"ORCHIDS" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA PAINTING OF ORCHIDS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Orchids"

8x6" on cradled mdf panel

Commission

As you can see from the photos I used yesterday I ended up going with the composition (for the most part) of the 1st pic I posted...I didn't consciously do that, but in the end it suited my purposes for this requested painting.  However, I used the light and dark idea from the photo with the sun streaming behind (wanted those lights and darks) ...so, I guess it's a mix.  I left out one flower for composition purposes as my paper stream seemed to fill in for the 5th flower...but...it is finished.

No matter how many different ways I photographed this one it was a challenge to get the colors to read properly...and, as you all know each monitor is going to read this differently...sigh...but this seems close...on my monitor that is...lol

This is my first orchid to paint.  I found it interesting...delicate...fun!  Now I have to paint for an upcoming show...on PAPER...and...get ready for a demo in wax collage for Mountainside Art Guild...busy days...

HAPPY CREATING!

THE NEXT THING, AND THE NEXT THING...lalalalala

As it should be...art moves on...we go from one painting to the next...My next assignment is a painting of purple and white orchids for someone I dearly love...SO, not being one to paint from other photos that I haven't taken or gotten permission for I went and bought an orchid and did a little photo session...One of these will be THE one for this assignment...FUN!  I'm sharing several of the photos...and, when I'm finished see if you can figure out which pic I used!

It snowed again...yep...it's winter...as I was driving up to look at orchids I snapped this pic...brrrrrrr...

While up the mountain I visited my friend Cynthia's shop called "LUNA'S MANDALA" where I show some of my work...she's one of the best people I know and has some beautiful things...and is good to the local artists nearby...IF you are ever in Conifer you have to visit her wonderful store!

some of my work amongst the other treasures...

So, off to work I go...HAPPY CREATING!!

REALLY FINISHED THIS TIME...WITH NEW NAME! "AMONG THE TREES" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA PAINTING OF ASPEN AND ELK © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Among the Trees"

2'x2' mixed media on cradled MDF

$800 (plus $50 for shipping)

So, after a little tweaking here and there I am satisfied with the finished product; plus I found a more suitable name for this piece...You STILL have to look for the surprise elk, but once you find it...that is the focal point. Here is the yesterday version...see if you can find the little bit of leaf correction in both composition and toned down.  I added a few to enhance the comp, and I put green and the turquoise over some of the yellow to tone it down a bit...and...I added a bit of the background color in highlights on the elk to help it be more a part of the whole...See if you can see the subtle, but important changes!  I had fun with this...SO glad I added a bit and worried less about color...I will be entering this in a show in the next few days and should know if it gets in by December 1.  After that I will release it for sale if it ends up staying home for the holidays!

HAPPY CREATING!!

"ASPEN HOME" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA ASPEN/WILDLIFE PAINTING © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Aspen Home" (working title)

2' x 2' mixed media on MDF with cradle

$800.00 available in March unless it is rejected :)
"I'm going to enter it in a show at the Madden Museum"

I ALMOST waited to post this "finished" painting until tomorrow, BUT tomorrow is going to be even darker than it was today, so for my followers I'm posting this all but completed painting...I will wait until the light is better before I try to take photos for the website, so for now just accept this as the best capture I could do today with rainy dark clouds...It's pretty close...

As I've been saying I was getting a little weary of working with my aspen...so I played with a little unrealistic color (the turquoise in the aspen leaves) and I added a little focal point...can you see it?  Look closely...Click on the pic to make it bigger...it's there...someone who lives among the trees...:)  

In case you missed it...here is a detail that the light grabbed as it is still a wet oil...but you get the drift...:)

This elk was actually from a pic that I mirrored for the composition of this piece...but was actually on my driveway a year ago...I enjoyed photographing and painting this big guy last year, so decided to slip him into this aspen piece...I rather like the way it came out...he's just hanging out...amidst his trees.  It seems to be a secondary focus until you see him, and then it IS the focal point...I rather like that too...FUN.

I'm playing around with names...not sure this will be "it" yet...and I may add a very few other leaves here and there...but, not until I wake up tomorrow and glance at it again...But, for now...let's call it finished!

Announcing that I will have three pieces in the annual Echter's art show sponsored by Mountainside and Arvada Art Guilds next month...I was honored to have one of my earlier paintings chosen for the invite...If you are in the area I invite you to stop by and take a look!! Echter's Nursery and Garden center is located at

52nd Ave and Garrison St. in Arvada, CO

HAPPY CREATING!

