Dragon changed again!

I just couldn't leave my dragon as it was!  I forgot to add the wings and even though I didn't really want to have to do parts over again, I decided that I had to!  I have also been working on the back....another thing that I didn't want to do but felt I had to do!

"The Hole" in Elk River, MN

I finished a painting that was commissioned. It is of “The Hole” in Elk River. Apparently it is quite a well known place and this painting has been around for quite some time. It has quite the history with it. I guess at one time it was a pond and a child drowned there. Some men got together and filled it in and then it was used for a football stadium and now a skating rink. Pretty interesting!! I just copied it. Original is by Glen Quist.

Dragon redone

I finished the front of my dragon painting and now am working on the back.  I had to change some parts of it from the last time I posted.  I just couldn't take it any longer.  I still am not sure this is how I actually wanted it to be, but.........  I am done with the front and started on the back.  I thought I should post the picture of how it looks now.  I should have done it before, but I have just been so busy with Thanksgiving that I just have not had the energy to do more!

Dragon Painting Update

Just a short note to show what I have been agonizing over!  I really didn't like the back leg that was stepping through the hole and stepping on the front side.  I have been doing nothing but thinking of this for several days now.  Finally I came up with a solution.  It still isn't how I wanted it to begin with, but it is acceptable now anyway!

Dragon painting

I know it has been much too long between posts these days! I swear that life just keeps getting busier! I am not sure why either! But since I have been working on a new piece, I thought you might like to see it in progress. I am sure hoping that it turns out. I still have some things that I am not sure exactly what I want, but as I go along, hopefully the dragon will find it’s way out! I started by rough sketching in the outline of the opening and the basic design I wanted to do with the dragon. I am changing somewhat as I go though, but it at least gave me a place to start. I then used modeling paste on the outside areas to make it textured. I used titan buff along with white and chromium oxide green and then added some areas of more green and also quinacridone nickel azo gold. I put a light brown under coat on the body of the dragon and then used a mixture of violet oxide with gel medium to stencil the scales on him. I used a textured paper that I tore into small pieces for the front of his torso. I used a combination of yellow, ochre, and gold for the main, beard, and tail. So far, I am happy with where this is going. I am doing it on a door and one of the big things I am wrestling with is whether or not to paint the back of it as well. I am thinking that might be kind of neat to do, but it would also make it harder to hang……or maybe just different! I am laid up today so I won’t get to paint, but hope to get more done tomorrow! I will try to post as I go along, if I don’t forget to take pictures!

Finally able to Breathe again!

October has been such a busy month.  I  am so glad that I am almost done with it!  Only one more scheduled activity!  Or two!  Next weekend will be another busy one!  But the big two are over and now I can breathe!  Last week I was in Wisconsin for a weeklong class with Karlyn Holman!  I had a wonderful time!  I went with 6 others from the Bemidji area!  We all painted at least 12 hours a day and ate and slept the other 12!  I ended up getting a cold, which made it a little harder, but I still had the best time ever!  And we are all signed up for her class for the same week next year!  I can hardly wait!  Then I had to get ready for Bemidji's 4th annual (I think) Studio Cruise which was this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!  I had a blast although I am now extremely tired and am going to bed as soon as I finish writing this!  I had about 200 people come through my studio and got to visit with most of them!  I did a demo on monoprints and told many about floor clothes which is something that I have been working on.  I believe everyone enjoyed both!  I also made a few new contacts and had some sales and had a great time in every way possible!  I sold one of my paintings that was so newly finished that I didn't have a digital copy yet, but the lady that I sold it to said that I could keep it until next week so I could do that.  Good thing too, because I sold three prints of the same picture.  I also sold one that was not yet finished!  I was so surprised!  The lady that bought that one let me keep it until I finish it, although she said she liked it just as it was!  It still has the masking on the birds and the ones that are flying have not even been painted yet!  I thought I would post of picture of both of those two paintings!

Just finished another painting that is mostly watercolor.  I do have a little gold spray paint on it so I need to call it a mixed media.  It is 15 x 11 and started out as just an abstract.  From there I looked at it for a long time until I found a figure in it and tried to suggest that figure to all.  I don't want it to be too obvious, but hope you can find it if you look for a minute!  It was a lot of fun to do!