This will be my new painting

Hi. Just checking in. Christmas is almost here and I am ready for it. I am getting anxious to start my new painting. It will be a standard size painting and a kaleidoscope. I never trace or use a projector so the painting will be alot different than the photo. I only use photos as reference. This photo is what I will be working from. I am going to change the direction of the light too.

Getting ready for Christmas.

Merry Christmas! I am decorating the house today and I will get the cards ready to mail on Monday. We put our tree up and so far just the lights are up. We found the perfect tree after going to three tree lots. I won't be painting until after Christmas but I want to thank everyone for signing up as a follower. Hugs to all of you. I have my original Aquabord paintings on sale (20% off ) in my zibbet shop. http://www.zibbet.com/ElinorSethman They will be on sale until Christmas.

WIP Orchid painting completed

Okay, here it is. It sure looks alot different now. I used a background that I have never used before. I was told a long time ago to take chances with new colors and let myself go. Here is the result. The kaleidoscope background has many transparent layers in it. The first layers were burnt umber in some squares and raw sienna in the others. I put layers of Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna and Opera Rose over the top letting each layer dry completely. I like texture so I wanted the brushstrokes to show. I learned how to do this by hit and miss, the way that I do most of my work. The added colors tie the background and the foreground together. I added color pencil in some of the areas to pop the color. Mollie, the secret glaze is the Impellist flourescent orange. I just ordered more and the only place that I could find it was in Australia. I had to take this picture inside at a north window because it is raining today. The size of the painting is 15x21.

WIP Orchids Glow Added

I applied my secret glaze today. This is before I tone it down. I left it bright so you can see what I did. I used Sakura  Impellist florescent orange in the petals. I have been using this color for years. It adds a glow that is slight after I tone it down. It really brings life into the work. I used it on Kaleidoscope Of Christmas Past...especially on the Santa bag.  I am close to being done with the flowers and I am very anxious to do the kaleidoscope background...stay tuned.

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WIP Orchids

I painted a little on this yesterday. I love painting when it is raining outside. So far, I like it. I just wish that I could paint every day. I started with the flowers because I needed the background blank in case I needed to add more flowers. Sometimes I will put the background in first. I thought it best to wait with this one. The sketch was changed a bit. The yellows are various yellows from my paintbox....Cad Yellow medium, Yellow light, Indian Yellow, and Gamboge. I also used a light wash of Yellow Ocher in some spots. The pink tones were painted with various mixtures of Winsor & Newton Opera Rose and Daniel Smith Quinacridone Rose. I added some blue tones in some areas. The shadows are the rose mixtures mixed with a little green (Hookers green). The yellow tones were toned down with a violet that I mixed. The orchids are now a different color. They seem to take on a new look every other day. These are the colors that they started out with. I won't be painting more until after Thanksgiving. Everyone have a Happy Thanksgiving. The picture is crooked but you can see what I did on the painting. Thank you for looking.

Starting To Paint The Orchids

It's already November 14th and I don't know where the time went. I have started painting the orchid painting. More will be done on it next week. The pinks are Opera Rose mixed with Quin Rose. The shadows are the pinks grayed down with green from my pallet. The yellows are Gamboge, Winsor lemon, Cad Yellow Med., and Indian yellow mixed together in various mixtures. I also used a light wash of Yellow ochre in some of the petals. There is also some white Prismacolor pencil in some areas. The size is 15x21. It will be matted in a 22x28 mat when it is finished. The paper is really white and I am not sure why it looks gray.

Painting day.

I know that I haven't been here for a couple of days but I have a busy life. Today is cold and we are having a light rain so it is a perfect day to paint. I will be working on my Christmas exchange painting and no I am not going to post it. I am on call all week for jury duty. So far I haven't had to go in. Thursday is the last day that I have to call in. I bet that I will have to go in the next day.

This will be my next painting

The miniatures are all mailed off. Wish me luck. I will do one more miniature before I start on this orchid painting. My youngest daughter gave me this plant two years ago and it is finally blooming again and my but the flowers are beautiful. I just have to paint them. I found out that the flowers grow from the old stalks and last year I cut those stalks off....dummy me! I learned my lesson and now I have some gorgeous flowers. I will hopefully start the painting next week. It will be a standard size.

