Do you hear the Shepherd?

Do You Hear the Shepherd? 16x20 $200.00

I woke up one morning this week with sheep on the brain. I know, that's crazy, right?

Well it had to be SHEEP and it had to be BIG. I wanted to really move some paint around. I chose a smooth gesso panel for this one and used a new gel medium I have been wanting to try. I really wanted a lot of paint texture so that is why I switched medium.

Painting is such a nice release when life is hectic. And I don't know about you but Christmas time is always hectic and stressful for me. So many expectations and so many friends and family that are experiencing less than ideal Christmas situations. I just want to fix them all up and tie on the perfect bow.
Then I have to remember that isn't really my job. We have a shepherd for that. And I'm just a dumb sheep. He knows how it all works out, I don't. I tell myself to let the Shepherd work it out. With all the media, and crowds and lights and flights and work schedules it is hard to be quiet and listen.

Shh... Do You Hear the Shepherd?

Till next time,
Lana

Thankful

Thankful 12x16 $75

All the best
to you and yours,
Lana

Summer,Please Stay.

Summer, Please Stay. 12x12 $75

The  #1 thing you will hear me say in the Fall and Winter is –“I HATE cold weather!”

I don’t want my flowers to fade and I don’t want that chill when I step out to the garage. I don’t like achy parts, which I swear are caused by the cold.

Hopefully I have stored up enough flower photos to last

through the wintery blast.

I love geraniums because they are cheerful and easy to grow. They don’t require much and give a lot. Each head is like a tiny bouquet. They remind me of Summer.

For this one I started working with transparent color under each color mass and then filled in the darker areas. It looked so different at that stage and I loved the colors and almost didn’t want to push it further…

The next morning I felt like the right foreground was a bit too purple so I glazed over it with  Indian Yellow and then added Viridian to the shadows to deepen them. This required me to add a little red glaze to parts of the flowers and then a little transparent orange. I stepped away to do some laundry and pesky errands and then added cad. yellow light to the leaf highlights and pink to the buds.. And then a little this and a little that…and three days later I was maybe sure I was done. Sometimes ,well most of the time it takes a while to know when I am finished. And I am really not sure why I know, I just do.

I got that wow-I did that? feeling when I painted this one and that is really fun!

Hope you love it too. The nice thing about a painting is that you can have a little Summer no matter the season!

Till next time,

Lana

Consider the Lilies

Consider the Lilies-12X16 $75

Can any of you add a single hour to the length of your lifep by worrying? 28And why do you worry about clothes? Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow. They don’t work or spin yarn, 29but I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30Now if that is the way God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an oven tomorrow, won’t he clothe you much better—you who have little faith? Luke 12:27-30

My wise and wonderful friend Kay told me I should  "consider the lily" in a painting. Kay seems to have a lot of confidence so I decided to give it a try! Let's see, they seem to be one of the cheapest at the grocery store and yet smell the best.Gorgeous color, check. And such a lyrical shape. Can you believe the background started out yellow? They are definitely fun to paint and after doing something with a lot of detail I love to just cut loose with some wild color.

 Now about that worrying part...sometimes I worry about not really being focused on one style of painting or about not doing a series to develop consistency. But there are so many things I want to try. I worry because I don't have a a personal website or a gallery to direct people to.Or that I need to take a workshop or that I'm not getting better. Sometimes it is a bit overwhelming, but I know that there is truth in the verse so I'm going to try and take Kay's advice and like the lily go with the flow, shine and know that God's got this.

Till next time,

Lana

A Little Fall Color

"Gord"geous Fall 12x16 $75

Hi All!
I spent Friday and Saturday painting my "gord"geous pumpkins before they get squishy! I just love these colors. The Mexican glass vase was quite a challenge for me as was the degree of detail and the dark background. No petals!

What was I thinking.

I am still learning how far to take the painting toward realism without losing that first impression. Hope you enjoy it.

