Adah and her Baby

This is Adah, the daughter of my niece, Lauren. She is holding a little doll in a blanket. Adah is very independent with her doll so I am glad that she needs help with the receiving blanket. I lost count of how many times that I wrapped the baby up but I remember that it was a joy each time! This is a "shout out" to Adah and her little baby doll! I have been asked if I would take portrait commissions on these small panels. I have been saying no simple because when I paint these small works at random, it is just to please myself and to practice new techniques and to improve my skills. I don't worry about capturing an accurate likeness which entails hours more work. Having been offered more money by a client, I reconsidered! I will start taking commission on 5.9cm square works. The cost for each small oil portrait is 350.00 US due to the additional time and effort that I will be putting in to achieve a strong likeness. Thank you!

Rock Crabs

One thing that I like about living in New Bedford is that the Portuguese grocery store often has live rock crabs. Years ago, my mother and I would buy them, cook them up and feast on them for lunch with some Portuguese bread and butter. It was a simple meal but it is still one of my favorites. The other day, James and I bought four of them and had them for lunch. What a treat! So, here is a rock crab fresh from Little Portugal for you!

This painting is available for bids starting at $150 US dollars. Offers may be made via e-mail.

First Attempt at Little Girl

Today I got to work a bit more on the big painting. I got more done on the little girl. I decided to paint her holding the pebble in her hand that she had picked up on the beach. She still needs a few more days of work but it is coming along a bit ahead of schedule so that makes me very happy.

Just a Peek

Just a peek of the face that I worked on today. I don't want to reveal too much as it goes along...just a glimpse here and there before the the whole work comes together. I have more pictures of what went on in the studio today on my other blog. Having company while I worked was nice!

Boy at Buttonwood Park

I saw this boy with his Mom and Dad and older brother trying out the new playground in Buttonwood Park. He liked to sit at the bottom of the slide. We played here as girls but there was a corkscrew style metal slide at the time.

This paiting is available for bids starting at $150 US dollars. Bids may be made via e-mail.

Much of the Background

I have not touched the members of the family yet so they are still very sketchy. I spent my time today working on the water and background. The small painting that I made a few weeks ago is a big help as a reference. I did change a few things. In the small work, the girl's arm is straight. I changed it to a bent arm so that it draws you back into the painting instead of just having a rectangle of blue ocean on the left side of the work. Also, in her hand in the large work, she will be holding a small beach stone that she picked up during the shooting.

Underpainting

Today I got the chance to cover nearly all of the canvas. I am blocking in where everything goes and trying to get the colors pretty accurate. After Christmas, I will continue to develop the painting and will keep you posted on the progress. The hours of good natural light are very short this time of year. When do the days start getting longer?

Starting on the Larger Work

I have changed the position of the father's head. Over the next few days I will try to cover the canvas with the general idea and then build it up into a complete painting over the next few weeks. Eventually, on my other blog, I will post more photos of the whole process so that you can see, step by step, what goes into making a larger portrait commission.


Here I am checking the proportions of the face and the bodies before I commit to using paint. It saves a lot of time to make sure the dimensions are right from the very beginning. I use an old pencil compass that my Dad used when he was in school. It must be at least 50 years old.