Living History Ramsey House

I exhibited at Ramsey House this weekend and had a wonderful time reconnecting with my friends from the Civil War re-enactment community.
Those guys (and gals) are dedicated! Braving 100 degree temperature to play soldier! But for most of them it goes beyond the fun and games, it is important to preserve our history and heritage through educating the public as to what our forefathers did. Tracing their family lines to either or both sides of the war between the states. Researching the paths their forefathers followed and battles fought and then passing that information on to the next generation is a way honoring their memory.
Roger Kelly, better known as "Butternut" served as my model and inspiration for the latest addition to my Heritage Series, "The Sharpshooter."

40th class reunion

Ok, so this isn't painting related, but I wanted to share it.
Where has time gone?!?! It certainly does not seem like it has been 40 years since 82 kids walked across the stage at North Greene High School to receive our diplomas. Times were simpler then. We were all country kids and had responsibilities of feeding the calves before going to school. We mowed lawns and hoed tobacco. We played ball and rode bikes everywhere. Doors were never locked and everyone knew everyone else. God forbid if you did something you weren't supposed to do, because the grapevine of communication notified your parents quicker than the speed of light.
The Class of 1969 celebrated Saturday night at Locust Springs Christian Retreat, a lovely and peaceful site just about a mile from our old stomping grounds. It was a lovely evening renewing friendships.

New Studio Works

Spring Day at Buffalo Trout Stream, 16x20 on Linen Canvas $800
Skip Jack, 16x20 on Linen Canvas. $800
Georgia Lake House, 16x20 on linen canvas. $800
Surfside Beach, 11x14 on linen canvas. $500

Just because I haven't posted, doesn't mean that I haven't been busy painting.
These were all done in the studio from photos. It is difficult to stay loose and find energy in the brush stroke, but I am trying.
Comments are welcome.

Grainger County Park 5-20-09

My granddaughter insisted we go to the park. That was a great idea as she could play and I could paint. Grainger County Park is small so I could easily keep my eye on her while I painted. As soon as I set my easel up I knew that the lady sitting on the park bench would be a great subject. She was there with her grand kids too. Soon her daughter joined her, so I had a nice composition of both Betty and Lori on the bench.

Jamie and Rusty, a lovely young couple were sitting in a swing. Ahha, my second study!! Too bad that they got up and left just as I completed the initial block in, so I had to rely on memory. She had on a green shirt, but I changed it to red to give some contrast and variety. Hey, isn't that what they mean by artistic license.

I had a man looking over my right shoulder and talking to me the entire time that I was painting the couple on the swing. Plein air painting does create interest!

Richland Mill

I had hoped to find dogwoods or redbuds in bloom at Richland Mill stream, but found lots of green leaves. Oh well, it still was a nice warm day and I was dressed in my hiking boots to ward off any snakes that might be in the area.

Carl's Dogwood

Who says you have to go far from home to paint. This dogwood with the lake in the background was done in my neighbors yard.

My Iris and Azaleas

These paintings were done in my yard. The flowers have been lovely this year.

Beach Paintins Continued

A couple more plein aire paintings done while at Surfside Beach, SC. The major brush fire in the area made for some colorful sunrizes.

Beach paintings

Oh wow, it has been a month since I've posted, but I am glad to say that I have been painting. We were at Surfside Beach, SC when I did this 8x10 oil from my hotel balcony.

Plein Air

Another foray into the world of plein air and a pretty feeble attempt. Battling the wind and other elements of nature keeps life interesting. Maybe, just maybe, you would guess it was an azalea, but I doubt it. I think it would have been easier done on a larger panel, but I tried to stay simple and use a big brush. Waaaaa, I want my tiny little brush! I'll be true to my goal and work through these exercises of landscape paintings that are small and looking to just the abstract shapes.
I will paint a bunch of these little exercises and I will get better.
7x5 Oil on Panel

Plein Air

The dogwoods have been beautiful this year. All of the spring blossoms have. But we have been blessed with a lot of rain. Matter of fact, it poured on me almost from the start on this little painting. Maybe, that is why it looks more like a Bradford Pear than a dogwood. Oh well, I'm still new at this plein air stuff!
If you like the little painting, it is only $50. Not a bad price considering I ran the risk getting of pneumonia!

