Pretty good day

Today I played with the portrait I started yesterday. It went from this:

To this:

And ended like this:

Not sure it is finished, but I kind of like it so far.

Cupcake Oil Painting Today

Cupcake
5" x 8"
Oil on board

I did this painting for the Different Strokes From Different Strokes web challenge. I may have to rephotograph it though. The background color looks nearly perfect as well as the shadow colors - but the frosting looks too blue. Thank you to Dominique Eichi for reminding me about the challenge. I really enjoy doing it and it's fun to see how many different ways there are to interpret the same thing. It felt so good to paint again, to do a sort of traditional oil. I may do a couple more before I return to my abstract experiments.


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I May Not Be A Genius, But...
Nathalie Davis web site
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The Dog Stealer is Finished!

The Dog Stealer and The Traitor
48" x 60"
oil on canvas

Whew! I am finished, except for varnishing. I am so very grateful for digital cameras. I have such a hard time photographing these larger pieces, I would have spent a fortune in film if it weren't for digital. I carried this thing all over the house and out in the back yard - It is just hard to find a spot big enough with even lighting to get a good photo. This will have to do. Over all I am pretty happy with the painting. Glad it is finished. Now I want to really focus and immerse myself in the Joyful Joyful Project for a while.

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www.NathalieDavis.com
NathalieSDavis.blogspot.com

New Painting

Backlit Pear #0901
5" x 5"
Oil on hardboard

I love me a back lit pear - there is just something about the shadows and edges that I love. I wanted to brush up on my "basic" skills, so time to pull my favorite pear back out. This is just plain fun - but so is the experimenting.

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www.NathalieDavis.com
NathalieSDavis.blogspot.com

Working on The Dog Stealer

I am having intermittent internet service issues and our phone is totally dead - so I making things as short and fast as I can before it cuts out again -

YAY! I painted almost all day today - most of the day without even one single headache. I chose to rework the face of the dog stealer and while I still see problems it has reached the "good enough" stage for now. As a sicko perfectionist I have been training myself to stop at "good enough". While it really rubs me the wrong way, I will paint the same thing for ever until I think I have it "perfect enough." So I am happier with it now than I was - the photo isn't great because I have to hold the camera above my head, and try to hold it still to take the picture - but it is good enough to get the idea.

I included the photo that I am working from so you can see the problems too - LOL!


After it is all dry I may glaze the whole middle and right side of the face to darken it - the value contrast just isn't there the way it should be...but I will also need to see it in context with the rest of the finished painting too - maybe I can live with it - we will see...


Visit me here:
www.NathalieDavis.com
NathalieSDavis.blogspot.com