Painter's Block?

I have two pieces in the works, but haven't been able to complete either. One is a self portrait and the other is of Ruby Sue. I've been having a lot of trouble concentrating on one thing here lately. I have little piles of projects everywhere. Cans of house paint in the upstairs hall and bedroom. The other bedroom has pictures I took down when I repainted the downstairs. I have 5 canvases staring back at me. A sewing machine with a bag of quilting fabric setting next to it on the coffee table. Scary...this is how the crazy hoarding begins. I was afraid to drag out my Christmas decorations because I didn't know if I would be able to finish putting the up or take them down in a timely manner. I made a huge bow for the top of our pre-lit tree and made curl streamers engulf the whole thing. Pretty, but hardly fa-la-la-la-la. I put up icicle lights around the porch, but some of the sections don't work. Lee couldn't get them to work, so they still sit in the living room floor and dangling from the roof of the porch after he attempted to make the work last weekend. I'll pick some new ones up. That's what I tell myself anyway. The yard is a mess as far as i'm concerned. I didn't finish the projects I started last Spring. Half mulched beds and a fence that spans only half way around the yard. I'll do better next year....right? It's a funk...I hope. I'll get out of it. It's almost 10:00 am, so I need to shed my robe and climb on the exercise bike because I am certain that if I continue to at least accomplish that every day, I will begin to feel better and take care of more than just the minimal tasks around our home.

Study of a Himalayan

SILHOUETTE

MISTAH KITTEH

NOW I LAY ME....

SIESTA

This is Sklyer. He has his own style and ended up making me have to change mine a little to suit him. He is one big ball of fur! He also doesn't care for me much. His mom gets beautiful pictures of him. She sent me a few that showed off his gorgeous eyes. He was pretty put out when I was snapping the camera around him. He didn't want to looks at me. In the end, I had to choose between his points and his eyes, so I made sure I got shots in which his features were best defined. The last picture, which I think really sums up the set, was taken by his owner. I was thrilled that I got a shot of his profile to show off his perfect face in silhouette. Study of a Himalayan: Silhouette, Mistah Kitteh, Now I Lay Me..., and Siesta. Acrylic on canvas, 8X10.

Harry Winston

Meet Harry! I began working on him about a month ago. Just about the time I decide to redo the downstairs of our home. He may have been the inspiration, as I painted the rooms different shades of gray. He is hanging in the art room right now. I haven't decided if he is finished yet. I'm holding off on the signature and the sealant until I'm sure. Harry Winston. Acrylic on canvas, 11X14.

Walker

Spent more time on Walker than any painting I've done so far. He was very complicated. Funny, seeing as how labs are the most laid back, easy going of all the hounds in my mind. They are also one of my favorites, just too large to keep in our little house. Ruby is big enough! His owner sent several photos and I considered each one, but this was the one that truly captured his nature. Walker. Acrylic on canvas.

Working on Walker

I feel like I grow with each painting and it's really going to show in this one.

First child

This is my first painting of a child. Painting someone's pride and joy is a little intimidating. I had many reservations. I met Kaylee before beginning the painting. She had viewed my paintings online and knew exactly what she wanted. She said she wanted it to look like the one I painted of Lesley. No problem. I worked up a few samples, sent them to them to view and get feedback. As I worked, I found the next step in my style. They liked it, but preferred the pink and black for Kaylee's room. As I painted it, I kind of felt like I took a step backwards. I had already done this painting several times with other subjects. With this painting, I discovered what I want to get from my work. I can do what someone else wants me to do, but if I want to grow as an artist, I have to make my own decisions. I have to stop asking everyone what they like at some point because nobody know what I'm capable of except me. Which is the gist of what my Aunt Anita told me when I called her for advice last week. And I have heard it time and again from Lee and Robin. Also, I have been signing my paintings in various ways. Most of the time I feel like my name takes up too much space on the canvas and I just initial it, so this is my first painting as gigi. It's an easy signature and sentimental, as it is a nickname my sister, Robin, gave me as a child. Kaylee. Acrylic on canvas.

