The Sky in a River

This piece is done with heavy body acrylics on canvas panel.
The more I work with heavy body paint, the more I like it. I've worked on it for the past few months, and painted and repainted the grasses on the right. Oddly enough, the grass was the toughest to depict. There is an insect in plain view. Can you find it?

This image is from within me, and it was done to depict the sky from within the river. I fell in love with the idea that the sky can be shown from the bottom of an image, and have it still make sense to the mind's eye.

This one was a labor of love; specifically painted for my best friend. I have yet to turn it over to him because he lives far away from me. I've wanted him to see it for months, and it occurred to me that this is the best way to let him see it and to get opinions from you about it. Bobby, I hope you like it !

Please leave a comment. Did you find the grasshopper?

Pastel Callas for Amanda

A colleague of mine works with grids and patterns to create some of the most beautiful knitted afghans I have had the pleasure to see. Amanda lays out all of her own patterns; grids them, and then knits them into reality. She truly is an artist in her own right.

This piece wss done at her request. Amanda appreciates the flower so much she used them in her wedding bouquet. I wonder if she knows that the Calla Lily was the flower that the early Romans used to mark the passage of the winter solstice. The Romans planted the Calla Lily just inside the portal to their homes, timing it to bloom for winter solstice and giving the effect of bringing the light indoors during the darkest days of the year. The greater the display of Calla Lilies usually meant the wealthier the resident that lived there. The Romans valued them so much that they often decorated the edges of the bloom with filaments of gold. The Calla Lilies of Roman times were said to be much larger than today’s varieties, and often were as tall as seven feet!

This piece is done on coarse 80 grit, black sand paper with soft General's Pastels. It was a lot of fun to do, but when I transported it to Amanda at work I learned that the pigment wouldn't hold to the paper as I had anticipated; in spite of the fixative I applied. In my mind, the pigment had more crevices to hold onto, but I was sooo very wrong. I have started an acrylic version of this piece, but had to post it to treat it as a great learning experience.

Thank you for stopping in. Please feel free to leave your story in a comment.

"Dave's Happy Place" - Somewhere in Connecticut

As my profile states, I am a deskside technician for a large corporation. The project lead at work, Dave Carroll, posted a photograph of this; his favorite resting place (somewhere in Connecticut) out on FaceBook. I advertise my blog on FaceBook and was perusing when I came upon it. I immediately asked his permission to paint it, and he gave me the go-ahead. I started with this sketch to get an idea for the acrylic painting.

This one's for you, Dave. I'm still working on the acrylic piece; it should be done by sometime next year (at this rate). :o) The painting is taking so long I thought I'd surprise you with the pastel version here on my blog. Thank you for allowing me to capture this beautiful image my way.

Let me know what you think...Just click on the "comment" hyperlink below the posted piece.

Luv ya,
Trace

"Irises On My Mind"

Inspiration spoke flowers; this purple, bearded iris. Memory was the source material...I have planted and watched many grow and bloom.
I have come to know one who has affected me in ways I cannot describe with words. Suffice it to say that this friendship has changed me profoundly and forever.

The color purple fit as this person brings all of the elements it represents.

For those of you who don't know, purple is the color of good judgement; the color of people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It's said that if one surrounds oneself with purple, peace of mind will ensue. Purple has been used to symbolize magic, mystery, and royalty, is the color of purpose, and is associated with the Crown Chakra - this links individual and universal.

I couldn't wait to share it with you. Thank you for stoppping by to take a peek.

Felicia's Artwork

Hello to all...I'd like to introduce you to Felicia and to share her work with you all...here, on my site.

I met Felicia this weekend when I was visiting with girlfriends. She's delightful, quite pretty and thought enough of me to show me her work, and then to gift it to me.

As an advocate for creative expression I feel a deep-seated need to share the wealth; thus, what you see here. I think she's a natural, don't you?

Felicia, I hope you enjoy having your work published, and I am honored that you shared with me. It really was so very nice to meet you. And, I really didn't mind scrunching in the back on the way home to keep you safe...ok?

"Roses Study"

I haven't challenged myself with acrylics lately and so thought...it's time. I don't call this a painting.....more, a struggled study. The image is cropped to remove distracting practice strokes I put onto the panel when I was working on it.