Below is another painting that is a little different for me...
a landscape from our Florida trip. This was painted from a photo of  the river near Seaside on our rainy day.

Kind of soft and dreamy...

                                                                              

Until next time,

Hope your day is full of color!

Lana

Moo.. and My Excuses for Not Blogging

Moo-12x12-$75

 Hi All,
Yep, it has been awhile. I have been enjoying the last days of summer and doing a little touch up. First, I wanted to paint a cow because they just seemed to be the thing, whatever that means. I took a photo of longhorns near some apartments by my house but when I got home I couldn't see what was happening in the photo because I was too faraway. See what I mean? Then I found a cow by LA Fitness.          
                         

Yeah, score!

Then there was the tricky bad lighting problem. Oh Moo! So I lightened it up. And the chunks of concrete became bluebonnets and the parking lot became a lake. These cow problems never happened in the Texas Panhandle!

 So while this was home drying I was on the road to El Paso to see my inlaws and the hubby's Grandmother who just happens to be 100+! Pretty cute, huh?

And then I went to Ruidoso, NM to have a fried green chili spear and look at pine trees, mountains and wildflowers.
And came home and started the The Exotic Night Blooming Cereus for my friends. I am still trying to tackle that one and it is eating my lunch. White flowers are hard, ya'll. Green shadows or grey. Cool shadows or warm shadows. I keep painting so tight. Ugh!

 Then, this dog -                                                                                            

                                            

became this dog... 

    

 And I went to Florida. Ahh... much better!!!

And those are my excuses. They are the best I've got. 

These are the things I have learned. Cows are not The Thing. Sometimes people are more important than paint. You have to have a good photo to paint a good picture. Don't paint a flower straight on, it is harder. Everyone isn't crazy about high- key crazy sky just because you are. Don't do crazy stuff on a commission. The beach is a very peaceful place.

Today I got this Facebook message from a friend I used to pray with:
"I had a dream about you the other night. You walked into the room and I was surprised to see you were about 9 months pregnant! I had brought you a small gift, but you gave me a gift of $700.00!! In praying about this dream, I know that 9 represents spiritual gifts and 7 is divine or "of God". I just love your paintings, so much, the colors so reflect the glory of God's creation. I just sense that this is a wonderful gift God has given you and He is so delighted in you!!

I am so grateful for my life and family and what I am doing right now. And for friends who pray about their dreams about me and encourage me and for opportunities to try to reflect God's beauty in some humble way. And for the beach and fried green chili spears!
Have a Great Week!
Lana

Big Beautiful Sunflowers!

Cheerful Sunflowers 2 -18x36 panels -commission

Hi Friends!

It was extra sunny at my house for a couple of weeks. I recently delivered these two sunny panels to a friend who asked for yellow and red cheerful sunflowers. I did my best. 

Working on such a big canvas was fantastic and terrifying. These together were the largest paintings I have done and making them work together and as individual paintings was tricky. The scale was also a challenge. The flowers kept growing and growing after the initial underpainting. As you can see below I had to use multiple photo references and that is something that I am still learning to do.  Scary! Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with these two as I prayed over them and their recipients, scrubbed paint on and off, thought I was done until I took one more photo and realized I wasn't. I would put them outside to dry and then added two more highlights... and then I didn't want to say goodbye. But I did. Now its on to the next commission, an exotic night blooming cereus! 

                             

I had to go get a bigger easel to hold them up! 

 

My Newest Pet Painting!

Somehow I missed National Dog Day. Chester didn't say anything but I could tell he was offended. Skylar didn't seem to care.

Chester

I just finished this beautiful German shepherd. He is a huge dog and a very important family member to my new friend. I wanted to highlight his size and the peach undertones in his coat. He also has a very kind face and demeanor so I wanted you to know what a sweet dog he is! His pet momma wanted to include his whole body so we went with the 16x20 horizontal. I really liked the bold sunlit background to show off his coloring. I tried to keep the accent on him by simplifying the background.
Hope you enjoy seeing what I have I've been up to!

