Flamingo Oil Painting

I finished this long legged guy today.  A really fun painting.  Brights against dark backgrounds are great.  The Flamingo is in oils on a 20x16 gallery wrapped canvas with the edges painted for hanging without a frame.  The paint is still wet, but the painting should be dry to ship within several days. 


I wish you a happy new year and great opportunities.

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

An Oil Painting of a Mandevilla Reaching Out

  

Mandevilla Reaching Out,  Oil Painting on 11x14 inch gallery wrap canvas with edges also painted.

This was a fun painting to do.  It has nice contrasts of light and shadow and bright colors.  The background is a very dark green.  A mix of black and green I had left over from another painting and decided to paint it on a canvas to use as a background rather than waste it.  After searching through my picture albums I saw this little pic of a mandevilla from several seasons back and decided to use it.  Tthe black green mix had dried on the canvas so I started on it by sketching the image on this canvas with a white pastel stick so it would show up on the dark background.  I started blocking in the color and as expected, the dark background dulls the life out of the first layer.  I let it dry and started on it again the next day.  With a more reflective base to work on the colors started poping out.  I used earthtones and complimentary color to control intensity for shadows and midtones and less toward the brights.  I reserved the use of pure white for the brightest points in the painting.  Also, more detail on the flower and less elsewhere further from the focal point.   The painting is close enough to the reference photo to tell it was used as a guide; but, I like to take some liberties with the painting and include my preferences and tecniques.  I hope you like the painting and my tidbits about the work.

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Not what you are looking for, check the site search labels, it may be there.



A Matagorda Beach Sunrise Oil Painting

This one was finished yesterday.  I painted it in oils on a gallery wrapped canvas.  The challenge of the contrasting values in the daybreaking light was fun.   I plan to do some larger canvases of ocean scenes as I really like to paint water movement.  Painting a scene puts me there while I am at the easel.
I hope you like this one.  Email me if you wish to purchase.

Let us pray before we paint,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Yaquina Head Lighthouse Oil Painting 20x16 Inches Canvas

I finished the Yaquina Head Lighthouse painting today.  The lighthouse is about 90 foot tall to tip top, the light is at 81ft above ground and 162 ft above sea level.  It is a magnificent tower sitting high on a cliff overlooking the sea.  I want to express thanks to my good neighbor Gary that gave me some great pictures from their vacation for reference material.  The sky and the lighthouse is painted with a more realistic smooth brush strokes and the cliff foreground has texture with an impressionistic look.  The painting is 20x16 on stretched canvas and done in oils.  I hope you like it.  Email me if you are interested in purchasing this one or any of my other paintings.  Those that have sold are usually in print.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Check the site search labels if you want to see more lighthouses I have painted.

Indian Paintbrush Acrylic Painting

I finished painting an Indian Paintbrush yesterday on a 20x16 inch gallery wrapped canvas with edges painted.  The work is in acrylics in which I worked most of the blending wet.  Acrylics have a great advantage with bright color and fast drying, but don't let it set long in your brushes.  This painting is a sequel to go with the Blue Bonnet I painted earlier this year.  There are many species of the paintbrush and sometimes referred to as prairie fire as the fields are brightly lit up with thousands of these beautiful flowers.  They also like to mingle with the other wildflowers for more beautiful landscapes than one can imagine.


Happy Thanksgiving to All,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

 Don't forget to check the site search labels for more pictures and topics on my blog.

A Couple of Daily Pears

I painted a study of a couple of pears hanging from a limb today to enjoy painting freestyle without any references or sketch to look at.  The painting is in acrylics and on a 6x6 inch gesso'd hardboard.  Thanks for looking.

Let us pray before we paint,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Palacios Visual Arts Show November 12, 2011.  See the flyer in the upper right of the page.

Butterfly Painting

I finished a Butterfly acrylic painting today.  It is on an 8x10 stretched canvas.  I will mount it in a floater frame tomorrow.  I hope you like the way it came out.  Contact me if you are interested in purchasing the Butterfly or another one of my paintings.  Each are orginal and make wonderful gifts, especially for Christmas.