It all began when a friend surprised me with a dozen pink roses as a gesture to brighten my spirit at the end of a long, miserable day. According to my friend I "lit up" immediately when presented with them, and the first thought was to attempt to capture them on canvas.

I've never before even entertained the idea to paint roses because everything I've ever heard said about it amongst my art friends is...roses are tough to depict. Still life's are not my forte' either.

I am disappointed with the outcome, but encouraged that they are a reasonable facsimile of the real thing....When I showed this piece to my daughter, Amy; she told me I should post them for the sake of learning.

Please comment as to what you think I can do to make the next attempt a better one?

As always, thank you for stopping by, and for your valuable input.

"Calico Cat in Doorway"

This little guy was
painted for my friend Mark.

Mark is always complimenting
my work and provides source
material for my effort regularly.
He is also a gifted computer technician.

Mark, I hope you enjoy owning this piece as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by, and please feel free to leave your comment.

Purple, Potted, Pastel Pansies - Perfect !

The name pansy is derived from the French word pensée meaning "thought", and was so named because the flower resembles a human face; in August it nods forward as if deep in thought. Because of this the pansy has long been a symbol of Freethought.

I love to plant and have had many flower gardens over the years. Pansies, especially purple, have been planted in every one of them.

....inspiration to paint them with my favorite medium comes naturally.

I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed painting them.

Finished Acrylic Desert Landscape for Anthony

This is the finished, acrylic rendition of the two January, '08 prep work postings you see on this blog. The image is taken directly from a "canned" desktop image in the Windows XP computer operating system.

Anthony, you asked me about this painting when you helped me move, and here it is. I hope you like it. I did it with pallette knives, mostly. The only brushwork you see is in the sky.

I love you, Anthony. Thank you for taking interest in my passion for painting and for being there when I needed you. Aunt Tracey

"After the Snow Falls"

"After the Snow Falls" is a compilation of three separate images I took favorite elements from, and voila !

Roughly 20 hours went into putting it together, and I must say I surprised myself. It's a first attempt at a monochromatic approach. There's usually lots and lots of color in whatever I choose to paint...I guess I believed that color keeps the composition interesting. I'm learning that color plays a small role in an interesting composition.....

For me, one of the beauties of creative expression is the learning......the unexpected lessons are most interesting and fun!

The last time I used black pastel paper I wasn't sure I liked the outcome. This time - I'm pleased. What do you think? Please leave a comment to let me know. As always...thank you for stopping by !

"Dancing"

My latest pastel attempt.....I hope you enjoy it.

I've been watching birds for some time now, and heron have always been a favorite. About ten years ago I lived in Lawrence, MA; an old mill town. The Merrimac River runs right through Lawrence. This once majestic river is recovering from the assault of dyes dumped into it when the mills were most productive. I'm happy to say that the wildlife is slowly returning with it.

I had a favorite "perch" back then and often watched cormorants, blue herons, egrets; all types of water fowl. One afternoon I was taking in the view, and in the distance an American Eagle came into view! I couldn't believe my eyes! His wing-span was massive. Occasionally tipping his wings he glided along the length of the river just a few feet above the water. I watched in silent awe for as long as the eye could see....breathtaking!

It's ironic that this gorgeous natural scene unfolded before me in the center of an old, now down-trodden industrial city. I feel lucky and grateful to have been able to capture this wonderful memory from such a dismal place.

Thank you for stopping by, and please feel free to leave a comment.

Quarter Mile Pond - Stoneham, MA

Today was my own...this is what I did with it.

I visited this place two summers ago on a nature walk and snapped a photo.......it's practically in my back yard. The photo was taken at the northern-most tip of the pond, and it's my favorite view of the place. It surfaced while I was sifting thru resource material. Perfect !

No particular purpose, no particular subject....but, fits the mood ..... peace and warmth.

I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for stopping in.

"The Forest in Autumn"

I haven't used my acrylics for quite some time, and I suddenly felt the need. I decided to "feed the need" and am happy that I did. It feels wonderful to see this painting finished because it took longer to paint than anything I've ever done.