If you would like a pet portrait of your pet friend email me at lanabrowne@me.com. 
Portraits start at $75. 

Sunflowers and Vinca On the Deck with Dad

 

On Dad's Deck-10 x10 $50.00

I recently visited my parents and took the paints along. We had breakfast al fresco and Dad ask me to bring the paints out and paint on his deck, which is covered with pots of flowers. Mom joined us and they both found it riveting. At least till Mom had to carry in the breakfast dishes! I loved it all and got out of the dish cleanup. Painting in the shade of a giant cottonwood was great as the leaves rustled to the hymns on Dads music box(IPod) and the dappled light was wonderful! 

No wonder Dad enjoys it so much!
The challenge for me was to incorporate a flower from one photo reference into another scene. The pot and the vinca were there but the sunflowers were in another town. Hope you enjoy seeing the painting!

I have been working on commissions this week. I have two 18 x 36 inch panels drying in the dining room and I'm adding the last whiskers on a giant white german shepherd!

Enjoy a sunny weekend!

Lana

Good News about This Puppy!

This piece, Baby Nora, was accepted to the Irving Art 2014 Wildlife & Domestic Animal Juried Art Competition! I was hesitant to enter a piece of art in a contest but I really wanted to see how I was stacking up. So I went out on a limb and gave it a try. There are a number of entries by people whose work I respect, so it is exciting to be included.

There is a bit of risk involved in entering a contest. First, you feel presumptuous to think your work might be acceptable. Secondly, you risk feeling foolish if you don't get accepted. But finding out you were accepted, if only by a stroke of luck, is very exhilarating! I think risking feeling foolish is worth it. So my advice this week is risk it. You'll never know if something nice might happen unless you try!

Rising Above and the Great Portrait Debacle

Rising Above It-16x20 $100

Hi Friends!

Yes, I know I have been a bad girl and have not done a post in a couple of weeks!
But I've got a life you know?
And I make a few messes, more about that later.

My daughter and I went to the Arborteum on a smoldering day. I couldn't resist taking a bunch of pictures. The waterlilies were so beautiful and so unique. They seem to rise out of the murky water on nothing but a whisper of a stem. And such brilliant color! I really hadn't tried to paint water, so I thought the ripples and reflections would be great fun to paint. And I needed some fun painting!

In the last couple of weeks I have had the opportunity to visit with several people that have recently been faced with some of the toughest things life has to offer. The death of a child. The very public betrayal of a spouse. Illness. These things seem insurmountable, but strangely these women are thriving. There are tears, yes.  There are questions, yes. But surprisingly they are strong, maybe stronger than ever. They are bold in their faith. They are so very thankful for friends and family. And yes, they are joyful! All three women told me about standing on the slender reed of faith and thriving and how God has sustained them. How they can't imagine life without faith in God and fellow believers. They have risen above all the bad stuff and shine above it, perhaps more brilliantly because of it. I know I'm preaching, but that is what I was thinking of when I did this painting. I want to always  Rise Above and Shine!

Now for the true confessions. I didn't post because I spent 4 days on a portrait and this is all you will see. It got worse from here. It appeared to be my model wearing my nose. Then a stranger, then it looked like the mean girl on little house on the prairie. The husband suggested that I stick to my strengths. My model was not amused.. and honestly it was quite scary by the end. I tell myself every painting doesn't have to be a masterpiece or even good. I will live to paint another portrait! But next time maybe not a family member, SO BEWARE!

The Careless Gardener-10x10-$50

Did I post this little baby? Not sure if I did. I've sold a couple more paintings and have 3 commissions in the click. Yeah!!

Have a super weekend!

Lana

Trying Something New and a Flower Drama

San Jose Street side 9x12-$55

Hi Friends!

