Close to Venice...

I wanted to take a little break from my muse paintings. My hands and eyes were craving the rich, colorful pigments of my pastels. They were calling to me from the end of my work table, where I keep them while I work with the oils.
This painting was created from a photograph I took during my honeymoon. This is the small island of Burano (Not to be confused with Murano). It is incredibly charming! You can take a "vaporetto" (water taxi) from Venice or Murano to reach it. All of the houses are painted different colors and it is just a magic place!!! If you are ever in the area you must not miss it.
In reality, the tower in the composition is leaning (Pisa is not the only city with leaning tower in Italy). For the sake of the painting, I made use of my "artist's license" and made it straight.
Ci vediamo dopo!

"Burano"
16" x 20"
Pastel on Board
Available for Sale

I'm alive!!!

Here is a painting I have been working on for quite some time... I have been dealing with life lately... the latest news is that I'll be getting married next January (:D) and so all the paperwork and the respective courses at the Church have been taking up most of my attention. However, I squeezed in a little bit of painting and I am FINALLY able to reveal this one...

And, even better, I already began the next one!!!! You will see it soon, I have a good feeling about it...

"Bromeliad Trifecta"

30"x40"

Oil on Canvas

Lotus Flower

Here is one of the paintings that debuted in the show I did at Marce's at the beginning of the month. I got the idea from a photograph I took while visiting the Fruit and Spice park in the Redlands.

The "pushing and pulling" I had to manage in order to achieve the effect of depth in this piece was quite the challenge! Every painting is a learning experience :)

Compositions where there are lots of elements trying to capture one's attention require a great deal of deliberate decisions. Gotta keep painting to get better!!!!

Special thanks to JC and Giovanna for the canvas ;)

"Lotus Flower"

16"x20"

Oil on Canvas

Golf

Here is the result of a painting I have been working on... The client wanted a golf related beachy scene with two men depicted. I gathered several references online and came up with this...

"Golf"

9"x12"

Pastel on La Carte Paper

Private Collection

Sketch by the Lake

I was driving back home from work but I decided to stop by the complex next to mine because it had this wonderful view of a "flamboyan" (that is what the tree with the orange flowers is called in Spanish - I think they are called Royal Poinsettia in English) and the water. I stopped there and started painting, but the heat and the humidity was sooooo horrible I had to pick up and go... Getting a tan and painting... That is what I call multi-tasking!

"Flamboyan"
9"x12"
Watercolor on Paper
$120 (Shipping Included)

From France...

I spent the day with my boyfriend's aunt who came from Colombia, so today I am posting a pastel painting that I completed yesterday. This is a scene taken from a photograph I took in Giverny where Monet lived, it is his Japanese garden. Such a peaceful place...

"Monet's Japanese Garden"
11.75"x15.75"
Pastel on La Carte Paper
$210 (Shipping Included)

Don't forget to vote for me at:
http://www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest

Notre Dame

Wow!!! Has this been a crazy semester or what?!!?
But I am done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I finished my internship and my philosophy of education class and I am getting ready to become a daily painter. I am also working on a portrait commission which I expect to have finished by the end of this week. I want to start fresh with my new endeavor.
I also have thesis on the horizon, but that will not start until mid-May.
As you see, all these facts explain why I have not been posting as often as I wish. It does not mean I have not been painting...
Today's piece is another sepia study; this time of Notre Dame in Paris.

"Notre Dame in Sepia"
8"x8"
Oil on Gallery wrapped canvas
$110 (Shipping Included)

Commission

Happy New Year everyone!!!

I want to apologize for not posting my plein painting from the Deering Estate. I really love it! But I have been waiting for a little sunshine and less cold in order to get out there and photograph but... as I am writing this post, it is 38 degrees Farenheit outside (but feels like 30 because of the wind)... It has not been like this in Miami for 7 years!!!

I have been painting though, and today's painting is the result of a commission I have been working on. Also, I am about to begin my internship so I know it will be a hectic schedule!!! Please forgive me if I don't post as often; I will try to do it as much as I can.

Enjoy!

"Italian Garden"

22"x19-1/2"

Pastel on Sennelier La Carte Paper

Private Collection

Lighthouse

A couple of fellow painters and I went to Key Biscayne on Sunday to paint the beautiful lighthouse "Plein Air" (outdoors). It is so challenging! The light keeps changing, and even though it is hard to believe, it was actually cold in Miami!
I can't help but love it! We are planning on doing it again very soon...Here is my result...




"El Farito"
20"x10"
Oil on Canvas



Here is a picture that Doris (dorisrodriguez.wordpress.com) took of me working while working on my painting:





Here is the rest of the group having fun:

If you want to see more pictures of that afternoon you can click on this link:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=10181383&l=a2714fc377&id=722375553

Plein Air by Hammocks Lake

This was done Plein Air (outdoors) during last Sunday when my friend and classmate Doris Rodriguez came to paint with me... It was such a nice day.... We walked along the path around Hammocks Lake and we found this nice spot just by the Broadwater complex...

I believe this is one of my most successful plein air paintings... I see the improvement!!!!

"Broadwater"

9"x12"

Oil on Canvas

Serenity

This is a scene from Shanghai. A quiet place in the house next to the bridge of nine turns. When I photographed it, I knew I had to paint it! Do you feel the calm of the place? A retreat from the noise of the city...

"Serenity"

16"x20"

Oil on Canvas
For Sale Here