My new love: the palette knife.

For those of you who don't know me, I rarely get stressed, even about school. This week I've been uncharacteristically nervous preparing for the first part of the dental licensing board exam. Running and art are two avenues the Lord has provided for me to turn off my brain and my "to do" list to meet with Him. As a result, I dropped my "to do" list and escaped to the easel. My next commission has tons of detail, and I thought out of fairness to the couple who commissioned me, I should delay it until my mindset was better and work on some mindless pieces.

LOVING THESE PALETTE KNIVES (thanks to my sweet brother). I love working while the paint is still wet. I love the texture. I love the expressive nature of the paintings it produces.  One downside: I'm burning through paint. 

Below are the three pieces created Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

 This is 11x14 acrylic on wooden panel.  

 12x12 acrylic on canvas....  Wooden panels really do work better for palette knife.

 11x14 winter scene in acrylic.  This isn't from a photograph... and I think you can tell. I got inspired by the colors of a January sky in a fishing magazine. I think the photo above shows the color more clearly, but the photo below is a better view of the texture.

 Up next: some commissions I've been delaying until my brain was fresh. Thanks for following my art!

January paintings... hopefully the start to lots of art in 2012.

Below is a painting specifically done for DCF silent auction. Dental Community Fellowship is a Christian organization that ministers to dental students and organizes dental mission trips abroad. I've been so blessed by what the Lord has done through this ministry during my time in dental school- so many lives changed, including mine. If you're interested in learning more about it, check out http://www.dentalcommunityfellowship.net/. Below is a 22"x28" acrylic on canvas.

 Finished: 

This is a small study I did for the painting above. The marsh grass is a little more yellow, a little less brown. A great friend owns this now! 5"x7" acrylic on canvas board.

On the Intracoastal waterway near the Holden Beach bridge, there's this "hole in the wall" restaurant called Provision Company. My family (and now friends) love to journey there by boat for great shrimp burgers, conch fritters and other seafood! So many great memories here! This painting was actually inspired by a rustic frame given to me by my grandmother-in-law over Christmas. The wood felt very much like the worn wooden frame of Provision Company... and I wanted this painting to reflect the weathered, salty vibe of this place... especially in the fall and winter when the landscape is a little gray and the place is a little quieter.
This is 16x20 acrylic (very watered down) on wooden panel. I'm beginning to prefer wooden panel for the smooth surface and the way it absorbs water.

Getting started:

 Closer view of the focal point:

 I really like it from a little further back- the bare wood showing through, as well as the vertical brushstrokes can be appreciated better! Love the rustic frame on this!

This is the photo of the Provision Company that I worked from.

More to come soon. A few more commissions, some palette knife pieces, and hopefully some photography as I learn about my new camera!

Now to post a few Christmas gifts......

 Merry Christmas Granddaddy- This is a little outside the scope of what I normally do, but my Granddaddy is rebuilding the barn on the farm where he grew up. I was recently told about barn quilts- painted on a board 8'x8' and hung on the outside of the barn... So I designed one, with the gift being the promise of painting an actual large quilt- when the dimensions of the barn are confirmed. Really enjoyed experimenting with lines and blocks of color. When we finish the large project, I'll post the final product. Until then, here's the 12"x12" design. If you think about it, just do an internet search of barn quilts- it's really pretty interesting!

Merry Christmas Shane and Kristin...  Great were my intentions for Christmas gifts this year, then I simply ran out of time. Below is Buck, a gift for my brother and sister in law. I think Buck is pretty much finished, but the background could probably use a bit more refining. Honestly, I kind of like the background simple and out-of-focus. We'll see. More later on this.... This is Acrylic on 12"x12" wrapped canvas.

 Commission for a sweet friend- A Christmas gift for her parents. My friends were married in this church, and her family has been a part of it for years. I felt so humbled that they asked ME to do this! The simplicity of this white wooden church tucked into the woods was inspiration as I painted. I think that the feel of it came through in the simple and traditional composition and color palette. Really enjoyed the trees in the background the most- I'm trying to get away from layering on the background first, then moving to the foreground. Focusing on painting what I see, not what I logically know is there, usually results in a softer image that better conveys the feel of the setting. The color is a little off, but good news: this is the last of my blog posting with my point and shoot- expect an exponential increase in quality from now on!

 Really loving the sky color poking its way through the trees here, before there are even trunks or branches.

Added a tree to the foreground- now that shadow makes sense in the lower right...

 Zoomed in view of the Church (White Oak Arp).  This painting is 16x20 acrylic on canvas.

Thanks for reading!