Winter Hay

Today's landscape is from the photo files. I have plenty of farm scenes photos, but wanted to get on with painting this morning, so visited the image files at wetcanvas.com. I had intended to paint a summer hay bale, but really liked the winter scene. Note to self....get photos organized!!
I am taking a workshop with Roger Dale Brown later this week and thought I needed to brush up on some landscapes.
4-14-09 Original Oil "Winter Hay" 9x12 on canvas. Contact Marie to inquire about purchasing

Surf Side Seascape

I had planned to paint outside today, but the weather forecast was for rain. Being a wussy when it comes to braving the elements, I decided to paint a landscape from one of my photos.
The Artist's United Convention at Surf Side Beach, SC is in a couple of weeks and since I intend to do some plein air painting while there, this was a good exercise.


4-13-09 "Surf Side Beach" Original Oil 11"x14" To inquire about purchasing this or any other painting, contact Marie.

Yellow Tulips

I could call this painting a mulligan. They take mulligans in golf, don't they? Well, I took a mulligan on this painting. In other words, I did not count my first attempt. Thursday I set up the design and drew it on the canvas, but did not have time to start the painting. By the time I returned to my studio on Friday, the poor little tulips had drooped. They looked pitiful and the drawing no longer resembled the arrangement of flowers. I had no choice but to cut more flowers and redo the drawing. Oh well, I needed the practice!
Throughout the painting process, I was tempted to take another mulligan, but in golf they only allow one false start, so I struggled through the process. Whether it was due to taking several days off from my daily paining projects, or because of the challenge of the light yellow flowers in a very dark setting, I was sufficiently challenged. Whenever I struggle, which is normally with every painting, I do what I know to do... I remember the basics. That involves asking myself the usual questions....is the next color lighter or darker? Is it warmer or cooler? Is it brighter or duller? Is it more yellow, red, blue? Between finding the illusive answers to these questions, trying to paint the shapes of the light and dark patterns, and chasing the wilting flowers, I completed the painting of this bouquet today.
Golf's objective is to complete the round in the fewest strokes possible. When painting fresh flowers, the objective is to capture their essence before they expire. Both tasks take practice in order to master. I could go watch the best golfers in the world pay at the Master's, but instead, I better go practice my craft of painting. I do not mind admitting that I struggle with a painting. If it were easy, it would not be as much fun. Besides, several of those guys in Augusta are struggling with making that little white ball go where they want it to go. I bet they will be on the course this afternoon and again tomorrow when they are not playing, practicing their basics.

Daily Painting 4-11-09 "Yellow Tulips" Original Oil 14"x11"
Contact Marie to inquire about purchasing this or any of the other paintings.

Clarissa's Carnations

Friday evening I spoke to the Rutledge, TN General Federation of W oman's Club about my art. Since no one died during the meeting, I think it is safe to assume that I did not bore them to death. Several of these gracious ladies have collected my paintings or prints for years, for which I am appreciative.
I showed several of my early paintings, even the first one I ever did in 1991. That simple little stroke work wooden heart shows me how far I have come, but it also reminds me how much more I have to learn.
Clarissa Ellis entertained the group with her singing and piano playing. Talk about talent!! Not only can she sing and play, she is one of the premier floral designers in the United States. She shared a bouquet of red carnations with us. I hope you enjoy my interpretation in oil of these lovely flowers. It was fun to paint!

Clarissa' Carnations, Oringinal Oil on panel, 4x6

Daffodils & Grapes

These hardy daffodils have held up well under the spot light for three days. After doing the painting of the little cream pitcher with the flowers from my yard, I decided to continue with the theme and do a larger work. Green grapes added balance and variety to the composition, yet remained harmonious. All of this provided a challenge. I started yesterday and thought the painting fairy would visit while I slept and work her magic. Apparently she forgot where I lived because the painting needed a LOT of work today.

I find the color yellow the most difficult hue to work with. First of all, it is very light and the only way to lighten is to add white. With other colors, white is the last paint I reach for as I normally work up the value scale as I work up the chroma scale. This way I am warming the hue and lightening it at the same time. Adding any other hue to yellow, immediately places it in another color family. That is not a problem when darkening yellow, as the darker value will be cooler, therefore greener, &/or duller therefore the complimentary violet. But what do you do to lighten yellow? White is the only option, or is it?

Generally I work with a very limited four color palette, White, Cad Yellow Light, Alizerine Crimson and Ultra Blue. Today, I added Cadmium Yellow. This is a "warmer" and slightly darker yellow than the "cooler" Cad Yellow Light. Using the two yellows provided the extra I needed to have variety in this predominately yellow painting.

