Day 131: Monday, September 12

As I said, I have been painting, just not posting. I'm trying to get a painting finished in time to enter it in the Valley Watercolor Society's show. Painting can be no bigger than 11x14 framed which in itself presents a challenge. I know how I want the picture to look but on my trip to Aaron Brothers, they didn't have any frame like I had in mind. Now I'm stuck.  I want a blonde-ish maple frame, edges for the frame to be about 1/2" thick, no flourishes, just a plain maple frame. No such item at Aaron Brothers.  I'll find it but I need to have everything framed and ready for drop off next Sunday the 18th.  And then a friend, AnnMarie just called and mentioned Michael's (maybe they have plain frames) and a place called Gonzales.  We'll see what they have.

I've been redoing the picture of Dylan, that gorgeous baby.  And I actually like my last attempt the best so I think that's what will be entered.

See what you think:

This first one I absolutely adored, didn't want to finish it for fear I'd wreck it so I've left it pretty much alone. I added a bit more suggestion of hair and some additional cheek color.

Then came number two.  Lots of red splotches on the baby's face.

Then number 3 which I like and which I think I'll use if I can find a frame.

Interesting lesson was learned on this photo source.  My daughter had sent me this picture of her favorite friend's baby, Dylan.  I loved it, knew I wanted to try my hand at it, and never thinking, cropped the photo into the version I've been painting.  I lost the original photo as a result because the only saved version was the cropped one.  I now make 2 or 3 copies of photos in my photo folders just so this won't happen again!

Day 111: Tuesday, July 12

Painted off and on all weekend. Twas fun to have "projects" that needed doing. Needed to finish a Conversation that I'm working on with my teacher Peggy Reid, needed to finish the Conversation with Nancie Johnson for the Sketchbook Project........and then in the middle of it all, I decided I wanted to start a new portrait.

I'd had a photograph of a darling baby, Dylan, whose mother is my daughter's best friend since they were three.....darling little girls.

And then Allison, the blonde, got married and had Dylan, who's almost two:

 I had cropped the original photograph to this version - wish I still had the original photo.  But I started up with a painting and was so excited about how it was looking, that I put my brushes away for fear I'd "wreck it".  I'll take up the brushes again tomorrow and see what I can add to it.  But I sure love how I started out and that's a rare sensation!!