Work in Progress - A Mother's Love Updated

A busy week has kept me away from my easel and is leaving me feeling a little restless.  The studio is so close to being finished, but now requires much more of my attention to the finishing details.  Hopefully by this time next week, I will be unpacked, settled in and enjoying my new space!

I did sneak a few hours in and enjoyed painting the jigsaw puzzle that makes up this little girls face.  It is close to being finished but lacks the finesse that details will provide.  I have also made it past the mid point in a painting that is so frustrating.  For me, anyway.  Midpoint lacks the cohesion of color and detail that drives my compositions.  I feel like I am painting and painting and gaining zero ground towards the finished piece.  Then, in what seems like a blink of the eye, the painting transforms and I can see the end in sight.  Don't get me wrong....I love to paint, period!  But at some point, my mind starts to wander, and I find myself thinking about the next painting.  Something will catch my eye, or I have stopped by the side of the road to photograph a frisky filly kicking up her heels, snorting with pleasure, and I am ready to start something new.

The background will be my greatest challenge in this painting.  I have already deepened the yellow in the lower portion and lightened the upper right corner.  I would like to add some greenery, but it may overpower the piece and make it too busy.  I want the viewer to be focused on the loving, contented expression of the mother and the innocence of the young giraffe.  I will likely Photoshop several ideas into the photo, before painting it on the board.  I love having that tool!  I can put general ideas to the test, especially if I find that I am not happy with the direction the painting is currently taking.  I can then adjust colors and shape as I paint.

I try to find a quote for the day that reflects my mood.  Today it deals with my struggles to continue to grow as an artist.

"Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression."  ~Isaac Bashevis Singer

Another Work in Progress!

A Mothers Love I - Oil  27 x 42  Work in Progress
My ADD has kicked in....again.  Oh well, why fight it.  I have learned that keeping several paintings (up to 5 at a time!) keeps me interested, and in a weird way, focused.
I love to paint, and find that working on multiple paintings actually helps me work through the blocks that come with figuring out a painting.  Anyway, this one was started and has progressed pretty well.  There are several things that bothered me about this, as I am a real detail nut.  The ears are slightly off on the mother, and the rest is just too unfinished to make any judgements yet.

I love wildlife, especially African species.  They are so wonderfully exotic in their beauty.  This is just another in my series of  "A Mothers Love".  I have multiple photos for sale, but this is the first painting.  It touches my heart when I see wild animals display moments of affection with their young.  I really live for those wildlife shots.  Mothers by nature, and as our gift from God, are nurturing.  This mother was nuzzling her baby, and had taken a brief moment to rest her head against the baby's neck and close her eyes.  It was so sweet to see.  Follow my progress as I continue to attempt to capture the sweet, soft moment in a baby's life.

This is a close-up view of the upper area of the mother.  It is pretty close to finished, but I need to progress the baby's face, before I add much more to the mother.  I love the blues and purples mixed into the white areas that enhance the orange-reds of the spots, and the black hairs.

Deborah Boyet on The Arts Map

Deborah Boyet on The Arts Map I am now on The Arts Map so you can find my location, contact info, and hours for the studio.

Spring Fling -Work in Progress

Spring Fling - Oil  12x24

This is still very much a work in progress.  The photo does not do the background justice, and I hope to catch a better shot of the colors in the deep darks later.   I started this painting with the deeper shadow colors and the flowers were very blue up until this stage.  I am working up through the lights and the highlights as well as what I call the peek-through colors in very thin layers so the white doesn't come on too strong or too soon.  This is very enjoyable and relaxing.  Bringing in the purples, yellows and greens that peek through the white and blue.  The piece has nice flow and reads well.  The challenge is still the center of interest.  I am one to break rules and I do not mind if my center of interest is, well, in the center.  As long as the rest of the piece can carry it's weight and the eye moves well throughout the painting.  Although the center flower is the whitest, it will have the least amount of detail, and variety of color when the painting is complete.  I also have not finished adding the thin white/light layers, so it could very well be a place for the eye to rest.

I usually start out with an idea of where I want my center of interest, but I am very flexible and let the painting speak to me as it progresses.  I find I fight less with the finishing the piece and they tend to be some of my best works.  