I was in San Jose, California last weekend and the flowers there are out of this world. So BEAUTIFUL!  Just walking down the street inspired me to take a bunch of pictures!  This painting was a stretch for me as you know I rarely paint anything that isn't firmly attached to a bush or a table. I had forgotten everything I knew about perspective so I buzzed on down to Half-Price Books to pick up some info. After studying up on vanishing points and repainting all my ellipses in existing paintings from pointy to rounded (sorry guys, I forgot. Those art classes were a long time ago.) I managed to tackle this street scene. I liked how the vines and hanging basket sort of looked like a heart in front of the window. I was in San Jose for a wedding, maybe I was just caught up in the romance! Speaking of romance, This is the first rose from my new rosebush, below!

Romantica 10x10-$50

Don't you just love that name? It has a million tiny petals and I had to wipe the whole thing of off twice and start over. Then things got more and more intense. Finally had to go buy a different red, yes, more expensive paint. But I can always use red, right? And it helped. And I reinvented part of the flower and turned the dirt purple. But now this little floozy is done!

This has been a super week! I got to have a mini show with my sweet friends at Ladies Night Out. Thanks Vickie. And sold a painting and talked about several commissions. And I opened an Etsy store and linked it and my Daily Paintworks stuff to Paypal, so if you don't live here you can buy those two ways. and ALL my work that is available is on my Pinterest "Gallery of One" board on the side panel of the blog when viewed on the computer. Sorry phone people, don't think you can see the link.

Don't know why but God just seems to be saying yes to this painting thing. Enjoy the weekend!!

Miss Mollie - It's a dog day.

I just got back from a great wedding in California, so I am running a bit late on my post! I thought I would share some of my favorite dogs with you. This is my "niece dog"Mollie. I didn't realize doing a smooth black dog would be so difficult. I tried to incorporate a lot of color in the darks to make her shiny and sleek. The eyes were hard because I was using an iPhone picture with blue eyes and I was pretty sure her eyes weren't blue! I think the dog paintings are hard because they can be quite dull if the dog is sitting posed. I try to include something that is particular to them. I really wanted to get Mollie's little feet right.

Miss Mollie

My painting of Nora is probably my favorite. Things just worked really well on it without overworking. I think I really captured her puppy look. And I like the looseness of her chest and legs in relation to the details in her face.

Baby Nora

Skylar was done first.  I like the cool tones because I think they match her personality. I like her feet too. I think my skills have improved a little since I painted her. Now I need to do Chester so he won't feel left out!

Skylar

I aspire to paint dogs and animals as Karen Mathison Schmidt does.  I am such an admirer! Her paintings are amazing. Take a look at the link the right. Well, it is always good to have inspiration. 

If you would like me to paint your dog, email me at Lanabrowne@me.com. Prices start at $75.00.

Style...

When Bluebells Aren't Blue- 10x10 on Canvas

What is Style? And why do different people like different kinds of art? 
"Style-a distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which something  is designed"
My oldest daughter immediately claimed this and named it "the best so far...". My husband ask me why I never use long smooth strokes and blend the colors. (And why I never do landscapes). He prefers the more formal arrangements. My youngest says she is waiting for one in cool colors. May be a long wait. I prefer a more impressionistic style myself. The Impressionists laid colors down next to each other so the colors appeared brighter and more light filled. Impressionism is usually done with small strokes used to portray light moving on an image, giving an impression of what you saw or felt at first glance. I find realism a bit tedious, but admire people who are able to paint so life-like.

I wonder if people's style taste reflects their personality type? I need to research that...

I used a tutorial from Mary Maxam on Daily Paintworks to start my painting. She uses transparent colors spread about the canvas underpainting to get happy accidents that she works into the opaque layer. Thanks Mary! I really thought it was a fun way to start.

Ok, I know you are waiting to hear what Texas bluebells symbolize in the flower language. Their official name is Eustoma, which stands for calmness. Well maybe not so much.

Texas Romance

Happy 4th of July!

