I'm committing to a new painting every month for 2021!
Speedpainting videos on YouTube!
Raven: #1
Joyous Flight: #2
Death Goddess: #3
Amarylis: #4
Worldcat: #5
Mermay-2021: #5.5
Man O'War: #6
Summer Sunrise: #7
Mother's Portrait: #8
Nighttime: #9
Exit: #10
Still Life: #11
Wildflower: #12
"Raven" - #1 I had not painted for a while, so I started the year off with elements that really meant something to me or that I really enjoyed painting. I'm fascinated by ravens. They are highly intelligent creatures and and have mystical connections in some cultures.
"Joyous Flight" - #2 A playful scene of two Pegasi stretching their wings in a pastel cloudscape. I don't normally paint with such a light and pastel palette. And I also decided to use unusual poses for the Pegasi.
"Death Goddess" - #3 I was inspired by artists on YouTube to make a beautiful yet creepy goddess of death. I also love to paint flowing fabric, so that was a must for this painting!
"Amaryllis" - #4 My mother and grandmother are both artists and I have paintings of flowers by both women. I thought it time for me to finally make something to join the collection.
"Worldcat" - #5 I have a really lovely photo of my cat Caravaggio (Gio for short) and I rarely use my pets as subject matter. Since cats are kings of their world, I thought I would be fun to make Gio riding a world turtle.
"Mermay-2021" - #5.5 This was an unplanned addition to the series. The last weekend of May, I discovered artists creating mermaids for Mermay.
"Man O'War" - #6 I seemed to be in a watery kind of mood. It's not often that I start with the background and not the subject! The man o'war jellyfish is unique in that it sails on top of the water, trailing long tentacles beneath.
"Summer Sunrise" - #7 I wanted to do something appropriate for the season, a season I admittedly do not have a great fondness for. Based on my own photos of the sunrise, one of which was taken during the wildfires of 2020 that surrounded Antelope Valley, CA. Finding the beauty regardless.
"Mother's Portrait - In the style of the Dutch Masters" - #8 I wanted to do a portrait, but not just any old portrait. My mother has always been a great model for me, but I have never actually painted her portrait. And what better way to make it interesting than to find inspiration from the 17th century Dutch Golden Age portraiture.
"Nighttime" - #9 Continuing on with finding subjects I having painted before made me decide to do a moonlit forest. I was inspired by a foggy night photograph. We look out into the forest from the point of view with an owl. It was interesting that I had to remind myself that could paint the trees more loosely and still have a good sense of reality.
"Exit" - #10 What else do I not normally paint? Architecture. I went through my photos and found one where my mom and I had visited The Japanese Garden in Van Nuys, CA. This building is the administration building of the "Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant", which is widely considered the finest work of architect Anthony J. Lumsden.
"Still Life" - #11 Still lifes are another topic I don't paint, so why not try it? I had photographed this centerpiece on my dining room table one morning as the light streamed in. It made a great photo, but I like it even more as a painting!
"Wildflower" - #12 The last painting of the year. This was from a photograph I took. I really loved the juxtaposition of the flower growing through the rusty chainlink fence; a vignette of urban nature. I tried doing many new things this year and learned a lot. Most importantly, I noticed how much I love to paint light and how I was able to utilize my photography to help my painting. I wonder what the new year will bring for me to paint?