Hot Pink and the New Year

This is my last bromeliad of 2013!
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, may the new year bring you and your loved ones lots of blessings. I will be showing you muse number 5 soon... For now, just enjoy the almost scandalous colors of this beautiful flower!

"Hot Pink Bromeliad"
20"x20"
Oil on Gallery Wrapped Canvas
Available for Sale Here 
You can also purchase it via my Etsy Shop

Going Back to the Comfort Zone...

I'm sure fellow painters can all relate to having some moments when you feel you have forgotten how to paint. One feels down and depressed and that usually causes you to avoid painting some more. What a vicious cycle!!! It is not very different from trying to lose weight and then giving in and eating whatever delicious treat comes your way (believe me, I know...) So! I have discovered that one of the best ways to get back into full gear is painting a subject that comes natural to you, that gives you back the confidence you need to get back on the saddle (I have not discovered the strategy for the losing weight part, if you do, let me know). For me, bromeliads are that subject.

I named this one thinking that it was almost obscene to pack sooo much delicious color into one painting. My original thought was in Spanish: "Descarada!" Oh well! It was just what the doctor ordered. Especially, after having a horrible cold for the past week...

"Daring Bromeliad"
16"x20"
Pastel on Board
Available for Sale Here

Color!!!

I follow several artists that have blogs just like this one; some of them paint in pastel, others in oil.
Pastel-wise I am drawn to (more like in love with) the work of Margaret Dyer (take a look at her paintings here). She paints in a gestural manner and has a wonderful way of handling color. I painted these pears thinking about her creations...

This pastel illustrates how the most important thing to make an object look realistic is the value and the proportion, not necessarily the color. Although you know pears don't necessarily have these hues, they still read as pears and have dimension. I had lots of fun putting lots of "unusual" color down!

"Multicolored Pears"
8"x10"
Pastel on Board
Available for Sale Here

Study

Being an artist is difficult. Especially when having a full time job and other little projects going on in your daily life... But there are only a handful of other things that give me as much joy as sitting in front of the easel and "playing" with color.
This time, inspired by Qiang Huang (one of the artists I follow) I wanted to create a composition with really bright colors and see if I could pull it off. I got to use many of the sennelier sticks that usually sit there waiting to shine when given an opportunity to be part of the light or highlight of a composition. I also tried painting eggs which by the way are HARD!!!! But I want to keep painting them!!!

P.S. The third muse is already underway...

"Apples and Eggs"
8"x10"
Pastel on Board
Available for sale here

Madder Bromeliad - SOLD-

Posting a little late today. I had to go pick up my boyfriend from the airport... I am sooo happy to see him. He spent two weeks in Colombia visiting his family. This bromeliad is actually from his father's front yard...
Loving the colors here... The name of the painting comes from one of my favorite hues in my palette: Madder Lake Deep.

"Madder Bromeliad" -SOLD-
8"x10"
Oil on Canvas
Private Collection