As Helen Van Wyk, a fabulous artist and teacher, used to say, "perhaps tomorrow, I'll teach how to make spaghetti sauce". Perhaps tomorrow, I'll paint the fixings for spaghettie sauce. At least they aren't yellow!! Besides, the little heads on the daffs are beginning to droop.

"Daffodils and Green Grapes", Original Oil 14x11
Contact Marie Merritt to purchase this or any of her other paintings. http://www.mariemerritt.com

Daffodils

The daffodils are blooming in East Tennessee! That is a sure sign that spring has arrived. Oh, I'm not naive enough to think that we won't have more cold weather, but it brightens my day to know that winter is almost history.
This set up was different from what I normally gravitate towards. It used the complimentary color scheme of yellow and violet, which is not the easiest to handle, nor one of my favorites. Generally I prefer red/green or blue/orange and in a low key (darker values). In addition, daffodils are a bugger to paint. All of those blasted ruffles!! I never was a frilly, girly girl. So why did I chose this set up? Who knows! But I liked it and tomorrow I will do a larger variation.
By the time I finish it, I may be a real prima donna or ready for the looney bin. If it is the latter, I hope they have tulips there....preferably red.

Yellow Daffodils 10x8 Original Oil on Stretched Canvas.
To inquire about purchasing this or other paintings, contact Marie Merritt at mbmerritt@frontiernet.net Web site http://www.mariemerritt.com

Grand daughter Tori's painting

My 4 year old grand daughter, Tori, loves to paint. She patiently sits at my easel and palette, carefully chooses her colors, decides if she wants thick or thin texture and boldly places the paint on the canvas. I could take a few lessons from her to be more decisive in my paint application and avoid the overwhelming desire to blend!

Oriental Cupie Doll

I bought this cute little Oriental cupie doll when my sister and I visited New York City's China Town in the early 1980's. Painting it brought back pleasant memories.
The challenge was to see the shapes of each value, mix the paint and place it in minimal strokes. Painting a low key design on a white canvas panel requires the use of juicier and thicker paint to fill the tooth of the canvas. It forced me to use more paint than I normally would. This is a good practice, as I've been known to stretch paint, like I stretch pennies.

Please disregard the glare on the painting. I'll get a better photo when the paint dries.

"Oriental Cupie Doll", Original Oil, Daily Painting from Life, 6x4.
Contact the artist for purchase information.

plein aire landscape

I painted this on location at Cherokee Dam in Jefferson County, Tennessee last fall. I thought if I posted it on my blog I would be encourage to venture outside to paint. Today was beautiful and sunny, but it was cold and windy. Given the fact that I am a "fair weather" painter, I opted for the studio. If it is too cold, too hot, or too windy, this old girl is staying inside. Since we are going to Hilton Head soon, I'll keep my fingers crossed for good painting weather.

"View from Cherokee Dam" Plein Aire Original Oil, 5x7
Contact the artist for purchase information

Dogwoods

The weather here in East Tennessee yesterday was a balmy 70 degrees, which is perfect weather for getting a bad case of "spring fever." Today, it is ideal for ducks.....rain, rain and more rain. I'm not complaining as February showers will bring March flowers, or perhaps an early onset of Dogwood blossoms.

These paintings were done from photos taken a few years ago when my dogwoods had huge, gorgeous blossoms. Painted in oils on 5x7 inch panels, the blooms are close to life size and while they were done from photos, I believe I captured the feeling of being done from life.

That brings up the question as to what is the difference in a painting from life and one done from a photo reference. My answer today is the feeling of spontaneity and emotion that comes from the excitement of the actual senses of that moment in time. In this case, the wonder of the huge beautiful blooms that only GOD could make, the fresh smell of spring, and the sense of new beginnings. Even though I used a photograph for inspiration, I concentrated more on capturing the essence, the spirit of the subject, rather than slavishly reproducing every detail. It is these new beginnings that I'm seeking in my art.

As soon as the paintings dry, I will frame and take to the Art Market Gallery in Knoxville for sale during the Dogwood Arts Festival.

Twin Dogwood Blossoms, 5x7, oil on panel.
Single Dogwood Blossom, 5x7 oil on panel.

Contact Marie Merritt for available works or prints. Web site: http://www.mariemerritt.com

Tropical Fruit

Monday I spoke to John Beckwith's drawing class at the Senior Center in Rutledge, TN. We explored how light affects various forms and textures.

