Christmas Card

Happy Christmas week!

This card is part of an annual tradition I started way back with our first married Christmas.

Back then it was just the two of us and I think I drew our fish tank in there somewhere.

Look how we have grown!

We have a new member of the family with the adoption of the puppy Indiana by my son and his wife.

We have a baby on the way in 2015. Our first grandchild!

And an exciting wedding to plan with the engagement of our daughter.

This is the only cartoon/illustration type of work I do these days.

And it's a really nice way to end a year full of making art.

This is how it begins with a rough sketch.

I then place a sheet of heavy vellum over the sketch and with fine line markers begin

the big doodle project.  

I doodle on it in front of the tv, on the kitchen table while making dinner, 

pretty much anywhere I can grab a few minutes.

The nice thing about working on this vellum is that if I make a mistake instead of white out 

I can just scratch the surface off with an exacto knife.

I also use this as a technique as in scratching away some area to make the smoke from the fire.

If you have not seen my illustrated family cards from years past,
please visit this page and take a look.

I have a very busy week ahead as I'm sure you do also.

A very happy Christmas and holiday to you all and thank you so much for the time you 

take throughout the year to visit my work.

See you in 2015!

Knight Star, The Amaryllis

"Knight Star"

Watercolor, 9" x 12"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

Many festive varieties of amaryllis pop up this time of year, some with stories that can be associated with Christmas themes. 

A hybrid amaryllis, 'St. Joseph's Staff,' was introduced in the 16th century, according to an online resource, The African Garden. 

St. Joseph's Staff is a reference to the legend that St. Joseph was chosen to become husband to the Virgin Mary after his staff sprouted amaryllis flowers during the selection process conducted by a high priest. 

The name, amaryllis, is derived from the Greek word that means "to sparkle," and its botanical name, Hippeastrum, is Greek for "knight star."

Flowers are my go to subject for truly relaxing painting.

And the vibrant coloring is always an added bonus.

In this case the delicate fine lines were completed by first wetting a single pedal, giving it a few seconds to try a bit and then dragging a very thin, loaded brush across the surface.

This creates a beautiful modeled first glaze.

I rarely leave a white background but thought I would try to se how I like it.

I do love the botanical paintings I see at the flower show every year.

And it is a simple, clean look.

The verdict is out however because I'm finding it difficult not to brush in a luscious rich background!

I would love to paint another one but I have to start 

my family Christmas card this week.

Here's a look at last years card.

This year I have the happy task of adding a mother to be daughter-in-law

(Our first grandchild!), a future son-in-law and a new

little adopted puppy.

Yikes, I better get started :)

Spectrum Lights

I had the image of this painting in my head for quite a while before I ever put pencil to paper.

I collected tinted bottles all summer and just squirreled them away.

On a bright, sunny day I brought my carefully hoarded collection to my patio table.

To capture more elongated shadows,  I set up on a large board and inclined it as far as I dared with some close, everything fall to the ground and crash, calls.

The brillant light was my main interest in this painting.

Everything from the tinted shadows it cast onto the fabric, the areas of fabric disappearing

under the glare and the reflections from one surface to another.

This is a large piece so all that was a bit daunting
but it helped to keep a "one thing at a time" attitude.

"Light Reigns"

Watercolor, 15" x 25"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

The title comes from, the power of the light cast throughout the scene
but also, the feeling of the bottles cascading down through the picture plane.
The vertical stripes, I hope, add to the pouring, raining effect of color and light.

 I generally work from light to dark.

But when painting glass I first cover a few select spots with resist to preserve the whites.
Next I lay in the lightest wash of color visible on the glass.
Then I go straight to the darkest color value.

 Once that is in place, I begin to work in all the
middle values with interlocking shapes of color.

Some of these bottles will appear again in future still lives.
And I have some crazy shaped clear bottles and vases I'd like to try.

But for now I have a yen for flowers, maybe some Christmas flowers!

Thank you so much for stopping by :)

One more bottle!

Still here.  I have been slow as molasses with this one!

I don't know what it is.  I love working with all the reflections and I'm feeling more confident with the subject matter.  I am even pretty happy with the way it is turning out.

But I find myself taking lots of breaks and letting myself be easily distracted.

One. More. Bottle! 

Glass, glass and more glass!

I have been collecting vintage and new tinted glass bottles all summer.

