Happy Halloween!

Study of Michael

9"x12" acrylic on toned paper

Not much of a halloween evening for me- husband is halfway sick and having to work tomorrow, so we're staying in and being good, not even dressing up, and trick-or-treaters apparently don't do this apartment complex- but it's been a good day anyways. And just imagine, tomorrow is November! Crazy, isn't it?

Back to the people studies on this one, and I swear, facial hair will be the death of me. Seriously, have you ever tried to paint a close-cropped goatee? Dude. But the stong jaw/sensual mouth combination came across well, and I swear those eyes are laughing at me :) And I already know what tomorrow's daily is, and I'm looking forward to it being Saturday and getting started on a couple of wonderful ideas I've got running around in my head....

#305

Reflection and Refraction

Reflecting

4"x4" acrylic on hardboard panel

sold - private collection

One wonderfully scarred, chipped, bubbled clear shooter, and two small dark marbles that look like they might be made out of hematite. Beautiful. Tried to play with the same complements as last night, the turquoise and the burnt orange- it gives it a nice vibration. And the clear marble, you can practically feel the light held in it. Happy.

#304

Open Arms

Autumn Gold

5"x7" acrylic on hardboard panel

sold - private collection

Predictable? Maybe. But what better for a beautiful fall evening, pray tell? Reveling in color, as always, and trying to pay particular attention to texture and crinkles, what makes a leaf a leaf and not just a spot of color. Happy tonight. Tired, but content.

#303

Back to coffee, as it gets colder outside

Coffee Reflections

6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel

collection of Lisa Williams

And so far as the subject of eBay goes, apparently recieving a hundred feedbackies is significant, because I now have a turquoise star.... feels like kidnergarten, no? Like I might be allowed to beat out the erasers if I'm really really good :)

The reflections part.... all the little swirlies and such. It's a very shiny cup and saucer. Even though I think my favorite part of the piece might actually be the foam, and the little bubbles where the foam meets the cup. Hmmmm.... coffee.

#302

Looking Away

Study of Amy

9"x12" acrylic on toned paper

Back to people again :) Also working on like a million other things, but I'll show you them when the time is ripe... or, more accurately, when they're not just an idea in my head or scribble-scratch in a notebook, but something a little more concrete. Something that doesn't require telepathy to share.

*warm fuzzies to everyone*

#301

I wish my computer could experience pain...

Hydrangea - Edge of the Light

8"x10" acrylic on hardboard panel

sold - private collection

Explanation of the post heading.... so I could experience the joy of inflicting pain on it. Ugh. Technology is awesome.... until the day it screws up and it's not so awesome anymore. Thankfully, though, I puzzled out a different way to finangle pictures into the computer, and I can share number freakin' three hundred with you, how exciting is that?

Beautiful one, too. Really happy with the way it turned out- the feeling of light is really there, and some parts of the water are just amazing. Fun colors, and a really pure, warm feeling to it. *sigh* See the way the light turns green in some parts of the shadows? And the bright spots in the reflection? And then those endless, echoing circles in the shallow bowl the hydrangea blossom is resting in...

#300

Love the Rainy Night

Lime Water

6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel

nfs

Not the hydrangea, not yet. Almost there :) Still this one was plenty ambitious, yes? Lime slices floating in water in a glass on a lace-edged napkin... yep, crazy. But lots of fun.

#299

All blues and greens

Hydrangea Rain

4"x4" acrylic on hardboard panel

on hold

By popular demand, I'm working on another hydrangea piece (which I believe will be done after a longish day tomorrow, we'll see)- I guess this would be a study for it, or something... it started as a way to sort out the best colors to use, and became an end unto itself. Used that fun diagonal line, drawing in acrylic thing that's been taking over lately, it gives you the most wonderful optic blending, and with these colors.... my Darling Husband, not the most poetic person in the world but dearly beloved nonetheless, said that it felt like springtime. Maybe not what I should be going for in October, but it does feel wonderful, doesn't it? Looking forward to next year already :D

#298

Snowbunny

Study of Cassie

9"x12" acrylic on toned paper

Broke every rule in the book one this one- used somebody else's low-res photograph, taken at night with a flash on a ski slope, with the subject making a goofy face. I'm also probably risking my life by posting this- the adorable subject of this painting is my baby sister. Still, worth it :)

#297

Halfway through the Week

Study of Jarrett

9"x12" acrylic on toned paper

Really, really enjoyed this one- that light in his eyes was a real challenge, as was the little smile, but I think I got it. Hope so :) Same limited palette, same limited time frame, but loosened up with the brushwork while trying to keep what I learned last night with Kristina.

