life gets in the way sometimes!

So, I did eventually sketch out the church and started to paint when my eyes started to shut tonight! It has been a busy, busy week! Maybe I will get to start some of it this weekend. For now I practically have this blank canvas!!! ->

Oh and I am also including a little of nature (God's) art. I saw this rainbow on the way to the alumni party tonight and it made me stop and stare. (Yes, and grab for the camera on the off ramp.) You may not be able to see much of this rainbow from the picture but it stretched from east to west and you could see the beginning and end. AMAZING!

....my new source of inspiration.....

Allison is my set of eyes. I found this church awhile back and wanted to paint it but it was a far away side shot. THEN Allison found this (see below). I believe this is my next project and my new source of inspiration. The picture is beautiful! I am going to go home at lunch to sketch it out!

*http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2205178240063135565FqEvAw (CHECK OUT HIS WORK - AMAZING)

how 'bout them apples...

And it's done....10:30 snuck up on me tonight. I think a few "mess-ups" on this painting made it turn out pretty great. I am thinking it may work with my green kitchen and I may end up keeping this one for myself for above my washer and dryer closet.

I've decided I enjoy doing fruit. It comes more naturally, the shapes do not have to be exact, and it's hard to mess up. Maybe I have food on the brain too much....

nonetheless, take a step

It takes awhile to accumulate enough paints/junk to make a masterpiece as good as this picture below. You would not believe but I cleaned up/threw away recently....

(Today, after cooking some appetizers (SOME? ok. a LOT) I should have taken a photo of my kitchen. I make messes. I just do. Who would guess I am in fact a pretty clean/neat person? You probably would laugh after you saw my house today.)

Today I took a step (some might say back) in the direction of simple, still lifes. I feel rusty and wanted to 'get back to the basics.' Still lifes are pretty much what I did in my intro art classes in college. I painted fruit all day, everyday for months. I hated it. But who would guess I resorted back to that today? I am going to try to have fun with it and try to get back on track. I even bought these beautiful apples at the grocery!

Stay tuned for more work on this....

minor update on 2 paintings...

I THINK I have gotten the shoes to look right on this guy so I can call it "completed." Heck, I didn't know what dance shoes looked like. I looked up a photo on the internet. I have not put on a pair of ballet slippers since I was 6. No, really.

I'm STILL struggling with this big Tahoe picture. I think I am about to take another break from it and move onto another fruit picture. I KNOW I need to look at one boat at a time. I may need to take an art class or two as a refresher.

I tend to paint late at night before I go to bed and I can't sit over an hour. (That hasn't changed from college!) It makes my hands smell STRONG before bedtime. I may want to rethink this.

Tahoe Sunset - Here goes nothing!

I started this painting awhile back...maybe even a year ago...and was intimidated. The painting and photo is Lake Tahoe. It's one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. Sally and I drove from Reno (while at a conference) since Tahoe was close. I will attempt to do it justice with a painting. (Photos are where I get most my ideas.)

It has been awhile since I have done a painting as large as the nightime dancers hung above my couch. My motivation is this huge canvas I paid a pretty penny for (don't be worried...still half-off at Hobby Lobby). I have plenty of paint. I should be able to make this work.

Are there any artists out there who oil paint and have a genius idea on how to clean oil brushes with little mess? I have jars and jars of turpentine substitute waiting to take to an environmental disposal day! It still does not clean the brushes well. I go through packs of brushes!

...HERE GOES NOTHING!