Virtual Paintout 6: Vevie Goes to Italy!

For the month of May Vevie and the Virtual Paintout  gang went to Italy! 

Specifically Lido di Jesolo, a province of Venice. Yes, the place famous for all the canals and romantic gondolas.

(click on any pics to enlarge; I kept them small here so the page will load faster for you)

I must have been in a romantic mood for this one, and chose my title from an old Celtic hymn "The Water is Wide". The CD I have is by David Arkenstone called Celtic Hymns, and I like this version of the lyrics:

The water is wide, I can't cross o'er

And neither have I wings to fly

Give me a boat that can carry two

And we shall sail, my love and I

"And We Shall Sail, My Love and I"

From Google Street View in 

Lido di Jesolo, Italy

9 x 12 acrylic on canvas

Here is the original Google Street View scene I chose to use:

As usual, I dinked around in Photoshop, trying out color schemes, etc. Settled on the one below for my mock-up. You'll see in the finished painting I made a change by leaving out the street lamps. They just made for too much clutter right in front of all that ships rigging. I like it better without them, but retained a bit of warm glow by keeping the last remnants of a sunset in the lower sky behind the ships. 

For a value check and to help me see the ships rigging better, I also made a black and white version:

I settled on a limited palette. I set the tubes out, then put the rest away. This time it consisted of:

Pthalo Turquoise (and a little Ultramarine Blue)

Cad Red Medium (and a little Permanent Alizarine)

Indian Yellow (currently my favorite yellow; so warm and glowing)

Dioxazine Purple

Titanium White

                                               

For my black, I mixed together: Thalo Green + Napthol Red Lt; 

and a little Payne's Grey mainly on the ships and Vevie.

(Don't remember if I mentioned this, but I've been using Chroma Interactive acrylics for this series; will talk more about them next time; I'm really enjoying them).

So here we go, the "making of" photos:

I enjoy texture, so started by putting a layer of gesso on my canvas with a palette knife. When dry, sealed it with matte medium; that made it easier to draw the image and adjust the lines as needed, with vine charcoal. I tried the vine charcoal once before, and hated the smudgey mess! But discovered that sealing the dried gesso first with the matte medium made a huge difference in the mess factor.  :-)

Underpainting colors; decided to add the Permanent Alizarine along with the Indian yellow and Dioxazine Purple:

Started the block of of basic colors and shapes:

 Background done:

Alas and alack, I forgot to take more photos... so here we are, finished!

You can peek at the image wrapping around the canvas here:

Still wet on the easel, before a thinned coat of gloss medium, with the ref pic next to it:

A close up of the ships:

And can't forget Vevie or I'd never hear the end of it!

And the finished gloss coated large version of 

"And We Shall Sail, My Love and I":

Hope you enjoyed visiting Italy with Vevie and me. Happy painting!

Retta

PS: Anyone interested in joining the Virtual Paintout excursions is welcome. Almost all mediums are acceptable; check HERE for all the info. It's fun!

How To "RePurpose" Your Art!

These days we are all learning to reuse, recycle, repurpose stuff. Well, hows about our art?? I don't mean just the usual, like cards, prints, posters, etc; all the fun stuff that online print-on-demand places can create with your image.

I'm talking about ways that I can simply enjoy the image again, in a different format. And since I LOVE quotes, I enjoy making my own little motivational posters.

I think of good quotes as distilled wisdom. Um... notice I said good quotes. ;-)

It's easy to do. If you don't have Photoshop, which is where I play with mine, you can go to free places that do it automatically for you, in a set format, such as This Place.

Here is my latest... please to enjoy.

Happy poster making,

Retta

I Finally Did It!

So, I've finally gone-an-dun-it! I finished writing up the requisite "Artist Statement" HERE.

Vevie (rhymes with Stevie) is quite indignant that SHE was not featured in it, since she has been my muse for the latest series of paintings I've been working on.

Oh well, a little nap and she will be all purrs and meows again!

Happy painting,

Retta

Virtual Paintout 5: Vevie Goes to Bulgaria!

For the month of April, Vevie and the gang from the Virtual Paintout (HERE) went to Bulgaria, via Google Street View!

(can click on any pics to enlarge)

I've come to believe that as long as there shines a Moon in the sky, so shall the Bulgarian people endure. 

I'm not talking political parties or governments. I mean the true people of Bulgaria. I was moved to tears as I read Bulgaria's tumultuous history. Here is my nutshell version:

They are an ancient people, with rich traditions. The first Bulgarian Empire was established in 681 AD, and was a cultural hub for the Slavic peoples during the Middle Ages.

But in 1396 they came under the rule of the Ottoman Empire for the next 5 CENTURIES. After many uprisings over the years, they won their country back about 1878. 

Conflicts... wars... and eventually Bulgaria became a socialist state in 1946, ruled by the Communist Party. 

Finally, in 1989 the people were allowed their first-ever free elections, and transitioned to a democracy.

Bulgarians have endured such suffering and hard times over the centuries, yet even when almost wiped out as a people, they survived. They endured. 

They are not a rich people on average, but have a rich heritage. Isolated monasteries and Catholic communities played a large role in preserving the sense of national identity when it was threatened with extinction.

