Seaside Fantasy (Digital Drawing on Procreate)

Life has been very busy lately!  I have a big art project that I will be starting soon, but meanwhile, I have been doing some quick drawings on my iPad, working from my imagination.  I have been using Procreate for several years, but seeing  Procreate videos on Instagram has convinced me to try to learn more.  Here I decided to do the entire drawing using different texture brushes to make the clouds, ocean, and foliage.  Procreate captures a video replay as you draw, and I plan to post that soon.

Russell Orchards (Pink Fantasy), Oil Bar Painting as of May 11, 2022

Here is my oil bar painting as it looked on May 11, 2022.  I added detail and contrast, and rechecked  all the horizontal lines to make sure they were behaving.  I made a lot of small changes, but finally it was time to take a photo so I could submit this painting to a local art show here in Beverly.  (May 11th was the submission deadline.)  To be continued. . . .

Russell Orchards (Pink Fantasy), Oil Bar Painting as of May 10, 2022

Here is my latest painting as it looked on May 10.  My focus that day was getting all the horizontal lines to behave. I also worked on the stone walls and the water.  To be continued. . .

Russell Orchards (Pink Fantasy), Oil Bar Painting as of May 9, 2022

Here is my oil bar painting as it looked on May 9, 2022.  Most of my work that day was on the pink flowers around the pond.  I turned the canvas and my photo reference upside-down, and worked on the shapes of the flowers. That helped (almost always does).  I also worked on the stone wall and the pond.  Still struggling with a stubborn horizontal line that won't behave, though.  To be continued. . .

Russell Orchards (Pink Fantasy), Oil Bar Painting as of May 7, 2022

Here is the painting I have been working on. What is new here: I added definition to the trees and shrubs, especially on the left part of the canvas.  Using my photo reference, I started working on the pink and green shapes in the foreground.  That one pesky horizontal line is still a problem.  To be continued. . . 

Russell Orchards (Pink Fantasy), Oil Bar Painting as of May 6, 2022

Here is the oil bar painting I have been working on, as it looked on May 6, 2022.  I added color to the sky and the pond. I also worked on refining some of the shapes and lines.

Russell Orchards (Pink Fantasy), Oil Bar Painting as of May 5, 2022

Here is the painting I have been working on, as it looked on May 5th at the end of the day.  This is based on a photo that I took back in 2005 of the pond at Russell Orchards in Ipswich.  (My photo reference was posted here recently.) This is oil bar on canvas, 20 x 20 inches. You may notice I was having trouble getting that stone wall next to the pond to hold still and behave itself. The struggle continued for a some time. . . .

"Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau", now in Marblehead

This morning, I drove to Marblehead, MA, to deliver my codfish project, "Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau", for the Codfish Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  Rita will have her picture taken and will be posted on the auction website in a week or two. (You can bid from anywhere.)  I will let you know when the auction goes online.  I hope Rio Rita will find a good home.

Mothers' Day Bouquet 2022 (with Prisma filter)

Mothers Day Bouquet 2022 (Edited photo)

On Friday, I received an early Mothers Day bouquet.  I took pictures right away to share with family.  Later, I had time to edit the photo, mainly to crop and simplify the background, and here it is.

Pink Fantasy at Russell Orchard (Edited Painting Reference)

Here is my photo, now digitally altered to be used as a painting reference.  I cropped the original to get it into a square format, and as I did so, the position of the pond changed so that it went across the image.  I also used Painter's cut-and-paste tools to rearrange some trees, and to make sure those pink flowers went all the way across the canvas.  Then I printed out a copy and started painting. . . .