Let us pray before we paint,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com



Cabin Painting

I finished "The Cabin" yesterday in one setting and did some correcting today after studying it in my office.  I added the large bush to the scene.  It was very large in the photo, so I made it smaller to not overpower the subject.  My neighbor gave me a picture of a quaint  cabin to paint.  Thanks to Gary for letting me use it.   He took it while on vacation and this is what I do for vacation, paint.   The painting is an acrylic on 8x10 hand stretched canvas.  The canvas is a gallery wrap with edges also painted for hanging without a frame.  The price without frame is $100 plus s/h and tax if applicable.

Let us pray before we paint,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Daybreak on the Bay Oil Painting

Daybreak on the Bay, 12x24 Oil Painting on Stretched Canvas

$200 USD plus S/H

I finished this one today.  I tried to capture the beauty of the actual daybreak when I took the reference photo in November 2006.  I brightened the water a little and lightened the sky some as the photo had a bit of color and value shift from what I remembered.  At daybreak, siloettes do have different values and color.  This one captured a lot of detail.  Check out the rigging and the figures.  Do you see the Captain in the cabin holding a mug of coffee?  The window lights were lit up by the glass reflecting the yellow sky.  The bouncing oranges and yellows bring out the action going on in the water, from the nose of the boat plowing through it,  and the churn wash from the propeller at the stern.  The sky backlights the strain on the rigging and cabling as the dredge box is digging up oysters on the bottom of the bay.  Notice that the masts and antenna are not painted black but lend to a tonal orange color to harmonize with the skylight.  I get excited about the power of light and shadow in contrast.

We were doing an A/C show in the Bauer Center in Port Lavaca, Texas that day and I got up early to shoot photos of the bay.  It worked out great as it happened to be the opening day of oystering season and the boats were already dredging.  I took a lot pictures, then went back to the RV to eat breakfast before the show opened at 9 am.  It was one of those days an artist loves and remembers.  Beautiful scenery and an art show.

The painting is still wet and is priced at $200 plus S/H and any tax or insurance that may be added.  S/H usually runs about 15.00 for ground rate within continental USA for packages about this size.   I plan to put a buyitnow PayPal button here for purchase after it is dry enough to ship.   Please contact me via email if you are interested or want to buy it now and I will ship it when dry.  (About 2 to 3 weeks from today.)

I hope you like this intriguing panoramic oil painting.  It will look great on your wall this Christmas.

Let us pray before we paint,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Roseate Spoonbill Painting

Roseate Spoonbill In Flight, 20x24 inch canvas, oils, $350

I finished it today, for the most part, and will let it dry completely and study it for touchups to do.  These are magnificent birds and I hope you enjoy the results.  I am still working on the oyster boat sunrise painting and plan to get it done over the weekend.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Additional note on 10/08/2011 1:32 pm

After studying the painting for touchups, I found a couple of opportunities to improve some minor details on the left wing and also show you a better photo of the painting.  It is now finished and for sale.

Texas Hill Country Barn Oil Painting

Original SOLD, Available in print at www.thebartlettpair.com

This is a small Texas Barn we took pictures of several years ago while on vacation.  Since then, I have painted it several times on glass windows, and now the first time in oils on an 8x10 canvas.  It was painted wet on wet in one setting under a high sky day setting.  If I paint it again, it will be in a larger format with a few more components, but will take longer.

I painted these years ago on glass when we were doing the First Monday Canton Trade Days on windows that were single pane about 14x28 using the permacoat enamels.  Good stuff, but dried fast, so one had to blend and brush it on quickly.   I sold a lot of paintings on glass that I wish I had done on canvas as prints can't be made off the the paintings on glass.  And, that was one of the prime movers to paint in oils on canvas enstead.

We are still needing rain in Texas.  There are burn bans posted and we still have wildfires going.  Many homes have been lost and people displaced.  We are praying for rain and the folks that lost everything to the fires.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Pelican Swim

If you follow my blog, you already know I love to paint pelicans.  They are such an interesting bird.  This guy is on a 14x18 canvas and done in oils with brush and knife work.  I used the knife to put in the foreground rocks.   I like the texture it gives and makes the subject stand out so well.  I wasn't going to put in the wildflowers that were there, but had a second thought how more color would make the painting more interesting.  The pelican was swimming in the waterway at the Matagorda, TX harbour when I got this photo to use for reference.  The painting is still wet and I may do some tweeking on it after it is dry.  Maybe not?

