"SLICE OF PINE" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA PAINTING OF A PINE TREE © SAUNDRA LANE FINE ART

"Slice of Pine"

24" x 6" x 1.5" deep

Mixed Media on Cradled Panel

$225 

Available through my WEBSITE

For a fun "Long Skinny" as I call them, this slice of pine tree is painted on a cradled panel that is stained green on the sides.  I adore how the depth of these paintings can allow for sitting on a shelf OR hanging.  I have included a wire on back.  The background actually started out as another painting, so there are things back there that were original to another work that I didn't really enjoy.  Then I put some paper over it, acid free of course...a bit of texture and then the tree is in oil.  A great conversation piece for sure!

 this was the beginning of laying in paper

I like to draw many of my subject matter with charcoal so I can smudge it out if I don't like the placement of a thing...

As you can see the sides are a green stain that compliment the tree branches and bring unity.

The end result is a fun long skinny that fits in just about any small space that needs a little pizazz!

INSPIRATION ABOUNDS!

"OUT OF THE ASHES" © SAUNDRA LANE FINE ART

"Out of the Ashes"

10"x20"

oil on gallery wrapped canvas

Gifted

When my auntie M and uncle T's home burned down two days after Christmas my heart was broken for them!  They lost almost EVERYTHING...they had no insurance...but, so many folks stepped up and generously gave so that they were able to put a down payment on a new home that they delivered just recently to their property and they JUST moved in! YAY!

One of the treasures that somehow survived the fire; with some damage, but survived for sure was my grandaddy's guitar that traveled with him through WWII.  I saw a video the local news folks took and this guitar was in it, so I grabbed a still shot and painted it as it lay...I added some words from my heart..."Out of the ashes beauty will rise...I will choose to find my strength...my God will teach me to keep on growing and changing and moving toward the true gifts beyond"

I wanted it to be a reminder of how we can survive during the destinations of life.

FIND INSPIRATION IN EVERYTHING YOU CAN!

"SAY WHAT?" - AN OSTRICH! © SAUNDRA LANE FINE ART

"Say What?" - an Ostrich

5"x5" oil on slightly textured 1.5" deep gallery wrap canvas

$60

ON HOLD for Mountainside Miniature show

Sept 14-Oct 14, 2016

It's that time again for the Mountainside Miniature Show here in Colorado.  I always enjoy doing these shows as I like to paint small works along with my larger ones.  I love the square format, so almost always do a square.  This year I decided to do all animals as I've been missing doing them lately...so the first one is an ostrich of course...they make me LAUGH!

Next on my easel is a giraffe...FUN DOINS!

In line with the animals, I now offer gift certificates for those who want to give a loved one a gift of a custom pet portrait for their own pet kid!  Just contact me and I'll create an invoice for you and then send them this certificate!  FUN!

A few months ago I won a give away offered on the blog of a wonderful artist couple Alisa Burke and her extremely talented husband Andy.  He does the drawing and then she adds her own custom flair with lots of pattern and color!  I CAN'T WAIT TO GET IT!  

FIND INSPIRATION IN YOUR EVERY DAY LIFE!!

"MAGENTA FIELD" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA LANDSCAPE WITH BUILDING © SAUNDRA LANE FINE ART

"Magenta Field"

24" x 12"

Oil on cradled panel with paper and texture

$460; shipping is free in the US

I have driven from Denver to Omaha so many times I lost count.  One of the things I love to see as I drive is the farmhouses and buildings that dot the horizon.  I have often wanted to paint these scenes, so here it is!  I have used a pallet that is rather rare for me...this magenta color with purple and hints at wheat color.  This is truly an unique piece for me, although you can see my paper stream and a bit of texture riding the top of my paper stream and coming out under a bit...It is hard to see these details in the photo, and also the brightness of the piece in this photo.  No matter how many times of day and places I tried to photograph it I had trouble...so I'm a saying...it is a little brighter in the building and sky, and the bit of texture just pops without being over bearing! 

I've stained the sides a color to compliment.  This painting comes ready to hang with wire on back, but it's 1.75" depth allows for sitting or leaning on a shelf.  The cradle gives this a contemporary look that does not need framing!

