An artist friend of Jack’s and mine, Charity Dakin, sent this to me after reading about my experience with Pepe Le Pew. Her whimsical illustration is titled, “Happiness is a Matter of Perspective”! Isn’t this absolutely wonderful? To see Charity’s beautiful paintingsCLICK HERE!
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting Trucker the dog
Royal’s sorrel coat is painted with several different mixes of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange + a touch of Cadmium Red Light + White and MUD + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Red Light + Alizarin Crimson + White. The unique brand is etched into the wet paint of his shoulder with a lighter mix of MUD + Cadmium Orange + White. You may click on the image to see it larger.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting Royal’s Head
The warmth of Royal’s sleek sorrel coat really POPS against all the cool hues of the Bluebonnets in the background. But it will gleam even more when I get the water painted. That’s in our next session, complete with videos! ‘Til then… Hugs,
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The field beyond the giant Live Oaks is splashed by the sun, highlighting the old barn and windmill. A large outcropping of cacti springs up near the massive trees. You may click on the image to enlarge the picture.
Magenta + White Phlox dot the field in the background, their cooler hues recede. Some Red/Orange Indian Paintbrush pop up among the Cobalt Blue + White Bluebonnets behind the horse. I want the flowers in back of Royal to be predominantly blue in order to accent his Sorrel coat.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting Wildflowers
The White tops, or bonnets, on the Bluebonnets are made smaller as they go back. The little caps in the distance are White + a little Ultramarine Blue, those nearest Royal are Pure White.
Another bunch of cacti grows along the rocky bank of the stream. Several mixes in different proportions of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White are used. The large oval pads are made by twisting the square, Bright brush. If you’d like to learn more about the brushes I prefer to use, CLICK HERE.
WILDFLOWERS in the background are done, I’ll be working on Trucker and Royal in our next session. Please come back to watch…I’ll have a couple of videos! For all of you battling the terrible cold up north, here is a touch of our Texas Spring just for you. I spoke this morning with a lady who resides in Iowa; she’s lived there all of her life (40 years) and has never experienced such a severe winter. I pray you get Spring soon! With Warm Texas Hugs,
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Imagine my surprise this morning when I looked out the kitchen window and saw a, NOT SO WELCOME, surprise visitor below our bird feeder! Pepe Le Pew is the neighborhood stinker but don’t usually see him, just get the smell. And wouldn’t you know, I’d just put Molly out for her morning constitutional. Needless to say I ran to the patio door, fortunately on the opposite side of the house, to quickly called Molly back in. That’s all we’d need is for her to get sprayed! Can’t even begin to think how you’d give a cat a bath in tomato juice?????????
WHEW! Molly is fine. Now, let’s get to work. The sky is painted first, followed by the most distant row of Texas hills which are made bluer, or cooler, so they recede. The nearest hills are made warmer, using mixes of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White for the Scrub Oaks covering them. A few brushstrokes of White + Ultramarine Blue, remaining from the background hills, are made here and there for additional coolness. The portions of the hill side where the limestone rock is exposed are made with mixtures of White + Cadmium Orange + a little Ultramarine Blue.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Windmill
The Live Oak Tree on the left side of the wildflower meadow is blocked in with combinations of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White.
I love painting the old barns you see around Texas. Over the years Jack and I took pictures of all we could. It’s wonderful having the images, because many of them are gone now. Several have collapsed from years of neglect or been bulldozed to make room for neighborhoods. I feel painting them pays tribute to a piece of our Texas history. If you’d like to enlarge the image all you have to do is CLICK on the picture.
Bracing my left hand against the unpainted part of the canvas provides a steady support for my right as I delineate the details on the barn doors.
The old barn is complete, we’ll be working on the wildflowers in our next session. Hope you’ll come back and watch! HUGS,
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Let’s head out into the Texas Hill Country for my next painting, a special collaboration. “Royal”, the horse, belongs to my collector’s daughter Kelsey; “Trucker” is their rescue pup! Suzanne asked if I could incorporate lots of wildflowers, a windmill and an old barn. YOU BETCHA! Here’s my pen and ink sketch.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Sketching the Old Barn
I’ve lightly sketched in both Trucker and Royal with pencil. Now I begin washing in the values on the horse with a thin oil mix of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin. My left hand is braced against the canvas, providing a steady resting place for my right.
