Learning So Much!

It seems the more I paint, the more I am learning, and the more I learn, the more I find there is to learn. I still can not believe how much I love pastels, and how much I find I want to do with them. I have a couple of commissions coming up, and that is really encouraging.

Since I have not been able to post here for a while, allow me to use this post to catch you up on what I have worked on these past few months. (And yes, I will try to post more often.) My desire to paint portraits started when I took a portrait workshop, taught by Kay Witt, back in January. We painted a picture of a precious little girl, and from that moment, I was hooked.

My whole life I had followed the idea that I "could not" paint a likeness of a person. I am so glad I found out I was wrong, and I hope to encourage anyone else who feels they "cannot" paint something to give it a try at the least. If all else fails, take a class. Don't quit before you try!


Before I painted my first commission, I felt it was important to bless someone I know with a portrait that they did not commission. There is a precious man in a nearby town who has been a huge inspiration to me. He has a mule named Amazing Grace and they go about spreading the love of Jesus wherever they go. I took a photograph that my husband had taken of them and painted it as a surprise. I do believe he was surprised... This is a painting of a not-so-rare tender moment between Steve and his mule.

After I painted the portrait of Steve and Gracie, I got my first commission. The lady at the frame shop I use (Sun Studio in Front Royal, VA) came up with the title: "Girl's Best Friend." This is my friend's granddaughter, Bella, and her pup, Samson. It is worked from several reference photos. I learned that it is not as easy as it looks to paint a white animal! and that I love painting hair on people. I learned that I need to get bolder with skin tones; that will take more and more practice.




Between commissions, I decided to practice by painting a picture of my new granddaughter, Noelle. My daughter, Rachel, had taken this photograph of her twin sister's baby girl, and it jumped out to me as the picture I should paint next.










My next commission was a painting of another friend's daughter. This beautiful young lady was graduating high school.. She had taken a fabulous selfie of herself. Her mom wanted a graduation drape to replace the street clothes, and she asked if I would add a necklace that meant a lot to her. This young lady's trademark hair has a darker red under layer and pink highlights. This was FUN! Again, more to learn. Get bolder with skin tones. Work on shadows. I am really happy with this piece, and still it encourages me to grow more and more. May I always be encouraged to learn...






In March I took a class where we learned to paint an Australian Shepherd. This little lassie is named "Sophie." She was a delight to paint!!!











 About 7 years ago I took a photograph of my friend Elvi holding her daughter during a picnic. It has remained my favorite photo I have ever taken ever since. Wanting to practice more, I decided to paint it for her in March/April. I LOVED working on this one. Loved it. I call it "El Amor de la Madre."






I have a dear friend who is moving at the end of this month. She is moving several states away. Since Virginia is not her home state to begin with, I wanted to paint a picture of Virginia landscape for her to take with her, so she would always have a piece of VA to remember. I saw a photo posted of a sunrise over Thornton Hollow from the overlook on Skyline Drive. This photo was taken by one of the park rangers and when I asked for permission to paint it, they let me know it was truly public domain and I could do whatever I wanted with it. This is painted in acrylics.

So that is my main work for the past few months. I am loving my job immensely! I have been invited to submit a painting or two the the Art in the Barn fundraiser out at Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown, VA in July. I intend to paint and submit two landscapes to that show. I have two more commissions coming up, and I am looking forward to that. With each piece I am learning. With each bit I learn, I am exposed to more that I want to learn. May I never stop learning!