Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Mary Blair


    
I wanted to do a blog post on Mary Blair, who has been a huge influence and inspiration for me since I was a child. For those of you who are not familiar with her work, she and her husband were artists who worked with Walt Disney for many years. Apparently her husband, Lee Blair worked for Disney first and she later joined him. She worked on major motion pictures, such as Peter Pan, Alice and Wonderland, Cinderella, and Disney's attraction It's a Small World. She later went on to do freelance illustration and set design. She died at age 66, leaving behind her husband and two sons. 







The last two images  on this page are studies of a Mary Blair painting for Alice and Wonderland. My goal was not to copy her, but to study her work and try to understand her process better. I noticed things I would have never noticed before, such as layers of subtle images and color changes layered delicately on top of one another. Even her line work has this amazing rhythm. I LOVE her use of color and her eye for design. From what I read, she used watercolor and then switched to gouache, which apparently is similar to watercolor, but more opaque. It was used primarily by commercial artists for things such as illustration, graphic design, and animation. I haven't worked with watercolors in years and have never used gouache. I may do another study in the future to try to learn more. 








Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Red Grapefruit And Cherries



Red Grapefruit And Cherries
6"x6"
Acrylic on panel

The grapefruits here have been beautiful lately...bright pink when I slice into them. I love painting cherries, and thought the pinks and reds would look really nice together. I still struggle a bit painting citrus fruit...it can be tricky getting the inside to sparkle and have that translucent look to it, but I feel like this is the best grapefruit I've painted so far! 

SOLD


Monday, March 17, 2014

Lake George Carousel



Lake George Carousel 
8"x10"
Acrylic on panel

I finally finished my carousel painting! I've been working on it on and off for quite some time now, but pushed recently to get it done! I posted some process shots of this painting a few months ago on my blog, explaining that I began it while I was living and working in a gallery in New York with Clint.




Friday, March 14, 2014

Onion and Radishes



Onion and Radishes II
6"x6"
Acrylic on panel

I found some onions and radishes at the market and knew I had to paint them! They had a lot of personality(wonderful flaws!) The first one I sold months ago(very similar with a different onion that had an oblong shape.




Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Red Apple And Orange Cherries



Red Apple And Orange Cherries
6"x6"
Acrylic on panel

I painted this for a gallery show and decided to put it up for auction! I love rainier cherries...discovered them about a year ago..


Available with frame!

SOLD