Other than that... meh. It's getting cold here, and I got some gor-ge-ous pics from my Mama from a trip up to the mountains, there's a few things there I'm dying to paint. And I really-really want to go out to the Eno this weekend and take some pictures, fall color and trees and flowing water. I've got an idea for a largish painting in my head, a close up of the base of a tree, the roots and something special hiding there, really ocd detailed and with dappled sunlight. We'll see if I can get up the nerve to try it :D

#296

Experimentation is a Good Thing

Study of Kristina

9"x12" acrylic on toned paper

Set up some rules on this one- relatively quick portrait/study, to be done in acrylic.... using only one brush, and only a few colors, and only those short, diagonal strokes. I have been accused of being a bit of a glutton for punishment, but I quite enjoy this end result :) Go ahead, click on it- you get it super-sized that way. Isn't she lovely?

#295

Curves and Light

Tuberoses - Glow

6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel

collection of Joanne Kinney

Dramatic, strange, wonderfully sweet-scented flowers that I get from the local farmer's market on a regular basis mid summer through, well... fall. Love the way they make the house smell, and they have the most fascinating shape, one that I had been afraid to try until tonight.

But isolating one stem in a small format made the subject less intimdating, if no less graceful, and you may not be able to see it, but I got a couple of books on Andrew Wyeth this weekend, and I think it's starting to show- focusing even more on the light, yes, but using more of those small, cross hatch strokes with the little bitty brushes and pure colors, set against the usual layered washes. It's nice :)

#294

The sweetest things in life are chocolate.

Godiva Chocolates

4"x4" acrylic on hardboard panel

sold - private collection

Ok, I'm being silly, but that's how I feel this evening :) It's been a lovely fall day, and I got a lot done... good feeling, you know? Did the life drawing studio again, really feel like I'm making a lot of progress there, and it's happy. Chocolate seems like a good thing this evening, lol.

So, four little life sized truffles, the top one with a bit of glare on it (sorry about that) ready to go to their new home. I officially love the colors- so rich and creamy. Kind of makes you want to lick the painting. Reminding myself that would be a bad idea....

#293

PS- posted a new image. Better, yes, but this one's tricky to photograph for some reason...

Autumn Gold

Falling

6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel

sold - private collection

Something intricate and fragile tonight, with flickery highlights and translucent passages set aganst soft shadowy areas. It's comfortable, and really seasonally appropriate, no? And I tried to keep it really close to the background, pretty subtle... maybe there's be more of a glow if it was set against black, but the softness and subtlety works better for tonight. -huggle-

#292

Pretty, pretty

Filigree

6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel
collection of Deborah Ross

Wow. Yes, you've seen this one before, this is just the first time I've gotten up the nerve to show all the wonderful little gold trim details. Yay! The shadows and reflections showed up in the most unexpected places, and I really love the result. Perfect for a cool, rainy Friday night.

#291

Same view, different Teacup

Quiet Time

6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel

available through the Pink Elephant

One of my great grandmother's teacups, to be precise... most likely the only way I would have painted a flower-shaped sort of teacup, much less one with pink trim.... but I really like it :) The tea came out a really great color, and you can see how it changes, gets darker quicker at certain points of the curves than others, which is really great. Also love the variations in color and shadow on the inside of the cup, really wonderful. Happy.

#290

Close Up

Gardenia Portrait

4"x4" acrylic on hardboard panel
sold - private collection

Flowers can be terribly tricky, can't they? And gardenias, too, all those creamy porcelain curves... definately one of those all-of-the-colors-in-white things. But the curves came out beautifully, and I believe I got the values right, and the colors feel good- I'm beginning to get over my fear of phthalo blue :) And then the whole apartment smells like gardenias now, that's a wonderful thing.