I've completed this 16x20 on canvas and thought I would show you! The idea was to do a more formal still-life incorporating elements besides flowers. That meant that I would have to give the viewer accurate clues to the different surfaces on the pitchers,cloth and fruit.
Whose idea was that checkered tablecloth,Yikes!

Originally there were three pears but I painted one out. Then I left the arrangement on the table when we left for dinner and when we came back one of the real pears was missing!

No one is talking but someone looked guilty!

I have always loved the yellow rose of Texas, hence the title. The pitcher belonged to my husband's mom and the creamer was my grandma's. Yellow roses represent friendship and joy. I know they made me joyful when I was working on them (most of the time).

I read an article by Richard Schmidt in the Artist's magazine about painting edges and he writes "how can paint be manipulated so it duplicates the look of the edges you see in your subject? Physically, there are really only three ways I know of: (1) by degrees of blending (soft edges), or refraining from blending (hard edges), (2) by mixing and applying intermediate colors instead of blending, and (3) by applying intermediate colors and blending them carefully."

I tried to use all three in this one. Hopefully my ability will improve over time!

Have a fun day today and do a sparkler for me!

Lana

Thank You, Callaways!

Well as some of you know, red is my favorite color.

 I really turned the red loose on this one. This little painting is on a gallery wrapped 8x10 canvas and was inspired by one of summer's endless trips to Callaway's garden center. I got a little tighter on those yellow sunflowers in my previous post and decided to leave this one a little loosy-goosy.

  What to leave in/out is always a challenge. I couldn't decide on the pot racks but just couldn't leave them out.

Did you know Gaillardia blanket flower is the state wildflower of Oklahoma? Who knew? Who knew states had official wildflowers?

I am working on a 16x20 still life which is taking a little more time..

as well as a pet portrait of my niece dog, Molly.
So there is a lot going on in my kitchen, hmmm.....studio.

Have a great weekend,
Lana

Successful art?

Hi Friends!

My daughter came over Wednesday to swim, play with her pup and paint. Although she is very good with watercolors, she had never tried oils. We grabbed a couple of canvas sheets and shared a pallet full of color and brushes. We talked about color and technique and flowers and dogs and of course, guys! Our work will never hang in a gallery or may never be finished. But because we had a good time learning something new and being together, I would call that successful art. How about you?

"Your work may not be what curators want to exhibit or publishers want to publish, but those are different issues entirely. You make good work by (among other things) making lots of work that isn't very good, and gradually weeding out the parts that aren't good, the parts that aren't yours.  It's called feedback, and it's the most direct route to learning about your own vision. It's also called doing your work.  After all, someone has to do your work, and you're the closest person around.
 -excerpt from Art and Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland

Feeling Sunny and at last, a price guide.

Hi Friends!

These sunflowers were so fun! Sunflowers symbolize gratitude (or haughtiness- I'm going with gratitude). I love how they turn to face the sun. They are simple, but so lovely! I'm feeling grateful that I am able to paint and that it brings me so much joy.

I used Nancy Medina's color recipe from my workshop notes but pushed it a little more toward realism. I'm happy with the results and think I'll keep it for myself. The composition could be a little better but I like the movement in the leaves.
If you have never seen Nancy's work, google her. The best sunflowers ever! Dreama Tolle Perry is another artist with incredible sunflower painting ability!

I used a 10x10 thick gallery wrapped canvas and I really liked working on the deeper canvas.

Now, for those of you who have ask, yes, I would like to sell some of these! I have had a hard time deciding how to charge for them. Since I have recently returned to painting I have decided to pay myself as an intern as I am experimenting with different styles, surfaces and paints. They are basically priced minimum wage for time spent, plus materials.

 This is how it works out:

• 8x8 - $40
• 8x10- $45
• 10x10-$50
• 12x16 - $75
• 16x20-$100

I'll post the price with the pic and and if you want it , Facebook message me!

Have a great day!
Lana