FIND INSPIRATION WHEREVER YOU CAN!

"CHERRIES 5" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA ON GALLERY WRAP CANVAS © SAUNDRA LANE FINE ART

"Cherries 5"

8"x16" x 1.5" deep

Mixed media

$225; FREE shipping in US

Available in my website

I love painting cherries...there is just something about them.  I love their strong colors, I love their shape and when I paint red cherries the contrast is always strong.  I love that the most of all!  Some years ago when I began to add papers streaming throughout a painting I found that cherries lended very well to just add them here and there as the paper streamed across the surface. So, now and then I enjoy adding a cherry or so to a canvas.  It is an automatic smile for me!  The green paper you see streaming across the surface is hand made.  It is actually some paper that was under a project I did recently of aspen trees.  As I cleaned off the stencil it began to be a fun color combo.  So, I like to use whatever is in front of me when I work, and this paper fit perfectly into this painting I think.  I love the strong black and white paper that I've used quite a bit in my work; a great combo!  The background starts with acrylic and then the papers go down...but the rest of the surface usually ends up in oil along with the subject matter.

"Cherries 5" is painted on the sides for a contemporary look. I put wire on the back so it's ready to hang, but the 1.5" depth also makes it awesome for sitting on a shelf or mantle among other fun cherry matching items!

BE INSPIRED!

"SUNFLOWER IN SEASON" OIL ON MIXED MEDIA CRADLED PANEL © SAUNDRA LANE FINE ART

"Sunflower in Season" 

18"x18" oil on mixed media panel

Available through my website

What can I say, it was just TIME to do another sunflower.  The days have been warm of late, and that always makes me think of sunflowers, so, it had to be done!  This bloom is on an 18"x18" cradled MDF panel with stained sides to compliment.  I'm thinking acorns and cherries coming soon!

BE INSPIRED!

"MT. HOOD" GIVE AWAY FOR NEWSLETTER CONTEST © SAUNDRA LANE FINE ART

"Mt. Hood"

Winner of the give away was Terri Johnson

Frame suggestion

you can find this frame at pictureframes.com in their floater frame section

"Mt. Hood" was Terri Johnson's pick for the give away mountain summit. Mount Hood, called Wy'east by the Multnomah tribe, is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc of northern Oregon. I like to show a frame suggestion with these fun paintings...my favorite is the floater frame. Frames are not included, but it is fun to see how they could look all framed up! Congratulations Terri for entering! I'll be sending it off to her as soon as it dries! Stay tuned for the next give away opportunity! All you have to do to enter the next give away is sign up for my website newsletter!  saundralane.com

I love to experiment with different materials and subject matter.  This mountain/volcano was one where I applied modeling paste in the summit itself.  The experiment was to see how it might work using oils.  I usually do this when painting these mountains in acrylic.  I lay in the paste and then do a wash in a darker color, laying in the white mixture on top.  The end result is pretty striking.  I noticed in oil I can do the same thing, but the wait time for the wash to dry is longer as it is oil, and I haven't found the same striking end result.  Most probably because I paint heavier in oils...hmmm...I will probably play with it some more.  You can see the texture in life more than in a photo...that may still make it worth it.

HAPPY CREATING

"MT. MCKINLEY-DENALI" ORIGINAL OIL ON PANEL © SAUNDRA LANE FINE ART

"Mt. McKinley-Denali"

6"x6" oil on panel

Available through my website

I learned alot when I was researching this mountain.  I always knew it was one of the tallest, but didn't know it was THE tallest in North America!  I also didn't know it had been re-named it's original name of Denali.  It was originally named Denali by the Alaskan natives, and President Obama re-named it in 2015.  Denali means Great One.  And, it certainly is as it rises to 20,320 ft!  I've shown it here in a frame suggestion; a floater frame...one of my favorites.  You can find this frame at pictureframes.com.  

