4 Paws Southwest – 5″ x 5″ Acrylic

“A bad habit never disappears miraculously; it’s an undo-it-yourself project.”
– Abigail Van Buren



4 Paws Southwest – 5″ x 5″ Acrylic on Black Gessoed Aquaboard

This is the view (from my brain) to the southwest of my wonderful 4 Paws vacation cabin in Driggs, Idaho.  What a wonderful place!   I haven’t worked on paintings like this for a while and I enjoy the process so much.  I used Golden Fluid Acrylics and apply many, many layers before they are done.

Here is the progress shots…



These little paintings really look better in natural light, but you kinda get the gist. 

About Abigail Van Buren

Pauline Phillips, better known as Abigail Van Buren, wrote the syndicated “Dear Abby” column for 46 years. She was born in 1918 in Iowa. She had never written professionally when she contacted the San Francisco Chronicle‘s editor and said she could do better than their current advice maven. Her version was an instant success. Her twin sister, Esther Lederer, became an advice columnist under the name Ann Landers. Phillips retired in 2002; her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, took over her column.

Clematis – Linoleum Block Print & Watercolor

“If you want a place in the sun, you’ve got to put up with a few blisters.”
– Abigail Van Buren



Clematis – Linoleum Block Print & Watercolor

I really do love block printing, but it hurts my hands too much, carving the linoleum.  I had to give it up.  Here are the steps…  Drawing, carving, printing and watercolor.  Kinda fun, eh?

Tomorrow, I’ll show you the oil pastel version of this flower. 

About Abigail Van Buren

Pauline Phillips, better known as Abigail Van Buren, wrote the syndicated “Dear Abby” column for 46 years. She was born in 1918 in Iowa. She had never written professionally when she contacted the San Francisco Chronicle‘s editor and said she could do better than their current advice maven. Her version was an instant success. Her twin sister, Esther Lederer, became an advice columnist under the name Ann Landers. Phillips retired in 2002; her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, took over her column.

Jeepney

“A bad habit never disappears miraculously; it’s an undo-it-yourself project.”
– Abigail Van Buren



Jeepney
4″ x 6″ Watercolor

A Jeepney is a common Filipino transport.  Agnesdale from WetCanvas posted it for us to paint last weekend.  I enjoyed doing this so much.  I used teensy little brushes and paid close attention to the details.  I did the “chrome” last, because I realized that I didn’t know how to do chrome.    I think this little painting took me over 4 hours.  It drew me in and kept me entertained. 


My friend May is from Cebu, in the Philippines.   Her husband tells me that they take army surplus jeeps and attach stuff all over them, like the Mercedes emblem.  He said they are wonderfully gawdy and filled with people.  You have to love that!

About Abigail Van Buren

Pauline Phillips, better known as Abigail Van Buren, wrote the syndicated “Dear Abby” column for 46 years. She was born in 1918 in Iowa. She had never written professionally when she contacted the San Francisco Chronicle’s editor and said she could do better than their current advice maven. Her version was an instant success. Her twin sister, Esther Lederer, became an advice columnist under the name Ann Landers. Phillips retired in 2002; her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, took over her column.

Swimming Pretty

“If you want a place in the sun, you’ve got to put up with a few blisters.”
– Abigail Van Buren

 
Swimming Pretty
5″ x 7″ Watercolor

This one is a little bit of a happy accident.  I placed some stretched out gauze across a piece of watercolor paper and dabbed color onto it.   (I got a little too far into it, when I realized I forgot to mask off a place for my fish. )

After it dried, I removed the gauze and continued with a little negative painting around the coral.  Not to be undone by my own forgetfulness, I painted a little fish on a scrap of watercolor paper and attached it to the painting.  I think it will make a nice birthday card for a child.  I send hand painted cards to all my family members.  They love it!

Just for fun, I pulled the colored gauze out of the trash can and scanned this one.  Isn’t that fun? 




An even better birthday card, perhaps?

Gotta love those happy accidents. 

About Abigail Van Buren

Pauline Phillips, better known as Abigail Van Buren, wrote the syndicated “Dear Abby” column for 46 years. She was born in 1918 in Iowa. She had never written professionally when she contacted the San Francisco Chronicle’s editor and said she could do better than their current advice maven. Her version was an instant success. Her twin sister, Esther Lederer, became an advice columnist under the name Ann Landers. Phillips retired in 2002; her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, took over her column.