Kelsey’s unique brand is “lifted” out of Royal’s shoulder that has been washed in. Since this area is still wet it’s very easy to take a clean brush and lift off the dark mixture, exposing the white canvas in the configuration of the brand. I’ve changed the angle of the horse a little from my original pen and ink sketch, allowing the brand to show more clearly. Please remember as you read through my blog, you may click on any of the pictures to see them larger.
Here’s my painting setup. The laptop enables me to enlarge my reference material. I’ve also printed out several of the images, making it easy to refer to them with a quick glance.
The picture of Trucker is taped to the frame of the painting while I work on him. I’ve changed his position so he can touch noses with Royal.
Our happy pup is sunbathing on one of the large, flat rocks lining the stream. I have several pictures of Texas streams but I don’t try to duplicate any of them exactly. I just begin making shapes and working them into limestone boulders.
The oil wash sketch is complete, I’ll start applying opaque oil color in our next session. Hope you’ll come back to our studio and watch! If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!” It’s easy.
Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The right one for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!”
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The entire surface of the terrace wall is painted with colors left over from the building. Then crevices between the stones are drawn into the wet paint with a thin mix of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin. The last step is to add extra texture to the surface of the irregular rocks. Please remember as you read through my blog, you may click on any of the pictures to view enlargements.
I use Grays made of Ivory Black + White for the lighter portions of our little tiger kitty’s coat; the stripes are pure Ivory Black. Combinations of White + a touch of Ultramarine Blue + a tiny bit of Cadmium Orange are used for the white on his paws, chest and face.
Long, white whiskers are drawn with a fine liner brush. The surrounding paint is still wet, allowing me to make smooth, crisp lines.
An Orange Sulphur Butterfly floats above the curious kitty’s head.
Geraniums made of Cadmium Red Deep + Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Deep and Cadmium Red Light fill the terra cotta container by the door. The bright green leaves are mixtures of Pthalo Blue + Lemon Yellow.
Matilija Poppies flow from the front of the canvas, over the edge and on to the side. The large blossoms are blocked in with White + Dioxazine Purple, White + Ultramarine Blue and White + Pthalo Blue. Pure White highlights will be added after the foliage and centers are painted. The leaf colors are worked around the flowers with mixes of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White.
“Peaceful Valley” 16 inches x 16 inches
It’s a lazy day in the “Peaceful Valley” of Napa! I appreciate all of your kind comments and great questions! With a Happy Heart,
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The walls of the old rock building are first covered in my basic adobe-color mix of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange + a tiny bit of Pthalo Blue + White. Crevices between the individual stones are then indicated with lines etched into the wet paint using a mixture of MUD + Liquin. You may enlarge this, or any of the other images, just click on the picture.
The shadow portion of the door is made of Cadmium Red Deep + Alizarin Crimson. Pure Cadmium Red Light makes the the sunlit part gleam. Green vines in the background accentuate the bright red even more.
Trumpet Vine (Cadmium Red Light + Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Orange + Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Orange) cascades over the tile roof, casting long shadows across the door. The leaves are combinations of Ptahlo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium. A few strokes of Pthalo Blue + White are made here and there to bring coolness into the foliage.
After covering the entire surface of the floor to establish the light and shadows, the perspective lines separating the tiles are drawn into the wet paint with a fine brush dipped in MUD + Liquin. This is done freehand. Bracing against the mahl stick would limit the movement of my hand and arm, preventing me from making straight lines.
The painting is signed while the floor is still wet. Drawing my signature into the wet paint allows me to make the calligraphy smooth. If I were to wait until the surface was dry the lines would skip and hop over the bumpy paint underneath; wouldn’t look very good at all! Construction work is done, we’ll be planting in our next session. I’ll also paint that comfortable kitty! With Colorful Smiles,
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We’re headed out west, California to be exact! To pinpoint the location even further it’s the Napa Valley. This piece is for Gallery 1870 in Yountville. My basic composition is sketched up on the canvas and we’re ready to begin applying opaque Oil Paint. So come follow along…….
