Even as an adult, I eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They're just so convenient, available, quick, and delicious. Especially for hiking! I absolutely love the pink background. I had some spare fabric laying around from when I did more sewing a few years ago. They make the perfect backdrop for fun color possibilities.
- Hansa Yellow - Ultramarine
- Cadmium Yellow - Viridian- Cadmium Red Light - Burnt Umber- Quinacridone Magenta - Titanium White
All together totals to 8 tubes of color. Not bad! I can mix almost any color I need. Plus it's fun to add to the challenge of mixing colors. I had also decided I was going to try something different. Gesso hardboard panels cut and prepared by myself.
That was several days of trial and error, not square edges, and saw dust everywhere. I ended up with 12 panels so far (with 3 more 2 x 4 sheets left to make more). So I'd say it was worth it!
Painted my first mug ever! Mugs are deceptively difficult to paint. Especially when they're an off white color. There was so much bounce light from the red plate and color shifting in the shadows. I tried to minimize the amount of brush strokes and make every stroke intentional. I still did a fair amount of "fixing", but overall, I'm satisfied with the result.
I recently went to an antique store to get some objects for still life painting. while I was there, I found these awesome fluted glasses that are the bomb. I bought all 7 for $2 each! But more importantly I found this "fiesta" ceramic dishes that were in all different colors. They're perfect for still life painting and I'm so excited to paint them! I've decided that I'm going to try to paint daily, whether it's plein air or a still life. Both make me very happy. I need to remind myself to put on a timer before I start. Paintings under pressure always look better. It's available on my shop.
This past March, I was going to be going to Smoky Mountain National park for my husband and I's wedding anniversary. So I knew I had to bring my painting stuff with me. My husband doesn't mind and knows that I will always bring my painting stuff with me, even on vacations!
So we set out to the Smoky Mountains! The car trip was about nine hours or so. We listened to music, took turns driving, got fast food, and sung badly in the car together. It was great! I couldn't wait to get to painting.
The first sights of the park were beautiful. Huge mountain ranges with naked trees since it was early March (with the exception to the evergreens). There was even snow on the top of the highest peaks. Driving around the park was very entertaining. The roads in the park were up and down mountain ranges with switchbacks all along the main road. The speed limit was usually between twenty-five and thirty-five.
The first scene I captured was along a wide, winding river. After about 30 minutes, I was able to find somewhere I wanted to paint. It's so difficult choosing what I want to paint sometimes. Especially when there are so many good painting spots to choose from. This little bank spot on the river caught my eye. The rocks were so interesting with all the lichen and moss growing right by the base of this wild rooted tree. There was also a nice subtle reflection on the water.
We were able to get out the door a little earlier the second morning we were there. So we set off around 8AM. The next painting I was able to paint was on a trail with these magnificent waterfalls. The snow melt was well into it's heavy flow in the rivers coming down the mountains. The river was very cold with a swift current. The greens and violets peaked my interest within the fall. At the end of the fall, it jetted into a small pool of water and turned a very light green from all the tiny bubbles in the water. After I was finished up for the day, we hiked back to the car and drove back to the airbnb. The hot tub was waiting to soothe our sore legs.
