OK, I'm still here and still keeping busy, I promise!  I bought a Wacom Intuos 4 a few weeks ago and have been experimenting with digital painting--I can definitely see the advantages, although at this point I still enjoy oil painting more.  I also bought a new phone after about 6 years (no, not an iPhone) and have been having a blast rough-drafting my ideas with the Autodesk Sketchbook app.  I have an ongoing "exercise" painting and will be stretching my canvas tomorrow for my next serious painting.  Stay tuned!

Complete!  Check out the Gallery for this new addition and detail shots!  I might try shooting it again once I've put on a coat of Galkyd to see if there's a difference.  I've started a new painting--will post pics soon...

Well, this took longer than I thought it would, and it's still not finished!  I only just started detailing the shell and the background.  I had a hard time deciding what I wanted for the background--in the end I opted for roots, rocks and steps because I wanted an environment that seemed natural but not entirely friendly.    

Some have asked what "L'escargot aux yeux écarquillés" means; it means "The snail with eyes wide open". 

There are multiple meanings depending on your interpretation, yet it remains a personal reflection. Perhaps I, the snail-woman, am attempting to withdraw from my shell--in that sense it may symbolize rebirth and leaving behind apathy and fear. Or perhaps I am resting, tired from dragging the shell along with me, yet I cannot leave it behind. The background is meant to represent future challenges as rocks, tree roots and stairs will bring fatigue and discomfort to those unfortunate enough to have to crawl over them.

Winter vacation is finally here, thank the unknowable powers that be.  "Chameleon Carapace" is nearly done, and so is "The Garden's Guardian":

I have mixed feelings about this one--I think this work was more of a learning exercise than anything else.  This canvas is quite old--I've probably had it since high school.  It was a horrid, unfinished painting I'd started years and years ago, so when I found it I just started sloshing greens, blues and yellows on it without any particular idea in mind.  While there are a lot of things I do like about it, planning it out beforehand would have helped a great deal, and clearly I need to work on painting foliage.

Anyway, time to move on to other things:

This is the concept sketch for "L'escargot aux yeux écarquillés".  In the end, I decided to go big for the painting, minimizing background.  I intend on doing a drawing with a detailed background, though, in addition to the painting.  Canvas sketch in progress:

And now for the wash and first darks:

Happy holidays, and until next time...!

I've had a stressful few weeks, but the painting is coming along:

Last week:

This week:

As with every painting I do, this has been a huge learning process.  The transition from a painting's beginning to its completion never fails to surprise me--it never ends up exactly how I had envisioned it would!

I started out with a rather lighthearted, whimsical idea and ended up with a colossal chameleon-snail floating on a restless sea under a brooding sky.  Now it seems almost morose, no?  My mood must be over-influencing my work...

Welcome to my painting journal--I hope you enjoy following the progress of my work!

I just started last night what I'm calling "Chameleon Carapace"--I've always thought of myself as both a shy, prudent snail and a capricious, unpredictable chameleon.  They sound incongruous, don't they?  So, I thought--wouldn't it be cool to bring those two ideas together in a painting?

Here's the concept sketch:

Here's the sketch put to canvas and a glimpse of my workspace, which is...uh...cluttered.

Here is the first stage of the painting.  It all worked out in the end, but I learned that it is unwise to do a wash in a undependable color like purple and also don't use any linseed oil...

Until next time!

P.S. Will try to get better at photographing my work...  :\