Prints now available on Canvas!

I often get asked for some of my post popular prints on Canvas, or larger than what I can produce in my home studio.  After asking around and getting great feedback from my fellow artists, I have decided to offer Prints on canvas, paper, and greeting cards thru Fine Art America.

"The Center Ring" available on Fine Art America

I have started with a few images but will be adding more every day.  If you don't see your favorite - please let me know! I'll be happy to add it.

I hope you can check out my shop - which you can also access on my Facebook page.

"Concealed" available on Fine Art America

I still offer beautiful 8 1/2" x 11" and 13" x 19" Archival Prints (signed by me) thru my Fine Art on Etsy shop.

And I'm always here is you need a custom painting or print size - thanks!

Art Print Block! Petite Artful Accents

I am so excited to offer a selection of Fine Art Prints mounted to ready-to-hang blocks in my Fine Art on Etsy shop!  There is only one of each available at this time, so don't wait...

"Pensive" Art Block

(I hope to make more in the future!)

"The Center Ring"

See the whole art block selection!

New colourful watercolor portraits of sisters!

A couple of cute custom watercolor portraits sent out recently...

Custom Portraits are leaving the studio

It's been a busy month full of portrait work!  I usually enjoy sharing progress on my blog...but some of these were surprises and I didn't want to take any chances posting them too early.

At the beginning of the month I had a line up of portraits in progress....

A couple pieces have still remain, but this portrait of a lovely older couple has been delivered to the UK.

And just yesterday the husband surprised his wife by bringing her to my studio for the big reveal of their family portrait

It was entertaining to watch her wandering around my studio with the look of "why is my husband taking me to a gallery full of nudes?" to "oh my gosh that's US!"  

A fun day for me :)

Start your own Mini Art Gallery right on your fridge!

I have just listed my first Art Magnet in my Fine Art on Etsy shop!  "Grace and Light" is a beautiful 2" x 3" lightweight and flexible magnet that has been professionally printed to capture all the colors of the original drawing.  Limited quantities are available!  Enjoy :)

Art Magnet - Ballerina in Striped Tights - "Grace and Light"

Time in the studio: a precious commodity!

Did you ever have one of those weeks where it seems EVERYTHING is plotting against you?  I have so many drawings and paintings and commissions and projects I want to work on in the studio!  The longer the list, the more of life's interruptions seem to get in the way.

But this morning I made the most of the 140 minutes I had between dropping my daughter off and picking her up!  I was working on a special request - a female figure, back view, a little drapery, soft palette...

It's coming along nicely!  Destined for a bathroom wall.  The pose was even based on how you enter the room, and what direction the client wanted the model to face.  (And I am so lucky to work with amazing models who allow me pose them!)

And this drawing of the model wearing the tutu with striped socks I started last week has been SCREAMING for my attention!  I had to work on it for a little while.  Other than finishing her hand and maybe paying a little attention to the background, I think she's done.  A fellow artist looked at it on the night I started and said "oh...you are never going to want to sell that!" and at first I thought "Sure I will!"  But now...I may have to live with it for a while :) I love it!

Pastel Portrait of a Little Girl in the Garden - a WIP

I'm really excited about the progress I am making on my daughter's portrait in Nupastel.  I'm getting into the details, such as the flowers on her dress and the wisps of hair that frame her face.  One thing I do have to resolve is what she's holding in her had - in the photo she was holding a barbie, but all you could see was a bit of dress and one arm sticking out - kind of awkward looking, so I need to insert a new toy!

(I found a GORGEOUS custom frame at Hobby Lobby that is the exact size of the paper - 19" x 27" - marked down 75% off.  I took that as a sign that I needed to finish this portrait!)

Custom Portrait - at the beginning...

Just a quick peek at my latest custom portrait.  The client wants a very painterly approach, large, loose brushstrokes and bright colors.   She has a portrait of her older son by a very talented artist who has passed away, and our goal is to make both portraits, while completed by two different artists, work together when finished.

