Cat with Attitude

This is my friends cat Beau.  I painted him on velvet paper which is wonderful, however, if you make a mistake its almost impossible to erase.
I wanted to wish all my friends here a Merry Christmas and a Happy and healthy New Year!

Also, I won't be posting for awhile... I took a good fall after shopping last Friday which left me with a concussion.  I've had a headache everyday as well as an achy neck...so no painting for a few weeks.  After leaving the hospital the doctors told me to rest... no driving... so I'm glad I basically finished all my shopping.

It's been an incredible year and I look forward to seeing all of your work in the New Year.   Hugs to all....

Bethpage Horse

In October, I went to Old Bethpage Village Restoration with my family and took some photos of this beautiful horse which I decided to crop.   209 acres of land  recreating a living museum with so many historic structures. They have costumed actors that provide demonstrations of 19th Century life... SO interesting.  This is a pastel portrait...

JUBILATION

After taking many reference photos of my granddaughter, she was getting so silly and she started to laugh... I guess at me!! ha.ha. but I kept clicking away and I took this shot which was perfect.  Although I don't like painting teeth, I took my time and happy with the results.

Self Portrait

 I thought painting a self portrait would be easy but I realized it wasn't as easy as I thought..lol.  However, it was definitely a challenge which I really enjoyed doing and think everyone should try...

A day to remember

Yesterday....I mean 50 years ago, I married the love of my life....yes, it feels like yesterday.....he's an amazing man and so grateful for the life we have together !!   I painted this small 12 x 12 oil painting and decided to do it in sepia... Aug. 31, 1968 ..a very special year for us.

 

Deep in thought

Originally, I was painting a portrait of my granddaughter but as I was painting her I realized I made her a bit older than she is but I liked the way it was coming so I left it instead of correcting her.  So now, it's a portrait of a girl "Deep in thought".. lol

The Bald Eagle

I have always loved the Bald Eagle.  They stand so proud and they are the national bird of the United States.  I took this reference photo when I visited the zoo.  Unfortunately, he wasn't able to fly, so they're taking care of him.  They represent strength, freedom and they look so majestic.  I did an Eagle a while ago in pastels but I wanted to try it in oils...

Victoria

This is Victoria... another beautiful model from my Long Island Portrait group that meets every Friday.  The perfect pose that we always look for.  I hope you like her.....

Sandra

I took my reference photo from my Friday LI Portrait group.  Sandra is a wonderful model... I cheat and paint at home since I love getting all the details especially her jeweled headband which I enjoyed painting.  When I'm there, I sketch since I need my practice.  I hope you like this portrait.

Going Home

A few weeks ago, I was returning from the Museum of Natural History with my family.  We took the subway to the Long Island Railroad.  This girl was SO tired and fell asleep leaning against the wall (not recommended sleeping on the subway!)   I had to take the photo and decided to paint her with oils.  I had a bit of a problem painting the reflection.. I used grey/silver to create the shine and painted her entire face.  If you know a better way, "please share".. 

Reflecting

I love painting my grandkids... Having so many reference photos around,  makes it  easy to find one to paint.  I painted this a few years back and forgot to post it.
I painted Sierra with my Rembrandt and my Terry Ludwig pastels.  I hope you like her.

Fury of the Falls

As you all know, I normally paint with pastels but I decided to paint a small landscape using oils.  As I was painting, I didn't like it so I started to rub it out.    I started to see the start of a waterfall....Is this what a happy accident looks like?   So I decided to paint my landscape another time. lol

Tatiana

Tatiana was our model at my Friday Long Island Portrait group.  She was the perfect model and I loved painting all those beautiful colors on her outfit and had so much fun painting her hair ornaments.  I used my vibrant Unisom pastels for her outfit.  I hope she comes back to model again!!

Lanice

This is Lanice.  The reference photo is of my granddaughter's girlfriend... Lanice is what I always look for in a model.  Although I'm not into piercing, I left the nose ring in because this is who she is...  I used Rembrandt and Terry Ludwig pastels for this portrait...

Antique Colander

Let me start off by wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year.  It's been a heck of a year..two shoulder surgeries and my daughter having a stroke!  So let's just say that 2018 will be wonderful!.  I decided to start the New Year with a still life.  The colander is an antique that belonged to my mother-in-law.  I always loved it.  It looked so nice when I put the peaches inside it.  I used  colorfix paper which is perfect when you want texture in the fruit.