Word of Mouth

Robin's friend, Allison, saw the paintings of Boggs and Bernie and wanted one for a Father's Day gift for her husband. She emailed lots of pictures she had taken of their pooch, Maison. He is a doll! I think I captured him, though, I was worried, having never met him. I loved working with this color combination. It helped me realize that I prefer painting the world's best friend more than anything. Maison. Acrylic on canvas.

Blue Request

My mother loved the blue painting of Robin and asked if I could paint her. I was flattered to say the least. She wanted to be blue. I grabbed my camera and took three pictures of her at different angles. Done. She has beautiful features and capturing her spirit through her eyes was easy work for me. My Sweet Momma. Acrylic on canvas.

Close-up

I had one sister left to paint. Allison. I had not been able to find a picture of her I wanted to paint. She came over to hang out one night, so I took a ton of pictures of her. This was my favorite. I cropped it close, to get the information I needed to give anyone who viewed it a "feeling". It didn't take much. I really enjoy using the pink and black as an accent to a mostly white painting. Joy. Acrylic on canvas.

A House-Warming Gift

My sister, Robin requested a painting be done for a friend of hers. I snooped around her Myspace and Facebook page and decided on this photo of her hanging out on a boat in the Gulf. Ashley. Acrylic on canvas.

Admiring Old Hollywood

Publicity still of Jean Harlow and Clark Gable.

Phil Stern, James Dean in Sweater 1955.

I painted James Dean to see if I could. I painted Gable & Garbo for my cousin, Kassie. I prefer to paint from my own photos.

Puppy Set

Bernie Boy

Happy Boggs

I just love these dogs. Almost as much as I love my own, so I painted a couple more of them on 11X14 canvases for Robin, since the first two were for her husband and painted in Gator colors. Note Bernie's sulkiness and Boggs' missing teefs : ) Did I mention that I love these dogs? Acrylic on canvas.

Sweet accident

While looking through photos of Bernie, I came across one in which Robin was holding him up for a picture. She didn't realize she was going to be in the photo, so she was looking at her Bernie Boy instead of the camera. In the end, I painted her instead of her puppy. Doting Mother. Acrylic on distressed canvas.

Huh?

Took this pic of Lesley at a party. I called her name, she looked up, I snapped. I thought my interpretation of her in this painting was rather glamorous. Everyone else says she looks surprised. Whatever, I don't think they know what they are talking about. I love this one. I painted it for her birthday. It reminds me of pictures of Hollywood actresses like Davis and Harlow. Bubbie. Acrylic on canvas.

Funny Subject : )

Robin and I went to see Marley & Me New Years Day. We were running late for the movie and decided to catch the next one. We killed time by having a couple of beers and appetizers at California Pizza Kitchen. I snapped a few picks while we hung out. The beer made us highly sensitive, so we were bawling by the end of the movie...in a room full of heartless people! This Bud's For Me. Acrylic on canvas.

Refinishing

I painted our 13 year old doxie on a table top. Loved this photo of her. It turned out to be a very interesting piece of furniture to have around our house. BW Mindy On Table Top. Acrylic on wood.

Happy Valentine's Day

I bought acrylic paint and a few canvases in different sizes! I painted a picture I took of Ruby Sue for my husband Valentine's Day. This is from a photo I took of her fixing to jump at the camera. She was a wild puppy! Still is. She is always getting into something or dragging something up. She likes beer cans from the side of the road and varmints. Mostly mice, but she brought up a rabbit the other day. Ruby Sue, the Beagle. Acrylic on Canvas.

Boggs and Bernie

Next, I painted Boggs and Bernie. They belong to my sister and her husband, Eric and Robin White. Again, didn't have any paint yet, so I used more house paint. Frisky Boggs and Bernie Goes Trick or Treating. Latex house paint on canvas.

Lee & Me

Okay, this is how my style began. I was messing around with a picture I took of myself posing with Ruby Sue and hit a wrong setting. I thought it looked cool and decided to paint it. My grandmother had given me a few canvases and I have a lot of house paint laying around, so I painted them image. To my surprise, my husband really liked it. The next day, I found a picture of him that I liked and painted his portrait. I enjoyed it so much that I have kept a painting of some kind going ever since. Self Portrait and Good Lookin' Man. Latex house paint on canvas :)

Family Portrait

These are my first three paintings. Our pets: Mindy, Ruby, Oliver. Oil on canvas.