This painting started out as a study of light through glass with only one bottle, and then another and another until it grew into this monster project on a full sheet of paper.

When I was in college one of my favorite teachers was Professor Louise Stahl.

I was lucky enough to get into her Color Theory class Sphomore year.

One assignment was to set up an abstract painting using only the tinted lights crossing 

and overlapping within a light booth.

Since I pretty much just drew my way through college, 

this was very different and challenging for me.

But probably the class I learned the most from that year.

This painting is in homage to a fabulous teacher and a great learning process.

My interests here are reflection, refraction and most of all the light.

I'm a bit obsessed with this idea right now and most mornings can't wait to get back to my table!

I don't know if this will be a keeper but I'll keep plowing through to find out.

I'll be back with more progress.  Stay tuned!

Signature Membership!

On Sunday I was honored to receive Signature Membership into

The Philadelphia Watercolor Society.

It is my first Signature Membership and all the more special because it is with my 

hometown organization.

This years show recieved hundreds of entries but selected only 75 pieces.

The gallery was large, open and well lit.

The two last photos are from PWCS


The reception was very well attended and with my family and friends there made for a perfect day.
All the hardworking and dedicated board members of PWCS put together
a lovely event from unpacking and hanging paintings to preparing the appitizer table.
I am so grateful to do this work and honored to be included with this room full of
outstanding artists.

Flowers, Tinted Glass and Pattern on Pattern

By now you know that I love complications.

Pattern on pattern, complementary colors, reflected and refracted surfaces

all make me very happy.  When they all appear in one painting, 

well, I'm over the moon the whole time I'm working.

"Summer Harvest"
Watercolor, 18" x 24"
©Carmella Tuliszewski

I have written in my previous posts about setting up and shooting this still life.

I love overhead viewpoints for a more dramatic effect.

I found this arrangement quite by accident.
I had laid all the elements down and was prepared to put a more organized set up together.
Before I started moving things around I noticed how interesting it was just as is.
A few little tweeks here and there and I was ready.
The whole composition sweeps up to the focal point in the upper right corner.
The lillies on the left could even be mistaken for a part of the fabric while your eye follows the movement to the upper right where the bottle stands up and grabs your full attention.
At least that's the way I hope it works!

But I saved painting the tinted green glass bottle for last because,
honestly, I didn't know what I was doing with that part of the image.

When I finally got to it, all the swirling, bubbling colors and values were a bit dizzying.

So I backed away from it for a day and reacquainted myself with a 

contemporary still life painter that I have admired for decades.

Janet Fish paints sunny jam packed paintings of which glass is a key feature in most of her work.

What I learned is that painting colored glass is less about blending and more about fitting 

separate color shapes together like a jigsaw puzzle.

It took awhile to get started but once I thought of it as putting a puzzle together,

one shape built on another and so on.

I have been collecting tinted bottles all summer.

I've found forgotten ones in the back of my own cuboards and during my many thrift store trips.
All different colors and shapes.
I have an idea brewing for how to put them together.
Until next time, I thank you for stopping by!

Blog Hop Around the World

I am so happy to have been invited to participate in the Blog Hop Around the World!

My friend and fellow watercolorist, Celia Blanco, honors me with this invitation.

Celia's work is a loose, colorful and impressionistic interpretation of everything from inspirational Italian landscapes to what she is having for dinner.
She also keeps a beautiful watercolor sketchbook that you must see.

Her work is fresh and a pleasure to look at again and again to find new shapes 

and beautifully blended colorings.

Please stop by her blog and get to know this talented and generous artist as I have over the past year.

I'll introduce myself by telling you this is my third life as an artist.

After graduating with a BFA in Illustration I was recruited
by Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, MO.
Greeting cards were big business in those days and I learned so much from
my supervisors/teachers while there.

When I returned to the east coast, having been a Hallmark artist opened many doors and
I continued for the next 15 years as a very busy freelancer
 for many card companies and design firms around the U.S.
I designed and illustrated cards, gift wrap, collectibles and display & packaging.

With the arrival of the home computer, the greeting card industry took a dive.
While around the same time people stopped buying collectibles
and packaging became much more graphic.
Many of those wonderful companies I worked for folded or
severely cut back on production.

I took some time off to raise my two young children and regroup.