I have another painting in progress of a sunrise over Lavaca Bay with an oyster boat and crew already hard at work.  To get the good photos to paint from, sometimes we have to get up real early.  I have several photos from that morning in the clip to paint.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com  

Crimson Lily, 6x8 inch Oil Painting

This is a crimson lily from my wife's garden that I wanted to paint for two years now.  Finally, got 'roundtuit'.  Hope you like it.

Let us pray before we paint,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Butterfly on Bougainvillea Oil Painting, 6x6 Alla Prima

This is my first on a 6x6 surface and it took some getting use to.  Maybe I should have started out with a simplier composition.  But I like watching the butterflies feeding on our bougainvillea so I painted it first.  I prepare my own masonite hardboard to paint from.  I cut out 5 of the 6x6s and triple coated them with gesso yesterday.  The palette for this painting was permanent red, yellow ochre, aliz. crim., yellow lt, yellow med., permanent green lt, burnt sienna, black and white.

The photo has some glare in it as the paint is still wet.  Please visit the Daily Paintworks website and take a look at all the beautiful paintings being auctioned for charity to benifit the childen in africa.  Thanks for visiting.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Pineapple Oil Painting, is finished

I am so glad to have finished the pineapple oil painting today.  Always good to call one finished, especially a large format painting.  I usually call my paintings finished when my corrections and and improvements do not significantly add to the overall scene when stepping back several feet from the easel for a good look.  This one is for my daughter, but will take commissions to paint one for you.

Prints are available for purchase.   Please contact jimmie @jimmiesart.com if you have questions about ordering/shipping.


Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Pineapple, Almost

It is almost finished!  I am going to let it dry and finish the highlights and a few more shadows need to be improved.  Hopefully one more session will do it.  What do you think?

We have already cut up the model into pineapple chunks.  If the painting finishes out as good as the fruit tastes, I will be very happy.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Pineapple Painting Work in Progress, Getting Closer

Added more color and detail to the body of the pineapple today.  There is more to do to get the darker crevices correct and need to start on more contrasts.  I haven't gone back to the blades much, but I think they will start looking a bit more real when the shadows are put in.  The paint in the background and blading is now dry to the touch.  For some strange reason, I want to finish the body of the pineapple before the blading.  Tomorrow may come up with another corny approach.

The palette for the painting is earthy: yellow ochre, raw sienna, burnt umber, terra green, sap green, burnt sienna, and the brighter yellow light and yellow medium.  I plan to use a small bit of blue in the mix when shading the blades.  Also will be adding a bit more yellow ochre and siennas to the shadow side of the fruit.  I want the pineapple to look more ripened than what it is now.  I painted until the studio got too warm for me.  We are having a heat wave in Texas, so I paint early in the morning and back at it in the evening. 

Keep the folks dealing with the hurricane on the USA east coast in your prayers,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Pineapple Painting Work in Progress, Update

This is where I stopped for lunch today.  I have to get on with this painting as Carolyn wants to eat the pineapple I bought for the model.  There is a lot of canvas to cover on a two by three foot surface.  I like to block in the entire canvas with the background and subject before starting on much detail.  In this painting I did the background first to cause me less grief with painting the greenery blades.  The pineapple looks very bright at this point because I am going to add the detail and shadows last.   There is paint on the entire surface and should be dry enough to work on tomorrow as I am using liquin as my oil medium and this first layer on the subject is thin.  The background was layered on with brush and palette knife and has varied thicknesses for texture.  I want the end result to be very three dimensional with a realistic pineapple and an impressionist background.  This painting is already spoken for, but I would be happy to accept commissions for another.  Giclee prints will also be available.  

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com 

Work In Progress, Pineapple Painting

This is a from scratch oil painting of a pineapple on a handmade stretched canvas.  The canvas is 3 x 2 feet and 1.5 inches deep for gallery wrap with edges painted  A huge painting for just being a pineapple.  I cut the stretcher bars out of select pine 2 x 6 inch material, stretched the canvas, and penciled in the sketch yesterday.  I painted (at left) this morning and took some pics for those that may be interested in watching progress.  As the painting progresses, I will post more re. palette, brushes, and such.  Please feel free to comment.

We got some much needed rain.  Praise the Lord.

