Red Rose

Red Rose 5 x 7

Oil on Gessoboard

Painted from Colored Pencil drawing by Cecile Baird

I began this painting with a yellow undercoat in order for the yellow to "pop" and to warm the reds in the rose. I'm pleased with the results. I love to paint pictures that have a full scale of color, from white to the local colors to rich blacks. I like my subject to be bathed in bright sunlight--it intensifies the colors dramatically.

Blue Irises - Van Gogh

Blue Irises - Van Gogh

Fabulous Forgery!

11 x 14 - Oil

Ava

Ava - 8 x 10

 - Oil

Hibiscus

 Hibiscus - 5 x 7

Oil on Gessoboard

Second flower oil painting! I took this photo of a hibiscus plant when we went to Sanibel Island, FL several years ago. I loved the sunlight shining down on the back of the blossom. I'm enjoying oils. When I was young I painted almost exclusively with oils. I took oil in college and made a C; it seems realism was not in vogue then. A fellow student who painted abstract (mostly horizontal lines) made A's. Unfortunately I decided that I probably wasn't an artist. It has been a long journey to see myself as an artist, but I do now. I'm so amazed by all the realistic artists that I come across now - many of us have traveled the same journey. I have refound my medium!

Iris

Iris - 5 x 7

Oil on Gessoboard

SOLD

This painting is done from an instructional DVD by Jacquline Gnott - my new favorite artist!

I have not worked with oils in years (since long before my eye surgeries). I thoroughly enjoyed working with oil. I hesitated because of the odor, I work in my home. But I put my palette in an airtight container, and cleaned my brushed immediately. The smell was negligible (I actually liked the faint smell of oil paint-pleasant memories!). I already have a hibiscus penciled in for my next oil painting! I liked the way I could blend the paint with my small mop brushes. The background is not black, but alizarin crimson, phthalo blue, and winsor green.

Framed

This is a watercolor on aquaboard. Size 6" x 6". It was my second watercolor on aquaboard. This is a scanned copy. I'm not happy with the blotchy-ness of the image. I'll take a photo and see if that turns out better. I am happy with the flow of positive and negative spaces, and with the shadows and light on the stocking arms. Skin tones need a lot more work, both color and smoothness. I want to get better at watercolor portraits, hummm, needs more practice. Unfortunately I have not been able to practice lately. In January I went on a cruise with my three daughters for my oldest daughter's 40th birthday! We had a blast. Two weeks after I got home I had a detached retina! That of course required immediate surgery - then a recovery period when I had to lay with my head down most of the time. When I could see again I did a commissioned work for the cover of Flourish magazine - I'll post that after the magazine comes out in May. I painted this picture last year, but just never posted it.

Kathy

Kathy - 9 x 11

Colored Pencil
Commission

Commissioned portrait of my son-in-laws mother. This is actually a combination of two photographs of her and one of a hibiscus that I had taken in Florida several years ago! My copy here did not reproduce as well as the original, unfortunately. I really enjoyed the challenge of combining the two photographs. The flower was such a fun addition to do - added such a spark to the portrait. I loved doing her hair. It was very challenging - but I loved the energy it portrays. It is "her"!

Ludwigs

 Paco and Molly - 9 x 11 

Colored Pencil

Commission

Commission portrait of my niece's children. I combined two different pictures to put them together in this picture.

Merry Christmas

I have been working on a couple of commissions and have not been able to post any artwork recently. I thought I would post an older picture just for fun, and this one serves double duty to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as well! My grandson in this picture is now 10! Hope he doesn't mind the post!

Commissions

I am working on two commissions now. I'll post a watercolor I've been working on soon, but then I'll have to get to work on the pictures for the commissions. Needless to say, I won't post the commissions until they have been given at Christmas, and then only with the approval of the individuals. Hope I can post them. If anyone is interested in commissions email me at bethfox47@gmail.com.