Ho Ho Ho - Santa Claus is coming to town!

Ho Ho Ho

6 x 6

Oil on Raymar Panel

$200

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us…let the Christmas celebration begin!  This is the Santa I painted for my Christmas card this year.  Last year I had the opportunity to take pictures of Santa Clause at a local mall.  He was kind enough to pose for me…I had a ball.  As a result I have quite a few source photos that I am sure I will be using for years! 

The Thanksgiving dishes were hardly dry when I started decorating for Christmas.  I have a large collection of Santa Clauses that adorn the base of my tree and each year it is a treat to unpack and arrange them.  

Here is a picture of some of my Santas and our tiny little tree.  The Santas are all shapes and sizes and were purchased/gifted/collected from all over the world.  There are so many memories…I just love revisiting the good times.  

Sun Showers - Tour of Washington DC

Sun Showers

8 x 16

Oil on Raymar Panel

$250

This is a painting I never thought I would finish.  It just didn't seem to come together…so many lessons learned!!!  Lessons on perspective, figurative positions…light…dark…warm…cool...it was just a jumble.  Slowly and methodically I started working out each issue.  I studied angles, positions and perspectives.  It is still not perfect, but it was a great learning experience.  Some paintings seem to just flow off the brush…this is what I call one of my BST works.  Blood, Sweat and Tears!!!

The scene is actually in front of the Lincoln Memorial looking away from the memorial.  The concrete blocks were placed there during construction and are no longer there.  The first woman with the yellow umbrella was a tour guide and her flock followed behind soaking up her knowledge of our great capital, Washington DC.  Sometimes I follow these groups to hear bits of knowledge…they always have amusing stories.  

As an aside…this is is a small portion of a large piece I am working on.  "Steampunk Marissa" is the working title.  I still have lots to do on it…but I am please with my progress so far!

Miss Sweetieheart

Miss Sweetieheart

6 x 6

Oil on Raymar Panel

$200

All this talk of Randy Higbee's 6 x 6 small works show inspired me to try a few 6 x 6 pieces.  I didn't enter this one but I loved painting it!  I have been painting larger pieces...but it was fun to go small for a bit.  The subject of this painting is one of my now famous grand nieces (Vivi) and her very much loved stuffed animal, Miss Sweetieheart.  

The results of the Randy Higbee submissions will be revealed tomorrow and I am sure Facebook will be all abuzz with congratulations and high five's for well-deserved acceptances.  The show is always a rousing success and sales are traditionally very high.  I am looking forward to seeing who will be represented.  

This past weekend I was able to gather two of my son's friends and my daughter in law for a fabulous photo shoot!  The girls played dress up with lots of tulle, corsets, top hats, and lots of other accessories and I snapped about a thousand pictures!  I tried to study shadows, angles, positions…giving thought to composition…hopefully paintings will spring from my brush with all this inspiration!  

Unfinished Mom and The National Gallery of Art

Unfinished mom

My mom doesn't like having her picture taken so getting sources for portraits is a challenge.  At our recent family reunion my brother Dan, and excellent photographer, took many family photos.  I love this one of my mom so I did a quick sketch just for fun.

This is my progress picture of the National Gallery of Art.  It still doesn't look like I have accomplished much but I have been working diligently.  I brought a tiny brush with me today…I usually try to use large brushes…but the detail on this one requires a very small one.  I started on the right and decided to paint each person in turn…It was slow going but it is such a rewarding piece to reproduce.  I am loving it!  

Row, Row, Row your boat!

Row, Row, Row Your Boat

6 x 6

Here they are….two of my favorite grand nieces on another great adventure.  I loved painting this one…it made me feel like I was in the boat with them…of course I would be the one rowing!  I also love the colorful life vests and cute sun hats.  It is just a compilation of everything I love!  I wonder what they did with their little brother Will???  

Songbird - The Tiny Pianist

Songbird

6 x 6

Oil on Raymar Panel

I painted this little sketch of a friend's granddaughter.  I saw the picture and just fell in love with the whole scene.  I love paintings that tell stories and this one, with such a tiny little girl sitting at the piano, lets my imagination fly.  I imagine a lifetime of music, songs, and laughter.  

I was brought up in a family that loves to sing and some of my fondest memories revolve around singing.  A lot of our singing involved long car rides and singing obscure songs that, I am sure, no one else in the world knows.  "I Had A Dog Named Fido", "Let the Ball Roll", and "Remember Your Name and Address" are just a few of the songs in our repertoire.  

Ah, well, now I will go humming back to my easel and see what other stories I would like to tell with my brush.