Painting to Music

"Sheila at Her Bridal Shower" - In Progress

Oil on Canvas, 6" sq., c. Catherine Vines

   

Daily Paintworks offered a challenge a couple of weeks ago to paint your favorite piece of music.
At the time I didn't really have an idea. However, I noticed myself humming "Puff the Magic Dragon" while I worked on this painting of a young woman.  She just happens to be my daughter; and when she was little, that was one of her favorite songs.
You can see Peter, Paul and Mary perform the original if you click on the YouTube link.
  

I Have to Ask...

"Self-Portrait, 5/11"

Oil on Canvas, 9 x 8," c. Catherine Vines

   

... Why am I painting plums when I love painting faces so much?

Faces are endlessly fascinating to me: how we can all have the same basic features and yet be so different.

Although this is from a photograph taken yesterday for the Daily Paintworks Challenge, I seem to have painted a younger, more hopeful version of myself. I can only conclude this is a true reflection of my inner self!

My new motto: "Less Fruit! More Faces!"

Meet Maxine

"Maxine"

Oil on Canvas, 10x8," c. Catherine Vines

   

You may remember her from an earlier posting. Maxine is another exploration in Color Relationships. 

Originally I fell in love with her body, but couldn't seem to get the background right.  I still have doubts, but I definitely think the value change is an improvement.

This is my submission to the Daily Paintworks Challenge to paint a chicken. How many weeks ago was that?

When Did You Last Buy Yourself a Rose?

"Red Rose"

Acrylic on Masonite, 4-1/2x8," c. Catherine Vines

   

To paint naturally. 

I was completely intimidated by the Daily Paintworks Challenge rose painting challenge, so I bought a silk flower to paint. If this seems like cheating to you, I have read that Manet, among others, would paint from artificial flowers. 

Manet's flower paintings, especially those completed in the final years of his life, are the ultimate to me.

This Little Chicken...

"This Little Chicken"

Oil on Canvas Board, 10x8" c. Catherine Vines

More work on Color Relationships.  I do have a strategy: I start with one beautiful color, in this case, the blue, and build from there. With this painting I can see that I don't really have a good range of values.

But I was so happy with the chicken's body, I was reluctant to change.  Isn't there a warning about not falling in love with one part of your painting? And the feathers? I think I am going to have to do some more work! Until tomorrow....

Daily Paintworks Challenge - Landscape2

"German Landscape"

Oil on canvas, 10x8" c. Catherine Vines

This is my second entry in the Daily Paintworks Weekly Challenge - for the previous week!  

I am still concentrating on my color studies by developing color relationships. There are parts I love in this painting, or at least like: the road, for instance. On the other hand, my Main Squeeze thinks the road looks like a river. He could be right.
Seth Godin writes in "How to Fail" that successful people fail often and learn from it. At least I've got the first part down and I'm working on the second.

Daily Paintworks Challenge

"German Ess Curve"

Oil on Canvas Board, 10x8," c. Catherine Vines

For sometime now I have been wanting to participate in one of the on-line challenges. Being such a slow painter, the sponsors are usually way onto the next challenge, before I am ready to participate. But I finally made it. On the last day.
The site is called "Daily Paintworks." Here is the link to the Challenge where you can see the original photograph and view the other entries.
p.s. It's my birthday! Be happy!