A compostionof a pear, grapefruit and banana was set up for the students to draw. They all did a great job! Some in the class would be great miniature artists as they do like to draw small.

When I got home I decided what was good for those students was also good for the teacher; therefore, I repeated the set up in my studio and painted it this morning. I enjoyed the challenge of the yellow-green analogous color scheme.

3 Servings of Fruit, 8x10 panel, oil. Available for sale, contact the artist.

Egg Study

"The incredible, edible egg", is a good source of protein and a subject worthy of painting. This little study was done for a lecture on observation and creating the illusion of form.

Learning to see value changes on an object is paramount to creating realistic art. All subjects are basically one of 4 shapes: sphere, cylinder, cone or cube, or they are a combination of two or more. While there are certain "formulas" one can learn as to where the highlight, light, dark, core dark, and reflected light will be, nothing replaces observation from life.

Eggs are a good study, since they are basically a sphere. The white shell, under strong light, produces a nice, easily recognized shadow pattern with a clear separation from the lit and the shadow side. The highlight is not strong, due to the matt texture of the shell, plus there is a nice little bonus of pass through light on this semi-opaque object.

The more that I paint from life, the more that I see. The more I see, the better I understand. Hopefully, this understanding will improve my artistic skills.

Eureka, I SEE that pass through light on that egg!

Self Portrait Sketch

I didn't get a chance to paint on Thursday so my daily project was this self portrait. It was bedtime, but I wanted to do some art work so I decided to do a sketch of my eyes. I did one, then the other. Why not add the nose and then the mouth! Oh, and then those horrible droopy jowls. My intention was just to do the eyes, but one thing led to another. Unfortunately, I had started at the top of the page and therefore cut off the top of my head.

When I looked at the drawing, I realized the eyes were much too large. I have squinty little eyes.

I had to open my eyes wide to see. The light was dim and the antique hand mirror was unclear. Besides, opening my eyes wider lifted the sagging eye lids. At least that is the excuse I'm using for getting my eyes out of proportion.

I could say it is time for plastic surgery, but I'm too cheap and do not like pain, so I'll just deal with the forces of gravity.

I showed this 45 minute sketch to my Dad the next morning. He said, "the eyes are too large, your nose is too crooked, and the peak of the lips is too high." Yep, he hit it dead on.
Daddy has always been honest. The first time he saw me after I was born, his comment to Momma was, "Lord, Frances! What did we do to deserve such an ugly baby?"
I've never let him live that comment down. It could have given me a major complex in life, but he was just telling it like it was. Momma had a long labor and apparently I was pretty red and had a smushed face. But then, I quickly turned into a "beautiful little baby girl"....the apple of my Daddy's eye.
I was and still am blessed to have such wonderful, loving and supporting parents.

Rottten Orange

Well, at least that is what I thought the painting looked like. My objective was to paint the orange in 50 strokes. I had fun with the apple and thought the mandarin orange would be too.
I confess that I scraped off the first attempt. It I want to sound artsy, I should say that I used the ebouche technique. That is a french term for scraping off a layer of paint.
I then repainted the orange within the self prescribed limit of strokes. The complimentary blue/orange color scheme, yielded a rotten appearance in the shadow area. Perhaps, I should have ebouched again. Instead, I ate the orange. It tasted much better than the painting looks.
Mandarin Orange 2-18-09 4x6 Oil on panel

Squatty Old Coffee Cup

Even simple objects present their own challenges. Today's squatty old coffee cup was about identifying and painting the dark vivid blue hue. It was easier to see the relationship of warm and cool hues since I placed the cup on a complimentary (orange) wooden shelf.
I matched the hues and values on the cup and table top fairly accurately on the first attempt, but that white cloth was a different story. Who would have thought it was that dark!

The handy, dandy, little color checker that I purchased from Mark Carder author of the Carder Method, is a marvelous little gadget for checking values and hues. It is one of those things that is sooooo simple, you have to ask yourself, "why didn't I think of that".

The color checker isolates an area in your still life set up and compares the paint you have mixed to it. You can readily see if the mix needs to be darker, lighter, warmer, cooler, duller or more intense. The paint I mixed for the fabric was off 3 values on my first attempt! Had I painted it that light in value, it would have dominated the painting. The cloth was all in shadow, except for a tiny little bit. Shadows are dark, even on white objects. It just goes to show, you can not always trust what the mind is telling you.

