Update on news and Dragon Boat Painting by Minnesota Mixed Media Artist Terry Honstead

Gosh, it has been so long since I have posted anything, I am not even sure if I know how to do it anymore!  (That is REALLY bad!!)  My life has just been crazy this past year.  If it could have happened, it probably did!  Anyway, I just got done with the yearly studio cruise and it was lots of fun and very successful considering that I now live way out in the country, instead of right in town!  I believe there were about 26 artists that opened their studios to the public this year.

Even though I have not been posting, I have still been painting.  This past summer I taught myself how to do encaustics and that was a lot of fun.  I made all of my own paints since it is much cheeper that way.  I even had some pretty good results on some of my paintings!  I should post of them one of these days, but to do it right, I should explain everything and I do not have the time right now.  They are so much harder to photograph than my other paintings.

This Dragon Boat is a painting that I should have finished a long time ago, but other things kept getting in the way.  I finished it today and am really happy with how it turned out.  It is a 15 x 12 in. watercolor, done on Arches 140# watercolor paper.   You can find it online at terry-honstead.artistwebsites.com  or email me about it at honstead@paulbunyan.net.

Water's Edge Landscape painting by Contemporary Mixed Media Artist Terry Honstead

Water's Edge is a 30 by 40 mixed media landscape that I finished by adding more trees to the closest rolling hills, and some more shadows and a bird.  I think it added a lot.  I am much more satisfied with the looks of it now.  If you are interested in seeing more you can look at my website : terry-honstead.artistwebsites.com/ or email me at:  honstead@paulbunyan.net.

"Tranquility" by Terry Honstead

Or I think it is finished anyway.  I may decide to add more to it later.  There is one area that I am not real sure about yet.  I will know after a day or two (or three or four!)  Anyway, I think I am done for the time being.  I added more large areas of green to the tree area as well as some more detail.  Also I darkened some of the areas so that the light would be going down the center of the painting with the darker areas on the sides.

Tranquility progressing by Terry Honstead

I have been working on the rocks and water and they are about finished now.  I still need to work on the greenery on the upper part of the painting.  This is taking me a long time, but I hope it will be worth it when it is finished.   This painting is on a full sheet of 300 lb. Arches watercolor paper.

Tranquility getting closer

I think I got the rocks about done now. They have been really difficult, but I think they are ok for now anyway. I will need to do more on the water especailly where the rock shadows are, and I have lots more to do on the leaves, but you can kind of see what this will look like when it’s done now!  I am anxious to finish it!

Water, Water by Terry Honstead

This one is done. I fell in love with this picture! (and maybe said that last time I talked about this, I am not sure.) But tonight I have finished it! The hardest and last part that I did was the shadow coming from the left side falling at an angle toward the water spigot. (thanks to all that told me the right spelling for that!!) I am still not real sure that I shouldn’t have done this in oil, but I guess I could still do it that way if I decide to sometime!. To me, that is what fits the picture the best, but I really do not like oils since the drying time is so long and with the kids that I have at home, I am always afraid that something will happen to my paintings before they dry!! The original picture of this painting was taken in Rome by my son or daughter-in-law, and I will always be thankful for the many wonderful pictures they gave me to “play” with!