We had an unexpected fun day with our grandson Ethan and his daddy on Monday at the zoo...Love these grand babies! Love my hubby too!!  Ethan loves his "buppa" tons!  A great sunny day in Colorado which turned into snow the very next day!  AAAAHHH...springtime in the rockies! lol

Stay tuned to my blog in the coming days...I'm going to start a series of lists of my favorite things...first up will by my favorite adhesives and what I use them on!

HAPPY CREATING!

"Cupcake Parade"

12"x12" oil over textured canvas

$110

one of my "slice of life" paintings

Available through my website

This fun little "slice of life" painting is cupcakes today.  I am finding that just about any subject matter will work in my SOL paintings and I plan to keep it up to see just how many subjects can work with this fun little composition.  The beads below that look like they are just randomly scattered below are a red coral I believe...I've had them in my jewelry supplies I am fairly certain that is what they are...I put them on to give that fun texture and a way to bring the unifying color below the slice...I just LOVE TEXTURE!   You can't really see the texture that is over the entire front surface of this 12"x12" canvas...but it is there and adds a great amount of interest to this off white surface.  You can see my signature paper streaming through this little cupcake parade as well.  I like that this can be an affordable option for a painting with a smaller price tag than would be if these little guys were covering the entire surface!  My way of trying to bring affordable and fun art to everyone!

Another thing I love about these slice of life paintings, as I am calling them, is they lend themselves perfectly to layering in your decor!  So many now are layering artwork on mantles and shelves, and this is a great way to meld this wonderful piece into your decor as the example of my little pear hanging out bringing the greens into focus!  FUN DOINS!

HAPPY CREATING!

"LADY O - AN OSTRICH" © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Lady O - an Ostrich"

4"x4" oil on panel

available through my ETSY shop

Lady O is my latest Ostrich sweetie.  I find her quite ladylike and charming!

displaying her could be as easy as a small easel!

Recently we purchased a TV for our bedroom that was smaller than the last one, so I began to search for a something that could serve as a stand to bring the TV higher in our cabinet...I found this awful dark box with a drawer and a hideous pull.  I WISH I'd remembered to take a photo of the before, but here is the after...I rather enjoy it's simplicity...and it serves it's purpose quite nicely!

FUN!

I've worked on the drawing for my Magnolia Silos I spoke about in my last post...this is a little closer to their actual shape...

Where there is a will there is a way!

HAPPY CREATING!

"ROCKS AND CLOUDS" MIXED MEDIA LANDSCAPE © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Rocks and Clouds"

12"x36"

Mixed media on 1.5" deep gallery wrap canvas

$650

Available through my website

Rocks and Clouds emerged from my desire to play with a composition I created a few weeks ago in another painting that has since sold.  I wanted to see how I might handle clouds with pattern in the sky.(I also added the honeycomb in the foreground as well to keep a unified effect)..I started out with outlined clouds, but kept working to this conclusion for this painting.  I don't know just how I will change, but I know that I am changing in some ways I am enamored with color and wanted to explore it a bit more.  "Rock Cliffs" sold at Summer Art Market. 

What I know at this point is that I prefer to use bright color than realistic color in many instances.  As I continue to grow and move as an artist I will play with my "new" found interest and see how it fits in to numerous situations with numerous subject matter.  A note to all those who may be in the beginnings of a "growth spurt"...DO NOT FEEL TRAPPED!  Don't feel like you are married to ANYTHING at this point!  Let inspiration lead you to experiment with ideas that come to your mind...NOTE the things you like and any other "growing pains" that happen that give you another idea...go down that road...EVENTUALLY it will find a space that feels happy...and YAY!

What I am working through in my mind is the fact that I love all the paper that I added in my work behind the scenes...I think I miss the volume that shows through...so my next thing to explore is to bring back a bit more in certain places...MAYBE...there is nothing lost if you learn and end up in a place that feels good.  YOU WILL EVENTUALLY end up in a place that feels good if you keep at it.  FOR ME...I have no choice...I am drawn to create, so eventually I will end up in a happy place and settle in until the NEXT growth spurt...REMEMBER, it is all a journey and there is beauty in every stage!

HAPPY CREATING!

