Lean

"Lean", Acrylic on Panel, 18x24"

And yes...another predominantly purple painting.  I'm planning on swapping out my colors for the next one.  :)

I love this pose - so gracefully awkward.  She seems to be looking through the gap in the tree - like something interesting is happening just outside the frame.

Path

"Path", Acrylic on Panel, 14x11"

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I find that I tend to use whatever colors are on my palette at the moment, so I end up with a string of painting with similar color schemes.  This one was done from the same palette as Lean Back then Mist and I have a figurative work on my easel at the moment that is going to end up with the same greens and purples.

A gallery owner once told me that customers don't buy paintings with a lot of purple.  This was disappointing because it's one of my favorite colors.  It hasn't held me back (much) from using purple.  I especially like it up against yellow/green.

Mist

"Mist" Acrylic on Panel, 11x14"

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This is another reference I captured on the Midwest tour earlier this year.  The tree was down in a shallow valley and the mist was covering everything.  It's a difficult thing to capture...but here's my best take.  I couldn't bring myself to blur the whole image - I like the contrast.

Lean Back

"Lean Back", Acrylic on Board, 24x36"

I don't seem to be able to make myself do the daily paintings when I have a big painting in progress on my easel...  I need to find a way to overcome my reluctance.

In any case, I like this new one.  I called it "Lean Back" because I recently listened to "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg. I was conflicted about reading it because I have some lingering guilt about opting out of the corporate world.  I ended up liking the book quite a bit - she spoke to many of my own experiences, being one of few women in a male-dominated industry.

I have to say though, that it didn't make me second guess my current life choice.  I love doing art full-time and find it more challenging and rewarding than my previous roles.  I suppose from the outside, someone could say that I chose to lean back, but I'm working harder than ever before and I think the results are beautiful. :)

Wolf

"Wolf", Acrylic on Panel, 12x9"

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Last year I had the idea of doing some paintings that played around with the concept of modern fairytales.  To that end, I got this cool wolf mask on ETSY w/the intention of using it for several paintings.  I did do a couple, but wasn't happy with the results... and since this was before my blog, the results were never seen.  During my most recent photo shoot, I decided to have the model play around with the mask.  I'm happier with this one than my previous attempts.  I especially like how she's looking directly at the viewer - a bit menacing.

The style of these recent paintings is different from my previous figurative works.  I've been playing with a strong line around the edges.  I like the way it makes the figures stand out from the backgrounds.    In this one, I especially like the luminosity it lends to the skin of her arm.  

Flotsam

"Flotsam", Acrylic on Board, 36x24"

In addition to the daily, I've uploaded my most recent 'big' painting.  I'm pleased with how it came out.  I particularly like the dramatic pop of color via the dress.

I came up with the title because she looks like she's been shipwrecked - a dying dryad.  Given the drought and the state of many trees around here, it's apt.

Strut

"Strut", Acrylic on Panel, 5x7"

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Yet another peacock to start the week....

I'm thinking that I might try some of the Daily Paintworks challenges, just to give me some ideas for subject matter.