View Of The Lake...new miniature

Hi:
I just found that the color and font can be changed on this blog...neat! This miniature painting is headed to the Cider Painters Of America Show. It is a mixed media and it measures 2.5"x2.5". I love doing landscapes and there will be another one soon to send along with this one. Landscapes are so relaxing and fulfilling to paint. I like to keep mine a little loose but with dainty branches. Hope you like it. It was painted completely from my imagination.

Been busy working on my new store

Hi:
I am still here but have been building a new store at Zibbet .com. After reading what other merchants are experiencing on the new Bonanza site, I am so glad that they didn't get my store. Everybody is referring to Bonanza as Bozo. I don't know why but I really enjoy building a store. Since my store is a basic account, I only have a few things there. I am stcking with the least expensive things at first. You can view it at www.zibbet.com/ElinorSethman  The store that I had at 1000markets was alot larger and prettier but...oh well. I need to learn how to make a banner at Zibbet. I'll be painting on another miniature probably on Wednesday.

Just won an award

Hi:

I just got a call from the Fellspoint Gallery in Maryland. My miniature, "Fisherman's Shack", won second place in mixed media in the show. I am so pleased. The reception that was scheduled for tonight has been canceled because of tornado warnings and flooding in the area. I hope that everyone stays safe.

Ellie

The Miniature Is Finished

I finished the African kaleidoscope miniature today. I have to mail the miniatures to Florida on Wednesday so I made the deadline. It feels good to have finished all five miniatures for the MASF show. I worked in a very hot studio today. It was 113 degrees here and our air conditioning wasn't working for part of the afternoon (brown out). The title is Dreaming Of Africa.

More paint on the mini

I worked some more on the African Miniature today. The paintings are due Oct. 8th in Florida so I'd better get hopping. As you can see, I changed the larger giraff by making his body shorter. My paintings are always free hand so I change things as I go along. The black that I use is a mixture of Alizarin Crimson and Winsor green. Those two colors make a beautiful black and if you use the mixture on a larger area, you can play with the colors. Make a small section a little greener or redder. I hope to work more on it tomorrow.

Starting to paint the mini

I have started painting the African miniature and I must say, I am having fun. It feels good to be back to painting a kaleidoscope painting. They are my first love whether they are standard size or miniature. It is very difficult to do a miniature kaleidoscope. I will paint some more on it tomorrow...fun, fun, fun. Oh, I had a blast at my reunion in San Diego.

Miniatures Finished And Framed

Here are the two miniatures that I previously showed you. I added quite a bit of leaves to the trees and shadows to the ground and put in alot of dots for the leaves. I personally don't like to go farther than that with the detail. I like to paint with a "painterly" flair instead of photo realistic. The frames are 4"x5". The covered bridge is the Larkin Bridge in Chelsea, VT. I painted it from a photo that I took while visiting New England. It was built in 1902 and is in good condition. There were flowers hung on both sides of the entrance. The other painting that I titled "Road To Grampa's House" is from a photo that I took on a rainy day in Vermont. I changed the colors and the mood a bit. They will both be sent to the MASF miniature show along with the new kaleidoscope. I hope to work on it tomorrow or day after tomorrow. I have been gone so haven't had the chance. I can't seem to make the Larkin Bridge image smaller.

Second Step

Today the sketch went in. I really don't bother with much detail until the paint goes on. This is also how the larger kaleidoscopes are done. I hope to put some paint on it tomorrow. After that I won't be here for a couple of days because I have other things on my agenda.

Starting A New Miniature Kaleidoscope

This is the first step of a kaleidoscope painting. I section the paper off before the sketch goes in. The paper is Arches 140# hot pressed. It is then stretched  over a board to keep it flat. Today is wash day so I can't sketch until tomorrow. I will keep posting. Thank you for joining me in this venture. The other two that I just finished have been matted and framed. I will post them after my son scans them in their frames.

My new Blogspot

Hi everyone. I am going to try to keep up a new blog. I am not much at writing (just talking) ha ha. I will try to keep you updated on what I will be doing. At the moment, my thoughts are with the miniature shows. I will try to post the miniatures as I do them. I will need some followers. Anyone interested?

Here are two that I started at my Art-A-Fair show this summer in Laguna Beach. I had never tried to do them at the show before but I found out that they attract alot of attention. I guess that I will do miniatures there more often. Here are the two that I started. The first stage of the miniatures looks impressionistic as I lay the colors on. These photos show the step after that though. I will try to get photos sooner next time.