Whew . . . . long trip :)

Long trip - finally home. Got in late, and I'm bushed, but thought I'd post one of the paintings
that I did while I was in North Carolina. No landscapes yet. This is a duck decoy from life - I posed it outside on a deck railing to get good light.

Decoy
about 4"x 6"
Gouache on Paper

I'm too tired to think of a good name for this - if you have any ideas send them to me!

This is my very first attempt to paint with gouache paints. I've had the set for years and never used it. I try to add to my collection of different paints, but don't always get around to trying them out. I'm really happy with gouache, it is a type of opaque watercolors. It covers well and dries fast! You can layer one color over another and it covers it up. Unlike acrylics, you can re-wet and blend it. It also 'bleeds' together like watercolors so you get some nice effects that way as well. I did a few more paintings with it on my trip. I'll be posting them over the next couple of days. In retrospect, I think I should have blended the shadow a bit more, but it was quite sharp in the morning sun. I painted this on the back deck of my husband's cousin's beautiful house in the crisp North Carolina morning . . . . . nothin' could be finer . . . :)

Live Creatively!
Liz

Mimi - a beloved Yellow Lab

Mimi
8" x 10"
Oil on Panel

This is a Christmas present to someone who doesn't get on the internet, so I can share it with you ahead of time. You may have seen the beginning of this painting on UStream.tv - All the segments are recorded there, although I did a tiny bit of 'adjusting' after I signed off on the final video.

Jennifer, who commissioned the painting wrote me a sweet email saying:

"Liz, You've outdone yourself again! I can't stop myself from checking out Mimi's portrait online again and again and cannot wait to see the original. You've done a fantastic job capturing who she is: her spirit, her gentle and kind way and her focus, likely on her own shadow! :) The only downside is having to wait until Christmas to share it with my mom! She will be speechless! I cannot wait for you to paint my two black labs together."

Congratulations to new collector Jennifer B. on her commission of Mimi - and I can't wait to paint her black labs either - although I already painted one of them, since they are Search & Rescue dogs - Thanks again for all your hard work and dedication!

If you are considering a portrait for Christmas, now is the time to get in touch with me so I can make sure that I incorporate you into my schedule.

Thank you for listening & looking - and
Live Creatively!

Liz