12 Bird Challenge: Barn Owl

Barn Owl
Watercolor & ink on paper, 11x14 inches mounted

Today marks the first day of my painting challenge and a very busy week and a half to come!  I'm especially excited for this first one as it is my favorite bird: the beautifully eery barn owl.  Smooth and sleek with white and gray feathers and the most delicate textures and patterns on its back and neck.  The base of the painting is watercolor with shimmery gold and gray inks layered on top.  I really wish it wasn't such a gloomy day or I'd hold the bird up to the window and show you how its wings shine!  Oh, and the sides are painted gold.  Sigh.  So hard to show in a picture...you can kind of tell by comparing the barn owl to the unfinished board hanging underneath.

I'll have another bird for you tomorrow and then for 10 more days after.  Feel free to follow along with this painting challenge or join if you want!  Happy Monday!

Landscape 2: An Irish Cottage

An Irish Cottage
11x14" watercolor on paper

An Irish Cottage zoom

A white stone cottage set against dark rolling hills.  Sheep mowing down the lawn and resting in the tall slanted grass.  I think there might be rain in the forecast.  The family who lives here isn't too worried about rain, though.  In fact, they've come to really love storms.  The boy and the girl sit and watch the clouds roll over the dark hills through their bedroom windows until the shadow covers the little cottage.  The baby cries.  And the dad falls asleep in his chair by the fire.  Or so I imagine it to be.

Did you have a good weekend?  I hope so.  I spent most of mine dreaming, as usual.  This time of a new cottage on an Irish farm.  I live in a place very different from this scenic farm, in a little uneventful but quaint-in-its-own-way town.  There are sheep in barns right outside town who sometimes jump the old fences and stand on the other side to eat the grass.  Literally the grass is sometimes greener over there, I think.  I bet those sheep dream of places this wide open with so much grass they could never fill up!

Other dreams I had this weekend included one about catching baby birds and stuffing them in pillow cases.  I woke up wondering at the purpose but had a strange sense that the birds would be ok.  I don't dream often, but when I do they are always very peculiar.  And usually about birds.

In other news my blog got a facelift (again)!  In an effort to create a simpler way to navigate and a more cohesive brand I've stripped off the unnecessary and hand-lettered the banner.  Let's hope this look sticks. ;)

*This painting is part two of a new twelve part landscape series.  See part one here.

Tater Tot: Custom Dog Portrait

Custom Dog Portrait for Kelly
8x10" watercolor on paper

Waaay back in June I gave away two free custom pet portraits (remember Ulia and Tater Tot?) for one dog and one cat owner.  Ulia's portrait was first, full of color, texture, and pattern.  I love the way it turned out, but was really wanting something simpler for Tater Tot.  My sketchbook is brimming with little dog doodles as I couldn't seem to make up my mind about composition.  Who knew pet portraits would be so tricky?  So, as difficult as it was for me to restrain myself from spontaneously splashing color in the background layer upon layer, I refrained and simply painted 'ol Tater with a plaid banner, hat, and a couple of birdies.  Hopefully this year I can gain a little more experience with pet portraits and find the balance between simplicity and complexity, pattern and plain, vibrant colors and neutrals.

In the meantime, I've added a new dog portrait listing in my shop based on this composition.  The customizable options are colors, birds, leash, and name (of course).  Thanks Kelly for being so patient in waiting for your Tater Tot portrait!  I think he looks quite handsome. :)

Morning Paint Sketch: Blue Jay

Did you have a nice Christmas?  I hope so!  This time of year can, in all honesty, be so stressful that I'm finding a return to my daily routine comforting, reassuring, calming.  Seth and I were talking just yesterday during our short drive home from a family gathering about how foreign it is to wake up with nothing to do!  We spent most of Christmas day on the couch drinking coffee, eating homemade cinnamon bread, and watching our favorite shows on TV.  How unusual and restful it was.

I'm happy to be developing a new habit these days- morning paint sketches.  It's so fun and gives me a chance to play around a little with no pressure for perfection.  I've always loved morning reading and journaling and have found a way to combine them both with my other great love: painting!

Today's paint sketch was inspired by the Jay-Jay! sound I heard this morning right outside our front window: a beautiful Blue Jay!  I'm in love with him and practically RUN to the window when I hear his loud distinct call.  I learned this morning that Jays often live in giant oaks or pine trees, so I painted him here with a pinecone.  I like to imagine him soaring through a great pine forest on his way home to his nest.

