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

A Couple of Apples and a Pear Painting

A Couple of Apples and a Pear

I painted A Couple of Apples and a Pear today alla prima on a 12x12 deep edge canvas.  I really had a grand time with it as I hadn't painted with oils in several weeks and what a pleasure it was.  I paint with acrylics during the fall because of the faster drying time and need the product for our shows.  This little still life is one of several I photographed when I did the set up for the Fruit Under the Lamplight painting.  This is the third painting out of that setting.  I hope you like the results.

Merry Christmas,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

The Black Daschund

The Black Daschund is an orinal acrylic painting on a 10x8 inch stretched canvas.   The original is for a good friend of mine, but prints are available.  I have been using red backgrounds for my canine paintings to push the subject forward and be the royalty most of our pets become.  Hope you like the painting.
Let us pray before we paint,
Jimmie@jimmiesart.com

Pears Go Together With Apple

Pears Go Together  With Apple, Acrylic 6x8 Inch Canvas Hardboard

I enjoyed this little painting as it has a nice combination of earth tones and bright color.  This concludes the series of still life settings on the small format of 6x8.  At least for now, as I want to do more still life paintings on larger canvases similar to the scene with the lamp and fruit: "Fruit Under Lamplight" that I did last month.  It is posted on the blog also.  Maybe I can sell it at the show in El Campo this weekend.  I think it would really look good in Mama's kitchen, what do you think?

I hope you like the painting.  Email me if you would like to purchase.  It is easy to do through PayPal.  You don't have to have a PayPal acount to use your credit card for a secure purchase.

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

Fruit Under The Lamplight, Original Painting

Fruit Under The Lamplight, 20x16  Original Acrylic Painting

Fruit Under The Lamplight a 20x16 painting done in acrylics. The inspiration for this painting is from the Bible verse Galatians 5:22 "...The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace..." and the lamp represents God's light.  This is a 20x16 on a gallery wrapped canvas.  The edges are painted for hanging without a frame.  This painting would make be great for your fine art collection or as a gift for someone special.


I set up a small area in the studio to shoot still life scenes to paint from.  I went to the market and bought fruit, scrounged around the house for a platter, and cleaned up the heirloom kerosene lamp and took lots of photos of various singles, doubles, combos, and magnum arrangements  of fruit and the lamp.  It felt  good to plan a scene, set it up, and make it happen.  It was also humbling in that it is like going to the candy store and picking out more than you can eat.  I chose the biggest and most diverse of the scenes which really taxed my painting abilities and it took me much longer than anticipated to finish it.   On the bright side, I learned more color mixing tricks and how to paint clear glass objects.  Challenges are a painters best teacher.  Hope you like the story and the painting.

Let us pray before we paint,

Jimmie