This is a re-painting I did recently of an earlier painting which was in a smaller format. It is my mother and daughter striding out across the hills and fields while taking the dog for a walk.
Which one has the spring in her step?
Cara, Oil on gessoed MDF board, 9 x 12 ins.
I painted this, using my own photo, after watching lessons by Jane French on Domestika.
She uses a direct approach and a square brush technique. I like her paintings because she uses surprising colors on the skin tones, and yet from a distance they meld in beautifully.
I did not achieve the same colors in the skin tones here. That needs another attempt. I’m happy with the brushwork changes I made.
The picture reminds me of a happy conversation on a pleasant evening with friends.
Oil on Canvas Panel 12 x 16 ins
I painted this portrait of my daughter from a photo I took while we were sitting on our deck one sunny lunchtime. I was struck by the lovely green reflection of her shirt in her cheek and chin. It really seemed to jump up there!
Here are some of the steps I took in the painting:
This is my brother!
Last summer I delivered paintings of his wife and his son to them when we visited. He very gently hinted that it might be fitting to have one of himself to go with them.
When I returned home I collected all the photos I had of him and sent him a selection of my favorites as possibilities for painting. We both agreed that this one was our choice. It’s from a vacation in Greece (I didn’t take the photo!).
I liked the warmth and happiness of the photo. It was a full-length shot and the resolution was not very high when I enlarged it, but the expression and the colors were so great I proceeded anyway.
He and I are both pleased with the result and I will deliver it to him in the UK later this year.
This painting is from another photo from Unsplash.com (thanks to aisvri for the free-use photo).
I loved her red hair against the muted blues, and her look of cool appraisal. I think she’s asking for meaning.
Again from a photo from Unsplash, and again really fun to paint! The steps of my process are outlined below.
So much fun! This portrait is based on a photo from Unsplash, but adapted according to my memories of our 4 month stay in India in 2014. One overwhelming impression there was the riot of color—in clothing, outside temples, in decorations. It was a beautiful feast of color!
Here’s a gallery of some steps in the process:
Oil on canvas panel, 12 x 16 ins
This is from a selfie photo, but not of me! As I was looking through the photos on my ‘phone I discovered several ‘unauthorized’ selfies of my teenage daughter. I told her that her ‘punishment’ was that I’d paint from them! She was horrified at first, but now actually likes the painting!
I painted this after watching a video lesson series (Contemporary Oil Portraiture, by Torsten Wolber) on the European site Domestika. His instruction is in German, but there are subtitles available in many languages. He’s a really fun teacher and opened my eyes to some new methods which I am loving trying out.
This year I submitted 5 entries to the Small Art Show at Arts Illiana and was delighted to have all 5 selected for the Show. All pieces in this Show must be no more than 12 inches in any dimension, including the frame.
We had a very pleasant opening reception on Oct. 7, 2022.
The Show will be up until Dec. 17, 2022. All the works are for sale.
I liked the lower left design best, so I chose that for my painting.
I applied the paint with a palette knife throughout. I like the sunlight effect in the lower half of the painting.
marymayhewart 