Let us pray before we paint,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Lighthouse on the Beach, Palette Knife Painting

I painted this small alla prima oil painting using a couple of palette knives.  This type of painting is relaxing and good for exercising the creative side.  I planned it as I went and used the knife to blend color and build texture on the canvas.  It gets a bit wetter as the paint layers are added.  The lighthouse was kept simple and I also scratched in some birds.  The canvas is an 8x10 gallery wrap with edges painted for hanging without a frame.
The heat wave is still pounding us here in Texas.  We need rain badly.

Use the blog search labels to see more of my other lighthouse paintings in this blog.  Contact me if you wish to purchase this painting.  Thanks for visiting.



Join us in praying for rain,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

The Fishing Pier

The Fishing Pier, Oil Painting, 18x24 on hand stretched gallery wrap canvas is finished.  The previous post shows the start of this painting as a work in progress (WIP).  The paint is still wet and will not be ready to handle for a couple of weeks.   The Pier will be for sale when the paint is dry.  I had a grand time with this one exploring the neat effects of light and shadows created by the sunset bouncing light on the water and pier.

We have two indoor shows this month.  The first one is this Saturday at the El Campo Civic Center and the next one is in Halletsville on the next Saturday in the KC Hall.  If you are in the area, I hope you can visit us and the other vendors.

I hope you like the Fishing Pier.  All comments welcome.

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

New Painting, Work in Progress, The Fishing Pier

In spite of the heat in South Texas, painting is still going on in my studio.  I finished the bluebonnet last week and switched back to oils for The Fishing Pier as the acrylics were hard to work with in this extreme heat wave.  This painting is completely from scratch as the stretchers and canvas were made and stretched in my shop.  I added another coat of gesso to the canvas as I like a clean white surface for water scenes.   This work is on an 18 x 24 inch gallery stretched canvas and will have the edges painted when finished.

The inspiration for the painting came from a weekend rv camping vacation on the Colorada River at the LCRA park.  This is a beautiful place as it is located where the river flows into the Gulf of Mexico.  The river and the beaches are full of sea life and activity; perfect for an old painter to take some time to reflect.  Our rv camper has a large window in the back of the trailer in which I spent a lot of time relaxing and looking at this pier.  We took numerous pictures and I chose this one to paint as we got lucky and captured a beautiful sunset striking the pier and river's edge.

The first pic is where I left it yesterday and the second is when I stopped today.  The temperature in the studio was approaching 90 degrees and I was hungry.  The painting is basically undercoated and roughed in at this point.  I prefer to get the entire canvas undercoated quickly, so I can see my foundation and where I want to go with the composition.  The construction of the pier components took more time than the rest of the painting.  Man made objects always seem to take more time.  When undercoating, I like to use thinner paint washes and lay in some detail at the same time.  The thinner paint doesn't completely cover my tracing lines and builds a base to paint on during the refining of the images, color, light and shadows.  I trace the image reference points on the canvas as light as possible and spray a bit of pastel fixative over it to prevent smudging of the lines.  Dark  lines can be hard to cover and show through the paint.   During the next sessions, I will be adding more color and working on the water.  So far, the palette includes white, cobalt blue, d.purple, magenta, deep orange, warm white, van dyke brown, terra green, cad yellow light, raw sienna, and payne's grey.

I hope you found this little tidbit interesting.  You are welcome to make comments re. the post and painting.  If you find any paintings on the blog you would like to purchase, check my website http://www.jimmiesart.com/  or contact me for availability.  We also have most of the paintings available in giclee' prints.  Thanks for stopping in.

Let us pray before we paint,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com 

I don't warrant any of my painting processes discussed in my posts, but they work for me. 

Bluebonnet Painting 20x16

I needed another original bluebonnet painting to take to shows and decided to take the study I had done on 16x12 and paint it in acrylics, rather than oils, on a larger 20x16 format and hopefully make some improvements as compared to the previous study.  My biggest obstacle turned out to be the summer heat.  My studio a/c running full blast could not stay ahead of it during the day.  So, I painted furiously in the early morning and late evening and even then, it seemed I spent more time keeping my acrylics wet enough to paint with, than actually painting.  The humidity was also low which made the paint dry quickly.  I am switching back to oils for the next couple of paintings.

I should be in the doghouse for not posting much last month.  Most of my efforts went to rebuilding my website, where you can use paypal to purchase originals and prints of my work, and painting on the Bluebonnet.  Please check out http://www.jimmiesart.com/ .  I will be posting more paintings and prints on it.