A few years later I went back to school to do graduate work in
Art Education and earned PA State Certification.
I taught art, grades 1 thru 8, in a small private school in Philadelphia for ten years.
I felt rejuvinated from this experience and began to focus on my own work more and more.

I began watercolor while still teaching and soon it was all I wanted to do.
Now I have the pleasure and privilege of painting full time.
This Sunday I will receive Signature Membership into the
Philadelphia Watercolor Society.  I'm so excited!

              

                My little corner studio space.  It may not look like much but I love it!
                Notice the black and white drawings above my desk?   A family tradition of mine which you can see HERE 

1.  What am I working on now?
Almost done with this one.
I have just started laying in the color for the blue and white platter.
And I've saved that green bottle for last because I have never painted
colored glass before.  And, well, just working up a little courage to dive in and give it a shot!

Each painting builds on the last one. I always learn something new with every challenge.

"Summer Harvest"
Watercolor, 18" x 24"


2.  Why do I create what I do?
I enjoy most painting as a realist with a twist of bold colors and,
at the moment, still life is my favored genre.
I love painting things I have around my house or have discovered on one of my many thrift store trips.

I seek out ways to go beyond making things look real.
And I try to do this with color, subject and composition.
I keep a bold color palette and look for interesting objects to put in dynamic,
maybe unexpected groupings and view points.

When I see light laying across a colorful object, I can't wait to try and capture
what light does to that color and its shadow.
How light and shadow seem to bring the objects up off the paper
and how a color never stands alone.
It is affected by its surrounding colors and it takes a glazing of various hues to give
color a depth and richness that often doesn't come straight out of a tube.

I enjoy the challenge of bringing all this together to make an image.

"Autumn's Last"
Watercolor, 18" x 24"

"The Catch"
Watercolor, 15" x 28"

"Autumn Suns"
Watercolor, 18" x 24"


3.  How does my creative process work?
I work from photos and compose mainly through the viewfinder of my camera.
I set up my still lives outside on a sunny day and just leave it there all day.
I shoot many pics throughout the day while climbing up ladders, 
crawling under the table and laying on the ground.

I edit in Photoshop, many hours later make a selection that I can't turn away from 
and follow up with any changes while drawing out the composition.
After completing a very detailed drawing I begin painting,
finishing one section at a time as I go.
You can see an example of a work in progress HERE.

I use mostly Winsor & Newton watercolor paints but have recently started using
the Quinacridones by Daniel Smith.  Lovely, lucious color!
For these larger paintings I use Arches 300 lb. cold press.
I love this because I don't have to stretch the paper and 
avoid loosing the sizing which helps so much with the flow of the paints.

"Pink Light"
Watercolor, 9" x 12"

Now I am pleased to introduce to you my two artist choices to continue on the

 Blog Hop Around the World! 

Jo Mackenzie is a watercolorst with a very unique style and approach to her work.

She paints in distinct color values and has even delevoped a three step process 

she shares with other artists.

She paints one and sometime two or more beautiful works a day!

Her pet portraits and series paintings are not to be missed.

Kara K. Bigda, also a watercolorist, shares the beauty in everyday objects through her work.
She is a master at portraying the textures within these objects and the ambiance within her softly lit interior still life scenes.
She is just completing a series of watercolors depicting 16 beautifully glazed pottery jugs.
You will love her work.


Please visit Jo and Kara's work and come back to see their Around the World Blog 
posts on Monday, October 6th!

Well this went on a bit longer than I planned!
 I thank you for staying all the way to the end of this long post!

I hope you will stop by again.

Carmella

Summer Harvest- Cut Flowers

These were the last of the flowers from my garden.

I had planned to make an arrangement with them inside the bottle

 but as they lay there this way I saw the composition had promise.

So I left evrything as is, pulled out a step ladder, climbed up and started shooting.

"Summer harvest"

Watercolor, 18" x 24"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

I recently watched "Saving Mr. Banks" and was surprisingly charmed by it.

So while I've been working I am listening to the Disney station on Pandora.

Painting, humming, singing along…good times.

Happy weekend!

Summer Harvest Progression

The original cloth I have used here for my background showed a white field.

Since there is much white in the center of the flow blue platter I wanted to be sure that this area remained my focal point.  So I have changed it to this soft yellow.

I am keeping my shadows mainly violet as a complement to the yellow.

It seems to be working so far.

The colors upcoming in the flowers, platter and glass are very rich reds, golds, blues and greens.

