What's Been on My Easel This Week

ALL THREE portraits I’m working on this week are TOP SECRET! Wooooooooo I love being a sneaky secret keeper. :)

The first one is a portrait of this dog that I swear to God is grinning from EAR-TO-EAR. I was asked to use soft aqua tones in the background, which is particularly fun on this lil ole pup, because it has a lot of black and white in its fur.

Okay, I realize this may come off as a weird reason- the black and white fur being fun.

I’ve had more than a few people feel like they're doing me a disservice when they ask me to paint their white or black (or black with white) critters, as if there’s “not much to work with,” or that it might be “extra boring” or “hard…” (side note: all the portraits are their own unique brand of “hard,” because they all MATTER)

ANYWAY

People that have critters w black and white or black with white or white with black….

I’m about to give you an opportunity to fall in love with your little fur baby even more!

I implore you to look closer!!! Here comes an opportunity to obsess over your loved in another way! Hahaha

First, gaze upon your sweet baby in sunlight- Black fur often retains little bits of reds and purples and blues! White will sometimes have subtle golds, peaches, pinks, or cooler tones.

JUST LIKE HUMAN HAIR.

AND- I can enhance what’s already in the unique makeup of your baby’s fur while making it reflect the colors of the background, tying it all in together.

Notice how your baby’s fur might look different in a space with bright colors- you may see some of those colors reflecting, too! The way I will paint this particular critter, the result will be sort of an opalescent aqua shimmer in the white and black, harmonizing the entire portraits.

BE PATIENT- you may not notice right away, but IT IS THERE. Consider it a worthy introduction into meditation. Taking the time to look deeply is such a calming experience. <3

All right, so stay with me here… I get so pumped with these concepts- This particular doggie I’m working on has such cute brownish, red eyebrows, too, which is really fun, because it’s totally on the opposite side of the color wheel of the aqua tones, meaning they’re going to really stand out in a fun, almost subtle caricature kind of way.

I love painting bright, unexpected colors within a portrait that still feels lifelike and not cartoonish.

It’s such a fun, playful juxtaposition from the typical formal portrait with obvious color choices. <3
ALSO ON MY EASEL (okay, a separate easel lol)
I have a super top secret painting I’m doing for Father’s Day!!!

Obviously, I can’t share it yet. DONT MAKE ME RUIN THE SURPRISE!!! STOP PRESSURING ME!!!

Geez, you guys...

But- okay- DO let me take you on a color journey in your mind! You may have doubts, but I guarantee you will see some flashes in your noggin that make sense, and it will feel like a brief, pretty dreamy oasis!

The father in the image (who is lounging lookin like he's posing in a renaissance portrait admist sheets and pillows with his napping son in his arms) has the most beautiful soft golden, indigo purple, and deep burgundy undertones in his skin. I was so inspired by this natural glow that I actually built the whole painting around the gold. I painted the whole canvas a deep golden yellow to begin with. Why start anywhere else? It felt beautiful, it felt right. And I could always paint it back white if I needed to. But it's WORKING. Holy moly, it is working.

From the gold, I have been building the skin tone on top, by using little transparent layers of warm browns and purples and golds and pinks FLESHING (ewwww flesh is such a weird word) out how the colors are in real life.

IT'S WORKING!!!!! He and his son are beginning to look like they are glowing from the inside out. I seriously can't wait to share with you all the end result, and to see the response from my clients.

Typing it out, the process feels both ambitious and nebulous. Which can be a paralyzing way to rest in, but it can also be transmuted into loving movement.

Part of me is like- WHY DID I TYPE THIS ALL OUT? Where am I? What time is it? I need a snack.
Hahaha, honestly, I just have to put all the caution and self doubt to the back of my head.

I simply have to keep going.

Sounds easier said than done, but I’m a yogi (a yoga teacher, too), in case you didn’t know… and I really try to employ the concept of moving without attachment to the end result. Meaning I stop obsessing over the end and just stay with each stroke, one-by-one. It keeps me from getting overloaded, and keeps the painting from feeling too tight and obsessive, if that makes sense.

Of course, I CARE DEEPLY about how it turns out, but if I only think about the end, I am too distracted and miss the sweet creases by the mouth from all the smiles the years have brought. I miss the golds, the light, the love. I am pulled out of the actual MOMENT, which is what I’m ultimately trying to capture. And that's what it's all about. Connection to the divine.

OKAY MOVING ON

The THIRD portrait is ALSO top secret, you guys!!!!
A golden brown sweetie pie looking directly into the camera with two flopped ears, exposing sweet pink interiors. Tongue is a-flappin, folks. Smile is SMILIN. Eyes are shining. This is a watercolor for a neighbor’s daughter, and I think she will be thrilled with the sweet surprise blues and purples on the shiny nose, and the twinkle I am softly placing in the playful, precocious eyes. This dog looks like a bestie, and possibly this girl’s soul doggie-mate. <3

​In the pipeline?
I've got Gunny, who loves his bunny, a watercolor quad squad of horses, a revisit to a horse painting I asked a client if I could improve upon (lol she loved it, but I had a dream about how I wanted to update it), and more. I’ll be sharing these via blog more frequently, as now that this post is coming to a close, I’ve realized it was pretty fun sharing! Hope you enjoyed, and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected].