Work in Progress, "Hope is Home," for Hope City Orlando

I almost have all the leaves of the vines blocked in since I last posted this latest painting.  While designing this painting I chose to  incorporate vines to reflect new growth, or being rooted or grounded in a safe place or new home. Vines are also very tenacious and can survive in some of the most adverse conditions, therefore they also represent the victims of human trafficking.

Hope City Orlando, or as it's known on Facebook as Hope City United, will make a new home and a safe place a  reality for victims of human trafficking.  If you are just checking in to my blog, I am doing this painting to be auctioned off at their fundraiser, "Hope is Home," in September.  Their goals are to raise enough funds to provide a safe home and a three-year reintegration program for victims of human trafficking in my community of Orlando, Florida.  I am ashamed to say that Orlando is a hub for this abhorrent circumstance.  If you live in the Orlando area, please think about supporting this cause.

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"Hope is Home" for Hope City Orlando

The past few months I have also been brainstorming and designing a painting that is for a special project.  I've been approached by Hope City Orlando to create a piece of art for their major fundraising gala in September.  Many of you may not know and, I was actually shocked myself, to learn that Orlando is considered by UNICEF to be one of the major hubs in the world for human trafficking!  Many women and children are abducted and forced into sex slavery against their will.   Not only is this shocking, it is very upsetting that this is happening in my own community.  Hope City Orlando is a non-profit that seeks to help victims who find themselves in this awful plight.  Their goal is to build a home that will be a safe haven and provide a three-year program for a healthy reintegration into mainstream life.  Through a combination of efforts including counseling, social work, legal assistance, social and personal skills training, victims will become survivors.  If you would like more information please visit their website here. If you would like to follow them on Facebook, please click here.  The “Hope is Home” cocktail charity event will be in Orlando on Oct. 2.  My painting will be auctioned to the highest bidder to raise money for this worthy cause.  If you are interested in attending the event I will be providing more details in the future.

This piece, which I’m calling “Hope is Home” for now, is all drawn ready for paint.  This was a tricky piece for me to design because this is such an unfortunate and terrible situation that so many innocent people find themselves in. However, I didn’t want it to be dark and foreboding.  I felt it needed to be up-lifting and represent the hope that will be given by Hope City Orlando to victims of human trafficking.  I have given a lot of thought to the imagery and the significance of each element in the piece which I will explain as the painting progresses.   Stay tuned for work in progress photos!

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Tuscan Olives

I have a few friends who are traveling in Italy right now.  I can't say that I'm not jealous!!  I hope they are having a great time and since I"m feeling quite nostalgic wishing I was there, I thought I would post one of my paintings that was inspired by wandering around the olive trees in Fiesole just above Florence.  This and many other of my paintings are available as limited editions giclée prints and note cards.  Click here for more information on Giclée prints and here for note cards . If you are interested in bigger sizes just let me know.   Ciao!

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Gate of Reverence

I had to sit with this one a while in my studio before deciding if it was finished. I thought it was until I photographed and looked at it on my monitor.  I noticed a few more things that needed to be tweaked.  This is a great way to analyze a painting from a different perspective.  After a few more hours of noodling I think it is finally finished.

This new painting is the second painting I've done that was  inspired by a photo I took in the Passy area of Paris.  When I’m wondering around shooting reference photos I’m often struck by something that speaks to me as a strong interesting design. It could be what I’m observing has a very graphic quality, or a cast shadow on an object that creates an interesting pattern.    When I came across this gate with a stained glass window juxtaposed behind it, I knew I would eventually paint it.

First, I was immediately attracted to the design of the gate.  I thought I might change the composition completely and paint something else in the background.  However, the more I studied the photo the angel image in the stained glass started to speak to me as well.  I modified the position of the image and the gate from the photo to create a better composition. I also like how the lighter values in the painting are in the background. Painting a stained glass window, something that is more graphic, made me paint a bit tighter than I normally paint, which was a nice challenge.  I also incorporated metal leaf in the halo on the angel. If you look at the work in progress photos you can see where I intended for it to be but didn't add it until I put on the finishing touches.

Like Paris Passy Gate, this reminds me of the time I lived in Paris and a fond friend that lived near this gate.

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"Gate of Reverence" More Work in Progress

After Clowning Around, (no pun intended), my latest painting, I'm back to working on Gate of Reverence.  I'm in the detail and value phase now.  Since my last post, I have added more detail to the central figure.  I've also tweaked the dark background on the sides just a bit.  I thought the darks were too uniform so I went in with some pure water washes to do some lifting of pigment at the same time adding some washes of color to bring out a green tone in the dark background to tie in with the gate.

Next I will be adding more detail.  This is depicting a stained glass window in the background, so I will be painting in the lead lines, maybe adjusting value a bit more and working on some hard and soft edges.  This one has been a challenge for me, because I'm painting a bit tighter than I normally paint,  but still painting representational and trying to  avoid a photo realistic interpretation.  Hopefully I'm achieving this goal!

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New Work...Clowning Around

I took a little break from Gate of Reverence to work on this small painting. I had done a ton of research, taking photos at the Nemo & Friends Pavilion at Epcot,  to paint the Coral Reef Restaurant Menus and have wanted to do more sea life themed paintings.  This months themed exhibition at the 127 SoBo Gallery in Winter Garden, Florida is She Sells Sea Shells:  Works focusing on nautical themes and water.  Perfect!

