Fishing

A famous fisherman at school mentioned that he would like an ocean picture. I took it as a challenge! Figures in action are elusive.  I repainted this guy, and still, he seems a little wooden.

California!

We walked along the pier on Manhatten Beach. About a dozen artists with their paints and easels faced the water. Each saw a different scene and enthusiastically recorded a vision.

Peachy pink

Channeling O'Keefe--I will probably give this to a friend at school who had surgery recently.  In lieu of flowers...if she likes vivid colors!

A Little Gesso

Actually, a thick layer of pale blue gesso made a nice, wet background. This painting came together fast. It's a lake sunrise.

Christmas Vacation

Over Christmas, I packed up my paints and headed for the Hill Country.  While there, I worked on a display of Cypress trees by the Frio River.  It came out pretty well.  I can tell, because my husband, who doesn't say a lot about my painting, was quite enthusiastic!

I also worked on some purple paintings for my sis-in-law.

Painting Lessons in 2012

2012 was the year I painted with friends at Pinot's Palette and Painting with a Twist.  These are popular and trendy.  People take snacks and drinks and paint together, with a teacher providing guidance.  It's fun! Results vary wildly, but it matters not.  It's one big experiment.  My friend Rachel sang and painted and made me laugh.

The main thing I learned was: just paint! Don't be afraid.  Don't wait until you have perfect supplies.  Just get with friends for courage, and paint.

After that, I learned the joys of gesso.  If you gesso first, the paint goes on smoothly.  If you screw up, you can gesso, sand, and try again.

I paint with acrylics.  I love how quickly they dry.  I love that you can start with cheap paint and work you way up to the thicker, artsier tubes.

The most amazing things occurred on this painting journey.  I began to appreciate the art in my house.  I looked with new eyes at street art and indigenous art from other countries.  I even saw lighting differently, as in sunrise and sunset and moonlight. There's a light after a rain that is tentative and almost heart-breaking.  There's the angry glare of the Texas sun in the hot summer, and the sweetness of beams playing on a sultry August night.

Holiday fun

I painted a lot over the holidays.  I painted for fun. I painted to relieve stress.  I also learned how to upload to FineArtAmerica.com.

So maybe one day, I'll also paint for profit--or at least to keep my hobby from infringing on my bill money.