Therapeutic Art :D

I just have to say this last month has been weired. We started out having water problems with out water softener. Hubby replaced it after a faucet above it broke and started dripping water. 2 days later we started having noticeable differences with our well so the well guys came out and we had our well worked on. Another day without water. Nothing helped so we ended up replacing our well... 214 feet later they finally got water that works. We enjoyed lots of water for 2 days. Then hubby went to get a shower and no water! He went downstairs to see what was the matter and another pipe burst! This time our hot water heater was in 3 feet of water - fried! So as I'm typing this we are once again without water. Amazing how we take water for granted. Today I ended up cleaning my brushes in a bucket and thought hmmm this must be how they cleaned brushes before modern plumbing. I didn't mind cleaning them from a bucket. I was just happy that I could paint today. Somehow it takes all the stress away. It's so therapeutic :D. I'm just hoping tonight I get a warm shower.

Curious as to what I'm working on? Well here it is! An update to the amaryllis I started last time I updated the blog. I'm really enjoying this one. I spent 4 hours on it today. The time just seem to fly by. That's why I think painting is so therapeutic. I didn't even think about being without water.



I've been busy doing another portrait. This is of Father Zeke - he's just retired. I painted this for a farewell present given to him at his retirement party last weekend. It was done with oil on wrapped canvas. Again I started out with a drawing, then transfered it onto the canvas. Then I started with blocking in darker colors, working my way up. He was a lot of fun to paint. Such a happy smile. He will be missed.



I'm really enjoying doing portraits. I think the best of all is to see the reaction I get from the people who receive them. Well so far atleast everyone's liked them!

Okay car shopping is done. Phew!! Back to the art world - much more fun! Ford F150 pick-up truck is on it's way. Now I'll have something to take art to art shows in. Anyhow I haven't spent all that time on cars. I've been busy working on paintings. I've also been busy drawing. Here's a work in progress I started last weekend. It's of an amaryllis. I took photos of this last winter. I had planned on doing one of the iris that are blooming in my garden, but couldn't decide which one. As I was looking at one of the files I have my flowers in I came across this one. I just love the composition of it.

I started with a yellow under painting and blue where the darker red will be.




After letting the under painting dry I spent the better part of today working on the the red. Here are the first two stages.






Yay! I finished the Hibiscus!! I think it was well worth the wait. So without further ado here it is...




Since the last time I posted I also finished the boys. I call them "Brothers in Arms". I just love how their cheeks rest against each other. Here is my sketch. I then started with a pastel painting. It came out really nice looking. I was rather happy with it ...then my kitten kept thinking it would be fun to touch....so thinking it was time to put some workable fixative on it, I sprayed it....well lets just say the whiteness disappeared from the baby and the blue paper background came forward! OPPS!! So since I goofed up I decided an oil painting might be a better bet. I just couldn't bring myself to doing pastels so soon after such a goof up!!Below the drawing is the finished oil painting.