This is another painting like Star Struck that I mounted to a cradled board and sealed with a spray acrylic sealer, thus, no need for framing with glass.  I like the idea of doing a series of these sea life themed paintings mounted this way.  I feel it would make a great collection to hang together, or to set on shelves or table tops!

If you are an artist interested in this process of framing without glass. I am in the process of writing an article on the steps and techniques, which will be available for download. I would like to experiment with a few more sealing options before publishing the article so please stay tuned.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting please contact me.  It will be at the 127 SoBo Gallery the months of June and July and if purchased then, 30% of the sales will go to the gallery, which is a non profit organization!

Hope everyone is having a great start to the summer!

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The Actual Coral Reef Restaurant Menus at Epcot, Walt Disney World

I haven't been to the Coral Reef Restaurant at Epcot, Walt Disney World to order from these yet, but I did get copies to keep!!  I am so thrilled with how they turned out!  After I did the initial design with the sea turtle the folks at Epcot liked the design so much they wanted to do the dinner and dessert menus too.  In order not to have to paint the entire painting multiple times, (It was painted on a full size watercolor sheet, 22" x 30")  I painted the spotted eagle ray separately and it was digitally swapped out with the turtle.  For the dessert menu they liked the lower left portion of the full painting and cropped in for the smaller menu.

Menu Interior

For the interior of the menu I did a tone on tone painting to serve as the background for the copy.  The graphic designer at Walt Disney Imagineering did the layout  of the other elements on top of my painted background.

The Original Painting, Watercolor, 22" x 30"

The actual menus covers measure 8.5" x 14", however, I painted the image large because I wanted to have a larger surface to get more variation in color and not have to paint the details super small.

I couldn't me more pleased and can't wait to go and order food!

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Work in Progress of Gate of Reverence, Watercolor

I've completed the details on the gate's ironwork.  Next I'll be adding details on the background, and then finally adjusting values overall until they are where I want them.  I'm happy with the gate so far!  I'll be taking a break from this one to work on another small painting.  Stay tuned!

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Work in Progress, Gate of Reverence, Watercolor

More work in progress of this painting, Gate of Reverence.  This is still in the block in phase.  I'm not concerned about being super tight and getting things exactly how I want them at this point.  All of that will come later after the initial color block in is complete.

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New Orleans and the Louisiana Watercolor Society 44th International Exhibition

I just had a wonderful weekend in New Orleans!  Saturday was the reception for the Louisiana Watercolor Society’s 44th International Exhibition at the Garden District Gallery.  It was a such a treat meeting some of the other artists in the show.  I had a chance to meet David Poxon via Skype, since he is in the UK, and a fellow Facebook friend Vicki Monette, whom I got to know through Carrie Waller. So nice to finally meet her in person.   All had fabulous work in the show.  Sorry I didn’t get to meet Facebook friends, Carrie, Iain Stewart, and Arena Shawn, who couldn’t make the reception but got to see their lovely paintings.   Thanks to judge Anne Abgott for including my painting in the show and for jurying such a well balanced beautiful body of work for this exhibition!  And a special thank you to all the LWS members who organized the show.  Without all of their hard work these events wouldn’t happen!

One of the rooms in the Garden District Gallery

The Garden District Gallery is catty-corner from the famous Commander's Palace Restaurant in the Garden District

I didn’t know the long weekend was going to start off with such an adventure.  I had dinner with friends Friday evening when Iarrived only to come out of the restaurant in a torrential downpour, and my phone piercing my ear drums to tell us there were flash flood warnings.  Luckily we werein and SUV and my friend had experience driving through flood water. Looking down the side streets off of St. Charles Ave.,  on the way back to the inn, I was getting a bit nervous seeing water up to the middle of doors on the parked cars!  With my friends expert driving, we made it to the street where my car was parked and luckily the water hadn’t passed the bottom of my car door.  If I had been parked on the South side of St. Charles, I would have been in trouble!  I moved my car to higher ground and waded back to my room with water almost up to my knees! (You will just have to trust me, it was dark and I was a bit scattered to take pictures!) By morning the water was gone and all had gone back to normal.

After the reception Saturday afternoon and dinner,  I was lucky to stumble upon the annual Champagne Stroll on Magazine Street!  Sunday, I spent the day wondering around the French Quarter and the Garden District, getting inspired by all the beautiful iron work and architecture and taking lots of photos.  I’ve already got some potential painting ideas swimming in my head!

Nothing better than this! Jazz in the French Quarter!

Nothing better than this either, a paté sandwich and a glass of iced tea  at Le Croissant d'Or Bakery

A pilgrimage to the Avart- Peretti House where Tennessee Williams wrote Streetcar Named Desire, one of the best plays and movies ever!

Ironically the house is currently a shop named "Fleurty Girl"

On a side note, speaking of Streetcar Named Desire, in the movie actress Kim Hunter,  won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1951 for her role as Stella.  Iv'e always had an affinity for this actress, because we had the same name until I got married! :-)

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