Squatty Old Coffee Cup 5x7 Oil

Figurative from Photo

Yes, yes, I know! I said all of the paintings posted on this blog would be from life, but I could not resist this one. Sunday afternoon was a lazy sort of day and this photo from Wink Magazine screamed , "paint me, paint me." I heeded the call.

The photo accompanied an article by Denise Williams on "Simple Skin Secrets". It was probably a stock photo from Metro.

My mission was not to avoid the sun, cigs and stress the article talked about, rather it was to avoid the 9 million strokes I would normally take while stressing over a figurative painting. I resolved to think about each stroke and do it in as few as possible. I did not count them, but felt that I was reasonably successful.
Actually, it was relaxing not stressing over all that blending. I didn't need a cigarette after all. Not that I ever would have anyhow. I've never smoked!

I think I'll call it "All Wrapped Up", 7x5 Oil

Cone in Color

It is raining and dreary out, so today I must have color.
The past few days, I've worked in a black and white setting and attempted to accurately capture the proper value. Value is the most important art principle in creating the illusion of a three dimensional object on a two dimensional surface.
I have used a Liquetex Value Finder to check my observation. It is a value range from black to white with white being value 10 and black value 1. Incremental value changes of gray range between 2-9. I can usually guess the value fairly close, within a value or 2, but often the backgrounds can be tricky.
My ability to be reasonably accurate probably comes from my decorative painting background. There I would mix a value scale of for all of the objects in the painting, starting with low dark progressively getting lighter to high light.
An object has to have a minimum of three values to convey form, otherwise it appears flat. The larger the object and the closer to the focal area, it may have 9 values or more.
Working in shades of gray is one thing. Add hue (color) into the mix, and the artist has one more ball to juggle. Maybe even two or three more balls. Because with color, enters not just value, but saturation of color.
All of that can be future blog entries, but for today, my simple cone surrounded by a dusty pink cloth for table top and same color matt for background. Finally, I was able to see some hues in the white cone of thread. Pinks and blues entered the mix to be able to help create the illusion of dimension . Warmer and cooler colors, advancing and receeding.
Whether I did any better on perspective on this study remains to be seen, ( I still missed it!) but at least it was fun to show some color.
Next week.....more simple studies and week two drawing lessons following "The Natural Way to Draw" by Kimon Nicolaides.

Cone Value Study

After tackling the cube and realizing how much study I needed in perspective of basic forms, I searched my stash of stuff for a white cone. Viola, a cone of white thread. I stayed with the black background and surface and a single light source.
John will ridicule me to no end for how poorly I did on perspective on this simple object. I got the front ok, but sure missed it on the bottom. I did not realize how badly I missed it, until I took the photo and viewed it on the computer screen. That action took it from the subjective to the objective. Now, I can objectively see the bottom needed to be much rounder. While painting the cone of thread, I was so caught up in trying to get the values accurate (or at least close) that I just missed the drawing. Lesson learned!! Check, check and recheck.
Carpenters, know this from experience. Measure twice, cut once.
Well, this little painting will never make it to the Louve. But, even the great masters had some major flubs. Don't laugh, one day, if I live long enough, you can say....I knew Marie when....
Have a blessed day and trust in GOD.

Great Works, NOT!

If you visit this blog expecting to see great works, please look elsewhere. What you will find is an honest accounting of my trials and tribulations of attempting to improve my skills. I have to admit this experience is a lesson in humility for me. The challenge of putting that simple (yes, very elementary) still life object up and drawing it from sight is huge. Oh, I've done several paintings from life, but I've learned that when there is more "stuff" in a painting, the viewer (and even the artist) will only focus on one area (hopefully) the focal area. If you get the most contrast of values and most saturation of hue there, the viewer's eye will not linger in any of the other areas. Besides, if there are flowers, or cloth covering the eclipse, you can be off. However, when it is a simple thing like a cube or cone, you better git it right.
These practice sessions, should improve my observation skills and eye/hand coordination, so that when I do serious work, be it a landscape, still life or portrait, I will be able to accurately capture the scene.
My buddy John will justifiably chastise me for missing the perspective in this cube. It is strange that when I did quick sketches on paper, it looked right and came easy. Then when I switched to canvas and paint, the ability drained off the end of the brush and back into the turp jar.
Anyhow, this was a good learning experience working in black. Everything in the setup was black. The perfume bottle was highly reflective black glass. The shadow box and table top were black matt board. A 20 watt 5K bulb (color corrected) lit the subject. The only hint of hue was the red design on the bottle and a red board I set up to the right of the shadow box in order to get a pattern of color repetition. Plus I signed it in Bob Ross Red.
I personally dislike seeing artist's signatures stand out on paintings, but that is just my opinion. As you know, opions are like mouths, we all have one. Sometimes they are best kept to one's self.
Many fine artists sign their works in red. Who knows, perhaps when I've painted 50 or 500 small studies like these and get more confident and painterly in my works, I too will sign in red. After all, I'm like Erma Bombeck said....I'm old, so I can wear red, or something to that effect. Maybe that philosophy in life, applies to art too.
Anyhow, happy painting.