AND MORE PROCESS...

big ole aspen piece (2'x2') process 2

Yep, I knew it was coming...and, with this piece it has...a need to do a little something else...or, something!  I've been working this way for awhile, and although I will CONTINUE WORKING LIKE THIS because I LOVE THE PROCESS, I'm searching for a little more...something sparky...and, it may not happen with this piece as it is pretty far along...but my mind is going on it, and if I let it keep going on it I will find some; perhaps subtle thing; or not so subtle thing; to add or do to keep my interest...I originally had thought to just do trunks...but now I'm going to play with some leaves...perhaps with yellows and even the turquoise color...who says we have to stay true to life! HA  Can't believe I said that...I'm all about the color...When I taught middle school I kept saying it doesn't matter what COLOR you choose...as long as the VALUES are there it will be successful...They thought I was nuts until they tried it! HA.  I believe that...the color is merely a personal choice!  Do you know we all see color a little differently?  DUH...sorry, I'm still waking up so I'm a little simple minded today.

So, if I could spark any of you on this slow starting (for me) Monday it would be to take a subject you are already familiar with and do a painting, or color sketch in a TOTALLY unrealistic color...just keep your values strong...and see if it doesn't make your brain so very happy!!  Try it!!  and, if you feel so inclined...share with me your efforts...you know I love that!!  art4life44@hotmail.com

so, for me it is back to my easel...HAPPY CREATING!

THAT BEAUTIFUL THING CALLED PROCESS!

I LOVE, LOVE process...to be able to think and work and almost instinctively create what will make some sort of sense in the end...FUN DOINS for me!  After finishing the acorn commission I got back to business on this piece that USED to be Queen Bee...IF you look closely you can still see some of her wings and such...I chose to keep lines present as my signature trees will come in later and the whole thing will blend together in a wonderful explosion of color peeking behind this subject matter I love so much!  I absolutely loved the color scheme in this, so just strengthened what was already there...and, added a bit of stamping to just tickle my artistic senses!  I am excited to get to my TREES!!  Stay tuned...and, FYI...the collector LOVED the acorns so they will be off to their new home when they dry...YEA!

HAPPY CREATING!

THE THING ABOUT COMMISSION..."THREE ACORNS" MIXED MEDIA ON STRETCHED CANVAS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Three Acorns"

12x10" mixed media on gallery wrap canvas

COMMISSION...we will see...

A few days ago a collector called me with a request to do another acorn piece like "Acorn Duo" but not...ha.  I get tickled at those requests.  I respect people who want something I've done...and I understand that they found something they liked.  This collector needed a different size, and after a couple of conversations I learned she wanted something a little different.  We had some conversations and after I understood what I THINK she was after I created this piece.  

She liked the color of the acorns...she liked part of the background color and the depth the dark purply/brown of the bottom...but, after she realized the shape of the canvas was in different proportions she decided that I was right that it needed a little bit more.  So, I did it.

This process is fun sometimes, but I remember my days when I did many more commission pieces and the frustrations I felt as well as the collectors.  It is HARD to take information from one person's mind and get it to match with the other persons mind...I haven't heard back from her yet to know if this is what she wanted...so we shall see.

I often wonder if I should even be doing commission work...and I change my mind constantly.  I love, love working like I do...but I feel frustrated when I can figure out what the collector is thinking of.  Not their fault, and not mine...so, it is a gamble...This one was pretty ok cuz I was in the mood to do another acorn piece...but for the future of me doing commission work...I'm not sure...

HAPPY CREATING!!

"ASPEN SIX" ORIGINAL PAPER CAST MIXED MEDIA PAINTING OF ASPEN TREES © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Aspen Six"

20x16" completed size paper cast aspen on paper 

actual image is 13 1/2" x 10" with double white matt

$225.00 includes shipping in the US

This aspen paper cast was fun to do with my abstracted stamped background using a combination of purchased stamp and my own stylized aspen leaf stamp.  The trees are made from my paper cast mold and then painted.

I want to do a couple more this size to play with background!  BUT, first I'm working on a new acorn piece that was commissioned similar to acorn duo.  Love those commissions!

HAPPY CREATING!

WORKING IN THE STUDIO! YEA!

After three HARD days of moving things around...tons of plastic drawers and furniture and all that goes in them I have FINALLY gotten all of it in the right place...now just to fine tune it all.  When we decided to hold off on moving (I'm beginning to think we're NEVER gonna get down the mountain...ha) we needed this place to work better...for me that was paring down on all my TONS of supplies and decide just what I was going to focus on...and then put it all in it's right place! WHEW!

SO, with a little bit of time this morning I'm already on my next piece.  This is one of my signature aspen paper cast pieces; much like the smaller ones I created this past summer, only bigger.  This one will be 20x16" matted and framed and behind glass of course!  I enjoyed working the somewhat abstract background with some whimsical aspen stamps (from an aspen stamp I made).  The tree composition took a few minutes to lay out like I wanted.  Now all that is left to do is to paint the trees! FUN!

AND NOW...a quick discussion on being creative and not listening to the "voice of reason".  When you want to stretch out your creative wings you first must know the rules...and then, and ONLY then, can you experiment and break some of them when appropriate so you can come up with that "thing" that makes your heart sing.

The piece below is actually one I did in the 70's when I was a young art student in college in Arkansas.  I was stubborn and ready to find my own way even back then.  I had an art teacher that drove me crazy!  Back then I thought he was out to get me...NOW, with my added years of maturity and having taught art myself I understand he was pushing me to excel, and not just fit into a mold.  Tricky Arnie!...and I'm glad!  I would spend 30 hours on a perfectly executed drawing and would get a B-...It drove me crazy!...so, one day I went to my dorm room and took my pastels and set up a still life on my bed and in 10 minutes "threw" something together with the intent of driving HIM crazy...and low and behold I got an A+...THAT drove ME crazy!! And so the semester went without me "getting" it...He would say, for example..."You can't do a beautifully executed apple with magic markers Saundra"...so, what did I do...?  Yep, went back and created marker apples just to prove him wrong! HA...Of course...he had my number...and he knew I was going to challenge him...and...the end result was FUN and great...and, yes...I got an A+ for my marker apples...Yep, thank you Arnie Anderson wherever you are...I never gave up, and now I am a happy artist who adores creating and trying to break the rules!!  And, just to make SURE I proved him wrong I also did a huge one with wonderful shading...and one day if I run across it I will share that one too! HA

So...I say...learn the rules, and then find ways to stretch...you WILL find your bliss if you just don't give up!

HAPPY CREATING!!

LIFE KEEPS MOVING ALONG...

Our view from the front deck...my husband got such a great catch with his i-phone!  SHARING with you all!!

You know those paper cast molds...that Queen Bee re-do?  They are still there...waiting...patiently for me while life keeps moving along!  I'm sure you have had days in life where you were DYING to get back to the easel, but life keeps moving along and you are prevented for a short time so you could attend to other things...whew...that's me the past few days.

I finished my son's birthday present and got it mailed off to him and then took a hard look at making my studio work better for me since we are not moving this year.  I need more of what I work with near by...my books..and some other things...so, that launched an all out moving of my things from place to place so I could make room for this HEAVY bookcase in my studio.  I've been up and down 30+ stairs many times in the past two days making things work, so I CAN WORK better! HA You know the drill...call it nesting or what you will...but today is the perfect day to finish as it snowed for the first time last night...

 My favorite tree...from my kitchen window.

Please, PLEASE make it little fern from our wedding that we forgot to bring in...

Oops...how did THIS get in here...a pic of my beautiful girl making that sling thing work so she could have our little Paxton close by...tee hee...

So, off I go to finish this crazy restructuring thing so I can get back to work!!  Hope you all are warm and toasty on this fall day!!

HAPPY CREATING!

"JONATHAN'S PALMS" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA PAINTING OF PALM TREES © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Jonathan's Palms"

6" x 16"

mixed media on MDF with stained cradled sides

I adore my son...I love him like crazy...his life is a challenge...I hope this brings him some peace when he sees this and remembers the sunsets he's seen, the breeze on his face...Even though he won't see this until his birthday...I hope he knows how much he's loved and how much I believe in him!  We all need space...we all need that creative muse...we all need something that brings us what we need...I hope this helps!

HAPPY CREATING!

PALMS IN PROCESS

As I bounced around this past weekend doing this and that...preparing our house that we will still be in for winter..well, for winter...But, I had moments to work...here you see the palm piece for my most wonderful son where I have added papers to simulate the moving waters and stamped what will be the background to the palm leaves I will paint later.

I've added trunks with paper and have now begun to lay in darks and lights...note how the sun light has not been touched! :)  The last steps will be to paint the palm leaves and make sure my highlights and darks are what I want!...

And...a first laugh caught on film...my little grandson LAUGHING...such FUN!

HAPPY CREATING!!...