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!!