This is a story about two paintings, made in our little backyard studio. But it is also a story from a proud mama, who got to spend a week with her daughter, chatting, discussing and painting. The end result is two paintings and three proud people in our house...
For some time, my 14 year old daughter has been wanting to pick up oil painting. Over the past few weeks we had the luxury and pleasure to travel. And although we stayed more local than we often do in summer, any travel in this time is an amazing privilege. On our summer trip we visited Lassen National Park and then stayed in Montgomery Creek on a beautiful apple and grape farm. We saw amazing sunsets and enjoyed to farm pond and the many waterfalls in the area. These two things came together in her Pond at the Farm.
I am just in awe. The whole thing comes so naturally to her, it is amazing. I sure wish I could do something like this at age 14... To top this all off, she also accomplished one of her summer goals, and finished this painting in time to submit to her first juried show, the UArt Open for Emerging (high school age) Artists . Hope she gets the painting accepted!!
As I said, we spent a week in the studio, and while I had to share my paint table, brushes, paint and space, I did also manage to finish a painting. It is my 3rd part in my animal series, where I take a square canvas and play with a big horizontal element in the painting, giving me those big expansive skies. And then of course add in a cute, cuddly, friendly animal. If you haven't seen the other two, here are links to The Sheep (sorry - sold) and The Cow.
For the latest in the series, a baby seal has scrambled onto a breakwater under gray skies. Isn't she adorable, hanging on? It almost looks like she is waving at all us from the painting. Apart from the cuteness of the seal, I love the contrasts in this painting. The old rocks, sharp and hard, ragged, full of detail with this gray sky and slightly blue fog over a blueish waterline. And then that single, fluffy baby seal just flopped onto those rocks.
I knew this one was going to be challenging and I must admit, halfway through painting those rocks, I questioned my judgement in painting them... It is literally eye watering detail... but together, the two of us made it to the end of our creative journey and finished our respective paintings!
Enjoy these two, while I mull over my next painting. I might do a Dutch scene next, or I might do another one in the Reflections concept... stay tuned and visit often to see what is next!
See all paintings: People and Places, Whimsical, Sketches
Christine