#289

Scents and late Summer

Gardenia and Turquoise

6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel

sold - private collection

Trying to go a little brighter with this one, a little more saturated overall :) I think it worked well, even though it feels less controlled.... and then the stamp in the background, I've been using stamps and patterns like that off and on in my paintings for years, I guess I'm just trying to figure out how best to integrate that sort of thing with my current style.... so, it was an experiment, but a successful one, I believe. And on that note, I'm going to bed. Sleepy.

Amber and Pale

Tranquility
6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel
collection of Rob Cornish

It's a quiet Monday night, cool and filled with creature sounds- birds, insects, skitterings and chatterings that belong to other things you can't really tell apart by sound. It's nice :)

• peace n. 1 [the state of being without war] armistice, pacification, conciliation, order, concord, amity, union, unity, reconciliation, brotherhood, love, unanimity; see also AGREEMENT; FRIENDSHIP. 2 [state of being without disturbance] calm, repose, quiet, tranquillity, harmony, lull, hUsh, congeniality, equanimity, silence, stillness; see also REST 3 [mental or emotional calm] calmness, repose, harmony, concord, contentment, sympathy; see also COMPOSURE; RESERVE. -at peace peaceful, quiet, tranquil; see CALM. -hold one's peace be silent, keep quiet, not speak -make peace end hostilities, settle, reconcile

Tonight it seems like that is what my paintings are really about, what I'm really trying to find in them.... what I'm hoping to share. I hope so.

#287

Flowerscape

Take my Breath Away

12"x12" acrylic on cradled hardboard panel

I stopped beside the road at a church the other morning because the morning sun had just risen enough to touch these huge, gorgeous, sweet scented roses, and I just had to paint some of them :) I think this one came out beautifully, huge and lush, all the layers and layers of petals building into that perfect swirl in the center.... Happy.

#286

A different way of seeing

Nautilus

8"x10" acrylic on hardboard panel

collection of Lois Sharpe

Reworking and finished, and it's happily at home, now... I love shells, they're such wonderful shapes. Especially with the section of the shell drawn there behind the images of the whole. And aren't the green glimmers just amazing? I'll have to try this theme a few more times- can't resist :)

#285

Orchids, reworked

Arc

5"x7" acrylic on hardboard panel

collection of John Read

I freely admit to being on of those artists who just can't help themselves- if a piece hangs around the studio long enough, it is getting reworked. That's probably the reason I almost never varnish a painting until it's found it's adoptive parents :) Happily ever after and all that.

In this case- I was really proud of the original. I was still getting used to the smaller format, and orchids are a tough subject anyways... but when I looked at it again, I saw a lot I still loved, and some things I wanted to change. So here we go, new and improved, bright and shiny. More detail, more contrast, more dimension. That same love of the subject.

Happy thoughts, happy Friday night, happy that I might actually, finally, freakishly enough be getting the hang of getting ready for these shows a little bit ahead of time- not planning on staying up till two or three tonight, glory glory hallelujah :) Love to you all!

#284

Sunlight and Summertime

Brilliance

8"x10" acrylic on hardboard panel

email me at kelliemarianhill@yahoo.com to purchase

Happy. This one had been sitting in the corner quietly waiting to be finished for a while now. I ran a glaze of that gorgeous soft blue over the background (it was graphite on white), and brightened up the petals....

#283

Sunshine and Pixie Dust

Illumine

6"x6" acrylic on hardboard panel

sold - private collection

I am just hardcore going for these warm colors lately, aren't I? Guess the strangest thing is how long it took me to notice....

Ok, so I'm a dork and totally obsess over words. So, straight to you from Webster's Thesaurus (it really does sound a bit like a dinosaur, doesn't it?)....

• light v. 1 [To provide light] illuminate, illumine, lighten, give light to, shine upon, furnish with light, light up, make visible, make bright, flood with light, fill with light; see also BRIGHTEN

Because of the way the flower had to be, with the backlighting and everything.... you're painting petals you can't even see, you know, because the light shining through the ones you can see delineates them. It's beautiful to me.

