Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

So many things to do.. so little time.  Just to let you all know that this will be my last post until January.  I'm getting ready for the Holidays and this coming Sunday we will be visiting my sweet Aunt Esperanza in New Jersey to celebrate her 105th birthday!!  She's already thinking about how she wants to celebrate her 106th!!  Thank you all for your visits and for  your generous comments.  I always look forward to seeing your next paintings....you are all SO talented and we all have our own personal techniques in our work that makes it so interesting!   To my friends... Merry Christmas and Happy and Healthy New Year!!!  John, Hilda and Cali

Lucas

This is Lucas..... almost 4 years old and already has such an amazing personality!  I recently had an exhibit in Lynbrook Library and he was with his Grandma.   He looked like a little man admiring all the paintings on the wall.  With Grandma's permission, I took his photo.  Lately I enjoy painting children.   They have such an innocence about them that I love to capture in a  painting.

Early August

Perfect light....Perfect shadows is what I always look for when painting a portrait.  The reference picture is of Skye a few years ago when I seated her near a window to pose her until I took the photo.  The lighting was the way I wanted.. a bit darker so I lightened it up a little.  My model is growing up too fast so I have to get all the reference pictures I can..
then move to another grandchild.....lol

MEMORIES

Since I'm still working on a painting, I thought I would post this one that I did awhile ago but never posted..an oil painting of my two daughter's first shoes.  When the shoes didn't fit any longer, I threw them out.  Years later I went to my husband's workshop.  When I looked up, there they stood!!!  I couldn't believe he was the sentimental Dad.. Honestly, now I'm glad he took them out of the trash because I always regretted throwing them out.  These shoes that were once white was pretty worn out so I couldn't paint them white, like I wanted. LOL
When I see this painting, I immediately think back when they were babies taking those first steps toward me...stumbling at first, but I was always there with open arms ready to catch them!!

Also, I wanted to share Colette Theriault's blog with all of you who are not familiar with her.  She does mostly pastel portraits of pets that are so incredible and she's having a "pet portrait giveaway" that you don't want to miss out on.
Her link is http://petportraitsbycolette.blogspot.ca/2014/09/custom-pet-portrait-giveaway.html
You will love her work...

Saturday Night

A few years back, my sister-in-law gave me a photo of her Grandson Ryan and told me it would make a nice painting.
After I finished it, I really liked it because basically it's an outline with very little detail.   I would like to paint a similar piece with my granddaughter playing her viola.  I enjoyed painting this in oil because it doesn't have to be protected under glass like my pastels.

Irving Kerr

Irving Kerr was a watercolor Artist from my workshop who passed away recently at the age of 101.  I was invited by his son to join his family and other Artists from the workshop for a Memorial luncheon.  There was a table set up displaying his beautiful work.  The reference photo for this pastel portrait was on the table.  Unfortunately, I never met Irving since I started the workshop after he stopped going but I feel like I knew him especially after seeing his work and listening to all the stories from the Artists in the group.  I will be showing this painting in the Rockville Centre Library in the Fall and will present this painting to his son after the show.

A perfect day at the zoo

I did this pastel portrait of this little girl  enjoying the animals in the zoo the same day that I took the reference picture for my "China Doll" (back in March).... She was in a stroller next to her... so maybe they were sisters?.  I loved her face and her pretty pink angora sweater.  I enjoy  watching children enjoying the day!!    Their faces are always full of amazement.  Priceless in my eyes!!

Somebody's grandchild

The reference photo was of my granddaughter.
However, when I finished this pastel portrait I realized how much it doesn't look like her !  But since I like the portrait, I will show you before I throw it out.  I usually know what I did wrong.. this time I can't figure it out!!  I guess I'm a little frustrated.   Maybe I'll pull it apart and fix it OR start over...hmmmm

Tucson, Arizona

A few years back, we visited Sabino Canyon in
beautiful Arizona.  We decided to hike but it was pretty hot that day.  We were enjoying all the pretty wildflowers....I believe it was 104 degrees.
(but it was a dry heat !!!! NOT....lol !)
We might have gone in about 1/2 mile or so when we decided to turn back...much too hot.  When we arrived back to the start of the hike there was police cars and a news truck... why?
Someone had spotted a mountain lion and they were going to tell everyone to come back.. My hair stood up and needless to say we went back to the car....jogging this time !!!!

Christina

I painted this pastel portrait from a photo.  Christina is my cousins daughter and a beautiful girl perfect for this portrait.  I painted her awhile ago with her husband on her wedding day.  The lighting hitting her face and her hair is what I love and always look for from a reference picture.

