New watercolor portrait work in progress

work in progress watercolor portrait 

It's been a very long time since I painted a watercolor portrait that wasn't a commission. I think it's been since January. Wow. I kind of can't believe that. I just went and looked it up and it HAS been since January. That's a long time for me. 

This painting is based on a photo by the amazing Steve Evans, of a beautiful young girl from South India. This section is just a close up, the full painting is all of her face and some of her arm too. I fell in love with her eyes. So sincere, so alive. I'm very excited to get back to painting it. 

And here's a peek at what's been going on during my 'dragon days.'

 A little horse bust I sculpted on my birthday last week. Just for fun. :) 

My latest sculpting project. A bigger, more detailed horse sculpture. Hopefully, if everything works out, this will be a full body gypsy horse when it's finished. That's the goal anyway. :)

I am feeling SO excited about this little side project right now. It is filling up my creative well in a big way. 

Anyone out there tried sculpting before? And, what's something you guys do to refuel your creative fire?  

 

 

Sun Spots ACEO $1 auction

'Sun Spots'  Andalusian stallion

ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches) 

watercolor on paper

click here to bid, $1 opening bid 

“The horse, with beauty unsurpassed, strength immeasurable and grace unlike any other, still remains humble enough to carry a man upon his back.”
― Amber Senti

  

Last night my husband and son's went to a father and son's camp out put on by our church. So I had the whole house to myself. All. Night. Long. I think this has happened about three times in the whole time we've been married. It was very. . . lonely. Although it was nice to not have to share my red vines and peppermint patties with anyone and not hear complaints about having to watch the latest Vampire Diaries. Heh heh. ;) But I would have willingly shared them to have them home. 

I did a lot of drawing for future watercolor paintings and then did this little ACEO to ease myself back into watercolor painting. That's what I told myself anyway, but when I started painting it was like I had never left. It didn't feel unfamiliar at all. Like welcoming an old friend home after a long trip abroad.

Although there was one bad piece of news that happened right before the boys left. Our dog Chauncy had been limping all day and then his front paw started to swell up HUGELY, so I took him to the vet and he's now resting and on antibiotics for a blood blister and infection in his paw. The vet says he'll be fine, but Chauncy is not happy about this. 

*pouting because mom is making me wear this stupid bandage on my paw so I can't lick it. Better than the cone of shame I guess. . . SQUIRREL! Too bad I can't chase it*

 

See you Monday my friends, enjoy your weekend! 

Reference photo, with thanks, by Deidre T on deviantART.

Incendiary

'Incendiary' 

5 x 7 inches oil on masonite

$65 plus $7 US shipping, or $15 International

'Fire burns brighter in the darkness.' - Suzanne Collins

I don't paint very many cats. I don't know why because it's not that I don't like cats. I do. Especially kittens. Because they're cute. And especially big cats, because they are just plain gaawgeous right?

Of all the big cats the Clouded Leopard, in this painting,  is my favorite. So striking with their dark spots and creamy brown fur. Their eyes seem to be a bit larger than most other big cats too, which is so beautiful. 

The eyes, once again, inspired this painting. There seemed to be a spark there just waiting to be fanned into a flame. I love that intensity in her gaze too. Not quite predatory here, but interested in something. Very, very interested.

Reference, with thanks, by Tammylo.

And THANK YOU so much for all the lovely birthday wishes! It was a great day. I"ll post a picture of my mountain of cupcakes my boys made me soon. And the winner of my sketch is Rob - Jackie Duff, facebook fan. Thanks so much for all the comments my friends! 

Dainty Scratches and a Birthday Huzzah!

'Dainty Scratches' SOLD

5 x 7 inches oil on masonite panel

 

Carrying on with the foals series of paintings. This little girl, Almirah of Gypsy Lane Farm, stole my heart when I saw her photo. She really has this sweet, dainty look about her, even though she also has that shapely, muscular build that is a trademark of her breed. 

 

In other news my friends, today is my birfday. :) 

 

 

Huzzah for me!! My family and friends have made me feel so loved with hugs, kisses, birthday wishes, phone calls, text messages, facebook messages, and the promise of birthday cupcakes (Hallelujah and Huzzah!! ) and handmade cards from my boys. 

 

It is a good day. How blessed we are to be alive.

 

And I'm also giving myself a dragon day. I've finished two commissions, heard back from happy clients, so now I plan to just have fun and take the day off. My little boy is sitting in my lap right now as we speak, er, I mean type. 

 

 

He likes to push the button on the web cam. :) 

 

And since it's my birthday,  and also because you all are so awesome. . . 

 

 

 I'm going to be giving away a page from my sketchbook to one of you. So if you'd like a chance to win it, just leave a comment telling me what your favorite subject that I paint is. You can comment here on my blog, or on my facebook page, or simply email it to me at crystal@crystalcookart.com. 

And then on Wednesday night I will choose a random commenter to give one of my sketches to. 