I'll post more photos, including the inspiration, soon!

Custom Portraits for Christmas! Now is the time to order the Perfect Gift for Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Spouses, etc!

Christmas is only....73 days away!  Now is the time to order Custom Portraits for Holiday Gift Giving.

A perfect, unique gift for Mom...how about turning one of your cherished family photos into a beautiful painting?

Your Grandparents would love a classic, beautiful portrait of a precious moment between them and their grandchildren.  Capture the moment of a summer vacation or a Holiday gathering in a gorgeous pastel drawing.

Is there a pet lover on your gift list?  A drawing or painting of a cherished pet is an incredible gift idea! 

These are just a few examples of the hundreds of Custom Portraits that I have created in Oils, Acrylic, Watercolor, Pastel, and Charcoal over the last decade.  You can view more custom portrait samples in my Fine Art on Etsy shop.

Most portraits take 4 weeks to create, so start planning now!  I can accommodate a limited number of orders between now and Christmas.

Questions? Contact me at 1-773-236-7278 (773-2-FOR ART)

Don't forget - follow me on Facebook and Twitter to keep up-to-date on Promotions and Sales during the Holiday Season.

The Perfect Anniversary Gift. A Beautiful, Sexy Boudoir Portrait.

Let me tell you...I am surrounded by beautiful women in my life.  And I am not implying that I know a bunch of skinny supermodels.  I'm saying that I have the most generous, warm spirited, kind, funny, intelligent, loving and supportive women around me.  From my Bunco Babes to my Zumba Crew, to those I haven't even met but support me on-line thru kind e-mails and blog comments, to collectors of my Art, I am surrounded by beautiful women.

I believe that every woman should have the experience of feeling Beautiful and Sexy.  I love when I get to work with someone new for a live modeling session.  My goal is to make them feel comfortable in their own skin, to embrace their curves and their innate sensuality.  Every woman I have worked with has said "Everyone should do this at least once!"

Just this week I drew a good friend who wanted a Boudoir Portrait for her husband.  They are celebrating their 22nd Wedding Anniversary (yay! congrats!) and thought this would be a great gift.  We got together and discussed her ideas, poses, colors, where the drawing was going to hang, etc.  After deciding on a paper and settling into a comfortable pose, we got to work!

This pastel drawing is on a dark brown piece of Colorfix paper.  The dark brown was an interesting choice - it didn't say "feminine" at first, but when I layered the turquoise and warm oranges, purples and greens, it all worked beautifully on that color.  The moment feels intimate and warm.

Listening to music and chatting about our families, our session lasted about an hour and a half.  Other than a few minor adjustments I made afterwards, the drawing was complete!  And I was so honored that my friend trusted me with this beautiful gift, and that we got to share that time together.  And I thank her, too, for giving me permission to share her beauty with you!

My latest pastel portrait commission - step by step video

I realy enjoy putting these videos together.  I've gotten in the habit of taking pictures every time I add a new color or layer to a portrait drawing.  It's exciting to see a blank piece of paper transform into a beautiful drawing!

You can see more of my Pastel Portrait Videos on youtube and more samples of my Custom Portrait work in my Fine Art on Etsy shop.

Custom Watercolor Portrait of Mother and Child. Just finished!

I have just finished this portrait!  It is painted with watercolor on Aquaboard, 9" x 12".  The last couple of things I had to work on were the mother's profile and the blanket on her lap.

I had re-worked her profile several times, not fully satisfied with the results.  Finally, I turned both pictures sideways, and that new perspective allowed me to figure out exactly what adjustments needed to be made!  That technique worked so well, I used it again later that day when I was finishing up another drawing (I'll post that one later!)

This is the painting right before I darkened the blanket.  My eye was not staying in the middle, where I wanted the focus to be - on mother and child.  It kind of fell right off her lap!  I like it much better now that I added layers of sap green, umber and a little purple (in the top photo)

You can see more of my Custom Portrait Samples in my Fine Art on Etsy shop!

