Hungry Tulips

So my latest painting in progress.  It needs a few fixes.  I like to post these on here because I can see the glitches better.  Some of it is oil paint shine.  I also need to tweak that flower on the right.  I will also go over the darks in the back.  Some of the streaking is caused by glare, however.

So I'm in this Old Masters' Style Flower phase.  I am studying with a painter who studied at the Schuler School of Art in Baltimore.  She is very knowledgeable and a good friend.  She makes home made Maroger medium and her husband hand crafts weighted wooden palettes.  It is very old school but I am enjoying the process.  I find it very meditative.

I started this painting in March when I picked up a pot of Parrot Tulips at the garden center.  Their color and shape intrigued me.    Of course, they looked nothing like they did the following week so I used photos that I took.  I also borrowed some photos of leaves and buds.  The flower on the right is purely manufactured from my imagination so I will have to revisit it.  I have been using Monarch and Sable brushes, Maroger medium and Grumbacher Paint.  I'm thinking of just painting my mutant Rhubarb plant next. 

Preserved Farmland Trust Painting

Here is the painting I've been working on for the Preserved Farmland Trust of York County, Pennsylvania. Thirty local artists were invited to participate. Each artist was assigned a preserved farm.

I was assigned to the 400 acre Snyder family farm in nearby Mount Wolf. I was given one day in July to sketch and photograph and gather a general impression of the land. The owner agreed to meet me at 6:00 p.m. one evening. I drove around with my sketchbook and camera, wishing that I had time to paint on location.

The cause is worthy. The owners of beautiful farmland agree to preserve their land in order to maintain some of the rural character of our county for future generations. The land directly across the road from this farm was turned into a typical sprawling suburban subdivision. I'm sure it was somewhat profitable for the owners, but much more so for the developers. Just beyond the ridge of hills there lies shopping centers, car dealerships, and traffic. The tower of he trash incinerator is visible, but not prominent on the horizon.

I am honored by the invitation to participate in this exhibit. There are some well known artists participating that I consider way above my league!

Orenda, New Painting

Well, it looks like the computer gods are cooperating today, at least as far as uploading goes. Perhaps I tried to load too many at a time? Perhaps it is the particular computer. I am using the desktop now because I cannot crop with my laptop.

Anyway, the purpose of this post is to get some feedback. As many of you know, I've been in an animal mode lately. This is a painting of my sister in law's beautiful Birman cat, Orenda. Orenda recently passed on to the great sunlit cushion in the sky. She lived to the ripe age of 21.

My daughter snapped this photo a couple of years ago. I found her picture and thought I'd try painting her.

Well, this proved to be quite difficult and I am not quite "finished". First of all, I had to tackle the lush interior of my sister-in-law's house. Gail's house is quite beautiful and she has impeccable taste when it comes to furnishings, pillows, color and decorating etc.

Second of all, Orenda is a fluffy, mostly white, long-haired cat. How do I capture the fur without fussing too much?

Third of all, Orenda is backlit. While this made for a beautiful photo, I found it quite challenging to capture her delicate face when I could not see it very well. I did not have another photo. I wanted to capture that wonderful back-lighting through her fur! Anyway I've been going back to this painting for several weeks and while I know I have to make a few adjustments, I thought I would ask my wonderful blogging friends for your advice. There are spots where I keep fussing (like the color of the shadow behind the red cushion on the chair). Also the pillow has a cushion sewn on top if it. It looks like a second pillow, but it is not. The patterns change. I usually avoid a lot of patterns as I don't like to get into that "tickling" mode. Sometimes I need to stop and critique. Your thoughts please?