Dancing Praying Mantis!

So I've had a kind of "off" week with the kid's having a teacher's workday on Monday and then planning for Caroline's birthday....I showed my new botanical painting yesterday, but I didn't show my little commission I've been working on.  You might have guessed from my title that it features a Dancing Praying Mantis!
It's for a logo of an Etsy artist, I thought it was such a cool project, I wanted to share it!
So on Tuesday, I did two sketches:

 and she chose the second one!  Here's how it looks right now.  I still need to add a background and do a little touch up and then I"ll be done.  It's been a looong time since I do any illustrations and I must say, I've forgotten how much fun it is!

Even though I'm extremely late for the party; I'm linking this with Paint Party Friday.  Go check it out- SO very much beauty to see there!
TTFN,
Stephanie

Palette & Paint Thursday!

Happy Thursday- here's where I'm at with my new little painting- I got a LOT done yesterday so now all I have left to do is touch ups and tweaking here and there.  

I wish I'd taken a picture yesterday because I liked her face better then and I'd know what direction to go in to get it back to that point. 

I'll get there, it just might take a little time:)

 

 And here's my palette- looks rather like a Christmas palette; doesn't it?

I'm off to a really busy day- it's my daughter's 18th birthday and we're having the whole family over, so I have to get cooking plus I have my students coming for a class this afternoon and a commission that I'm working on needs to have some paint thrown at it!  Whew- I got a little tired just listing it all!

Be sure to stop by Tracey Potter's blog and see the other WIP's and their palettes- it's always a beautiful collection to behold!

Have a wonderful day,

Stephanie

Silent Sunday- Transforming Oil Pastel into Paint

A few snaps of my young students using crumbled oil pastels mixed with linseed oil on canvas paper.....

GREAT fun!

Have a wonderful day!

Stephanie

WOW- 52 Weeks of Paint Party Friday!

And I am SO proud to say that I was there for the very first one and have participated almost every week since!  This is such a wonderful thing that Kristin and Eva do each week; give all us artists a chance to connect and enjoy one anothers work.  Thank you Kristin and Eva- you guys are amazing!
I've been working on putting together a collection of small affordable paintings and that's what I have to share today.
First my "Fleur de Lis" (at least I think that's what I'm calling it ;))

 this is for the most part done- I just want to do little touch ups here and there.  I really liked the effect of composing it on the  diagonal- good thing too, 'cause sketching it out kicked my butt!  I can't tell you how many times I had to erase everything and start over...but I do really like the effect! 

 Oh and just FYI; this is 6" x 6" on a 1" deep canvas; so it has a really nice impact on the wall!  I'll be asking $65.00 for each of these little guys!

I thought yesterday's "sneak peek" with Mojo looking in the window was fun.....

that's how she tells me shes ready to entre.  Nope, this kitten is NOT spoiled at all- I promise!

Ya'll have a wonderful day- and try to get around to visit Paint Party Friday-

 SO much beauty and friendship to find there!

x

Stephanie

Palette & Paint Thursday

Wow, I bet you didn't expect to see two posts from me in one day!  But here I am again!  I'm doing a series of small paintings for our upcoming Spring Home Show.  And this is the second one I've started. You'll see the first one tomorrow at PPF....Anyway, I've been wanting to paint this for a couple years now.  I took this picture at the Atlanta Flower Show a while back

Obviously, this is still very much in the rough stages- I just wanted to share where I'm at right now!

and of course, I must share my palette...

Be sure to stop by Tracey Potter's blog to see the other pretty palettes in this fun weekly blog party!

That's all for today (I promise ;))

Stephanie

A Touch of Springtime....

 I wanted to share some garden pictures for Silent Sunday, but I had to charge my camera battery and by the time it was ready, the weather had changed from warm and "Springy" to cold and blustery!  The next day it was rainy and then it was cloudy, but today; dawned beautiful and sunny and here I am, finally able to share some early signs of springtime.....

 from the "bridge" of my dry creek...

 this is an old fashioned double white azalea with a green throat- I'd love to find more....

 From the other side of the "creek"- I just expanded this bed; the irises were taking over!

 Columbine, Foxglove and of course, Irises!

 From inside my arbor, you can see Clematis, Butterfly Bushes and Various Roses climbing to the top-

 I can't WAIT!

Irises, Daisies and a Purple Smoke Tree at the edge of my dry creek....

And of course, my neighbors probably think I'm nuts at this time of year, because I must go wander the garden at least two or three times a day just in case anything has changed!  Of course it hasn't, but that doesn't stop e from looking!

Hope your weather is as gorgeous as mine is here!

Have a beautiful day!

x

Stephanie

Paint Party Friday- Week 51!

It's Friday, and you know what that means; time for Paint Party Friday!   So I've worked and reworked my Klimt Homage- adding faces, and then muting them out, or eradicating them completely.  I've painted this background so many different colors I couldn't possibly list them all and finished it off with a "Q" in each corner to give the feel of a playing card.  As always, I still see things I want to do to improve it, and I will!  But for now; here's my painting as close to finished as you all have ever seen it.....

Should I list the thoughts I have while looking at this on the monitor?

1. To make it look more like a card, I could add an outline around the edges
2. As much as I love the "Frida face" I'm not sure she belongs here, should she be allowed to stay?
3. I'm happy with the purple I added in the upper right hand corner- should there be some teal (and other colors?) to balance the comp?

That's all for now, whatever I decide to do; for today, I'm sketching out a new flower painting.  And yes, I said sketching, I'm a bit over intuitive painting AND faces for a bit!  In the meantime, DO stop by Paint Party Friday and visit the artists there, so much beauty to see!
Toodles,
Stephanie