Day 24 - Marina Reflection

"Marina Reflection"
oil pastel on paper
5 x 7
click to bid here

A little study based on some pictures I took in Cape Charles, Virginia at the marina.  I loved the reflections and was finally ready to try to paint some boats!  These would work well as larger pieces, as the small detail is hard to capture in this size.

Painted on Sabretooth light blue sanded pastel paper with no underpainting.  I didn't really like this surface for such a detailed piece in this size.  It works better for simple pieces like "Sunshine" seen here.

Stay tuned, and thank you for reading!

Bethany

Day 21 - Making Friends

"Making Friends"
oil pastel on board, 5 x 7
$45
available here

A quick little impression of my daughter up close with a sweet Jersey girl.  This is painted on gray rag board brushed with a heavy coat of clear Colourfix primer to give the brush texture.  I'm working on getting faster and leaving more marks with the pastel.  This was done in about an hour.  On colored surfaces I tend to not use underpainting, and I think the gray worked well here.

Stay tuned!  I am almost caught up with my posts and paintings in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days project.

Bethany

Day 17 - Brunch with the Girls

"Brunch with the Girls"
pastel on board
5 x 7
available here

This was an amusing photo that I took in Charlestown, New Hampshire last summer.  Our second cousin in Vermont goes to a 4-H group called the Charlestown Dairy Club, and they were sweet enough to take me there to take pictures early one Saturday morning.  This is where all of my Holstein photos came from!

reference photo
(note I took out the right cow to keep an odd number)

This was challenging in such a small size. But it was a good study for perhaps a larger piece, maybe 6 x 12 or 8 x 16.  I only used Nupastels on Pastelbord.  I was planning on doing a wash with alcohol and then using oil pastel, but I got carried away with detail and didn't want to wash away the Nupastel. So this is the second piece in the series that is solely Nupastel.  Do I see a trend forming?

I need to get another set of Nupastels soon.   I only have the 24 color set that I have had since college.  I'd love the 48 or 96 piece sets, going to keep my eyes peeled on eBay or for any good sales!

Also have been working on a new website...going to migrate my blog back to bethanybryant.blogspot.com and have a cleaner "gallery" site at bethanybryantart.com.  Check out what I have so far here: bethanybryant.weebly.com.

Stay tuned!
Bethany

Day 14 - Cool Cow

"Cool Cow"
pastel on board
5" x 7"
available here

Day 14 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I couldn't resist the title, "Cool Cow" but I considered naming her "Fannie."  She was staying cool in front of the fan in the barn, a girl after my own heart!

Painted on Pastelbord in Nupastels.  A change from my usual oil pastels, I was doing the underpainting in Nupastel and couldn't bear to apply the alcohol and see her washed away!  I may do some more soft pastels in the future, I just know that it will lead to more art supply purchases!  You never can have too many oil pastels, and my soft pastel supply is limited.  

Stay tuned for more catch up posts...I am finished with Day 16 already and will be finishing Day 17 today (Friday).  Stay tuned!

Bethany

Day 11 - Cow Lick

"Cow Lick"
oil pastel on board
5" x 7"
available here

Day 11 - Another cow!  I think I could go a whole year with cow paintings.  This was painted on gray Pastelbord with no underpainting.

Stay tuned to see what's next!

Bethany

Day 10 - Camille

"Camille"
oil pastel on board
5" x 7"
available here

Day 10, back to more cows!  This little calf was only one day old when we visited Billings Farm last summer in Woodstock, Vermont.

reference photo
Billings Farm, Vermont

It was hard to get a picture inside the barn stall, but I just had to paint this sweet little one.  I named her "Camille," meaning "innocent"in Latin.

Thanks for reading!
Bethany

Day 4 - Misty Morning

"Misty Morning"
oil pastel on board
5" x 7"
buy here

Day 4 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge is done!  I took the photo for this painting last summer in Charlestown, New Hampshire at a dairy farm.  It was early morning and the trees and field were misty and fog covered.

reference photo
Charlestown, NH

Painted with Sennelier oil pastels on white Ampersand Pastelbord, using watercolor underpainting.  Stay tuned, I'm thinking of maybe another cow tomorrow?

Thanks for reading!
Bethany

Day 2- Vermont Meadow

"Vermont Meadow"oil pastel on board
5"x 7"
available at Daily Paintworks

A quick study in oil pastel based on photos I took this summer in Vermont.  This is a view outside of Woodstock, Vermont.  Sunny summer days like this one in Vermont make me want to pack up and move up to the beautiful "Green Mountain State."

reference image

This is for day 2 of the 30 in 30 project I talked about yesterday.  Today I kept my time to under one hour by keeping it small and loose.  Painted in mostly Sennelier oil pastels on Ampersand Pastelbord. I used a white board and underpainted with watercolors yesterday when I was doing the underpainting for "Maggie."  For me the key for a successful challeng will be to plan ahead, underpaint several boards at once, and have all of my photos and boards/papers ready to go.  

Stay tuned, and thank you for reading!

Bethany

German Glass

"German Glass"
oil pastel on Pastelbord
5" x 7"
view auction

One of my German glass ornaments from my Grandparents. Love the vintage shape and colors in these ornaments! Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and I love a tree decked out in classic ornaments.

Painted with watercolor underpainting on white Pastelbord.  Oil pastel was layered over the watercolor in several layers.

reference picture and watercolor underpainting

Thank you for reading!

Bethany