Cutie-in-progress

Wicket Commission WORK-IN-PROGRESS

This is Wicket, a 16 x 20 commissioned portrait I’ve been working on. The reference photo the client  sent is soooooo cute! After I’d been working on this underpainting for a while, I realized I was smiling, and probably had been pretty much the whole time. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

I haven’t stopped very often to take progress photos, but here are the ones I have so far:

I transferred my initial sketch to the Gessobord with black transfer paper, and went over it loosely with black and indigo acrylic. Then I started defining the highlights with quinacrodone rose and cadmium yellow, and the shadows with indigo.

Next I started layering in glazes of rose, indigo, and burnt umber to deepen and enrich the colors of the underpainting.

And here’s where she is so far. You can’t see it in this photo, but I added a layer of iridescent gold and copper to the background areas so it has a subtle glisten to it. I don’t know how much of this I’ll let show through when I add in the oils for the background ... we’ll see! Next I’ll starting adding the oil colors ... check back on Monday for more of Wicket ...

Until then ... happy painting!

Henri

Attention cat caretakers: I saw this video on Dreama Tolle Perry’s blog this morning and I laughed so hard that I literally almost fell off my chair (good thing our Ray was sitting in my lap to anchor me). The music ... the narration ... perfect. I’ve watched it three times and I’m still laughing.

If the video won’t play, you can view it here.

Fresh off the easel ...

SOLD

Stackin’ Up Z’s  © 2012 Karen Mathison Schmidt

6 x 6 inches • oil on archival, museum-quality Gessobord TM

private collection • Poway, California

Here’s our Andy, doing what he does best. These days I’m trying to develop a looser, quicker way of painting with these small ones. My goal is to complete three to five of these small paintings a week, in addition to painting every day on larger works. This is the third one I’ve done since I’ve started this routine, and I really like it. Ironically, the part of this painting I had the most trouble with was the background. I wiped just that part three times before I finally got something I was satisfied with!

And here is the large landscape I delivered last week:

Edgewood Memory © 2012 by Karen Mathison Schmidt

30 x 30 inches • oil & mixed media on 2" cradled archival Gessobord TM

Commission • private collection, Baton Rouge, Louisiana

This is the north pasture across the road, in February, with the early morning mist lying on the fields. 

My client, who commissioned this as a surprise for her husband’s birthday last week, loved it, and after she gave it to her husband she texted me a picture of him standing with the painting, grinning from ear to ear, and the caption “He LOVES it!” 

I love my job.

Happy painting!

A fun garden painting ...

SOLD

Poppies Galore • ©2012 by Karen Mathison Schmidt

6 x 6 inches • oil on archival, museum quality GessobordTM

private collection • El Cajon, California

A long, productive, beautiful Monday ... really sleepy right now, so not a long post. More art and larger work-in-progress tomorrow!

Hasta mañana, amigos!

Please pass the shoe horn ...

SOLD

Afternoon Nap © 2012 Karen Mathison Schmidt

6 x 6 • oil on archival, museum quality GessobordTM

private collection • Toledo, Ohio

I wanted to squeeze this one in this afternoon, between larger commissioned paintings, just to remind myself to keep loose! And I’ll be experimenting with low opening bids in my eBay auctions for the next month or two, just to see what happens.

Power struggle

Here’s Roadie, relaxing in his favorite chair. That’s not his coffee cup in the background, though, it’s mine. Because this is also MY favorite chair. This is a picture of his “You’re not REALLY going to make me move, are you?” face. Yep, it’s a power struggle, but I usually win. Usually.

Just a quick post to let you all know I’m still here. I just finished up with a large commissioned painting that I can’t show until tomorrow ... because it’s a surprise, and even though I don’t think the surprise-ee is in the habit of reading my blog regularly, I’m not taking a chance. Today I’m starting on another commission, a 16 x 20 portrait of a real cutie pie of a dog. For that one I’ll show progress as I go, because it’s not a surprise. After that is another commission I’m really excited about ... I’ll share details of that one in a few days. 

Happy painting!

Enchanted April

 Every day I discover more and more beautiful things. 

It's enough to drive one mad. I have such a desire 

to paint everything, my head is bursting with it.

– CLAUDE MONET

Monet hit it right on the bullseye with that one ... that’s exactly how I feel this time of year.

I’m back in full swing at the easel today – with four commissions lined up I’m busy and loving it!

I’ll be posting more painting this week, but meanwhile here are a couple more photos I gleaned in the gardens of Norton Art Gallery on a recent photo outing with my photog friend Sandra. 

Happy painting!

Sunday’s here!

Beautiful Savior, King of Creation
Son of God and Son of Man
You will I cherish, You will I honor
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown

FROM THE HYMN FAIREST LORD JESUS

Christ is risen ...

He is risen indeed!

Hoping you have a blessed Easter

It’s Friday ...

We live in a Good Friday world.

How easy it is to stop right here, just short of healing, 

not realizing the hope of resurrection.

– DAVID BURCHETT

This morning a friend sent me a link to David Burchett’s blog on Crosswalk.com, where today he has excerpts from a couple of noteworthy articles and an encouraging message about “Easter People in a Good Friday World.” So good I wanted to pass it along.

It’s Friday ...

but Sunday’s comin’!