Jack and I lived in Carefree, Arizona for several years and just love the desert. We always waited with great anticipation for the beauty of spring to appear. The flowers were incredible, adorning the spiny cacti like jewels in the desert. With spring right around the corner I thought a cactus flower would be fun to paint. I begin by doing a simple sketch of the flowers with a #1 Filbert brush dipped in a wash of MUD (Ultramarine Blue + Alizarin Crimson) + a liberal amount of Liquin.
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This mini painting for eBay is called an ACEO. That stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals, a category on eBay that has become quite the rage for collectors over the last few years. The painted image is required to measure 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches, the size of a baseball card. So I mask off the rectangle with blue painter’s tape. When the painting is finished the tape is removed, leaving a crisp white border.
Bright Pink-Orange flowers appear even more intense because of the blue background. Blue is the complimentary color, or across the color wheel, from Orange. This illustrates another simple rule I use regularly: To make a color look more vibrant place it next to its compliment. Thick, juicy brush stokes made with a large Bright brush form the individual petals. At first the thought of painting this size was daunting; however, I’ve found it’s really fun. If you would like to see any of the pictures larger click on the image.
Desert Jewel 3 1/2 inches x 2 1/2 inches Original Oil Painting
Let Desert Jewel bring a breath of spring to a special spot in your home. This is an Original Oil Painting on Strathmore archival linen and is signed on the back. Several of our Team Senkarik members collect these little originals and frame them in a regular frame with a wide, 5 inch matte. The ones we’ve seen look pretty cool. Bidding for Desert Jewel on eBay starts at a penny. That’s right, one cent! The auction will end on Sunday, February 26 at 9 PM Eastern Time. So HAPPY BIDDING! Hugs, Mikki Senkarik
February 19, 2012 at 9:00 PM |
Lovely image, thanks MJ
February 19, 2012 at 11:08 PM |
Loved it !