Day 9 - Sunlit Afternoon II

"Sunlit Afternoon II"
oil pastel on board
8" x 10"
available here

This is the companion piece to Day 8 yesterday, "Sunlit Afternoon".  Both are of an old home in Windsor, Vermont.

reference photo

Tomorrow I think I will stick with Vermont and do another dairy cow.  Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

Bethany

Day 7 - Wandering in the Garden

"Wandering in the Garden"
oil pastel on paper
8" x 10"
available here

Day 7 features another Boone painting based on our 2012 trip, which included the Daniel Boone Native Gardens.

I could keep working on this, adding more detail, but I wanted to keep it fresh and retain each stroke.  I love the oil pastel over watercolor on the Uart sanded papers.  

Going to get back to some more Vermont pictures for the next few days, stay tuned!

Bethany

Just off the Easel: Late Afternoon Ride

"Late Afternoon Ride"
24" x 30"
acrylic on canvas
commission

It's challenging to work from a black and white image, but a great practice and very freeing.  Definitely takes me longer to create, though!  Honored to be able to paint this boy and his Grandpa. Now the boy is grown and will have a reminder of time spent on his grandparents' farm.

reference photo

Thank you for reading!

Bethany

Beach Boys Commission

A recent commission painted in oil pastels from a client's photo...

Beach Boys
9" x 12"
oil pastel on paper
commission

progress picture sent to client

reference photo from client

For information and more examples of the types of commissions I paint, see the Custom Portrait and Custom Landscape sections of my Etsy shop.

Thanks for reading!

Bethany

Just off the Easel: Beach Babe

"Beach Babe"
5" x 7"
oil pastel on Pastelbord
available in my Shop

"Beach Babe" has been waiting to be finished for a month or two.  Lots of UFOs(unfinished objects) hanging around the studio right now, so I'm trying to tackle those in between other projects!

It is a cropped, more vibrant version of this painting:

"Walking with Daddy"
8" x 10"
oil pastel on board
available in my Shop

Thank you for reading!

Bethany

Commission progress and decisions

Quick post with an update on the commission study. Still deciding on colors for grasses!  This study doesn't have to be perfect, just a roadmap for the larger 24" x 30" painting. The study is 16" x 20" acrylic on canvas.

current snapshot
reworked grasses, background, upper right

8/7/2012

 Here are some of the stages of the painting so far:

8/6/2012

getting paint onto canvas
deciding on colors
8/4/2012

lay out image in vine charcoal
starting with red canvas
8/4/2012

WIP: Commission using black and white photo

This is a study for a 24" x 30" commission.  We only have a black and white photo as reference.  It is liberating to choose any colors, but at the same time challenging!

commission study
16" x 20"
acrylic on canvas

reference  photo

I have to resolve a few areas before we proceed with the larger painting.  I have to change some colors and define the upper right area above the fence.  I need to go back in all over and refine a little bit, add a little more detail to the faces, horse, and the fence.  

Stay tuned for more progress on this piece! Thanks for reading.

Bethany

Just off the Easel: Bouncing Baby Boy

Here's a recent commission.  This is the second grandchild of hers that I have been fortunate enough to paint!    

"Baby Nathanael"
oil pastel on paper
8" x 10"
commission

I have another recent commission to share soon, and I am busy working on a larger acrylic commission painting.

For more information on having a custom painting done, see the Commissions tab of this site and my Custom Landscapes and Custom Portraits sections on Etsy.  Now is the time to get on my schedule for the holidays!

Stay tuned and thanks for reading,
Bethany 

Father's Day Commission

Father's Day
18" x 24"
oil pastel on Pastelbord

I was recently asked to create a painting of a Father on the beach with three young boys.  There weren't any photos to use for reference.  She couldn't find anyone to take on the painting, and this was such an important project. One of the boys passed away and this painting would be a special reminder of him.  I knew I had to help.

Here are some images to show the process:

reference image purchased from iStockphoto

sketch of idea for the figures

the small sketch sent to client for approval

laying down the underpainting in Nupastel

after painting the Nupastel with alcohol

first layers of oil pastel
(and reference sketch)

close to being finished

finished!

I am so thankful to be a part of this tribute to a Father and his sons.   Happy Father's Day.

Thank you for reading!

Bethany

Just off the Easel: Miss Busy Bee

This is my little girl watching the bumblebees in the gardens at Fearrington Village.

"Miss Busy Bee"
oil pastel on paper
8" x 10"
$60

I will probably make a few small touches (and sign it).  I loved the shadows and colors in the flowers.  I'll be working on some more paintings of just the flowers, too.

Thanks for reading!
Bethany

Beautiful Baby Boy

I can finally share this baby portrait commission.  It was being delivered to his Mommy this weekend in Chicago!

oil pastel on paper
8" x 10"
commission

Thanks for reading!
Bethany

Just off the Easel: Splashing in the Surf

Here's a painting I've just finished... #5 of 30 for my 30 in 30 days challenge.  

"Splashing in the Surf"
oil pastel on board
8" x 10"
$45

Painted from reference pictures I took on Emerald Isle, NC last month.  This boxer was biting and chasing the waves and his owners were laughing at his antics.

This is painted with oil pastels on Ampersand Pastelbord in the sand color.  I liked the sand color for this beach scene. Usually I stick to the gray and white Pastelbord, but in my last Jerry's Artarama order I got the 5" x 7" sampler pack.  It came with the gray, white, sand, and green boards.

Stay tuned for more as I catch up on my challenge!  I am still behind 2 days, so I'd better get to painting!

Thanks for reading!
Bethany

Just off the Easel: Miss Lucy

Finished the portrait of this sweet baby, and very happy with the outcome!

