found my sketch book!!!

It was in my closet! Why? Who knows...I was probably cleaning and wanted to put it somewhere where I wouldn't forget...and forgot about it! Well, I'm happy and will be back to getting through the EDM list.

My baby boy....

This is a portrait of my youngest son when he was about 5-6 years old, sitting on a lawn chair by the lake at our cottage. He's 17 now but remains my "baby"...and he still has the same wonderful smile.

This is the first portrait I've ever painted. I started painting it in acrylics but found it to difficult to do the details in the face, so I finished it with water-based oil paints. It was a pleasure working in this medium because it was like working with oil-based paints, only without the smell and clean-up.

...lost my sketchbook

I can't find my sketchbook, so I had to reprint the EDM list. I noticed something I hadn't before, EDM #67 - Draw something Mom. I'm posting this drawing of my mother when she was around 20 or so. I drew this soon after her death and since I've been thinking alot about her lately (well, I always think about her...but more lately), I thought I'd share my drawing here.

I hope I find my skechbook soon...looking at this now, I see I need to taper her cheeks a bit...

...so I'm back...

Life's gotten in the way, as it always does, and I let it. But, today I took hold and finished a painting I started last year. Initially, I was focused on doing a simple still life. Apples on a draped satin fabric. I used a reference photo my son had for a project when he was in high school. It looked simple enough. Not so, when I got to working the draping...then the painting became all about learning to paint draped fabric. Once I got it to look just like I wanted, I couldn't even think about finishing the apples...until today! I'm finished... and I think it looks good. What a great feeling. So, now I've gone downstairs and pulled out four other paintings I started last year and plan on finishing those in the near future.

long time...

Just bought a professional artist easel from someone on Craigslist. It's great...well used, but still great...plus about 30-40 canvases, all for about $100. I'm really glad, I've wanted this easel for some time but didn't want to pay the full $250 for a new one. As for painting, I working on "finishing" this year. I have about 6 paintings in process and all very near completion, but I just left them. So my goal is to finish these before starting a new one.