We have two indoor Arts/Crafts shows next month.  On August 13, we will be in the El Campo Civic Center and on August 20, in the KC Hallettsville Market Day.  I hope those of you in the area will visit our booth.  We got some rain today.  I pray for more.

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Garden Gladiolas

Garden Gladiolas, Original Acrylic Painting, 16x12 inch Gallery Canvas

The Garden Gladiolas was fun to paint.  The beautiful reds and varying light created some nice contrast.  This stem of flowers came out of my wife's garden.  The palette was mainly cad red med., cad red lt., cad red deep, yellow ochre, umber, sap green, tad of cad yel. med., and white.

In between trying to keep up with painting, my computer crashed and had to replace it.  I like the windows 7 on it, but---there is always a but, some of my older programs do not work in it.  I am rather displeased, as my old website editor will not work in W7 and I can't update my website.  I am trying out several trial versions of web editors on the market to see which will work best for my site.   If anyone has some suggestions re. web editors, I would really appreciate the feedback.

I hope you like the painting.

Let us pray before we paint,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

The Cornfield Barn

Original Sold, Prints Available at www.thebartlettpair.com

This is an acrylic painting I did today on a 9x12 gallery stretched canvas with edges painted.  This beautiful field and barn is located in South Texas on hwy 111 between Midfield and Lake Texana.  The weather is very hot and dry and the field looked like it could really use some rain. I used a bit of impressionism for the field and took artistic liberties with the barn.  I really liked the way the tall corn was crowding the barn and the colors blended like a storybook scene.  This was another one I knew I had to paint.  I hope you like the painting.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Mexican Sunflower

An acrylic painting of a Mexican Sunflower, 14x14 gallery stretched canvas, edges painted.

This was painted as a still life setting in the studio.  The flower was my grandsons graduation class flower as it brightly displayed the Van Vleck Leopard's school colors.  Each graduate presented their mother with a Mexican Sunflower in appreciation of their support.  I figured if it represented that much of an honor, I would paint it so it would last in memory.  Besides, it is a pretty flower.  I enjoyed working on this painting.
 
Prints are available if you would like to purchase one. 

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Old Galveston Square

After several years of on and off painting sessions, I finally finished the 18x24 inch oil painting of Old Galveston Square.  The reference photo was taken in the winter of 2002 with a Mavica digital camera, which was the best digital back in the day.  However, it was great for taking closeups, but not for panoramics with distances.  I used it anyway as it has my grandson (standing in the warmup suit on lower left) and my wife (standing by the bus looking at the game)  in the picture. My grandsons and I have played chess on a frequent basis since they were old enough to learn.

The poor quality of the reference photo was a good excuse to go back to Galveston to take more pictures and enjoy the town.  We went several months after hurricane Ike had come through, and it was demoralizing to see the destruction left by it.  The people were already recovering their town.  Very visibly, shop owners and residents could be seen running saws and hammering away to rebuild Galveston.  Those folks are strong Americans.  For what I needed to paint from, the first visit back was not very productive due to the reconstruction and things about the square had changed. The next trip a year later was much more productive and to our joy, the square was active and people were playing chess again.  I  was able to capture some close ups of the pieces to compare against the older photo.  Also, rebuild my memory about the square.

The work took a long time as it had many components that had to harmonize to make it work. The final session of painting was about six weeks of work when not going to shows and letting paint dry enough to start again.  So, in painter talk, was this painting done from a photo or from life?  I like to think it was a little of both.  The visits set the mood and feel and, the photo refreshes the memory while you paint.  I had to interpret and deviate quite a bit from the photo because some things just didn't look right.

Some people would probably think putting so much time into one painting is rediculous or either the painter (me) didn't know what he was doing.  Probably the latter.  I have been known to overwork a painting before.  Many I complete in short order, depends on how much fun I am having.  In the case of Old Galveston Square, it was one of the most enjoyable paintings I have worked on.  My wife is my second set of eyes and although not a painter, she is a great critiquer of paintings.  Her critiques during the work really made a difference.  I would appreciate your comments re. the painting.