I am big on composition, and flow as this is what draws a viewer and keeps them looking.  Those two will often cause me to put a painting away (sometimes for a year or more) until my mind figures out the solution.  There is rarely a painting I don't complete.  I just put the paint on a piece of palette paper and mark it or write in my journal the watercolors I am using so I can easily pick up where I left off.

I love painting white flowers.  These were deep in shadow and were very blue with the early light and the greens in the background.  I will be adding in all of the details last....probably my favorite part of painting!  All of the stamens and their cast shadows will be my puzzle challenge in this piece.  I am very much a realist when it comes to painting.  I will then turn it to the wall for a few days to a week.  This gives me time away from the piece so when I look at it, any problems usually pop right out.

The studio is still very much a work in progress as well.  The heated flooring is in, and the primer for all of the walls and hallways was completed today.  My solid door will be cut in half soon (barn door style) and another opening cut out in the upper half for my stained glass magnolia piece.  I will be adding moulding trim around the glass and also to make raised panels on the lower half.  I hope my vision for the door will pan out.  It will be based in french blue, the second coat will be white and then a stain will be added and wiped away to age it in the crevices.  Then it will be sanded and aged to expose the blue and natural wood underneath.  The hope is to get a French country look.  We shall see!

"Vision without action is a dream.  Action without vision is simply passing the time."  ~ Joel Barker

Camelia Painting by Artist Deborah Boyet

Winter Roses - Camelia

"Winter Roses" -Camelias Painting

Watercolor 8x12

Original $275

Giclee on Watercolor Paper $40 Edition size 150

Original or Giclee

Original $275.00 Giclee' (edition size 150) $40.00

"Flowers have spoken to me more than I can tell in written words. They are the hieroglyphics of angels, loved by all men for the beauty of their character, though few can decipher even fragments of their meaning. ~Lyndia M. Child This is the newest in a series of camelia I am painting. They are one of my favorite flowers as they are a welcome sight at the end of winter. When I see them bloom, I know spring is just around the corner.

These red camelia were particularly beautiful against the dark blue-green colors that surround them. We have a beautiful gardens close by (Kalmia Gardens) full of camelia and they carry over to the college grounds. There is usually still a little bite in the air, yet the sun has started to warm, and it is great to be outdoors soaking it in.

I have become a photography buff over the years and enjoy the challenges of finding great nature shots. Digital photography has so many advantages over traditional film, and I love seeing if my lighting is correct for the shot. But it has it's disadvantages as well. I have by necessity started teaching myself CS3 and will cover some of the great shortcuts I have learned that I think will help my fellow artists and photographers. I try to use the photos as a starting point, but it is great when I can input some of my vision into the photo or correct the photo closer to what I saw when I took the picture.

New Journey - New Studio - Fresh Start!

Well I am finally taking the plunge. I have had my blog for a while now, but life has been hectic, and it just kept moving down on the "to do list". Guess it finally made it to the top! I am knee deep in learning so many new things (Photoshop CS3, Corel Painter, blogging stuff) and still trying to paint. Add to all of that a move, and studio/gallery addition and life just gets crazy. I missed most of my competitions this year. That is a sad thing, but the trade off is well worth it. A new studio/gallery! I can't wait to get in it! Lots of closet space, new cabinets and counters, and beautiful warm, neutral colors. I am even getting heated tile floors! My dogs and I will love that this winter. I am adding a piece of my original stained glass to my studio door to complete the look. I will post pictures soon on the progress. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy following me on my life-long journey in art and my love of nature and animals. I am sure there will be a tale or two of my mischievous fur-children Kaleigh and Madison, and my real ones as well. They are both grown and live halfway across the country. I miss them everyday. Please stop by often and see what is new on the easel. "All of life is a journey. Which paths we take, what we look back on, and what we look forward to is up to us. We determine our destination, what kind of road we will take to get there, and how happy we are when we get there. Author unknown Enjoy your journey friend.

Early Light -Marsh Wren

8 x 10 Watercolor on paper

Original $200 & Giclee $40 Edition Size 150

Original or Giclee'

Original $200.00 Giclee' (edition size 150) $40.00

One of my newest works in watercolors. This is a marsh wren, greeting the early gray morning with a chipper spirit. What lovely little birds they are....always striking a posing and taking on the world.

Other available works can be viewed on my website

Email me with inquiries or questions.