Finished painting for book cover!

Slick & Junebug’s Diner

14 x 11 inches • acrylic on GessobordTM

Unless we decide to make further changes, here’s the finished painting for the front cover of Amy’s book.  The painting is 11 x 14, so because the book is going to be 6 x 9 inches, the image will be cropped a little on the sides. The picture below is NOT the actual book, but an EXAMPLE of what the cover MIGHT look like when it’s done:

Today on Facebook, Amy shared a tweet that her publisher, Iconic Publishing, send out today: 

“Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction by Amy Metz: 

Text is ready and formatted for August launch!”

Super exciting ... I guess now all they’re waiting for is me to finish the art for the BACK cover! (Check back for work-in-progress on that ...)

Meanwhile, here’s another painting waiting to happen: Roadie watching for Paul to come home from a trip to town. 

He’s a real handful most of the time (Roadie, not Paul) ... but he does have his moments!

A quick note of work-in-progress ...

Slick & Junebug’s Diner • 11 x 14 acrylic WORK-IN-PROGRESS:

Just a quick post to show work-in-progress on the painting for Amy Metz’ book cover that I’m working on. Working in acrylics, I’ve been building up the layers from the underpainting, starting with the stormy sky and then working from top left down and toward the right. Here’s where the painting is so far (I can hardly wait to get to that red ’54 Chevy pick-up parked in front of the diner!)

One of my favorite things so far: the Coca Cola sign on the side of the diner.

A new Blue ...

Here’s the painting of Blue I did a while back. I’ve been looking at it almost every day thinking I wanted to change the background color, and today I finally did. I also tweaked his nostrils just a bit and I added a few new highlights on his ears and I like it soooooo much! I’ve listed it in a new auction on eBay.

Eyes That Can See Above the Clouds © 2012 Karen Mathison Schmidt

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

gloss varnish for UV protection

CLICK HERE TO BID

auction ends May 24

I’ve also been working on the painting for the front cover of Amy Metz’ new book ... so much fun! Tomorrow I’ll post it with work-in-progress photos.

Meanwhile, here’s Blue posing for his senior portrait:

His major is Barking at Squirrels with a minor in Napping. He’s looking forward to the summer when he plans to spend his days barking at squirrels and napping. In the fall he plans to begin graduate studies in Barking at Squirrels and Napping, after which he will begin writing his Doctoral Thesis on “The Importance of Napping after Spending the Entire Morning Barking at Squirrels.”

Wicket finished!

I talk to him when I'm lonesome like; and I'm sure he understands.

When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands;

Then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat.

For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that.  

~W. DAYTON WEDGEFARTH

Wicket © 2012 Karen Mathison Schmidt

16 x 20 inches • oil on deep cradled GessobordTM

Just waiting for this one to dry before she gets shipped off to New Orleans!

Meanwhile, Amy Metz and I have been hammering out the final details of the initial sketch for her book cover. Today she gave me the okay to post work-in-progress photos of the paintings, which I’ll be starting very soon (as soon as I get the final OK on the sketches) ... VERY excited about this project!

Work-in-progress

Wicket • WORK-IN-PROGRESS

Almost finished! I should be able to post the finished painting tomorrow. 

And here’s another painting just waiting to happen, if ever I saw one:

Moustachio!

Benvenuto © 2012 by Karen Mathison Schmidt

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

gloss varnish for UV protection

CLICK HERE TO BID

auction ends May 12

Here’s the Moustachio painting, finished! I was going to call it Welcome, but since Moustachio is an italian cat, changed it to Benvenuto.

Here he is, hanging out with his buddies while ensconced behind an old window frame we have sitting on top of a little table and leaning against the wall on the front porch. He loves his friends. They listen attentively to all his stories, they pretty much let him have his way in everything, and they always let him eat their dessert whenever they go out to lunch. What’s not to love?

And another thing ...

I was just wondering ... how come we have raw umber and burnt umber, raw sienna and burnt sienna, but no cooked-to-perfection umber or sienna?

Hmmmm?

The perils of placing your coffee cup in close proximity to your turpenoid jar

No, I did not pick up the jar of turpenoid and sip it. Even though it’s Turpenoid Natural, a nontoxic, nonflammable turpentine substitute that smells sort of citrus-y, I don’t think I would get so wrapped up in painting that I would make that mistake.

I did, however, accidentally dip my brush into my coffee and swirl it around.

Works in progress!

Here are photos of two works-in-progress I have going in my studio now. Above is a detail of a 6 x 6 painting of Moustachio hanging out with some cute fake birds perched on a Welcome sign I had on the front porch during the winter. Well, I had it out until April because I like it so much, but around mid-April I decided that since it has fake snow and poinsettias on it, it wasn’t really in tune with spring, so away in a box it went until next November or so.

And below is a close-up detail of the bright eyes of a dog named Wicket, from a 16 x 20 portrait commission. My plan is to finish this one tomorrow. Can’t wait to show the owner the finished portrait!

I also have another commission in progress that I’m super excited about ... the front and back cover art for Amy Metz’ new novel, Murder and Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction. I’m working with Amy on hammering out composition, and I’ll be completing those paintings over the next couple of weeks. I’m very excited about this!

Ray is so excited he can hardly stand it. Look, he’s on the edge of his ... well, um ... table.

Now downstairs to spend some cuddle time on the couch with husband and dogs.

Later, taters!