Miss Lucy
11" x 14" 
oil pastel on paper

Every time I thought I was finished, I found another spot to work more on!  Loved working on this one, especially the colors in her gown and the headband. Here are the reference picture, a few progress pictures, and the final image at the end:

Working on finishing another commission and have a house portrait to lay out next.  And I have to get a little something done for the Apex Arts Council's Romance/Valentine show coming up next week.  Stay tuned!

WIP: Little Lucy

Here's an oil pastel portrait that I am close to finishing...

11" x 14" oil pastel on Arches Cover
primed with clear Colourfix

I still have some work to do on the hands and eyes, some shading in the cheeks, and a little more with the background.  It's hard to stop, but I think she's almost there!


Stay tuned for the finish!  I'm also working on a kitty portrait and will have a post on that this weekend.


PS:  Did you notice that I reworked the look of my blog?  A cleaner look for the new year.  I have so many goals for 2012, and we're almost to February already...yikes!




Interested in commissioning a portrait? See details at my Etsy shop.

Just off the Easel: Hadleigh

After the first version of this portrait got all muddled, I decided to completely start over.  I'm very glad that I did, since I love the way the final version turned out!

Hadleigh
8" x 10" oil pastel on paper

I've been painting lots of animals lately, and this was a challenge that I really enjoyed (even though my husband would say I wasn't loving the process a few days ago!).  

I just have to remember to take my time in the beginning laying out all of the structure before laying down thick layers of oil pastel.  Once you get a lot of pastel down, it's hard to make drastic changes without everything looking muddy!

I also decided to do the painting on white paper instead of my usual terracotta so that her face could be bright and light without using a lot of white pastel.  I used a watercolor wash to underpaint in everywhere except for the lightest areas of her face.

I'm going to be busy for the rest of the week getting some submissions ready for some shows.  Stay tuned for updates!

PS- If you're interested in commissioning a custom portrait or painting before the holidays, don't delay! Check out my Etsy shop for more information or email me your photos.  I'm booking up my calendar now! 

WIP: Little Girl Custom Portrait

So far I'm loving how this custom portrait is turning out!  

She is an adorable subject, so it's hard to go wrong!  Painted from a client's photograph.  I have some major work still to do on her, like lower the eyes and tweak the chin and neck.  Probably have another 2 hours of work to do still!

I also am working on a custom pet portrait in acrylic, and just finished another pet portrait in oil pastel.  The holidays are getting near, and I'm loving creating some really special gifts!

I'll post the pet portrait that I just finished later in the week, since it's a birthday gift and I don't want to ruin the surprise.

Stay tuned!

Just off the Easel: Jack

I recently had the privilege of painting a sweet Golden Retriever, Jack, with his owner.

In Memory of Jack
11" x 14"
oil pastel on paper

We only had a snapshot taken with a camera phone, but we were able to make it into a lovely expression of their special bond.  

reference picture

I was so honored to be trusted with such an important task of capturing Jack.  These kinds of commissions are especially gratifying to me as an artist.


_____________________________________________________________________

For more information on my pet portraits, see the Pet Portraits section of this website.  I'm currently working on portraits for the Holidays, so don't delay if you are considering giving a portrait this year.  The process typically takes 2-3 weeks.   


If you don't have the time, or aren't sure what photo your loved one would want painted, I offer gift certificates in my Shop.    

Just Off the Easel: Jazz Kings

Another musical piece for the Cool Notes Show in Downtown Apex from September 10-19!

I took pictures through every step of the process to show my current method:

reference picture from here
Chris Parfitt

sketch in water soluble pastel
on 8 ply board primed
with pastel primer

color blocked in with Neopastel II  pastels

create a wash of the pastel w/water

detail of drawing after wash finished

added layer of Sennelier oil pastel

 After final tweaks/adjustments
I could fiddle forever,
but I had to make myself stop!

Sorry, most of the pictures were taken in my studio at night and are not very good lighting!  The final image shots (first and very last) were taken outside in natural light, so the color and light are truest and best represent the actual piece.  

I enjoyed working on these musical pieces and look forward to seeing the rest of the works in the show.  I hope you'll come down and check it out!  A link to the Facebook event page for the show is here. 

Next I'm thinking about some abstract pieces in oil pastel.  I feel a pull to just mess around with color and texture, so we'll see what happens!  Stay tuned... :)

Just off the Easel: Night Music

Just finished another piece for the Cool Notes show (which I talked about here).

Night Music
8" x 10"
available in my shop

I'm really enjoying these musical pieces.  Instruments are a challenge, but they sort of remind me of rendering the human figure. It is really important to get the proportions correct, or the entire piece will be off.  


Today I'm hoping to start one more musical themed piece, in addition to getting pieces matted and framed for several upcoming shows.  I'm making my list for another run to Jerry's Artarama... pastels ($$), some fixative, clear plastic bags, and more I'm sure!


Stay tuned


:) Bethany

Just off the Easel: Street Jazz

I've been working on this piece for the Apex Arts Council's Cool Notes show.  It will be held in conjunction with the First Annual Apex Jazz Festival in a few weeks in Downtown Historic Apex.

Street Jazz
oil pastel on board
7" x 11" 

This is oil pastel on board primed with terracotta pastel primer.  I used Neocolor II pastels to lay in the first layer, then added water to make a watercolor wash, followed with Sennelier oil pastels.

Hopefully I'll be able to finish a few more musical themed pieces for the show by next Friday! Stay tuned!

And SAVE THE DATE for Defining Design's Art Affaire!  I have been accepted to a juried show sponsored by the Apex Arts Council and Defining Design on September 24th in Fuquay Varina, NC.  It will be an outdoor arts event featuring artists in a garden setting with music, wine and food.  We're hoping for some beautiful Fall weather and cooler temperatures!

My talented artist Mom, Karen Pearson, will also be there showing her work!  See her blog here. :)