Monthly Archives: January 2012

I Am in Awe!

I recently rediscovered my passion for painting. Along with it I rediscovered all of my insecurities regarding my talent or lack there of. In order to avoid being consumed by it, as I was years ago, I have started looking to others to keep me inspired. Enter Guy Denning. I came upon his work quite be accident while I was searching for interesting images of the human figure and I was stopped dead in my tracks!  His work is amazing. Dark yet beautiful. Warm yet frightening. I’m currently studying his technique by watching videos on his YouTube channel. I love that artists are so generous with their talent and willing to share it with those of us looking to learn…I hope I am a good student!

Did I mention…I can’t wait to get back to my paints! Thank you Mr. Denning!

Looking Back

Casey: The Look, Acrylic on canvas board, 16" x 20", 2003

I started building a “portfolio” on Fickr and it has been interesting looking back at some of my old work. In some ways, I’m very sentimental for the easy way I could put paint on canvas. But, I can also see that I have grown as a painter and I almost think I like where my work is going. Does every painter endlessly question their ability? Hopefully insecurity makes us better. That’s it, right?

Inspiration

Apparently I have it! All I can think about is my next painting! In fact, I have a whole series in mind: “Shelter Me; Rescue Me!” I have always had a passion for painting animals and I have a passion for helping homeless dogs and cats, so what makes more sense then using them as the subjects of my paintings? I did this years ago on a small scale and created the “PupArt” series. These were little 5″ x 7″ paintings that I sold and then donated a portion of the proceeds to the shelter where the subject was residing. This time I’m thinking of going MUCH bigger! 3′ x 4′, 4′ x 5′, or even bigger! Again, with some sort of profit sharing with the shelter or rescue. Seems like a win-win to me! I get GREAT subject matter and an endless suppl of inspiration and the shelter gets some level of publicity and hopefully a couple of extra bucks. I can hardly wait to get started. I hear the art supply store calling!

PupArt: LCHS, Acrylic on canvas board, 5" x 7", 2003

Proper Respect

A couple of years ago, my husband and I visited the Lakota Wolf Preserve. One of my favorite photos from the day is that is of a young wolf licking an alpha’s muzzle. While the technical quality of the photograph is awful, the feeling that the photo captures always makes me smile. This photo was the inspiration for my most recent painting, Proper Respect.

Proper Respect, Acrylic on Canvas, 24" x 18", 2012

This photo was the inspiration for Proper Respect.

I Know I Shouldn’t Have Favorites

I Know I Shouldn't Have Favorites, Acrylic on canvas board, 20" x 16", 2012

I know I shouldn’t have favorites, but Flora was my favorite. Sadly, we lost her to cancer almost two years ago. Typical of her breed, she often slept curled in a “husky ball.” This painting captures a memory I hold very close to my heart!

Old Man Wolf

Old Man Wolf, Acrylic on canvas board, 20" x 16", 2012

Several years ago, my husband and I were lucky enough to win a photographic tour of the Lakota Wolf Preserve. While I don’t pretend to be much of a photographer, I did come away with some amazing pictures! Whenever I need reference material for my paintings, I go back to the stack of images from that day. I will likely never run out of inspiration from that day!