"Lew's Pond"

"Lew's Pond"
Acrylic on Canvas
16 X 20
Commissioned

Photo by Brittany Willis

A sweet friend of mine requested a commissioned piece of her Uncle's pond to remember him by now that he is gone. She had a lovely photo she had taken for me to use. I knew it was special to her, so I tried to be as detailed and accurate as my painting style allows. I hope she and her family enjoys it for many, many years ahead and I like to think her Uncle would have been pleased to be remembered in such a way.

"Jessica's Heywood Hardy"

"Jessica's Heywood Hardy"
Acrylic on Canvas
16 X 20

I often dream of a scene similar to this. I lived it at one time with my own horses and dog. Some day I hope my kids can experience something similar. There's nothing like it.

Heywood Hardy was from a family of artists. He has alot of horses and hounds in his paintings. I wonder who this person was? I imagine she was probably a real person. maybe a family member. His piece is called "Horse and Rider on a Windswept Beach".

Anyone who knows me, know why I had to paint this. I hope you enjoy it just as much!

"Canoe on the Pond"

"Canoe on the Pond"
Acrylic on Canvas
16 X 20

Photo by Reyna Torberson

I enjoy seeing pictures my friends post online and occasionally I come across one that makes me want to paint it! This is the result of just that. My friend graciously gave me permission to use her photograph. I thoroughly enjoyed it and love that I was able to capture something a little more real this time!

I'm hoping to be able to apply what I have learned while painting Monets, to current pictures. This was an attempt to bring those skills out a bit more.

The challenge of this piece was the ripples on the water. Tricky business! I need to practice it some more until I'm more comfortable, but I feel like a technique is emerging!

"Jessica's Monet #10"

"Jessica's Monet #10"
Acrylic on Canvas
8 X 10
Sold

As my mom continued to work on her Lebasque piece, I managed to squeak in a little 8 X 10. We discovered that two artists in one room was challenging when working on separate pieces! I managed by using my phone while she continued with the use of my computer.

This piece was chosen rapidly with little thought. I knew I needed something that would suit a small canvas, so I picked the first thing I thought might do the trick. Using a tiny screen was a new and interesting challenge, but I'm delighted by the result.

My best description of this would be in the emotion connected to it. A mother taking a child to see something special near home. I sense a long afternoon of quiet exploration. You can see another woman and child in the distance. They may have enjoyed a picnic together! But above everything I feel a sense of calm and the essence of 'days gone by'.

Monet's Poppies at Argenteuil. I hope you enjoy his fantastic piece!

"Jessica's Henri Lebasque"

"Jessica's Henri Lebasque"
Acrylic on Canvas
16 X 20

My parents are here for a visit and since my mom has mentioned wanting to do a painting with me multiple times, we decided it was now or never!! I let her choose from my 'masterpiece' collection and away we went!! She chose a very challenging piece and is currently still working on hers. We do have different styles and while I am pretty happy with more general similarities, she is more of a perfectionist and takes a little extra time as she goes!
If she lets me, I will try to post her copy on Facebook! But for now, here is mine and here is what inspired us: 

Vezillon, la partie de pêche

 , 1915–1915 By Henri Lebasque. Enjoy!

"Jessica's Monet #7 (Remix)"

"Jessica's Monet #7 (Remix)"
Acrylic on Canvas
30 X 40

So while I love that my son enjoys my paintings and gives me lots of compliments on them (especially if there is water and boats); knowing he viewed my piece intended for above the fireplace as though there were meteors falling from the sky and the boat was about to blow up and sink kind of unsettled me!

"Jessica's Monet #7"

I finally had a chance to pull it down off the wall and take another stab at it. (There might be something about the orange sky that really didn't go in my living room that helped with the decision for a redo). All in all, I saved a copy of the old version for his sake, but I am happy that my clouds now look like clouds rather than rocks in the sky. I think he will approve as well since his favorite color is blue!

My version of Monet's  "Sailboat At Le Petit Gennevilliers" is less of a recreation and more an 'inspired by' derivative. It looks very little like his piece, but the bones are there! Click on the link for a look at my inspiration!

Jessica's Monet #9

"Jessica's Monet #9"
Acrylic on Canvas
16 X 20

So this may look familiar.. though it may not. I used a reference I have used before, but cropped it differently and the colors turned out different. I did not look at my previous painting since I didn't want to be influenced by it, so I'm happy to see that this painting is it's own.

It makes me think of when a bunch of people go to a "paint and sip" and everyone is using the same instructions and the same reference, but they all turn out very different, some drastically so. That was the effect I was going toward. I wanted to see where it took me on a different day.

One of the things I like about painting is that there is always a new way to represent an idea. I could paint from the same reference 100 times and each one would be different. Some would prefer what they create to look exactly like the reference, but for me, painting is about the imprint of the reference and my own creativity breathing through the rest. I use famous works that are no longer under copyright both because I love what the artist captured and because I love bringing their ideas back to life as a memorial. I don't want to copy stroke for stroke, as amazing of a talent as that would be, but I want to draw people into the world of art both past and present for the sheer enjoyment of something beautiful.

Here is a link to Claude Monet's "The Boats: Regatta at Argenteuil". Enjoy!

"Flower"

"Flower"
Acrylic on Canvas
16 X 20

Photo by Cedar Grove Farm

Trying new things is always fun. I love bright colors, so this was easy to enjoy. My sister asked me if I was ever going to try painting flowers; and since I knew of some wonderful pictures my friends from Cedar Grove Farm would happily let me use for my work, I decided it would be fun to try! This looks so happy on the wall!! And I think we are all ready for some spring! So to my friends up in New England and other snowy places, here is some spring for you.

One of the things I find interesting about this is the complete difference between the painting and the photo. Often I am timid when it comes to color!! and you can see my timidity here. Though I love what came of it, it is not how I intended it to be! I do not like my paintings to be exact replicas of the photos I reference, but this one was more different than usual!

"Seascape"

"Seascape"

Acrylic on Canvas

11 X 14

As I worked on my 8 X 10 Van Gogh, I had so much extra paint from being used to larger pieces that I decided not to waste, but to play with another original. This is what came out of that! Honestly these colors make me feel calm, nostalgic, and energized all at the same time.. I could paint and paint and paint with just these colors.

I'm glad I was pushed to paint another one because I think the more I practice, the better! My hubby thinks my waves are improving =D

"Jessica's Van Gogh"

"Jessica's Van Gogh"
Acrylic on Canvas
8 X 10

Honestly I signed this after Monet thinking it was one of his and when I was checking the title of the painting for my blog, I realized I had the wrong artist!!! This feels alot like a Monet, but it is actually a Van Gogh. It is called "The Sea at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer" and if you click the title, it will take you to a website with a picture of his piece for you to see.

I hope you like it! My first Van Gogh recreation and I didn't even realize it!