Hot Couple - Beach Painting

Hot Couple

24" x 36"
Acrylic on Canvas

Well, I finally painted for my husband :) He's been asking me for a beach-themed painting for a long time - so here it is. A few days ago, I painted a small version to see if I liked the layout. This is the final version - 2 feet by 3 feet.

I painted this in acrylic, something a bit different for me. I tried very hard to keep my brushstrokes loose and fluid. I managed to avoid small brushes for the most part. I started out with the canvas painted a very hot cadmium red - you can see it between the brushstrokes.

When I had it almost done, it was looking good, but too impersonal. So I "carved" my husband's & my names on the back of the chair.

I'm really happy with the way this turned out. Ok, well, I might fix the angle of the shadow on the back of the chair. I do like the arrow shape, but it would be more accurate to be more of an equilateral triangle instead of long and thin. What do you think?

This was painted live on UStream, but I didn't record it, so if you weren't there, you can't see it now :P

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I also added a new counter-thingy on the far right - it shows on a map where the visitors to this site originate. I'm curious to see it in action!

Donation #14 - Wahsatch - Golden Retriever Search & Rescue

Wahsatch - Golden Retriever
Search & Rescue Dog with
Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs

Number 14 in my series of Search & Rescue dog portraits donated to their partners.

From Darrick, Wahsatch’s partner:

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"Wahsatch and I are with Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs. We are an all volunteer rescue team who provide our services to any police agency requesting them. We do wilderness/area searches, avalanche rescues, water recovery, disaster recovery, human tracking/trailing, and cadaver. Our group is able to dispatch anywhere in the country if called upon.

"Wahsatch is a 1 year old Golden Retriever. And has a remarkable knack for trailing/tracking in a wilderness setting. His drive and focus once on the trail is amazing, and if it weren’t for the 20 foot tracking leash between him and myself, he would be at the victims side in a matter of seconds. Like most Golden’s, he thrives on attention, so a victim to him is just another person who will pet him and show him affection. He loves to please and is eager to learn, and shows it by barking happily as he performs each command, such as sit or down.

For Rocky Mountain Rescue Dogs, he and all the other dogs in the organization are the most vital tools used in our search scenarios. But more than that, they are our partners, our best friends, and all are a part of the SAR family.

Fide Canem…Trust the Dog."

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I will not be broadcasting on UStream while I paint tomorrow. I will be out of the studio all day - I should be back and working at my easel Wednesday at 10 a.m. Central Time and again at 4-6 p.m. Hope to see you there

I worked on my 24"x36" canvas that I'm painting a beach scene. I am blocking out the general layout in acrylics. I may finish it in oils, but I'm having some fun with the acrylics. I haven't used them in years, and never have painted much with them. I did some interesting techniques with them today, that, had I used the 'final' colors, instead of the undercoating color, it would have looked really neat. Hope I can replicate it when I want to!

Thanks for your interest -

Live Creatively!

Liz

Sunny Morning Study

Sunnny Morning
Acrylic on Panel
4" x 5"

or click here to contact Liz about Sunny Morning

This is a color study for a larger painting that I will be working on. The big painting will be quite a bit different, but I wanted to get the basic idea outlined in my mind before I started. The painting is much more colorful in real life than shown here. When you buy a daily painting, your satisfaction is guaranteed!

It was painted live on UStream and it is taped so if you'd like to view it, just go to my recorded video section. I am trying to figure out how to make time-lapse versions that don't take 3 hours to watch - but until I figure it out, you can just fast foward through the painting if you want.

Mack - Labradoodle at the Beach

(click to enlarge)

Mack Discovers Water that Plays

Labradoodle at the Beach
Oil on Panel
6" x 4"

You probably remember this painting from a month or so ago. I mentioned that I was revisiting some of my daily paintings. One of the reasons that I am doing 'daily' paintings is so that I will do quick studies, learn from the process and move on, instead of trying to create a totally satisfying finished painting as I do with my commissioned portraits.

Well, in theory, that's a good idea. However, I can't stand to have paintings that aren't as good as I think they should be. So, the other day, I took a bunch of 'completed' daily paintings and fixed them up a bit.

Here is the original painting:

The original is actually very close to the actual photo that I worked from. However, I felt that it lacked the color that I like to infuse my paintings with. The adjusted painting has more variety in the colors of the ocean and warmer colors in the shallow water and sand. I did this by putting away the reference photo and just working on how I 'felt' about the beach. I didn't change a hair on Mack, I think the painting had already really captured her excitement and goofiness at discovering waves.


Tomorrow, I have a commission to work on, but I am hoping to get a few color studies done for the Equine Mural panel that I received. I would like to get the painting completed over the weekend, but since I have no idea what I'm going to paint, that presents a challenge.

I just finished a great commission that turned out really well. I don't want to send it away :( It's a pub sign, and I can't wait to show you. As soon as it has been presented to its recipient, I'll be able to share! You're going to love it.

Also, I finally have the majority of the Search & Rescue paintings packed and ready to mail tomorrow. I'm going to miss having them around. Guess I need to paint some more.

As usual, thank you so much for your interest, your encouragement and your patience :)

Live creatively,

Liz