Tuesday night I had a group of girls come over to my studio to watch me paint. They are in my church youth group. I think they had fun, but I definitely enjoyed it. The painting got some more work done on it after they left and again today while it was still wet. The flowers are done, but the background will need another application once this one is dry. The reds I used when mixing the background color are very transparent and I don't like how it looks brushed on - I want it very opaque. Unfortunately reds take the longest to dry so it will be a few more days before I can mix and apply a more opaque background that still has that crimson brilliance.
These tulips are front-lit, a light angle I don't normally use because my paintings are usually top or back-lit. I like how confronting the row of them all are together.
The Thanksgiving Point Gardens opened on Saturday and I am so ready for hot weather and flowers. It's snowed and rained since Saturday but the sun is out today and I may take my dog to the canyon and try to soak up every speck of Vitamin D I can handle. I'm sick of drab.

Yesterday I took myself on a field trip and it was such an enjoyable day. I went down to Provo to the BYU Museum of Art and spent hours and hours there seeing their current shows. I even ate lunch at the Museum Cafe. It was like I was in college again (my building, the Harris Fine Arts Center, was across the sidewalk from the museum and I would spend a lot of time in the museum...they still have the same huge, perfect leather lounge chairs). One show in particular was just amazing - the Carl Bloch exhibit. My favorite pieces were the altar paintings.  I just have to mention that four of the five altar paintings have never been anywhere except their native church in Denmark or Sweden, so it's remarkable that they traveled to Provo, Utah of all places, and I was able to go see them, sit in front of them, stare at them and admire them. The figures are life-size, the colors are beautiful, the brushstrokes are there right in front of me, and there were two paintings I could hardly take myself away from - Christ in Gethsemane and Doubting Thomas. It was a good experience.

Sunset

21 x 36" oil

sold

This painting was on display at the Springville Museum of Art from 22 Apr - 3 Jul 2011 where it was purchased by a museum patron.

I "finished" this painting twice before today but when I went to photograph and post it to the blog it wasn't right. First it had the wrong background color, second it needed lots of work on the stems. It can be difficult to finish a painting when the last stages are such small changes. It's much more fun to do the beginning of the painting when big changes happen.

Sunset: Part II

More work today on this 21x36" tulip. Good progress. I like these kinds of days.

I planned on painting the background color a deep olive...something is keeping me from using that color.

I listned to a Muse album about five times on repeat...the brush was going and going.



Sunset: Part I

I began a tulip today - it's 21x36". Got the tulips drawn out. Blocked in the infernal stems. Got the brights blocked in. Remembered I've got to go grocery shopping before dinner. Really would like a nap. That's the way some days go.
See you tomorrow.
Ha.

Mount Timpanogos Temple commission

36x60" oils
sold - prints are available

The commission of the Mt. Timpanogos Temple is finished. It took me 7 weeks from start to finish: photographing and planning with the client down to the actual application of paint. I signed the painting today so it is d-o-n-e done.  I'm having Hawkinson Photography come to my studio tomorrow and photograph it so that I have what I need to have a printer make prints of this painting for any interested buyers.

If you would like a print of this painting, any size, I will be happy to have one made for you. Please e-mail me: paintergirl@byu.net about prints.

I will celebrate this painting being finished by deep-cleaning my studio, buying new paint and brushes (now that I've worn through a few), and getting a massage for the crick in my back and neck from holding still for so long while detailing the architecture! No really, it was a pleasure to paint and now that it's done I can't believe I did it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

for scale

there were two or three palettes going at all times...

brushes of choice

Mt. Timpanogos Temple commission: Part IV

More progress today. I'm close to that bend that brings me around to the home stretch. More to do: light on trees, shadow side of building, glass window details, gold statue on top...

Mt. Timpanogos Temple commission: Part III

So I was sick with the flu for 5 days and today is the first day I've been out of bed working again. This painting is proving to be harder than I thought. At the end of the day when I leave the studio it's a relief to not be thinking linearly in terms of millimeters. I could never be an architect or anybody else that works with straight lines all day. Still, difficulties aside, the structure is taking shape. I haven't rounded that figurative corner where I feel like I'm on the home stretch of the painting and until then it's just going to be me locking myself in the studio to work to get to that point. At one point today I told myself, "Just paint one line, figure one line out and paint that one line." Ten lines later I'd have to get up and walk around. ADHD much? Yes. I want to get this baby done and out of the studio to make way for Spring and tulip paintings! The countdown begins...