Blog2Print - Have you tried it? I did!

A few months back I noticed an ad for "Blog2Print" and thought -"AWESOME! I need to do that!"  I had just ordered a book from Snapfish for my husband for Christmas that had a bunch of pictures from our Anniversary trip to Rome.  While I was please with the book, I didn't put all of the pictures in, nor did I include as much information as I had put on my blog where I had already posted a day-by-day diary/recap of our trip.

(on the left is my hard cover Snapfish book, on the right is the soft cover Blog2Print book)

David had mentioned that we should really try and print out my blog since I had included such a great, detailed re-cap of our trip.  But I couldn't figure out HOW to do it!  Until Blog2Print came along.

Now, the first time I tried it, I never actually ordered a book.  You had to upload a "range" of posts by date.  So, when I put in my dates from the first Italy entry to the last, unfortunatly there was one entry that didn't belong.  I couldn't figure out how to eliminate just one post.

Then, about a month ago, Blog2Print sent out a notice that they had added NEW features - including the ability to selectively delete posts! Awesome! Now I could JUST print out the Italy entries.

(inside the Snapfish book, I mostly included pictures.  Blog2Print I imported photos AND text!)

Building the book was super easy.  I just enterred the name of my blog, selected the date range I wanted to print, eliminated specific posts, selected a title, a dedication page, and images for the front.  My only issue was the fact that I couldn't figure out how to change the image on the back cover.

I ordered my book and it arrived SUPER fast!  I am so glad that David and I now have this wonderful momento of our trip.

I am looking forward to trying out Blog2Prints other features.  I'd love to print out my blog entries by subject - drawing in pastel, paintings in progress, drawing techniques, etc.  I would also like to play with how the book is organized when it is printed - changing the size of the photos, making sure the correct text lines up with the correct photo, etc.

I can imagine that families who have a blog would LOVE to be able to produce a book each year, or an author would love a book of their blog, or a recipe blog would be a FABULOUS book in print!

Have fun making your book!

Charcoal Drawing from a Photograph. New Commission work in progress!

A quick update before I head back into the studio!  I'm working on a great project right now, a vision that one of my client's had in mind.  She really liked the pose from this watercolor of the female nude...

But liked the drawing style from one of my classic female nudes

So I pulled both of those together!  I staged a model in a similar pose, taking a bunch of reference photos and piecing together the exact look I wanted.

Then, I worked on a piece of watercolor paper that is mounted to foam core (gives a lot of stability to the paper) starting with vine charcoal and an eraser to block in the largest shapes and values.  The surface is 16" x 24".

Using a wet brush, and just clear water, I washed a few areas of charcoal where I wanted the lines to be softer and the values more subtle.  Once that dried, I went back in with a soft charcoal pencil and started pushing my values further.

I am still working on this piece - Making sure that the values are all accurate and everything is correct in scale.  Right now, seeing it on screen, the shoulder on our left is too dramatic - even though it is close to the light source, and even in my reference photo the lighting is quite dramatic at that point, it is "jumping out" too much. 

I think I also might push the value a little darker of the cast shadow from the model's legs to the wall...it's an important element. Even though the legs are probably the focal point, I did not place them in the top center of the page - I had to take note of the whole "L" shape of the model, placing the whole figure towards the left side of the page.  I think the stronger cast shadow would help balance the piece.

Any thoughts as I continue?

I am always open to discussing your visions, as well and would love to work on a project for you! Please contact me any time thru my Etsy shop or my Art Page on Facebook.

Custom Watercolor Portrait from a photograph. Commission work in progress.

I am in one of those happy-busy places right now...so many great projects to work on I can hardly pick what to draw when I finally find myself with some time in the studio!

This is a portrait commission that I just began a couple days ago.  The client sent this precious photo of mother and child.  The only problem was that some of the information was missing - the top of the head and the side of the arm, which they indicated thru a line drawing. 

