Cheryl's Peonies
This watercolor was painted for my cousin, who loves peonies. She asked me to do a painting for her home, and did not specify exactly what she wanted and left all the details up to me. This is what I produced and she was very happy with the finished picture. She then let me borrow it to enter in an art show here in my hometown, and it received the blue ribbon! Best In Show at the 2016 Ponca City Members Only Art Show, Soldani Mansion.
Grandpa's Wheat Truck
I used to drive this old truck during the western Oklahoma wheat harvests! This watercolor won First Place in Watercolor Paintings in our local county fair in 2013, and Honorable Mention in the Ponca City Members Only Art Show in 2014. Mom has it hanging on her wall now.
Strawberry Tea
My reference photo for this watercolor painting is from Pinterest; I could not discover the original source. I sold this sweet picture at my very first art exhibit.
Grandmother's Irises
I completed this watercolor in March, 2017 and entered in our local county fair in September 2017, where it won a First Place blue ribbon in the Watercolor Floral category. By the way, that year was the 100th year of our Kay County Free Fair in Blackwell, Oklahoma. Here it is, framed and sporting the blue ribbon, along with another winning entry that I submitted in Pencil Portraits. I think the gold on the mat and frame really makes it sparkle. (The graphite drawing of Jackie garnered Best of Show! plus First Place in Pencil Portraits)
Giant Mums in Canning Jar
This watercolor won First Place in Watercolor Paintings in our local county fair in September 2014. I ended up gifting it to a relative for a special birthday.
The Journey Begins
This fun watercolor was done for my niece ( on my husband's side) who married my nephew (on my family side ) ! I have fun telling this to everyone. They got married at a beautiful little church in Louisiana in March 2017. My nephew had done a cross-country biking stint for a charitable cause, so I thought it would be neat to place them both on a bicycle. I think I really captured his face here 😄 I was so pleased that they liked it enough to display it on a table at their wedding reception!
An Iris for Judith
This is a little 5x7 card I painted for a young lady that our family has been sponsoring in an orphanage in Kenya. The iris is planted in my front flowerbed, given to me by my husband's mother.
Young Family
This watercolor was a commission from a man that works with my husband. He gave me a very generous tip when I delivered it! His wife remarked, "It looks better than I thought it would." 😃 This was a difficult picture to execute, for me. I worked from several photographs, cutting and pasting until I liked the layout. We did a photo shoot at their home but I still had to put several together to get what I wanted.
Julia with Wildflowers
This is the first large painting I've done. You can tell it is earlier because I am signing my name differently now. I ended up reworking it, so that Julia is squinting with one eye closed. I like this original one better, but if it gets hung in my home it will have to be a print because the original has been altered forever! Here is the changed watercolor- -
(the colors in this photograph of the painting are slightly duller than the original)
My First Watercolor Portrait
This is the very first watercolor portrait and the very first commissioned work that I have done.
Here is the story behind it: I had just returned from a watercolor portrait workshop in Kentucky given by Master Artist Mitchell Tolle, and my husband was shopping for a new work truck. The salesman was an art aficionado and my husband told him about my venture into this, and the salesman wanted to see the work I had brought home. I took the finished picture I had done in class, and another salesman in the dealership saw it and asked me on the spot to do a portrait of his son! I was so nervous as I had JUST BEEN INTRODUCED to watercolor painting! but I took the project on and this is the result. I like to think that I have progressed since then! 😃 I was proud at the time to have gotten a commission so quickly!
Black Magic Roses
I found a photo online of some beautiful roses and the photographer gave me permission to use it for a reference. This rose cultivar is really named "Black Magic."
Here is a cropped view that I like better than the original.
I reworked the background in one of these, can't remember which! 😃
Mini Poinsettia
The battenburg lace and the diamond canning jar were fun but tedious to paint in this watercolor. I enjoyed working on the poinsettia, a little plant I had placed in my kitchen window. I sold this painting at my very first art exhibit, for cash, to a man that happened to be from my home state of Louisiana. I forgot to charge him tax since it was my very first cash sale ever, so I had to make it up out of my own pocket! (side note: I am not putting the date on my paintings anymore, at least not on the front)
November Rose
This is a birthday card that I painted for my sister-in-law who has a November birthday.
Mother's Day Rose
A hand-painted card for my mother-in-law
Bright Daisy
A special birthday card for an aunt
Hot Apple Cider
Another birthday card, this time for my pastor's wife who celebrates her special day in December.
First Date
This was a commissioned watercolor for my son and his wife. They had a photo taken together on their first date. They met not long after his discharge from the Marines and got married in just a few months. They had always liked the photograph, but it was blurry. I had a very difficult struggle getting all the details finetuned in this painting!
Grapes for Kim's Kitchen
Another birthday card, this time for another sister-in-law who decorates her kitchen with grapes. She has this up on her refrigerator now. 😃 I did this painting without any sketching, just freehand.
Dad Kelly
I started this painting at another workshop I did in Kentucky with Mitchell Tolle. I feel like it is my best portrait in watercolor, so far. I had to push through a wall in my mind when I did the drawing and it made me feel good to get it right so that the painting would be a good likeness. The family really loves this and I am happy that it was successful. Dad passed on in 2012. He was a wheat farmer.
Just for Fun
This fun watercolor painting is quite a departure from my normal style. I gave this to my niece, after first asking her if she wanted it! 😃 While she was in college she had it hanging in her dorm room for a while. I would like to try again sometime to do something in this style- I was not really satisfied with the result.
No comments:
Post a Comment