I see this as really popping out from the mainly yellow background but we will see!

Summer Harvest

I finally finished the drawing and transferred it to a full sheet of 300 lb. 

Arches Cold press.

Once the drawing is transferred I spend some time tweaking areas by adding more details and definition.  I use a kneaded eraser to pick up any excess graphite and rework again.

All this may sound counter productive.

But to me, all this prep sets up the painting in more ways than one.

I feel the texture of the paper and how my composition lays across the sheet,

 all the while working out color recipes in my head as I go.

By the time I'm ready to bring a brush to the surface I see the finish painting completed 

and work towards that goal.

This does not mean that I don't allow for spontaneity.

That happens just in the nature of the medium of watercolor as washes flow and blend.

No matter how carefully I lay out a work there are always surprises.

"Summer Harvest"

I use an electric eraser to take out small areas of the drawing and for picking out highlights in the painting.  I loved to bring this into my middle school drawing classes.

The kids thought an electric eraser was a strange and weird piece of equipment.

But they always changed their minds once I let them try it.

Also you see my mechanical pencil sharpener on the right.

I've had that same one for almost 40 years.

About 20 years ago I bought the inside sandpaper cups in bulk.

They last forever but when it was time to buy more I discovered this sharpener was considered 

vintage and refills could only be found on Ebay!

So I bought a bunch from the one seller who must have hoarded them back in the 80's.

Also you see a couple of the items in this piece.

The cloth and the green bottle were found during on of my thrift store trips.

I have an idea for a large colored glass painting and thought I'd try just one here and see how it goes.

I don't usually work on the weekends but I'm pretty excited about this one

and may just have to break that rule.

Have a happy weekend!

Morning Glory

Flowers that open and close with the rise and setting of the sun are fascinating to me.

This little purple morning glory opens to a firey morning light.

I have one more of these little experiments in the works.

All this time I have been prepping another large still life.

Its a complicated composition, which I love, and the drawing has been very time consuming.

But I am transferring to 300lb watercolor paper today and will have some progress to show soon.

As always, I thank you for stopping by!

"Morning Trumpet"

Watercolor, 9" x 12"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

This piece is available from my website 

Nero's Rose

During our trip to Rome two years ago we toured The Forum.  

There is a section within called Nero's Garden and there, partially

hidden, was this lone little pink rose.

This painting is available thru my website

"Nero's Rose"

Watercolor, 9" x 12"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

Tulip

I actually completed this piece on Friday.

I love working in complements to make the subject really pop.

I think I have a couple more flowers in me and will then move onto a different subject

using this same technique.

This painting is available through my website

Thanks for taking a look and enjoy this beautiful Sunday.

"Amarillo"

Watercolor, 9" x 12"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

Calla Lillies

The backgrounds in this series are worked with plastic wrap.

I lay the plastic wrap over a still very wet wash, manipulate it into place and let dry completely.

Easy, fun and part of a paper decorating workshop

 I loved doing with my elementary and middle school art students.

"Calla Lillies"

Watercolor, 9" by 12"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

This piece is available thru my website

Today's MUSING.

I am getting into a rythmn of working on these small pieces with my morning coffee.

A pleasant way to start the day!

"Christmas Belle"

Watercolor, 9" x 12"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

This and my other MUSINGS are available from my online store.

I have always loved Autumn best.

And although it's been a fabulous summer I am very happy 

to move onto a new season.

And with that in mind, I start a new segment of paintings I call MUSINGS.

MUSINGS  are smaller original paintings completed as studies for larger projects,

experiments with new content and technique or just for fun!

"Smokey Foxgloves"

Watercolor

9" x 12"

Stop by my online store to see the great price on these and to watch as I add more 

every week.

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

A New Show Piece

Great news! I have just learned that my painting "Autumn Suns" 
has been juried into the 
114th Anniversary International Exhibition of the Philadelphia Watercolor Society! 
This is my second year in the show and I am now eligible for Signature Membership. 
Thank you to the PWCS and juror Linda Baker. I am thrilled!

"Autumn Suns"

Watercolor, 18" x 24"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

Illustrated Portrait

This is, by far, my most fun painting of the summer.

I dont know if this type of portrait has been done before (but I assume it has since somewhere everything has been done before).

Every part of this portrait means something to my daughter.

