get me started....

Lean On Me

8 x 10 Oil on canvas

I am having to jump start myself these days...gotta get me going in a positive direction!! I had a lemon sitting on the counter, just waiting for something wonderful to happen to it... so I borrowed a page from Carol Marine (such an inspiration) and decided to set up a small still life on paper:

(this really is a lemon...looks very orangy in the pic)
What great fun! I had a wonderful morning going crazy with my lemon slices and thinking about what a wonderful thing it is to use complementary colors...talk about zing! I also finished up a painting that has been sitting for awhile:

New Reflections

12 x 16 oil on canvas

This is really the first time I have done silver...a challenge, but great fun.
Just trying to stretch my brain!

love,
Neisy

Checking in

It has been soooo long since I've posted....life has taken over the last few months and hogged all of my attention! I really haven't had time to paint....BOO! But yesterday I got up and said to myself, "self, you are going to paint today, come hell or high water!" (neither one came) and I painted!! It felt wonderful, and made me realize how much I really need this in my life. So, ON WE GO! (life is full of circles)

Love,
Neisy

New Friend

This week I have been busy getting ready for my nieces wedding. [something I used to do in a former life, now only reserved for people I really love... :)...] You can check out some of my creative juices on my family blog listed on the sidebar. But in art news, I am working on a new still life right now and thinking of new ideas all the time. My thoughts are always turning to new painting ideas and I can't look at anyone without thinking about how I would paint them!! love that.
Also, I received an email from a wonderful artist that I have linked to, Miro. Please take a look at his wonderful sight. I promise you will be inspired like I have been. His style just takes me away into a happy place...love it!! Thanks, Miro....kind words go along way in helping me be even more jazzed about painting! Here's to being creative!
love,
Neisy

Winter Walk

11x14 Oil on Canvas

This is from a snapshot of Levi and Sophie taken last year, up at the top of Green Hills in Huntsville. The view from there is spectacular! I wanted to do something with a fairly limited palette, blues and browns and I wanted to focus on the value contrast. I have been feeling very rebellious over the snow lately...(doesn't' mother nature know when enough is enough!!)...but last week I thought, alright--if you can't beat 'em join 'em! Thus, a snow picture. (wait, does that mean if I paint sunshine and flowers...it will happen?....aahh...the power of positive DREAMING!
Hope you like it
love,
Neisy

Claire in repose

15x30 oil on canvas

Yes...the magic words have been said..."I'm finished!" This month has passed by in a blurr...many things happening at once, but I have kept painting through it all. This is an accomplishment in itself. I am happy to be doing the thing that I love to do. I have had a completely joyful experience with this painting...1st, painting my sweet Claire, and 2nd, painting completely out of my head. Diving in head first is always exhilarating. David Leffel said, "Learning means leaving security and taking risks. Talent is actually the ability to take risks, to attempt different solutions..." I am definitely in search of a new, higher level of painting. Trying to find myself in different styles is part of the process....seeing what speaks to me....helps me define who I am as a painter and what it is I want to say in my paintings. I'm loving the journey.
love,
Neisy

tick...tick...tick...

I know, I know....it takes me forever to finish a painting! I love and have admiration for these blogs from people who pump one out everyday...very impressive. Sorry, I'm not up to that yet...but working on it. I went to Donna's house last night to paint and got alot of work done. I am totally loving my painting so far.
It feels nice to not be bogged down in
brain junk.
For now I : "just keep painting...just keep painting..."

Ode to PINO

Yes!!! I have been painting...just not so much posting. I have been working on a painting of my daughter Claire...and I am very out of my comfort zone.
AWESOME!
I love it when that happens. It all happened when a friend lent me her PINO book. K...I know probably everyone in the art world knows PINO...but I did'nt until Vicki passed it on. Truly the coolest. (I might add that the book costs a pretty penny and so that she lent it was way generous. love you vicki)
So I have been inspired and am trying to do a study after his amazing style. His work is so emotional. seriously it grabs you and you can't stop looking...not in a train wreck sort of way but more like a thunder storm kind of way...get it? I love it so much!
Check him out...

http://www.pino-artist.com/pino-art-collections.html

So I took some pics of Claire in a "PINO" pose. (Thank you Claire for being my guinea pig.) I made a skirt for her for a special wedding she was going to...it turned out really neat, and I wanted to paint her in it...

I am not finished yet, but getting close. I will post in the next week or so. It has been so much fun.... such a great lesson in"loose"!

Painting makes me happy!