#282

just before bed

Amber

4"x4" acrylic on hardboard panel

collection of Ellen B Drake

Needed something peaceful tonight, so I'm going back to a certain little white and gold teacup and saucer that looks particularly good in a 4"x4" format. Broke out some new brushes, which helps a lot with the highlights... other than that, just trying to get ready for the show Saturday, and generally steer clear of losing my mind. Speaking of which, did you watch the presidential debate?!? Oh my goodness, not good for my mental health... mud slinging, stupid cliches, endless repetition, condescending oversimplifications, more mudslinging, some back stabbing, and then repetition of that first round of insultingly oversimplified glittering platitudes. Ugh.

But happy thoughts, right? Hugs and kisses and rainbows. And that awesome band of golden light there above the tea-level on the shadow side of the inside of the teacup. Happy sigh.

Dreams and Brushstrokes and Reality

Dahlia Suspension - Counterpoise

8"x10" acrylic on hardboard panel

email me at kelliemarianhill@yahoo.com for purchase information

Feeling rather useless tonight, I'm quite certain my brain isn't working any better than my internet connection.. However, the flowers are lovely and pale and delicate, and the glass is bright and true, and I can show you what I see, hopefully as I see.... geez, it's obvious I've been reading Hemingway, isn't it? Funny. Hugs to you all :)

#280

Life drawing class.

Sketch of Miranda Posing - nfs

dry media on toned paper

Well, I promised my mother that I wouldn't post any more drawings of obviously naked people on this blog, so most of the stuff from the life drawing studio at the arts guild is very "out". However I wound up doing more of a portrait view of our lovely model during one 20 minute pose today, so I thought I could share that... I love going and doing this. You know I'd never done any life drawing classes before? Wonderful, and fascinating, and challenging, all of which are good things. Happy tonight. May have already said this... but can it always be the weekend? Please?

#279

All life's little distractions

Sketch of Michael Sleeping - nfs

dry media on toned paper

People over, in varying states of wakefullness... or not. Why can't it always be the weekend? And don't worry, I am painting- just slightly larger pieces that aren't quite done yet.

#278

Doo pe doo pe doo....

Pinwheel Sketch - nfs

inspired by the artwork of Mary Whyte

dry media on toned paper

Just having fun this evening- looking at a thoroughly distracting weekend. Not a bad thing, all things considered. Happy Friday!

#277

Having Hearlookinations

"Concentric"

5"x7" acrylic on canvasboard

private collection

For all of you who don't totally obsess over children's lit- yeah, that's Winnie the Pooh :) Happy with this one- teabags may be my new favorite thing to paint, if only because they seem to paint themselves, it's the darndest thing- but it's on hold for the art fair next Saturday. Looking forward to that one...

Let's see, what else? Oh, yes, a reminder of how terminally technologically incompetant I am- how the devil do you add an image to an email? No, not like as a click-on-it attachment... surely there's a good way.... I'll go try a few other things but seriously, I could use the advice. Wanted to send out an artsy fartsy newslettery thing on the first of the month, and botched it so badly that not even I could send it out :P Maybe later. If I can get a decent internet connection... ok, not likely. At all. Maybe next month? Phooey.

At any rate, happy almost-Friday (my official designation for Thursday evenings)

#276

Marbles so totally Rock

Eye Level

5"x7" acrylic on canvasboard

available through the Pink Elephant

Had entirely toooo much fun with this one. Do you see the little upside down marbles in the clear one in front, complete with little swirlies and shadows? Dude! And then the swirlies themselves, not only are you looking at them through a glass sphere but the light is falling on them through that same glass, so they have highlights and shadowed sides too... and the colors come through just the littlest bit in the highlighted part of the shadows.... looks kind of like rainbows, especially on that foremost one :)

And I've decided that the inversion of the surroundings on the Virtual Sketch Date image was because the vase was both round and full of water, because marbles do the same thing! Well, it makes sense to me.

Hope everyone's having a wonderful night!

#275