"Her Grace"

Watercolor, 18" x 20"

©Carmella Tuliszewski

As a child Christine collected Disney snow globes.  Winnie the Pooh was a favorite.

The Clamatis represents our home since we have always had this flower growing on our lamp post.

Tweety Bird, another favorite!

We vacationed in New Hampshire every summer by the lake.

Represented here by the pine branch and chickadees.

Many rainy afternoons were spent playing Candyland.

And the pieces from the board game, Pretty, Pretty Princess was a fun game she loved playing with her Dad. Yes it was pretty hysterical.

Her stuffed dog Tramp was almost always by her side seeing her through bad dreams, 

tummy aches, and comforting sleepiness.

When I had the idea for this project I asked her what she remembers from this age.

In her last year of preschool her classes were in the afternoon.

One of her favorite memories is sitting in Daddys big chair 

and me bringing her a peanut and jelly sandwich,

with the crust cut off and cut into triangles.  And, oh yeah, watching Barney the Purple Dinasoaur 

(couldn't figure out how to squeeze him in here) before leaving for school.

And lastly, I dug out one of her illustrated stories from kindergarten.

I faithfully copied it just as she left it.

And it reads,

"It is my birthday.  I am happy.

I got a big present.  I was surprised."

Kind of says it all doesn't it?

Yesterday Christine turned 27.

Happy Birthday Christine!

More Portrait Progress

I am always more productive from September to May.

I seem to slow my painting down a bit during the summer (maybe I'm still in teacher mode)

 but I've managed to pop in a few hours here and there to work on my daughters portrait.

I wanted to make it extra special by surrounding her 5 year old self with the things 

she enjoyed most at that age. 

So my illustrated border is filled with 

Candyland and Pretty, Pretty Princess game pieces,

her faithful stuffed friend, Tramp and our yearly vactions to Lake Winnepausaki, NH is represented by the Chickadees and pine branches.

As I finish more of the border I'll explain the other objects.

I want to keep the border richly colored to make that green background sparkle 

and highlight the portrait.

I spent many happy hours drawing out this border.

I choose the variations of bright greens to complement all the pinks in her face and shirt.

It makes her pop and although the border is very detailed and richly colored I'm hoping that green will keep the focus on her.  As it should be :)

Happy Weekend!

Portrait Progress

I made decent progress today. 

Her complextion looks much more lively now.

I added glazes and blots of Vermillion Hue along with more Opera Rose in the cheeks.

Although it took much trial and error to get there.

And I worked on the hair more.

Just starting the wreath and happy to be on to something a little more in my comfort zone.

Not ready to call myself a portrait artist, not by a long shot, 

but feel better about how it's going.

I've included the last progress pic so you can see the difference.

Lots more to come but for now a long holiday weekend, yay!

A First Portrait in Watercolor

I have always loved this picture of my daughter, Christine, at about age 4.
(She's 27 now)  She had spent the day with her Grandmother while my husband and I were out.
My Mother-in-Law made this crown of dandelions and she looked so adorable I ran for my camera.
I have this photo framed in my house.
I wish I had gotten a picture of the two of them together that day.

Once the drawing is ready it's time to the flesh out the color.

Here I've started with Permanent Rose, Burnt Sienna, Naples Yellow and a tiny spot 

of Cerulean Blue for shadow areas.

I can see that my shadows are too brown 

and the face coloring does not have enough life in it.

Added more color in the cheeks but still need to pick up a little of the shadow coloring.

Just starting the hair and hope to progress to a more subtle blending of the strands.

I have done portraits in the past using acrylic.

I have to say that it was much easier in acrylic.

But I will keep going until I teach myself how to do this.

I have plans for an illustrated border framing out the portrait.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

First I need to get this right!

YOUR VOTE EARNS A CHANCE AT A GIVE AWAY!

The past three months or so I have been working on four larger Still Lifes.

Now I would really appreciate your opinion.

Which one of the four is your favorite?

Enter your preference and a short reason why you like it.

And, hey, if you prefer to comment on the one you like least and tell me why, I can handle it!

You may write here on my blog on in the comment section of this post on my Facebook Studio Page.

At 12:00 noon EST this Friday, May 16th,  I will randomly pick someone from these comments

to win my first Give Away in over a year.

Scroll down to see the Give Away and the details!

Thank you, I appreciate your time on this so much!