I plan to hold on to the original for awhile, but will have prints for sale soon if anyone is interested.  I hope you like the painting and my rambling story.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com  

Lexi Portrait

This little girl is 2 1/2 years old and very beautiful.  I painted her from a photo in oils on a 14x11 canvas.  The blush came out looking a little stronger in this picture than is in the painting.  I painted this one alla prima (few hours one setting).   This one was for my daughter's best friend which made it special to do.  I sure had fun painting her.

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Apple Trio

This is a small 9x12 inch acrylic painting on a paper made for acrylic painting.  I thought it would be interesting to try the paper out on an easier subject such as apples.  This surface is rated at 185 lb./400 G and comes 10 count in a pad.  I know nothing about ratings of paper for painting.  This surface is thick, so I figure it must be good.  LOL  Maybe a watercolor painter will help me out with that. 

It seemed to fight back at me by bowing up when I covered the surface with the paint, and moreso when I thinned the paint.  I found I had better results by letting it dry and not thin the paint with water.  After I got the hang of it, it came out pretty fair.  I sketched the apples on with pencil and did an undercoat in burnt umber thinking I could blend and glaze in the background without losing the apple underpainting.  Almost did.  I brought the apples back up with a green then worked on completion with the reds.

I like to do studies by starting with sketches then do small paintings which may lead to painting the scene on a larger format.

I hope you enjoy Easter, our holy day in worship to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Blue Bonnet Bucket

 

SOLD

I painted this little scene of blue bonnets on an oval galvanized bucket I had bought to paint a couple of years ago.  Seems like all my ideas take years to fulfill.  Anyway, I painted it with acrylics in a crafty mode on sides and ends, and put a clear gloss seal on it.  We used to do a lot of crafty painted projects a few years back when we went to the Canton First Monday Market every month.  That was 'back in the day' when I painted everything on anything that stood still long enough.  LOL Did that for several years and loved it.  This one is 15 3/4 inches long across the top,  9 3/4 inches wide across the top, and 5 3/4 inches tall.  It is listed in my etsy shop. 

We were at the Bay City, TX Market Day last Saturday and had a great time.  The weather was beautiful and we got to see some friends and push some art.  Bay City has their Market Day on the third Saturday of the month starting in March.  Thanks for stopping by.

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Roseate Spoonbills

Roseate Spoonbills, Oil Painting, 18x14 Inch Gallery Canvas

The Spoonbills are done.  Whoopee!  These guys took longer than I expected.  I always see something to touch up after I shoot pictures of the painting.  I went back and forth a couple of times fixing things just a little bit more.  When it gets to that point, I usually call it finished for time being and let it dry in the studio where I can look at it and after a period of time call it final or, work on it some more.  When the oils dry, I will paint the edges of the canvas with acrylics (they dry fast) so the painting can be hung without a frame.

This painting didn't take much for a palette: white, prussian blue, van dyke brown, paynes gray, permanent rose, and a tad of black.  I used large brushes for the rough in: filberts for the birds and reflections, and flats for blocking in the background water.  For the details I used smaller brushes as necessary.  I varied from the reference photo for the color of the water and put in some extra shadowing for the birds as the photo was taken during the bright of the day and a lot of color had been blasted out.  I hope you like the painting and the art tidbits.

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Magnolia Cheesebox

                                                                   
I had a a great day painting magnolias on a cheesebox.  We have several Arts/Crafts shows planned for the spring and have decided to include some unique items in the booth in addition to paintings on canvas.  The box is stained with a light brown for a nice background and the edge of the lid is painted with a dark green to add a border effect for the lid.  The scene was painted with acrylics.

A handpainted cheesebox is probably not something most collectors would want, but handpainted unique items are sought out by those looking for great decor.  The cheesebox is functional to hold keepsakes as well as having pretty magnolias to enjoy.

Thanks for visiting the blog.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Roseate Spoonbills On the Easel, A Work In Progress in Oils on 18x14

Spoonbills are on my easel this week.  The picture at right is where I left it before my studio got too cold to paint in last week.  During cold weather, which is not frequent on the south Texas coast, I do much needed paper work and catch up my website and blog.