"Family"

When Maggie's owner saw Maggie and Pippin's portrait, she commissioned me to paint a pastel portrait of Maggie's family.  The first dog is Maggie's Dad and the little one is Maggie's Mom.  The rest of them are family as well except for the older one in the middle who was found abused so the breeder took him in and took care of him until he died.  The reference picture was taken by the breeder as they all looked through the back window of the car.  I know I've been painting animals lately but I "really" needed to paint this one.  Don't you just want to smile when you look at this happy family?  

Portrait of a cat

I never knew painting animals could be so much fun.  I found the reference picture for this pastel portrait from a photo I took many years ago but was always afraid to paint it....  I'm a dog person and never owned a cat but I think they are beautiful animals.....some with amazing markings and colors.  I hope you like this little guy as much as I enjoyed painting him!!

Joshemari Sketching

I saw Josh's picture on his blog and got his permission to paint this portrait.  Josh does plein aire painting mostly in beautiful Barcelona... his
passion for watercolors is so evident in his work.  He paints a lot of landscapes,  Cityscapes but I have to admit his Seascapes are fantastic
and I enjoy seeing them SO much!  In this pastel portrait, Josh was sketching and I loved the expression on this wonderful man doing what he loves so much!!  If you get a chance, drop by his blog... you'll love his work!!
http://jmlarranagaacuarelas.blogspot.com

Rembrandt Study

I think copying the work of the Masters is a learning experience.  I enjoyed painting this portrait of Rembrandt.  He studied himself very closely in the mirror for most of his life...painting about 100 self-portraits, which explains how there's so many facial changes with his portraits.  I imagine it had to be very challenging.  Some people say that he did it because he always had a model on hand!!  He always painted with dark shadows that I always liked.  I would have painted this in oils, like he did, but I still don't have the nerve... so I stuck to the comfort of my pastels!!!

Montana Beauty

Driving through Montana is always so beautiful.  I never get tired of all those greens you see in this amazing land of ours.  I love horses and I really enjoyed painting this horse since he was so close and I was able to "see" those details that you need in a painting.  I think he knew I was taking a photo...he stood perfectly still for me..LOL

Spare Moment

One of many reference pictures that I have..this one is of a man enjoying Gramercy Park, NYC on a sunny and brisk afternoon... maybe on his break?  but his expression caught my eye and thought it would make a nice pastel portrait...

China Doll

Some little girls needs to be photographed.  This little girl was in the Bronx Zoo a few years ago looking at all the animals.  She didn't take her eyes off of them for one moment.. you wonder what they're thinking about!.  At that moment, I photographed her for a future pastel painting!!

Yosemite - once again

I painted this awhile ago but I wanted to paint it again.. not only because it was a beautiful place that I visited many times, but last time I used canson paper... this time I used sanded paper... putting all my values down first with pastels and then I applied an alcohol wash.. it came out looking like an oil painting.  After it dried, I used my pastels finishing my painting as I always do.  I enjoyed using the sand paper however, it eats up all my pastels.. lol

Forever Friends

This is a commission that I did for a friend.  Maggie, the golden retriever and Pippin, the Chihuahua mix lived only blocks away from each other...they would play with each other every day, play wrestling in the backyard until one day Pippin moved away.  Pippin misses Maggie so much.  Her owner has a video where Pippin actually watches her friend in front of the TV...!!!   I have to admit, my dog doesn't do that...lol 

At the market...

This pastel painting is of a woman doing some shopping at a local produce market in India.  Sue Clinker, a blogging buddy,  just got back from a trip to India and she was nice enough to give me permission to use the beautiful photo reference.  The market was mainly fruits and their local flowers.  I love how elegant she looks with her colorful and neatly pleated sari.  I think the traditional costumes are so beautiful.

Skye in a Hoodie

My granddaughter posed for me with her "hoodie" on... I asked her to look down so I can get those perfect shadows on her face... I took the perfect  shot that I was looking for... Unfortunately I wasn't able to photograph the portrait very well...it's a bit lighter in person.  It's so wonderful having the model always available... well, for now anyway!!!

The Lower Falls in Yellowstone

The Lower Falls in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.. In my eyes one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the USA.  The Yellowstone River tumbles 308ft to the Canyon floor creating this amazing foam..  It was very difficult capturing the true beauty of this place in pastels, but I enjoyed trying with every color I had..lol..

Hiding

Recently while in my Tuesday workshop, we were asked if anyone wanted to paint this little girl.    Rich  had taken this picture of this pretty girl when he visited Guatemala.  Of course, I loved the picture and had to paint it.    She looked like she was trying to hide in back of this branch.

DON

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday.  I was able to visit my Aunt and she's doing so beautifully...when I looked  at her, it was so hard to believe she's 104...so healthy and so happy already planning her 105th birthday!!!
This is Don... Don is in my oil workshop that I go to on Wednesdays.  After we work on our paintings, we sit and enjoy each other's paintings by doing a critique.  Don had such a pensive expression on his face that was perfect for this pastel portrait.