New Prints & Show Announcement

Reia's 3 Sheep Print

3 Sheep Print Set

Zebra Swallowtail Print

3 Butterflies Print Set

It's nearly December and that means more prints and print sets have migrated to my shop all those in search of the perfect Christmas gift.  Is there even such a thing as a perfect Christmas gift?  That's always a struggle for me every year- to find that special something for each person on my list.  It's so easy to find things that match my own taste...but what about parent's taste?  my in-law's?  my sister's?  Is it as challenging for you as it is for me?

Well, December 1 marks my last and final show of the year.  Can you believe it?  It'll be a nice small gathering in a building just blocks from home.  I'm partnering with two other artists- one a stained glass maker and the second, a jeweler- for this one time event this Saturday from 10-4pm.  In case you happen to live nearby, the address is 108 West Springtown Road in Minier, IL.  And in case you don't live nearby, no worries!  My shop will remain open for browsing and buying all weekend.  I do hope you find something special for everyone on your list this Christmas.

3 New House Portraits

Means Family House Portrait
11x14" Mixed Media on paper

Aunt Rhonda's House Portrait
8x10" Mixed Media on paper, mounted

The Grunder's House Portrait
8x10" Mixed Media on paper

It's no secret that I've been busy painting house portraits lately!  The puppies and kitties and birdies and trees and overgrown peachy blossoms are such charming additions to each painting.  Summer colors are vibrant and warm with dark deep greens and rich reds- my two favorites.  The bright summer sun makes all the colors warm and welcoming.  Every day we have lots of hungry birds at my house, pecking the ground for worms and fallen bird seed.  Neighbor cats lazily stroll down our sidewalk and sit on our front porch to watch birds swirling around treetops.  What makes these house portraits so fun for me is the challenge of combining the stories each family shares with my own sort of stories.  The tree in the last portrait, for example, is the tree the Grunders stand in front of for each family portrait, but has very nearly fallen down in recent years.  I wanted it to be a prominent part of the painting, and since I love trees and fall colors and birds, it was an easy painting to compose.  The music sheets are, of course, from my grandma's volumes of piano music and are my special addition to each portrait as they not only add visual interest but a sense of sentiment and whimsy.  Oh, and the gray kitty in my aunt's portrait is one she rescued and nursed back to health.  Can't you tell by her beautiful garden and content cat that she has a very nurturing touch? 

Hope your week is off to a great start!

The house I grew up in.

8x10 inch, watercolor and music sheets on paper, mounted

This is the house I grew up in.  My parents moved our family here when I was 5.  I moved out when I was 25.  So much happened in those 20 or so years.  Like, for example, the room on the top left was were my older sister Kim slept when the lightning struck the tree right outside her window.  On the other side of the house was Kari's room- the smallest in the house, yet the most coveted.  Across from Kim was my parents room where my little sister Jamie and I would sit on the bed and watch movies during those long hot summer days.  My room was on the other side of mom and dad's and had a nice heavy wooden door that made the house shake when slammed.

The tree right outside my bedroom window was the best for climbing.  My favorite tree in the yard though was (and still is) the huge oak on the other side of the drive where my dad hung 3 tall swings from the branches.  I loved to swing.  I loved to spin Jamie on the tallest swing until she was so dizzy she'd puke.  And she had to let me.  #bigsistersubmission

Out on the farthest corner of the yard was a treehouse my dad built.  That tree house is where I'd sit for hours and read "Harriet the Spy" and pretend that I too was a spy.  It's where I learned and practiced all my best spying tricks.  It's also where I'd climb on the catwalk even though my mom always told me not to.  It's where I'd do all my deep thinking.  :)

And the yard.  So full of adventure for a weird and overly curious little girl like myself.  The yard is where I'd play soccer with my friends on my birthday in the rain.  It's were our pets were buried and where I'd find all those cool rocks (you know, for my collection).  The yard around the house is where I'd make Jamie run laps when she annoyed me.  And the bushes to the right of the house was were I'd hide.

Max and Dottie are my parent's dogs now.  They've inherited the place now that all of us 4 girls are gone.  They're my parents' new children, and with all of the attention they get, I'm sure they couldn't be happier.

Roses and a few more things...



Roses Square
6x6 in. Watercolor on paper

I have much to share with you today, not the least of which is this new painting I whipped up before my rose bouquet died.  They were so gorgeous while they lasted.  Painting them is my little way of preserving their fleeting beauty.  Aren't you so glad it's Spring?  I can't wait to paint more flowers!  Like this purple bloom I discovered yesterday in my back yard.  What is it, I wonder...