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Sky and Distant Hills
A burst of sunlight splashes across the valley in the distance. Please remember as you read through my blog, you may click on any of the images to view them larger.
Evergreen trees line the hillside at the back of the vineyard directly below the terrace. The freshly plowed dirt between the rows of grape vines is blocked in first with mixes of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange + a little more Ultramarine Blue + White. The rows are made bluer toward the back of the field, this makes them recede. Then the green vines are blocked in with several combinations, in various proportions, of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + Lemon Yellow + White.
Now that the foliage on the vines is blocked in, the posts supporting them are drawn into the wet paint of the dirt rows. My wrist is braced against the mahl stick, steadying my hand so I can make the lines straight.
The broad leaves illuminated by the sun are highlighted next.
The background scene is complete, we’ll begin construction work on the building and terrace in our next session. If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINKand scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!” It’s easy.
Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The right one for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!”
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Tica’s coat is first painted as if she is solid gray. Mixtures from the gravel road are used for her silky fur. Then her distinct markings are painted wet into wet with Ivory Black.
The final detail on our sweet kitty is to add her long, white whiskers. My wrist is braced against the mahl stick to steady my hand as I pull the fine lines. You may click on the image to see it larger.
Cosmos fill the container below the luscious berries. The blossoms are mixes of Permanent Rose + White, while the feathery foliage is made of Pthalo Blue + Lemon Yellow + White.
Bright centers of the pretty pink flowers in the sunshine are Lemon Yellow. The ones in the shadows are a mix of Cadmium Yellow Medium + a touch of Cadmium Orange.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Racoon
The cute little Chipmunks are a treat to paint. Their reddish brown coat is MUD + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Red Light + a touch of Alizarin Crimson + White. Ivory Black is also used for the racing stripes down their backs! CLICK on the image for an enlargement.
“Autumn Market” 18 inches by 24 inches
Jeana loves going to the farmer’s market in the fall, now she’ll have her own “Autumn Market” that she can enjoy all year long. As you can see I have a lot of fun collaborating with my collectors. If you have a special dream idea you’d like me to capture on canvas for you please feel free to contact me in the comments section! I appreciate you following my blog and THANK YOU for all of your wonderful comments! With Colorful Smile and Big Hugs,
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The gravel road is painted with mixtures of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange + Ultramarine Blue + White. More Blue is added into the mixes for the portion of the road behind the Racoon, the cooler colors recede. The foreground colors are made warmer by mixing more Cadmium Orange into the paint combinations. A shaft of light spills across the road, spotlighting the mischievous Racoon and Chipmunks.
The inside of the pumpkin fragment is painted with White + Cadmium Orange + a touch of MUD + a little bit of Cadmium Yellow Medium.
A special color, Pthalo Turquoise Blue is used for the Fruit Stand. White is added into all of these mixtures; less for the darker ones, more White in the lightest. The darkest shade, on the underneath of the roof, has a bit of MUD worked into the paint.
The entire surface of the tin roof is covered first with White + MUD + a tiny touch of Cadmium Orange + some Ultramarine Blue. Then corrugations are drawn into the wet paint with a brush dipped in a mix of MUD + Liquin.
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Chili Pepper Ristras
What’s better than huge Heirloom Tomatoes picked fresh from the plant that very morning? When we discovered them at a Farmer’s Market, Jack and I would buy several. Then eat them right there, just like apples. We’d laugh as we wiped the delicious juices off each other’s chin!
Fresh Blackberries and Blueberries, YUMM! My mouth is watering already.
Indian Corn fills the basket by Tica and the corner of the bin below, next to sweet Bell Peppers. Color left over from the fall foliage is used to paint the multicolored ears. If you’d like a closer view, just click on the image to see an enlargement.
Native Apples and more Chiles overflow from containers at the base of our little Fruit Stand. That’s all for this session, hope you’ll come back for the next one. I’ll have video demonstrations as I paint the Sunflowers and that little rascal, the Racoon! If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!” It’s easy.
Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The right one for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session. And if you enjoy my blog please CLICK the FaceBook LIKE Button. As we say in Texas, “Much Obliged!”
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Mikki Senkarik 