We have had 7 seven roseate spoonbills staying in the LeTulle Park pond this winter and what a treate they have been for the public.  They even got their picture in the Bay City Tribune.  These beautiful and very interesting birds have become somewhat tame in the park.  I think being around the ducks and geese and getting use to seeing people in the park is the reason.  Anyway, back to the painting: In the first setting I got the scene blocked in with basic color, highlights and shadow.  I didn't try to get the reflections perfect on first try.  I prefer to cover my canvas completely and then start refining the painting.  I think it is much easier for me to see what I want to do once the canvas is filled.  I was lucky with this one as the 'block in' is close to where I am going with the painting.  In this painting, the water and reflections will be moe challenging than the birds.  The water and reflections do not have to be painted exactly, but need to be believable for the viewer.  No need to paint every ripple.  I tried that once and it gave me a headache.  LOL

If you live in the area or visiting, visit LeTulle Park and the Birding Center next to the park.  You may be able to see the spoonbills or other unique wildlife.  Comments are welcome.  Hope you like the story.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Butterfly Stardom

Butterfly Stardom, Oil on 12x12 Gallery Canvas, Deep Edge, Edges Painted

I named my new painting Butterfly Stardom for the sake of combining the subjects of the painting.  I googled for more information on the flower and there appears to be several names for which the flower is recognized:  Texas Red Star, Scarlet Rose Hibiscus, Swamp Hibiscus, and Scarlet Rose Mallow.  There are probably more names.  I think the butterfly may be a swallowtail butterfly.  Maybe someone out there can help me with the ID.  This scene has some beautiful shadows to support the wonderful light effects.  I painted the star and butterfly somewhat realistically and the rest of the foliage more impressionistic to prevent the background from becoming too busy.  Also, many thanks to my friend Ron Mayfield for allowing me to use his photo as a reference for this painting.  Hope you like the painting and the story.

Let Us Pray Before We Paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

A Valentine's Day Rose

I finished the rose project I posted earlier as a work in progress.  The oil painting was challenging due to the many gradients and reflections in the vase.  The rose is a knockout rose from my wife's garden.  They are pretty hardy little plants and we haven't had a hard freeze here in South Texas yet, so we are still blessed with a few blooms.  The rose stayed fresh inside the studio for several days after the still setting shoot and was also available for reference while painting.  The painting is on a 10 x 20 inch canvas.  The palette:  Permanent Rose, Aliz. Crim., Cad Red, Perm. Grn Lt., Sap Grn, Burnt Siena, Burnt Umber, Van Dyke Brown, Deep Orange, Yellow Ochre, Raw Siena,White and a bit of cad yellow.  And, I may have forgot some.  LOL I will paint the edges of the canvas with burnt umber acylics  and build a floater frame to mount it in when the canvas dries.  I hope to get it all done for valentine's day.  I had a good time painting this one.

Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

King of the Barnyard

King of the Barnyard, 12x12 inch Gallery wrap canvas w/painted deep edge

I painted this fun little painting in acrylics while waiting on the three oil paintings I have in progress to dry.  I used a photo ref as a guide and a bit of license to make the painting impressionistic.  The acrylics were drying very fast during the work and to get the blends, I had to paint faster than my usual pace.  I think the reason for the paint drying faster was because the space heaters were on in the studio and the humidity was low.

The King lives New Ulm, Texas.  The reference photo was courtesy of the Richter Farm.

On the easel:  I have the two wip's shown in the last posting nearing completion and hope to finish one soon.  And, I started another oil painting of three roseatte spoonbills and have filled the canvas with the first layer.  I also have another portrait of my grandson about halfway finished. 

I enjoyed painting the rooster.  Always fun.  Hope you like the painting.

Let us pray before we paint,

jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Pelican At The Marina

 I finished painting Pelican At The Marina today.  The painting is in acylics on a gallery wrapped 13x20 inch canvas which I custom made for this work.  The scene is continued on the edges of the canvas so it can be displayed without a frame.  We were out taking pictures a couple of weeks ago at the marina in Matagorda, Texas and saw several beautiful pelicans waiting for a hand out at the fish cleaning station.  These big fellows let me walk up close and take all the pictures I wanted.  It made me wonder, as if I had tried to get close to them in the wild marshes they would have flown away.  But, I thank them for modeling and giving me a chance to study the birds up close.  This particular view had great light and little in the background.  I took the image and transferred the sketch to the canvas and used a little artist license to put in a brighter background sky to make him stand out more.  I plan to mount the painting in one of my floater frames.  I have to build one first.  I hope you like the painting and story.
 
Let us pray before we paint,
jimmie@jimmiesart.com