Working on a 9" x 12" aquaboard, I lightly sketched the two figures using a soft purple watercolor paencil.

I slowly added washes of color to define the major shapes and shadows, also allowing some of these shapes to overlap - such as the dark shadows in the hair, where the edges are lost in the photograph as well.

I am really liking the amount of flexibilty I have with the Aquaboard.  I am able to "erase" a dry area with a little water and a stiff brush - such as the highlight on the baby's profile.

There are a few challenges that I am working on.  One is the minimal amount of information in the mother's face - just the tip of the nose and a little bit of the chin.  The other is the strong cast shadow that was created by the flash when the photo was shot.  I want to minimize the dark shadow line on the figures, while still giving them shape.

I am very pleased with all of the color I picked up in her hair and look forward to bringing more color into her shirt...white drapery can have so many wonderful colors in the folds!

And of course, finding time to paint isn't always easy! That afternoon my son Jack was right next to me, trying out every one of my watercolor pencils.  (Note to self: close pantry door BEFORE taking photos!)

You can see more of my Custom Portrait samples in my Fine Art on Etsy shop!

My "Guarded" painting on a poetry book cover

A few months back I told you about a chance encounter on Twitter between myself and a very talented poet in Italy.  Just recently I recieved a copy of Laura Mercurio Ebohon's book, "If I look Inside".  It was a surreal moment to hold it in my hands, to see one of my favorite paintings reproduced on the cover.

But the experience only became richer as I opened the book and started to read her words and absorb her true talent.  I admit, I never sought out poetry, I don't have a favorite poet or read poetry in my leisure.  Her poetry, however, her words and phrases are so meaningful and raw and speak to me in so many ways.  I conected with it in a way I never had with poetry before.

(I hesitate to quote any poems here, I feel that Laura should do that.)

Well I was GOING to try and post a picture of myself reading the book...but there were many flaws in that plan.  The major one being my 5 yr old who insisted on touching my camera every time I set the timer and walked away...so why fight it? I just let him be my model :) 

I think he is a better model anyway :)

If you are interested in learning more about Laura's poetry, I hope you check out her website.  If you are interested in purchasing her wonderful book, you can find it below.  The poems are written in Italian and English.

Book available at http://www.deastore.com/


www.ibs.it and all Italian Book stores distributed by Mursia

Or by email: ordini@ilfiloonline.it
 
If you are interested in a print of the cover art, "Guarded", you can find it in my Fine Art on Etsy shop.

Latest Portrait Commission - Grandpa for Father's Day

Just mailed out a custom portrait commission for Father's Day. This is the client's Grandfather, who passed away many years ago. It is a gift for her father - isn't that wonderful?

This is a charcoal drawing on cream drawing paper. While the approach is pretty traditional, I also wanted to have a loose quality to the drawing, and used a cross-hatching technique for shading and defining the space.

Drawing glasses can also be a challenge. The distortion of the features, the reflections, the frames, can all look cartoonish if drawn in a different approach than the rest of the face. But I love a challenge and I am very happy with the result. I feel that the eyes are the focus of the portrait.

View more of my custom portrait samples in my Etsy shop.

Custom Portrait Update

As the rain keeps coming down in GA, Jack and I worked a bit in the studio today. Here is a recent commission I have been working on. It is for a father's day gift - I think it will be a big hit! It is charcoal on cream drawing paper.

Jack was hard at work next to me - my little abstract artist...You can see more custom portrait samples in my Etsy shop.

A quick update...working on a new custom pastel portrait commission

I have just a few minutes to post some progress pictures on a new pastel portrait - then I have to rescue the 2 yr old who will be awake any minute and hopefully mow the lawn before GA gets MORE rain! (Not complaining - the lawn is nice and green!)

Feel free to leave feedback - it's definitly a work in progress! I started with a little bit of watercolor on colorfix paper and then switched to pastels...I still have lots more to do!