Speaking of painting flowers...did you know I am now offering plein air painting classes?  The classes are designed to be a fun way of getting outdoors and an excuse to learn something new.  But don't worry, the fees are minimal- I tried to make it affordable for everyone yet still worth my trip.  Just click the yellow butterfly on the left to learn more!

Did you notice in the midst of my blog redesign that I got Twitter?  Oh gosh, I really don't know much about it at all, which is why I need your help!  Follow me, and I will follow you, and you can teach me how to use it!  What's the quota on updating anyways?  Once a day?  Twice?  Three times a day?  I'm so clueless.

Anyways, I've got much more to show you in the days to come including new paintings and studio photos.  Let's just say I've been doing some Spring cleaning, and it sure feels good!  So, when you finish your gardening and clean the dirt from your nails, check back here for a little surprise.

Leap Day Giveaway!

Happy Leap Day to you!
I'm announcing a new giveaway to make your February 29 even more special.

9x12" watercolor on paper, mounted

{ Purchase the original painting here. }

You've been watching me paint this pretty little shepherdess and woolly ram for a while now...

(click each image to read the corresponding post)

I was so excited to have a bit of time between other projects this past weekend to finish it!

These Rough Fell Rams are so beautiful with their soft thick coats and dark, almost invisible eyes.  I knew when I first cracked the spine of this book and laid eyes on them that they'd make for a beautiful watercolor painting.  The Rough Fell are tough British sheep (with lovely accents, I'm sure) and are bred mainly for meat, but are also cross-bred due to their ability to endure harsh environments and terrain.  I like to think their shepherdess carries an equal measure of beauty and toughness.

Typically, her attachments to the sheep were kept strictly at bay.  After all, raising them for meat in the foothills of northern England was her family business.  But she could restrain her affection no longer for one sheep in particular who, even in his lamb-hood, insisted on being by her side every waking (and sometimes sleeping) hour.  Instead of lounging in the tall grass with the others of his kind, he'd follow her through the hills and lay by her side as she'd find a spot to read by the gentle sea.  She finally caved to his loyalty and, as a symbol of their friendship, tore a portion of her favorite red sash to tie around his neck in a bow (which pleased him very much).

{ story and painting inspired by the Biblical story of David, which you can read more about here or here. }

*   *   *

Have you noticed I haven't named the painting yet?

As a way to express my appreciation to you, my loyal readers, I'm wanting to give a 9x12" print of this painting away for free to one lucky winner.

Here's how to enter:

- in the comments section below, write as many titles for this painting as you can come up with
{ You can leave multiple titles at a time.  Each title will be counted! }

- one title will get you in the running

- the more titles you can think of, the better your chances are of winning

- include your name and email address

- and visit here again in ONE WEEK to see what title I've chosen
{ You can now enter on Facebook!  Click here! }

*   *   *

Here's how to leave a comment if you don't have a blogger account:
-Click the "comment" button below today's post
-Type your comment in the box.
-Include the title you've come up with, your name, and your email address
-click the "Anonymous" button below the box
-click "Publish Your Comment"

{ Winning title will be chosen by me, Michelle Schneider, and announced on March 8, 2012.

The giveaway will officially end March 7 at 12:00 am CST.

Any comments posted after that time will not be counted toward the prize. }

Good luck!

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly

A new painting to start your friday on a good note (pun intended)...

Queen Alexandra's Birdwing Butterfly 12x12 inch Watercolor on paper

Click here to see the progress from start to finish.

Click the picture to read about the butterfly or to make the purchase.

I hope you have lots of exciting plans for the weekend!

Painting: Step 5

This next step in painting can sometimes be a bit frustrating.

It's the corrective step: the time when I re-evaluate the composition, the colors, the overall design.

I walk away from the painting for a while...

I think, I stew, I tilt my head at funny angles.

When I come back to it, I'm ready to make some changes.

For example, I was distracted by all the details at the giraffe's feet.

I want the focus to be on the boy, the bird, and the giraffe's face.

Not the feet.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

So I smoothed the layers and added a wash of dark green.

Much better.

I was also a bit bored with the butterfly.

Sometimes I just want there to be something more to bring the viewer in....to make you look closer.  So I added detail with my extra sharp pencils and tore and glued paper for added interest. 

With this stage done, I only have a few more things to do to finish up!

In the mean time (and on a side note), I've been tearing my entire studio apart and moving/rearranging everything in order to make it a more efficiant use of space.

You won't believe the mess!

And I went on a photoshoot last evening with the most adorable kids for some upcoming paintings I've got swirling around in my brain. 

So much to look forward to!

Hope your weekend was wonderful!