This is also my chance to say thank you, so very much, for all your kindness and support throughout the years I've been blogging. Hope you all have a wonderful day. I know I will, I mean I have cupcakes and cheesecake (thanks mom, love you!) coming in my near future!!

 

 

 

  

Sun Seeker - Gypsy Vanner horse

'Sun Seeker'  - gypsy vanner

5 x 7 inch oil on masonite

“Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.”
― E.E. Cummings

Backlighting on a white horse is pretty much an ideal painting waiting to happen for me. The sunlight shining through that thick white mane created some truly beautiful colors that I could not wait to paint. I also really, really love that beautiful black head contrasted against the rest of his white body. I may do a full body painting of this boy in the future so you'll see that he does have more black spots than just this one. :)

I always worry that maybe I use color a little too. . . liberally, but that's just how I see things and I love color, so there you go. I think I should probably just embrace this fact of my painting style instead of stress over it. 

In any case I like how this turned out. And I am finding that the more I paint with oils the easier it is for me to mix colors vibrantly in a way that is very similar to my watercolor palette. I feel like with each oil painting I am discovering more about how I paint, and how I want to paint. I think that's why I'm using them so much right now. Lots to discover and learn and that keeps me motivated. It's when things start to feel routine that I start to get blocked I think. Found that out the hard way. ;) 

Reference photo, with thanks, by Notorious Stock on deviantART.

Understudy - Italian Greyhound

'Understudy' 

5 x 7 inches oil on masonite 

$65 plus $7 US shipping, or $15 International

I started painting this beautiful girl because of that dramatic lighting and that beautiful soul shining in her eyes. And then when I finished it I stood back and thought she would have made a great understudy for the girl in Vermeer's painting, Girl with a Pearl Earring. All she needed was a little blue towel wrapped around her cute head. I was tempted to go back in and give her an earring after I noticed that. Oh so tempted. Reference photo, with thanks, by Just Chaos.

In other news. . . 

My super fantastic sister got me the Most Awesome Shirt ever! Suits me don't you think? Pink, check. Cupcake eating reference, check. Nailed it!

Listening to: The National, A Terrible Love
Reading: The Great Gatsby
Watching: The Vampire Diaries
Snacking on: homemade white chocolate and dried cranberry cookies  (the sugar ban is a thing of the past. Moderation people. That's the name of the game now. I eat healthy stuff too. Most of the time. )

Refuse To Be Hidden - SOLD

'Refuse To Be Hidden'  SOLD

5 x 7 oil on masonite

'Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.' -  Marianne Williamson

I often think about the fear that is a part of being a creative person and putting your heartfelt work out into this sometimes cold and cruel world. Maybe because it is one of my own personal demons and something I am constantly battling. 

This beautiful African girl, her bright, intelligent gaze, and the way she's coming out from her hiding place behind this tree, unafraid, really touched me. This is another one of those images that I have wanted to paint so badly for so long, but put off doing it for a long time because of the fear of not doing it justice. 

So I finally told that fear to shut the heck up and painted her anyway. Just because I wanted to. No, that's not entirely true. I felt like I needed to paint her. So I did. And I love it. :)

Reference photo, with thanks, by the awesome Steve Evans.

I choose gentleness

'Grace' 

6 x 6 watercolor 

available here

“I choose gentleness... Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.”
― Max Lucado

 

This woman's eyes have always drawn me in with their gentleness and grace. And the tentative curve of her smile too. An older painting from the archives that I painted last year, but one of my own personal favorites. 

Yesterday while out running, I was trying to cross at a crosswalk, and the driver turning right wasn't paying attention to pedestrians. I was watching her and I saw that she was not paying attention to me, or else I probably would have been hit. I got angry. I smacked her trunk as she drove away with my fist. The thing that made me so angry was that the crosswalk I was at was right in front of an elementary school, even though it was too early in the morning for any kids to be there yet. All I could think of was what if a smaller child had been there?  A little one who trusted the cars to look out for them? What if it had been my child who had almost gotten hit, or worse, by this driver who was too busy to look around them?

My point is that yesterday I was not gentle. I vented all about it on Facebook. And I kind of regret it. Although, hopefully my fist pounding her trunk woke that driver up enough that she'll never speed through another crosswalk again. So the little ones who cross there will always be safe. 

 

Life is precious, and short. We don't need to make it any shorter for anyone by not paying attention, or choosing not to be gentle. 

 

Until. . . later my friends. I'm off to eat some cookie dough for a mid morning snack. 

Freedom of Innocence

'Freedom of Innocence' 

5 x 7 inches oil on masonite

"When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind." Patrick Rothfuss

Something that always gets my heart when I paint a child is their innocent, but also very knowing expression. It's something that I think most people don't see, at least I know I don't see it until I spend a few hours studying their eyes. And it's something that never fails to amaze me. 