Photo credit under Creative Commons: Donald Judge 

They struggle even now to come up to the "standards" of other European countries. But they are trying. And I am sure nothing will stop the people of Bulgaria. 

I call my painting "Shoot For The Moon" in their honor:

Now, to the WIPs (making-of photos):

My inspiration location, 

Smolyan Province, Bulgaria:

I ran it through Photoshop, 

played with color, and

decided on this night scene:

Used vine charcoal this time to 

draw the image onto the canvas. 

Ugh... didn't like all the smearing:

Softened it with Paynes Gray acrylic, 

then sealed with medium:

Loose the color! 

Underpainting with Transparent Yellow 

and Quinacridone Magenta:

Blocked in the sky, clouds, 

moon and parts of the church:

Finished up the block in, and added 

the next several layers; haven't added 

the black yet for the tree silhouettes, 

wrought iron fence, and Vevie:

All finished! 

Here showing how the image 

wraps around to the sides:

Close-up of the church:

Vevie would feel left out if 

she didn't get her own close-up:

And once again, the finished painting:

"Shoot For The Moon"

Smolyan Province, Bulgaria

9 x 12 acrylics 

on wrapped canvas

Vevie (rhymes with Stevie) says thank you for visiting and Happy Painting!

Retta

Virtual Paintout 4: Vevie Goes to Lithuania!

This is my 4th painting excursion with the Virtual Paintout gang (HERE). For the month of March we took off for Lithuania, via Google Street View. What a beautiful country!

Here is the Street View that 

I picked for my inspiration 

(can click on any pics to enlarge):

I played with it in Photoshop, 

and came up with this mock-up:

Here is my finished painting:

"Moonlit Dreams Come True"

Vilnius, Lithuania

9 x 12 acrylics 

on wrapped canvas

And now as usual, the "making-of" pics...

I started with an Ultramarine 

Blue underpainting on my canvas. 

Yikes! That took some getting used to! 

Then sketched with a charcoal pencil.

Here I have started blocking in 

major areas with color, going 

from dark to light.

The picture continues around the edges.

And the left edge.

Put down the first cloud layers, 

and continued layers and 

detail below.

Added Vevie looking up at the 

moon, and finished the sky, 

stars, clouds and details.

A couple of close-ups:

And here again is

"Moonlit Dreams Come True"

In conclusion, I wanted to say how humbled I felt at the beginning of this month after reading up on Lithuania. Being my 4th time out with the Virtual Paintout gang, and I am realizing just how much of a geographical ignoramus I truly am!! 

Lithuania has such a rich history, and has been through so many hard times over the centuries. Yet they endure. 

As I "traveled" the countryside away from the big cities, I saw modest homes surrounded by beautiful vegetable and flower gardens. Clean and neat, lush and obviously well-tended. And not just utilitarian, but beautiful to look at. 

After reading their history, I have nothing but respect and admiration for the strong people of Lithuania!

Happy painting and virtual traveling,

Retta

Boomtown Craze Launch Party!

I can't wait to read this new installment in M. Pax's Backworlds series! I can honestly say I totally enjoyed both of the previous books. Very creative... different and fun read. 

Here's the scoop:

A Grand New Age of Boom or Dust?

Boomtown Craze, Book 3 in the Backworlds series is here!

In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe.

To secure his future, Craze must propel his world into a more prosperous era. Only days away from the grand opening of his new and improved tavern, he is confronted by a loony Backworlder intent on mucking up his plans. Gaunt and trembling, she claims her spaceship is possessed. She also has a connection to the underworld that shakes loose the dark past of one of Craze’s closest friends. It all threatens to end Craze’s prosperity before it begins.

Meanwhile off world, Captain Talos works desperately to outwit the mercenary Jixes and lure them away from his and Craze’s budding prospects. The mind-control weapon Talos uses against them is wearing thin, and his next move may be his last.

Will Craze and Talos’s efforts bring about a grand new age of boom or damn them to forever struggle in the dust?

Available in ebook at:

AmazonUS / AmazonUK / B&N / Smashwords

Other Outlets can be found at http://mpaxauthor.com

It will also be available in paperback from Amazon shortly.

MPAX

M. Pax is a Browncoat and SG fan, she’s also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats.

Website / Blog ~ Twitter ~ FB ~ Goodreads

You can also find M. Pax on LinkedIN, Pinterest, YouTube, and Wattpad

From March 4 to March 22, folks can enter to win the following:

1 set of signed Backworlds paperbacks, including The Backworlds, Stopover at the Backworlds’ Edge, and Boomtown Craze. Will only ship to US residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One of five free ebooks. All countries eligible. Enter the rafflecopter for a chance.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tweets: 

The new frontier #scifi Boom or dust? Boomtown Craze - Book 3 in the Bacworlds series#kindle #nook all ereaders http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/

Miss Firefly? #scifi Try the Backworlds. Boomtown Craze - Book 3 - Book 1 is#FREE #kindle #nook all ereaders http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/

Facebook:

Miss Firefly? Try the Backworlds. Book 1 is FREE for all ereaders. Life on the galactic frontier. Will it be boom or dust? Boomtown Craze, Book 3, is now out. WIN books. Paperbacks and ebooks up for giveaway http://mpaxauthor.com/boomtown-craze-launch-party/