Backyard pond

We get these beautiful views from our bed room window. This is a backyard of one of our neighbors as seen from our window. An early spring morning, the red buds had just started sprouting and coloring the gray canvas that winter had left us. When I saw this view, I knew I had paint it.

Now at this stage I decided the fence should be a bit larger in case I decide to frame it. You can see the final version up top.

I darkened the house a little bit. 

But looking at the photograph, I see that I need to

1. Increase the density of red flowers on the back side, may be using a sponge

2. Increase the thickness of the tree trunks

3. Increase the density of yellow grass on back right behind the red flowers.

Update:07/11/2013

 I keep on thinking about where I start and at this point I think it will be better if I do a whole new painting from scratch based on this. I have neither the heart nor the energy to fix it. And given that it is painted on paper, I am not sure it that would be worth the effort either.

Red twig dogwood

I just finished this painting based on a photograph of a red twig dogwood I had snapped at the Tower Hill Botanic garden last fall with my parents and sis-in-law. At that time, I did not think it was that great a shot.

But looking at it from a painter's perspective, all the blues, and purples and bright reds and oranges against the bright white background just called out to me.
Unlike my usual process, I decided to follow what I had read about using the photograph only as a reference, making a few sketches and trying out the colors. It helped me decide which leaves to focus on, and which would only be a part of the background. It also helped me figure out which of the techniques would be better for this one. For example, painting the background image before the main leaves was making the leaves look duller as the background was shining through.
All in all, I love the brighter contrast I have in the painting. I feel I should make a larger version of this.

Birch tree

 

I stated this one because J wanted a large painting for his place in CA. But I do not like the final product. 

Free style abstract painting

In order to take a break from the sunflower field painting I have been working on, I asked my friend M from work if she wanted anything painted.

She gave me this painting she found online.

Now I have to say, M's taste in art is way different than mine. She calls it weird. I would call it eclectic. But this one just threw me off! It looked like something I used to paint as a child!

When I checked out the website for more details, I learnt that these apparantly sell for over150 pounds in UK, and the artist Natalie Rymer, is famous enough for publishers to ask her to make prints of her work!!!!!!!!  :-O

I decided to give it a try. Ofcourse, I changed it a bit. I have a problem having the leaves go in weird directions. And I did not care for the leaves on the mug.

I love how putting a little bit of yellow under the leaves ad flowers on the mug, make them pop!

I loved how easy and freeing this process was. So I made a second one with a dark background.

Which I hated. Hated the backgroud. Hated the process of painting on dark background as my acrylics are very translucent and I had to paint each leaf and sprig in either white or gesso first before I could paint it! Aaaggggrrrrhh!!!

But then I went back over on the background with black and purple.. and now I think it is tolerable!

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