......seems to me .... the more it is suggested to me that I should try to move out of poring over projects, the more time I spend doing just that ....... (this painting took over a month to complete).

I am happy with it, though. What do you think? Please leave a comment, and let me know.

Thank you for stopping by.

"Moonlit Stroll After a Storm"

I painted this one a couple of weeks ago. At the time, I didn't feel it post-worthy, but at the last minute decided it's not a bad thing to post paintings that aren't my favorite. Every Day Matters is the best place to get ideas about what I could have done to make it better, and there's no way to get their input if I don't post.....

I'm not exactly sure what it is I don't like about this one, but I was in love with the idea when I did it. Perhaps I got carried away with the reds, or the compostion is too dark. My daughter Amy and I were sitting at the table trying to decide what to paint when she asked if I had ever tried using black pastel paper. It occurred to me that I had not, and, voila!!

I still think the idea was a good one ... just not the best execution effort. What do you think could have made it nicer? I'd appreciate the input as I intend to try again. Thanks...

"My Favorite Bench" - Portsmouth, New Hamshire

This is an acrylic rendition of my favorite public bench in the gardens at Strawberry Banks in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I haven't gone painting with acrylics in a very long time because I've been so caught up in working with pastels lately......I really like how loose the composition is. I'm still working hard at not being so detail oriented with my work.

I had a wonderful day, and it felt like it was finished very quickly. ..... was good to get out with my paints again to capture a favorite place on canvas. Of course, this doesn't exactly depict the place, but definitely portrays how this place feels to me when I visit.

I'd love to hear what you think so, please, feel free to leave a comment. Thank you !

"Morgan Beth" - My Granddaughter

This is Morgan in graphite. She's is six years old, she's all girl, and she loves to paint as much as I do-we paint together quite a bit.

I took this image from a photograph.....In it she's wearing her favorite, yellow headband, and smiling "cheese" for the camera. Her mom hasn't seen this yet so I'm posting it as a birthday surprise for her. "Happy Birthday, Karen!"

Thank you for stopping by, and please, feel free to leave a comment.

"Imaginary Sunset"

This was my first experiment painting sunset silhouettes. .....challenging....to say the least.
I spent lots more time than I thought I'd need to depicting mountains silhouetted against fading sunlight ...... water mirroring all.
Whenever I see artwork or photographs done this way I'm captivated; so, finally tried it. .....got to keep at it to get it just right, but I had a great time working on it. I call it "imginary" sunset because the end result looks nothing like where I was when I started the project.
It would be helpful to hear what you think and to get feedback on what would make the next one better. Thanks.

"Open Meadow"

One of my latest pastel attempts..

Originally, I was going to crop the grass in the front out, but I worked it a little longer and decided to post the entire attempt.

The transition from the grass in the distance to the front still needs work, but I didn't want to risk the color becoming "muddy from overwork.

I'd love to know what you think.....thank you.

Blue Flag Iris - Speed and Tone Study

This is another of the quick studies I have been practicing (in an attempt to work beyond the confines of extreme detail).

This one took me only half an hour to finish, and I must say I'm not sure whether it's more difficult to include the detail or to keep it in the front of my mind while I'm working not to.......

The color choices for the flower itself are intentional as I'm also working to be conscious of tone in composition.

Please comment; good or bad, as it contributes to the effort. Thank you for visiting.

Tiffany Stained Glass c.1905 - "Hollyhocks and Arbor Vitae"

I'm really enjoying the challenge of capturing the look of stained glass w/my soft pastel crayons.

The stained glass attempt I previously posted is full of amber tones so I chose this one for it's greens and blues....my "comfortable, standby" pallette. Hollyhocks are especially appealing to me as the tall-standing, simple and graceful flowers are very old-fashioned. At the turn of the century they were often found in the gardens of glorious Victorian homes. In fact, when and where ever I see hollyhocks I am immediately reminded of the Victorian era.

This composition represents an irresistable combination for me; stained glass, greens and blues, and hollyhocks bordered by rich, green Arbor Vitae. I couldn't help myself. I hope you enjoy the view as much as I enjoyed depicting it.

Please comment if you wish; I'd love to know what you think.