Still in Progress but well along it's way. This is the first time in two years - yes, I've been working on and off on the painting for two years! - that i'm happy with the backgound. Still a ways to go, but definitely PROGESS...

Place de la Concorde

This is the progress of a painting that I have been working on for well over two years. It's been a very slow progress but an important one. I usually don't struggle with imagery but with this I have. The original photograph was lent to me by Sarah Tingen (www.sarahtingen.com).

Place de la Concorde
24x30-inches (wxh)
Oil on Canvas

The statue itself is wonderful but I have changed the background at least 5 or 6 times. My latest addition is the lettering of the background. It's just a sketch, still needs painting and hopefully will be finished soon! Yes Sarah, I'm changing it again...

This is an inspiration from a poem by EE Cummings. It's a love poem that he wrote to one of his wives. I kept thinking about what this painting meant to me, and this painting is an honor to the human figure, to God's creation. A love for something.

O District
Lady of my unkempt adoration
if i have made
a fragile certain

song under the window of your soul
it is not like any songs
(the singers the other
they have been faithful

to many things and which
die
i have been sometimes true
to Nothing and which lives

they were fond of the handsome
moon never spoke ill of the
pretty stars and to
the serene the complicated

and the obvious
they were faithful
and which i despise,
frankly

admitting i have been true
only to the noise of worms.
in the eligible day
under the unaccountable sun)

District Lady
swiftly take
my fragile certain song
that we may watch together

how behind the doomed
exact smile of life's
placid obscure palable
carnival where to a normal

melody of probable violins dance
the square virtures and the oblong sins
perfectly
gesticulate the accurate

strenuous lips of incorruptible
Nothing under the ample
sun, under the insufficient
day under the noise of worms

Barley, continued...

Barley, continued...

With all the metal, this painting is going to require a lot of glazing and color enhancement as the project goes on...and I have to finish it and another painting in less than two weeks!

Barley, the Budweiser Dalmation

Barley
oil on linen
20x16-inches

It's my first shot at painting on linen. So far it's about the same as canvas except smoother which is always something I love! The Clydesdales were in Anderson, SC a few months ago and this is a painting of Barley atop the Budweiser carriage. This will go in the Pet Project Exhibition with the painting of "Tiger", opening July 24, 2009 at 7:00pm. A lot of work ahead...

Little Blue Button

Little Blue Button
oil on canvas
not quite 5x5-inches



I had just a little bit of wood left after making a canvas, so I just put it together....and this is what came about! I have a class jar I put buttons in. I was sitting in my studio, trying to decide what to do with it and I was like, why not just go through my jar of buttons, and well, I found a PERFECT "Little Blue Button"!

Tiger...Finished!

FINISHED!

This is just the beginning of a series of paintings that focus on pets as fine art, not just as a traditional portrait.

In Progress... TIGER

This is an oil painting I'd doing for a show at the Anderson Arts Center called "Pet Project"...

Tiger
Oil on Canvas
24x12-inches

I've been working on it for about 15 hours now...It's coming together pretty well. I was really worried about it when I first started the dog because I was afraid he wouldn't show up off the background. I'm happy with the dog so far. The colors have been a real challenge with the orange background, but it showing through has really accented the dog since he has a lot of browns and golds within his furr. I'm not completely happy with the background. I'll defintely go back and work on it once the dog's complete. Maybe it's just too painterly for me right now. I'm thinking a more solid medium-gray color. Who knows, we'll see...


I'm hoping that through my blog, people will come to better understand my painting process and hopefully help some other artists along the way. I'd love comments!





The Beginning...Had no idea what to do with the background but loved the crack in the cement!





The beginning of Tiger!





Close up of the beginning of Tiger. I usually work from light to dark in a designated area.





But sometimes with harsh white lines, I have to put them in as solid white, then come back with shading because it's so hard to lose pure white in a painting. Pure white easily gets distroyed, and one it's gone, it's gone.




This is what I had as of last night, Friday, June 8th at 11pm.

The beginning for my blog...

Art in Progress...

One thing I miss most is feedback from other artists. When you are in an environment with multiple artists, you always have that person you can tap on the shoulder and ask their honest opinion.

Also, by displaying the progress of my paintings, I hope that it will be an educational tool for other artists. People are always asking to watch me paint, and other than coming to my studio and oddly sitting behind me and staring, I think this is the best option!

New works in progress will be uploaded soon...

Thanks,
Stacey