Listening to: Fall Out Boy

Reading: The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

Watching: Gold Rush 

Snacking on: see photo below :) 

Greek Yogurt Brulee. Oh. My. Gosh. This is so yummy. :) Here's the recipe I adapted.

 

Bloom of Youth SOLD

'Bloom of Youth'  SOLD

8 x 8 inches oil on masonite

I have wanted to do an oil painting of this little girl ever since I first drew her sketch here. I really love the graceful tilt of her head, which seems such a precocious gesture for one so small. Her full lips and dark eyes caught my attention too. And of course those beautiful flowers in her hair and on her dress. And I have to say that I really like how this painting turned out. :) Reference photo, with thanks, by Ryan Lobo.

I've decided to try and have weekly themes for my paintings. I sort of feel like I jump all over the place depending on what interests me at that given moment, and then also when commissions demand it, and then I feel a little bit lost when it comes time to sit down and paint. Too many ideas can be just as paralyzing as too few in my opinion. So this week, my theme is children's portraits in oils. Here we go with number one. :)

*Sigh* I feel like a huge weight has just been lifted off my shoulders by making that commitment out loud here. It's already decided for me what I'll paint this week so no more indecisiveness (which is code for STRESS in my mind) about what to paint and what medium to use. It's all in the bag. The hard part's done, now the fun, easy part remains (Har har. I jest, painting be hard maties!).

This weekend our family went to a Bird Refuge that is about two minutes away from our house. We go every year and it is one of my favorite trips. Hardly anyone is ever out there, and honestly we don't see very many birds, but it's so peaceful and just fun to be together. Here's a couple of pics featuring our trusty 'Crocodile' (my four year old son's term for the navigator, which sounds like alligator, which he then confused with a crocodile) and our little family's quiet adventure. Happy Monday everyone. :)

 

Scritchin and Scratchin - SOLD

'Scritchin and Scratchin'  SOLD

6 x 6 watercolor on paper

Another foal to add to my series of 'baby horses with itches that can't quite reach them'. I'm not married to that series title so if you have something better lay it on me. I tried asking my husband and son for another title that was similar to 'Can't Reach' or 'Almost Got It' but their suggestions were less than desirable. 'Scritchin and Scratchin' was my husband's contribution which was actually kind of a cute.

In any case, this little guy (a Gypsy Vanner foal) is so darling. I love his soft baby mane and tail, and that gesture of him reaching around to scratch his knee with his little nose is so endearing that I can't look at it without my heart melting a little bit. :) He was a pleasure to paint and is owned by my friend, Sue Niesen, of Gypsy Lane Farm.

And how about a Huzzah for Friday hmm??? Huzzah!! See you Monday everyone. :)

Logan - private commission SOLD

'Logan'  SOLD - private commission

10 x 14 inches watercolor 

Recently I had the wonderful opportunity to paint this beautiful little girl. Her mom sent me several photos and we both talked about which ones we thought would make the best portrait. We settled on this one of her in a lamb hat. :) She has the most beautiful eyes and lips and such a solemn and sweet expression. Commissions are easy when you have such beautiful subjects. ;) 

I am currently taking commissions, if you're interested click here for details.

In other news I got these babies all gussied up and ready for their prom date. (Er. . . that is, I gessoed some hard board panels that my wonderful husband cut for me so I can paint on them. :)

Huzzah for completed commissions, happy clients, and fresh surfaces to paint on!! And chocolate!! (Because chocolate is important right? ;)

Believe - SOLD

'Believe'  sold

5 x 7 inches watercolor

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”  Roald Dahl

I was at the park the other day and saw this lovely little fairy dashing through the trees, almost too quickly for me to see. But not quite quick enough. :) Now here she is immortalized for all time as evidence that fairies exist. 

Mood: content

Listening to: The Raven Boys (audio book)

Reading: Apollyon by Jennifer Armentrout

Snacking on: chocolate animal crackers (yes they have sugar, but not that much, or so I tell myself ;)

Watching: Oblivion (last weekend while on a hot date with my husband)

Light of Foot

 'Light of Foot' 

9 x 12 inches oil on gesso board 

$275 plus $10 US shipping, or $20 International 

 

“When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes. ”
― William Shakespeare, Henry V 

This is the largest oil painting that I've ever done so far and it was a lot of fun. The funny thing is that as I was painting it, it didn't seem that much bigger than my 5 x 7's. I wonder at what point I'll be able to feel a difference? Four feet by four feet maybe? Har har, I jest. ;)

 With watercolors I can always tell a difference right away when I go up in size, because the timing and control of your water all needs to change when you have a larger area to cover. 

In any case my goal with this painting was to give an impression of speed and power. I painted the horse's body very quickly, and I tried really hard not to go back in once I had put a stroke of paint down, hoping that the energy of my brushstroke would show through in the power of the horse.

I hope you all have a great weekend! It's a grey, chilly day here in Utah but hopefully tomorrow will be different.

Reference photo, with thanks, by Limit of Gold on deviantART