"MT. EVANS IN FAUVE" ORIGINAL MIXED MEDIA LANDSCAPE © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Mt. Evans in Fauve"

30" x 24" x 1.5" deep gallery wrap canvas

$900

Available in my WEBSITE

See it in person at SUMMER ART MARKET

June 13-14, 2015

Come visit me at booth #54

I've painted my view of Mt. Evans in every medium I've worked in, every style, so it only seemed fitting to paint it again with my current experimental way of working as I weave my way to artistic growth.  There was a base of acrylic put in that you can see here and there peeking through.  After that I started painting in oil.  I used a palette knife for a good portion of this painting.  I also worked with stamps and stencils to pull in pattern; which you can see most obviously in the sky, but if you look closely you can see the honeycomb pattern repeated; though more subtly in the foreground.  There is also a bit of paper throughout as well.  

 This detail image shows the paper peeking through as well as the honeycomb shape repeated

 The trees are applied almost intuitively...not much emphasis on realism; thus moving ever more close to my need for more abstract in my work.  The rocks are painted more with color as was the fashion of the fauves (wild beasts as they were called in the late 1800's and early 1900's)

This painting comes ready to hang.

HAPPY CREATING!

"DOMINO" 101/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"Domino"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

SOLD to pet mom Diana...thank you!!

Here we are at the end of my 101 Pet Portraits in 101 Days project.  I want to thank EVERYONE who participated in this project with me.  It was an honor to hear all the stories and get to know each and every beloved pet through painting them!  I learned a lot through this process.  The biggest and best thing for me is that I reaffirmed just how much I love color in my work...I do believe it will be a character in my work that I will hang on to!  I also just got a little better in some areas...not so concerned about tightness, but realized that working with simpler strokes in areas is possible and looks better to me.  I will continue to work with a mix of abstract and realism for the time being as I still find value in using both, so that has been strengthened.  THE INSPIRATION abounds after doing all these pet kids!  It leaks to my other subject matter, so on I go!  Next for me is SUMMER ART MARKET which is June 13-14 at 200 Grant in Denver.  Be watching for more information on that!

NOW!...On to Domino; my 101 of 101. Domino is a Dalmatian kid to my dear friend and co-grandma Diana Grimes.  Domino was the family kid actually, and quite a pet I hear; very much loved.  I find it fun that the 101 was a Dalmatian!  My friend Diana had the idea and I loved it from first mention!  Domino was a great fauvist experience even being "white"!  There is green and red and blue and purple and yellow all in this one "white" pet kid's portrait!  I used my honeycomb in this last portrait of this project to add a little interest to the background.

Check out Domino in all her display ideas. 

 The easel I found at Hobby Lobby.  Domino looks good in the easel as a simple idea!

 Black Floater Frame

can be purchased through pictureframes.com

CF1

 Gold Leaf Floater Frame

CFS3

 Maple Floater Frame

CFS10

HAPPY CREATING!

"KIKI" 99/101 OF 101 PET PORTRAITS IN 101 DAYS © SAUNDRA LANE GALLOWAY

"KiKi"

6"x6" oil on slightly textured panel

SOLD to her pet mom; Bonnie.  Thank you Bonnie!!

KiKi is a sweetie pie who actually has more purply blues than just the blue she looks like she has.  AGAIN, I cannot seem to get my purple hues to show up...but, her darks look great in blue or purple!  A fauvist interpretation with these fun colors instead of black.  Kiki has wonderful turquoise/cerulean blues for the highlights I saw in her coat! I enjoyed the strong contrast between her dark coat and those beautiful green eyes!  I also have become enamored with stamping into some of these backgrounds...FUN! Kiki's Pet mom is Bonnie Wells.  Kiki comes ready to frame or sit on an easel as shown.

 This easel I found at Hobby Lobby.

 All these floater frames were purchased through pictureframes.com.  I think they can do better on shipping costs, but these frames were reasonable at $26.40.  Every time I purchased a frame I would comment that they need to improve on their shipping costs...who knows maybe one day they will! lol

MAPLE Floater Frame

CFS10

 BLACK Floater Frame

CF1

 GOLD LEAF Floater Frame

CFS3

HAPPY CREATING!