Low Key Study Tuxedo Bottle

Drawing challenge for today was gesture and some contour drawing. I watched tv for the gestures. Little did I realize how short a pose is on tv. It really forced me to get the gesture or the movement down quickly. I also realized that I can't draw and watch tv at the same time. I don't have a clue as to what the movie was about, but I'm certain that my time was more productive drawing rather than watching.
My daily painting challenge was a low key, black object without using any black paint. First mistake.... too purple. I need to work on mixing my grays. Funny that wasn't a problem on the cosmetic jar. Oh, I just remembered, I had Burnt Umber on my palette for that and today, I only had Ultramarine Blue, Aliz Crimson, Cad Yellow Light and White.
Tomorrow, I will repeat the same set up, add the BU to the palette, and strive for 50 strokes. I need to remember to think stroke direction.
Why is it that I "know" these things, but when my brain is focusing on one thing, it forgets everything else. I suppose that is the differece in a painter and an artist. But that is what I'm doing all of this for.....to be a better artist.

Apple in 50 strokes

OK, so it took me 62! A self proclaimed blending queen, setting a goal of using minimal strokes was fun yet challenging andthought provoking. My ground rules: the drawing didn't count against stroke total. No wiping off. Use 50 strokes or less.
I knew I was in trouble, when I had used 28 in the shade area. Ooops! Each stroke counts. Watch those double dabbs.....that's two. No mulligans. That only works for golf. No blending!!!! Put the stroke on and leave it. No blending!!! If the value, hue, or saturation was wrong, it could be painted over, but that was another stroke.
I didn't finish in 50, but was rather satisfied with my 62. Much better than the 9 million it would normally take. The apple is the same as the one I painted Saturday. I think I like this one better.
I'll try this again and again. It will make me more aware of what I'm doing, plus make my work more "painterly."
The morning was spent doing drawing exercises. All contour drawings. It was obvious that I wasn't cheating by sneeking a peek at the paper. No one would have guessedwhat I was looking at as reference. By the end of 3 hours, the drawing began to resempble (somewhat) what I was observing.
I did learn that my arm was out of shape. It got tired!!

Feb 8

I am "sending myself back to school". No it is not school in the physical sense, instead it is focused self study and daily practice. My goal is to take my art to the next level. Due to being involved in our family business I have been away from my art for several months.
Now that I am able to get back in the swing of things, it is the right time to explore, experiment and practice.

My plan is to spend 4 hours per day studying and painting. My stash of art books puts most libraries to shame as I have done my part through the years to stimulate the art instruction economy. That source plus information on the web, should give me plenty of information. I might even get out the notes from various seminars I've taken or watch one of the many art instruction videos I own.

Most, if not all of the works shown on this blog will be done from life. Having been a slave to photo references for many years, painting from life gets me out of my comfort zone. Regardless of whether it is good, bad or ugly, I will post the day's efforts and a word or two about what I learned.
This act of posting all works, should spur me to constantly improve. Let's hope so!!! I hate to embarrass myself! From what I read and have experienced in the past, when trying new things one can expect to get worse before they get better. That is part of the learning curve. I sure hope it works!!

So with that in mind..... my two pieces from yesterday and one today.
Saturday's work Apple and Cosmetic Jar. It was so bad, I decided to repeat today. Apparently I didn't improve much, as they both are equally bad!

I tend to be very chintzy when it comes to applying paint. That stems from my training as a decorative artist. I'm striving to improve, but canvas grain showson both of the cosmetic jars. Even if they were done on cheap canvas boards, that is no excuse. USE MORE PAINT!!