Onions (Gesso Board 6X6", 2.18.2016)

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Grabbing some left over onions from the fridge, I had a really fun time just blocking them out and trying to get the amazing almost satin-like skin they have, not to mention all the sense of layers. I like the way the green, purple, and yellow works together as well as the overall way the image came out. There's a "messiness" which I often associate with onions that came across in the rough edges, and I  find myself liking that a lot. The highlights were fun :)

Mom (Gesso Board 6X6'', 2.10.2016) GIFTED

I am convinced that art is not about accuracy as much as it is about being able to express what it is you truly appreciate about creation. Here, what I appreciated and inspired me to paint this image was the spontaneous smile and the joy on mom's face, which for a moment in life, found the opportunity to express itself freely without any sense of self-consciousness. There's no trying to cover up crooked teeth, or a mouth and a face that some might judge as "too big" and "un-pretty". Mom herself would likely find this image of herself somewhat embarrassing. To embarrass is not the purpose of why I post or paint this image, but rather, to share the hope, joy, and a sense of love that I feel from it. This is for all you narcissists out there, myself included... that our "imperfections" does not keep the world from spinning, rather see and rest in the fact that the beauty we hold so tightly to does not come from ourselves. It's a gift bestowed upon us undeserved and free to enjoy. The One who gives us these gifts will be faithful to keep the world spinning even when we fall short. May we turn our eyes upward more and more often.       

Knoll Lake Fishing (Canvas Panel 11X14", Feb.05.16) (GIFTED)

After trying really simple still-life paintings, I wanted to do something that had more interesting shapes and textures. Feeling nostalgic about a road-trip I had with two good friends a few years back, I picked out some old photographs and thought it would be fun to paint people I know. The one taking the photo in the forefront is my friend Claire, the one with a cooler in the mid-ground is my friend Biyo, and I am the person all the way in the back holding fishing poles, leading the way as usual :P
I will say this, that it is quite difficult to paint from a photo where there is almost an over-exposure of light, but it was quite a cool moment when the faces began to take on the familiar expression of people I knew so well. The trees were the most enjoyable part of this whole painting, and I kind of like the overly-saturated light effect. With that said however, I will be paying more attention to the light and dark contrasts of photos I pick out especially when it comes to painting people.

Blood Brothers (Gesso board 6X6", Feb.1.2016)

I really like the simplicity of this composition as well as the way it turned out, and the fact that it took a relatively short time to produce. It was really fun to paint as the simple shapes of the oranges and its shadows gave me the freedom to experiment with looser brush strokes. It definitely built my confidence and taught me not to judge each brushstroke too quickly before given a chance to develop its effect. Not to mention, they were delicious :)

Lemons :D (Gesso Board 6X6", Jan.28.2016)

I got some lemons to make lemon chicken from a cook book, and thought it would be rather cool to paint them in a shadow box that I made myself from cardboard boxes. I never thought I would find still life enjoyable. They always struck me as rigid and boring. But in actuality I really enjoyed the freedom it gave me to block in an area or general shape with saturated color, understand how to apply shadow and highlights, as well as the order of procedure in doing so. In this particular one my brushstrokes were still rather tight, but I was already beginning to loosen up mentally. The sprite bottle was not as hard as I originally thought and overall I liked the way it turned out!   

Rose Face (Canvas Panel 11X14'', Jan.20.2016)

I'm really glad I decided to do this on a larger canvas surface. It was from a photo of my friend's recital flowers, and I've always loved taking pictures of a rose close up. I did this with a yellow background wash, and then after sketching out the lines, filled in the shades and highlights in according to the values of the rose in the photo. This image really taught me to develop all areas evenly without becoming committed to details too early. I learned a lot about the actual colors in reality as well. What I thought looked mostly pink and white at first actually had a significant amount of blue in it, and it wasn't until I realized this that the highlights and shades began to take on a more realistic look. Doing this one had really made me fall deeper in love with oil painting. It is such a forgiving medium and the effects are wonderful and encouraging. I'm really glad to have captured to some degree the translucent quality of the petals and the delicate folds, which had always been among the many reasons why I love roses.


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