This and That.

 

 I made this one with Yvonne.

We girls got together for a paint night.  

There is something really gratifying about painting with a friend.  You somehow spur each other on to choose, attempt, and complete a work. 

Prints or the original can be purchased at: 

Copper Moon

These desert flowers are a reflection on the unexpected beauty we find in nature. 

Prints or original can be purchases at :

Cactus Flower

When learning to paint, don't be afraid to make mistakes.  Expect that you might even hate some of your work at the start.  At the same time, you'll be amazed how many people say, "Will you paint one just like that for me?" 

Mr. G, the art teacher at my school, gave me lots of helpful getting-started advice.  "You don't have to buy expensive paint to make nice paintings.  Liquitex Basics work just fine."  I have occasionally added a pricier paint, and haven't found it to really outshine the basics, unless I was looking to add a different (thicker) texture. 

My painting goals for 2015:  paint and post pictures at least weekly, sketch almost daily; learn figures and faces; progress with animal drawings. I want to try something outside of my comfort zone monthly--a building, a different color or angle. 

Deserts and Hills

I've had a lot of fun already this Christmas Vacation.

 

 

I'm fairly happy with this Frio River painting.  I would like to put some kids playing on the bank, or maybe some deer.  Or wild turkeys. Maybe a small dragon! Or a stegasaurus.

 The painting above is a whimsical moon to hang in my friend's bathroom.  It needed to match Lowe's "Coral Passion" shade, so I hope we covered that!  There are metallic bronze highlights on the branches.

I've perched the paintings on my piano on top of the fake greenery.  Nice effect, right?

 When you set up your paints, carefully order the placement of your coffee cup.  There is a little Hunter Green floating in there!

Cactus Textures are just wonderful. I love the shades and the beauty combined with the prickly quality.   

Frio River

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I'm starting this one from the fall photos we took at Thanksgiving.  

It's easiest to paint places that live in our memories, places we long to visit. 

Tropics

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Fall in the Texas Hill Country

The people show how massive these trees are.

Christmas

I'm painting a few gifts using leftover fence boards. 

Deer

So here is this week's new paint. 

You would not believe how difficult it is to paint deer, unless you've attempted it yourself. For one thing, they stand oddly. They have bones that stick out in unexpected places.  The face is a cross between a dog and a mouse, and it's easy to get the ears too big.
     Also, there's the color to contend with.  Texas mule deer can be almost gray, while this plump Pa. specimen in almost fox-red.
     It's a good thing to challenge yourself, so I keep working at perfecting animals.  I plan to see some of these up close this coming week.  No comments from you hunters, please.  I can just hear Rosanne. "Where's my bow?"  These are Bambi's parents, for crying out loud.  Do you want him to be orphaned at Christmas?

Tree Fascination

I like trees. The ever-changing colors, the varied shapes,  the shadows cast. This painting was fun to do.  Some paintings take no time and are pure joy to put on canvas. This was one of those. 

My river paintings are a royal pain, a labor of love, an attempt to recreate favorite places.  

My people painting is worse than that. It's agony and repainting and trying to portray something other than wooden dolls or stick figures. 

Tree painting is child's play. 

Christmas Memories

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 I started painting, and I couldn't stop.  I thought of snow and sledding, building snowmen, walking the upper field with my family in fields of fresh moonlit snow.

We had this super sled riding path when I was a kid. We lived near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The path started on the Hanuska's hill, dipped down and across our yard, into the Walsh's and on to the Weiss'. It sharply turned and headed down to the creek.

When an ice storm hit, the path was especially slick.  I remember one Sunday when there was no chance of going to church. We took our sleds out back and gave the path a whirl.  After a while, unexpectedly, our parents called us in. "It's too icy. We've been watching through the window, and you guys might hit a tree."  But wow, it was like flying.

Here is what they look like all together.  Yes, that's my really large family photo and my tall son peeking over Christmas Mountain. 

Another nostalgic sledding memory:  One Saturday, the path was packed and fast.  We had even put boards across the little stream so we could continue the sled ride into the woods.  It takes some time to pack the path to that degree of sled-ability; if the snow if fluffy and soft, it takes cooperation and work.  We usually took the silver metal coasters down, pulling a smaller kid to get it packed.  Slowly, we'd perfect it with sled runners. 

       Everyone had his personal sled.  We had more sleds than bikes.  Anyway, on this particular day we were all sailing down the path.  My brother Mark went ahead of me.  He slightly dislodged the boards, which I didn't notice until "Pow!" it caught me in the right cheekbone, right below the eye.  I can still feel the sting 45 years later.  My eyes were watering and my brother walked me up to the house. 

       Dad looked at me and grinned. "Well, Bethie, you're sure going to have a shiner!" And I did.  It was the best story.  It stayed black long enough that I had to tell it at school on Monday.  Thanks to my dad, I regarded it as a battle symbol worth a little bragging. 

I'm also working on deer in addition to trying to develop lifelike figures.  (See my pinterest collections: Faces and Figures Paintable) 

Copies of these paintings can be purchased at: 

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/snowy-night-beth-waltman.html

See more Christmas art by many artists:

Christmas Art

http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/christmas/all

Sunsets

In direct contrast to the last post, my sunsets are viewed from the backyard or a wailing trail. 

The beauty is softer, more subtle than outrageous sunrise. 

Sunrises

On my way to work every day, I see the most incredible views. They are form the passenger sie in the carpool while zooming on a freeway, but still, they make me want my paints. 

Dinosaurs, elk, and landscapes

IIII

Here's a quick paint that I created for my friend, to give him a little break from the work day. 

This is the beginning of Suzanne's reflection photo. 

Sleepless in Texas

So I'm on a roll with the moons.

A bout of Insomnia allowed me extra time this morning!  The moon was shining into my bedroom window and woke me.  So. . . sort of a tribute, I suppose.

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/insomnia3-beth-waltman.html

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/insomnia3-beth-waltman.html

Fall and Harvest Moon

Since September in Texas is still hot as blazes, I'm pretending by painting autumn landscapes. Let there be pumpkin latte!

Colorado Scenery

This summer, I saw a lot of beauty in this state north of Texas. My next effort will be to paint some of those sights.

 See how blue the sky was?  It looked an improbable china blue.  Quite lovely. Dang, you can see my car window in this one, sorry. Below you see two views from  Pike's Peak

Canvas Size

I started this painting of a Florida beach quite some time ago.  It was a different challenge to fill such a large space in any kind of interesting way.  The shape being so oblong, I messed around with trying to fill in the blue without overwhelming the space.  This one is about 24" by 48". 

When I was finished, Sam really thought it needed some focal point. So there.  A parasail.  And golly, I'm going to have to practice that, because it ended up a little lame. 

Now, I'm working on some itty bitty canvases.  The challenge there is to be bold enough without underwhelming the viewer.  

On the other hand, this one is 8X10. 

Not a masterpiece, but it conveys the message.  My main goal is to get my reading students to put their thoughts into words and pictures. 

Prints Available