"Autumn Suns",  Watercolor, 18" x 24"

"The Catch", Watercolor, 15" x  28"

"Rose Bounty", Watercolor, 18" x 28"

"Spring Sweets",  Watercolor,  18" x 24"

AND THE GIVEAWAY!

"Pansy", Watercolor, 8" x 8"

Comes archivally mounted on acid free foam board and 

with a 3" wide white, beveled mat

Overall size is 14" x 14"

Good Luck & Thanks again!

Composition, Color & Clarity

I have had a few questions messaged to me asking about putting together a still life like this.

So read on to see how I approach a complicated set such as this.

"Spring Sweets",  Watercolor,  18" x 24"

©Carmella Tuliszewski 2014

COMPOSITION

In Still Life composition is especially important.

I do all my composing through the viewfinder of my camera.  

Now that may not sound very creative to most who imagine artists wildly sketching off drawing after drawing to accomplish this.  But, for me, since I set up all my Still Lifes with found objects, 

that puts me in control as to how the objects relate to each other.

I often take many pictures from many points of view.

I then edit through iPhoto by cropping and angling until it just feels right.

The viewer may not even realize it but most artist will devise lead ins and focal points

to bring you into the picture and then keep you interested to look around.

In this piece, the rolls of fabric on the left bring you into the scene, 

following it like a road to the large jelly bean jar. 

You next are drawn to the red birdhouse following through to the brightly 

painted lolly pops.

At least that's the way I hope the viewer sees it :)

COLOR

I enjoy keeping my hues bright. 

I usually photograph set ups on sunny days because I love playing with the shadow coloring 

and the way they connect the objects to other elements in the scene.

I have made charts of all the paints I currently have, adding more as another purchase is made.

I rarely use color straight from the tube but knowing what I have as 

I work helps me make my choices for glazing and blending.

Watercolor dries lighter.  

So a beautiful, rich color when it's wet and first painted on the paper soon disappears as it dries. 

 I find this one of the most challenging aspects of working in watercolor.

This is where glazing comes in.  By laying in layers of the same color or building up with different colors in the same area, you will eventually reach that point of dark, richness you want.

Reds are particularly difficult.

I take a clue from artists like Van Gogh and other Impressionists and

 Post Impressionts for cast shadows.  

By using a comlpelemtary color to the object for its cast shadow mixed with maybe a Paynes Gray, your shadows will hold a connection to its object and ankor it to the scene.

This is also true for mixing shades.

I do use masking fluid, usually drawn in with a quill pen.

Although I am a pragmatist and will use spots of white paint when necessary,

It's always better to limit this to small accents or missed highlights.

CLARITY

Clarity, or the details, are possibly my favorite part of the process.

I am a realist painter because I really enjoy making it look as if you could imagine 

popping one of those jelly beans in your mouth.

But I still like it to look like a watercolor painting so I stop at some point to let washes show a bit.

The details are about what you see and understanding how to model and form an object.

Pay attention to light sources and reflected and core shadows. 

Again building up layers of "darkness" without going to far.

Good brushes make a world of difference when laying in details such as

the designs on the jars and cloth in this piece.

I work intuitively while handling all the above aspects of a painting.

But I also build these parts while using prior knowledge from years of study, 

teaching and just plain hard work and practice.

I am not always successful but each painting makes the next painting better.

Spring Sweets

I have been doing most of my posting on Facebook lately and, sadly, 

leaving my blog posts lagging behind.  

But here I am making amends!

My newest still life is from this years Easter table setting.

My pencil drawing ready to go.

I am not an "all over" painter.  I like to work on one object at a time as I move across the scene.
This scene is drenched in sunlight, leaving the objects in high key values and crisp, bold colors.

Laying in the first glazes on the cloth.
I found this antique piece in a flea market years ago.
Over the years I have used it many Easters to decorate my buffet table.

A shot from my work table as I progress.

I have always worked from butcher tray pallettes.

I prefer to squeeze out small amounts of paint as I work rather than the compartment 

trays where the paint remains with several paintings. 

 I find it difficult to keep the colors pure as I go back again and again to a color for mixing.

I have several of these trays that I often use at one time.

Some are over 30 years old.

And this is where I am now.

I hope to finish by the end of the week but I think those jelly beans may have other ideas!

I will try not to neglect my blog again, but if you ever wonder where the heck I am,

wander over to my Facebook page and join me. :)