 

I like to take this last day of the year to thank all of you for your visits and comments. They are much appreciated!
Happy New Year everyone!

Naples Pier Sunset

Naples Pier Sunset 

6x12 oil on panel

When the sun sets on the West Coast of Florida it is spectacular. Every time.

Our time here is almost up and we will be heading North in a few weeks. I always feel a little sad about the end of the season but excited about seeing everyone at home. 

And of course, the drive is an adventure ;)

  

Painting Shiny

Vermeil Cup

Class Demo

I'd like to say that I'm setting the world on fire here in Naples, but the fact is, I'm on island time. Sitting, reading, eating out and touring South Florida with Don and generally lazing about.
However, I have my students to keep me on the straight and narrow!
Tuesday, I painted this shiny silver cup. It's not metal but a soft vermeil kind of finish and it was extremely difficult to paint. Linda watched me sweat through my demo and then took on the task. The big issue with this finish was that it doesn't reflect mirror like images of the surrounding area as metal would, only color and shadow. We are going to go after it again next week which is the best way to understand it.
Meanwhile, I read a bunch of books including, The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman, The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian, The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom, The Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner, Local Girls by Alica Hoffman and Some Girls Some Hats and Hitler; a true love story by Trudi Kanter. They were all good in an "okay" kind of way, but I'm still looking for that really great read.

Back to White

White Dove

6x6 watercolor 

Here are two value studies I did of this little dove. The difference between them is that for the watercolor painting, the dove was lit only with ambient light from a table lamp and the oil study was lit with a spotlight.

For me, white objects are fun to paint and a great way to study value and temperature.

There are a few spots left in my class at Von Liebig on Friday. 

Sign up here.

White Dove

6x6 oil on panel 

Von Liebig Classes

Garlic

6x6 oil on panel

Eight brave souls took on the the world of values, shape and color in my first class of the season at the Von Liebig Center for the arts, last Friday, and we all had fun. I discovered that many of them are going to be repeat students so I'm going to have to stay on my toes!
This is my demo and yes, the edges of the shadows should be a tad lighter ;)
My next class is scheduled for January 30th and you can book it here.

DPW Judge's Pick and a Ramble

Jackson and Reagan

12x12 oil on panel

commission ~ SOLD

Out of 107 entries, I am one of the Judge's Picks in the December 2014,  DPW Monthly painting contest! Such an honor. This painting of Jackson and Reagan was a commission for a dog lover friend of mine. Check out the winners here.

Also, my class at Von Liebig will be on FRIDAY, not THURSDAY as I have previously posted. Check it out here.

Don and the girls and I arrived in Naples, Florida late yesterday afternoon. The good news is that everyone lived, but we were all very tired ;) 

Stay tuned for my cat challenge paintings.

 my Auntie's cat, Cleo

 

Studio Workshops and Stay 'cation'

I've said it before but we are having the most wonderful weather this summer. Today was warm but the humidity was low and the breeze is brisk ;)

Spent the day weeding the garden, sitting on the deck and enjoying  life.

I plan to teach a couple of workshops this September and will vary the lessons. This particular painting was not painted from a photo but if it were, I would interpret it this way and that is the lesson. The demo is just an example of the process.

Loving my neighborhood and my stay 'cation' here by the beach :)

Studio Workshops Fall 2014

*Painting from photos

I will supply simple photos and we will break them down step by step beginning with a value 'map'.

this area to the right, which is a fence, 

did not read well

so I reworked it

classes will be held at my studio in Rockland, Massachusetts 

*dates to be announced

contact me @

wendl15@verizon.net