Symmetry is neat.

This is one of my favorite songs to listen to while I paint. Saw the music video today and found it to be exactly how I imagined, only more symmetrical:

In other news, I've been doing a different kind of painting lately. Our main bathroom is now SUPER dark navy... maybe I'll post pictures later.

Sister Bluebird, Flying High Above

Here's something I painted for my father-in-law a few Christmases ago. He's a pilot, and he'd been asking me for a while to paint something aviation-themed. 

"Flight" Oil on Canvas, 24"x36"

Actually, I don't remember if those dimensions are accurate. 

I worked so hard to get those clouds EXACT, and I wish I'd loosened up a bit. I think it would have made for a more pleasing picture... easier to look at. For me, anyway.

Had a fantastic time in Oklahoma City, then worked for two days, then had a nice long Easter weekend! I'm starting to feel a little guilty about my work:vacation ratio as of late. 

Today I'm eating lots of candy and getting my YES on...

Starship Trooper, go sailing on by / Catch my soul, catch the very light 

Coffee Shop Sketches

Easter weekend. No school today, tomorrow, or Monday! I have the greatest job.


Inspired by Rob Rey's coffee shop sketches, I left this morning for Panera, got my favorite mocha + toasted whole wheat bagel combo, and started drawing.

Not my best work. I became impatient with my models (STOP. MOVING. Can't you see I'm DRAWING YOU??), and graphite that got all over my hands and sketchbook. Deep down, though, I knew I was making excuses for myself when the truth is that I'm just out of practice.

I left Panera a few hours later, thoroughly exasperated. 

I'll be back again, though. 

Our Street

Here's the small/detailed painting I wrote about in a previous entry. It's ok.

"Streetside" Oil on canvas panel, 6"x8"

When I got home from Oklahoma City, Josh surprised me with a great big canvas!!! I think big blank canvases are the most beautiful things... so clean and empty, and promising. 

Sketch

A quick, loose sketch one night at the dining room table. I have an entire room dedicated just to painting, but very little actual work ever happens there.

About to go visit my brothers and sister-in-law in OKC! Probably won't get any painting done, but I can't wait to see them!!! 

Painting with Harley

I've never taken Harley painting with me, but a few weeks ago I got home from work and it was so beautiful outside and just I couldn't bear to leave him behind.

We drove over to a nearby park and set up camp.

It took some effort on both our parts, but it worked out. 

 Keeping alert.

Finally he resignedly flopped down and relaxed for the last 20 minutes. Here are some close-ups from the day's work:

And what it looked like when I finished:

"Spring Shadows" Oil on canvas, 9x12"

I might touch it up in some spots, but I'm mostly done. 

Tonight I checked the Camp Hill Plein Air Painting festival site and realized that the deadline for entries was two weeks ago. Somehow I had it in my head that the deadline wasn't until the 28th. I had it written all over all my calendars. 

Sigh.

I'm a teeny bit relieved, because I was nervous to fail (very talented and more experienced painters have entered this competition), but mostly I'm really frustrated with myself. This is a challenge that I had been mentally preparing for for a long while, now. Can't believe I screwed it up. Poor Josh was disappointed, too - he was more excited about all this than I was.

Anyway, I can still be involved in the quick draw that Saturday. And there's always next year.

Fixing Failures

Today I don't have to do ANYTHING. 

It is AWESOME.

I went out and painted for a while. I painted on a very small canvas panel and chose a fairly detailed street scene to paint. Frustration ensued. I've always preferred to paint BIG. Deep, layered expanses of color are my thing. This painting was the opposite of my thing. 

I'm looking at it now, though, and I think I like it. 

Well. 

No, I probably don't. 

On a different note, here's a painting I worked on a few months ago one day when we finally got some snow. Don't know how I feel about this one, either:

"Snow Day" Oil on canvas, 9x12"

I'm happy with some parts of it, dissatisfied with others. Here's the work in process:

Feeling like I should have stopped about here and kept it all high-contrast and ghostly. (And, yes, I am painting from inside my Jeep. Told you I don't like to be cold.)

I think I need to learn the art of fixing failed paintings. It's a mental thing, you know? To force yourself to return to something that you don't particularly like? That takes discipline. Like running. And like running, it's also usually worth it.