Pink Fantasy at Russell Orchard Pond (Inspiration for Painting)

This week I decided to paint a local scene -- possibly to enter in an upcoming art show, if I can get it finished by the deadline (which is fast approaching).  I looked at a lot of photos, but when I found this one, it made me want to paint right away! I took this photo in 2005 at Russell's Orchard in Ipswich.  This is a scene around the pond there, and those hot pink wetland plants bloom in August here in Massachusetts. I have an ongoing series of New England landscapes painted in oil bar.  The paintings in that  series are all 20 x 20, so before I could use this as a painting reference, I needed to crop it into a square format.  I thought I that while I was at it, I would edit the image in Painter and change a few details to improve the composition.  To be continued. . .

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau

Over the past few days, I have been working on this project, a decorated wooden codfish that will be part of the annual Codfish Auction, to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  I have made a few minor changes to the pattern, fixed tiny air bubbles and cracks, painted the back and sides with silver acrylic paint, and today, attached the hanging hardware.  I put Rita up on my wall just to make sure she would hang correctly.  And then I took this picture, which shows how she looks as a 3-D object.  The folks in Marblehead will probably take her "official photo" for the website, but this is a pretty good representation of how she looks.  I will be taking Rita to Marblehead soon, and I will miss her. 

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (As of May 1, 2022)

I am decorating a wooden codfish cutout as part of the annual Codfish Auction, held annually to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  This year, my codfish has a Brazilian theme.  I decided to replace the characteristic scales and striped markings of a fish with the iconic pattern of black and white stones seen on the promenades of Rio beaches.  This is how my project looked yesterday.  The pattern is now complete, although I may make minor corrections.  Next steps: to paint the sides and back with silver paint.  

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (As of April 29, 2022)

I worked on this project today, a wooden codfish cut-out that I am decorating for the annual Cod Auction held to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  This year, my fish is decorated with a pattern seen on the sidewalks of the beaches in Rio.  I am using collage, and I am almost finished, but there are some tiny gaps to fill.  Once that is done, I will paint the edges and back with silver paint. 

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (As of April 28, 2022)

Today I continued working on this project, a wooden codfish cutout that I am decorating for Marblehead Festival of Art's annual Codfish Auction.  This year, I am decorating my codfish with the pattern of black and white stones seen on the sidewalks near Copacabana Beach,  At this point, I am cutting and pasting small pieces of paper to close up the gaps in the background.  The process gets harder and more frustrating the closer I am to finished.  But I like the end result, so it is worth it.

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (as of April 27, 2022)

Today I worked on this project, a wooden codfish cutout that I am decorating for the Codfish Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  The basic design is there, and now I am filling in the background.  This is slow going, but I made progress today.

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (As of April 26, 2022)

Today I continued working on "Rio Rita," the codfish that I am decorating for the annual Cod Auction to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art. This year, my codfish is going to be decorated with the black-and-white cobblestone design seen on the broad sidewalks along Brazilian beaches such as Copacabana. I recreated this pattern with collage, using some gift bags that I brought home from my most recent trip to Brazil. Today I continued worked on the head,  but also managed to get all the black lines in place on the fins and tail.  Now it is possible to see the design as a whole, even though the background is not yet filled it.  Cutting and pasting all the little pieces is a painstaking process,  but it is fun to see the  "Rio RIta" of my imagination become a reality.

Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau (Codfish project as of April 25, 2022)

Today I worked on this codfish, which I am decorating for the annual Cod Auction held by the Marblehead Festival of Art.  Every year, some 50 or so artists decorate wooden codfish which are displayed in Marblehead and then auctioned off. This year, I am decorating my codfish with the black-and-white cobblestone design seen on the promenades of Brazilian beaches, such as Copacabana beach, hence the name "Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau"*  I recreated this pattern with collage, beginning with some gift bags (wrapping paper) that I brought home from my last trip to Brazil.  I had to tweak the design to make it work on the body of the fish, so there was already a lot of cutting, pasting, and glue involve.  My original plan was to make the fins, tail, and head silver, but today I had a change of plan.  I decided to create the head, fins, and tail with the same paper, cutting out the black and white parts of the paper to create the design.  This is a lot more work, but I thought it would look a lot better.  I can already tell you that yes, it is a lot more work, but I can also tell you that I already like the results. 

"Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau", codfish project as of April 24, 2022

Over the past few days, I have applied gesso to my codfish "blank", so I will have a white, nonabsorbent surface to work on. And today I finally had a chance to really get this project started. This decorated codfish is for the Marblehead Festival of Art.  Every year, some 50 or so artists decorate wooden codfish which are displayed in Marblehead and then auctioned off to benefit Marblehead Festival of Art.  This year, I decided to use the black-and-white cobblestone design that you see on the promenades of Brazilian beaches, such as Copacabana beach.  And I decided to name my codfish "Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau"*  I am doing this with collage, beginning with some gift bags (wrapping paper) that I bought on my last trip to Brazil.  I am tweaking the design to make it conform to the body of the fish, so there is a lot of cutting and pasting, and I am all over glue. I already see some things that need to be fixed.  My plan is to make the fins, head, and tail of the fish solid silver, either paint or collage, still to be decided.

Reposting: "Snowcapped Mountains" (on display in "Artists of Porter Mill" show)

I am reposting this image,  the second of two paintings now on display in the annual "Artists of Porter Mill Show."  This is acrylic used with watermedia on Aquabord (16 x 20 inches).  Because this is acrylic, there is no needed for glass, and the 2 inch deep Aquabord "cradle" is the only frame needed.

Reposting: Near Glenwood (in "Artists of Porter Mill" show)

This is a painting of Glenwod Springs, Colorado, one of my favorite places. I am reposting this painting because it is currently on display in the "Artists of Porter Mill Show". This is acrylic used as watermedia, on a 16 x 20 Aquabord panel.

Reposting: Pikes Peak Daydream (on display at Porter Mill)

Here is the tenth of the ten paintings currently on display at Porter Mill, in the "Vitrine Gallery".  This one is called "Pikes Peak Daydream."  It is painted with acrylics used with water, on Aquabord 16 x 20 inches.  The Aquabord has a 2" cradle (border), so no frame is needed. 

Reposting: Mountain View from Garden of the Gods (on display at Porter Mill)

Here is another of my mountain landscapes now hanging in the lobby of Porter Mill Studios.  This one is called "Mountain View from Garden of the Gods", painted with acrylics used as watermedia.  It is 16 x 19 inches on a cradled Aquabord panel.

Reposting: Purple Mountains Majesty (Acrylic Watermedia) on display at Porter Mill

Here is another of the paintings I have on display at Porter Mill Studios.  This is called "Purple Mountains Majesty", and is painting with acrylic paint used as watermedia, on an Aquabord, 16 x 20.  The Aquabord is cradled (has a 2" sides), so there is no need to frame.

Reposting: Driving Toward Vail (Acrylic Watermedia) on display at Porter Mill

This mountain landscape is one of ten of my paintings currently on display at Porter Mill in the "Vitrine Gallery", all based on memories of my home state of Colorado. This is acrylic watermedia on cradled* Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

*This provides a "built-in" frame. 

Reposting: Mountains and Lake (Acrylic Watermedia) on display at Porter Mill

I am re-posting this now because this painting is on display in the "Vitrine Gallery" in the lobby of Porter Mill.  This is acrylic watermedia on Aquabord, 16 x 20".

Reposting: Purple Canyons (Acrylic Watermedia) on display at Porter Mill

Here is another of my paintings currently hung at Porter Mill, in the "Vitrine Gallery".  I painted this with acrylics used as watermedia, on a cradled Aquaboard 16 x 20 inches.

Reposting: Snowscene from Boulder Overlook (Acrylic Watermedia)

 

I am reposting this painting, which is also currently on display at Porter Mill, in the "Vitrine Gallery." This is acrylic watermedia on a cradled panel, 16 x 20 inches. 

Reposting: Loveland Pass in Midsummer (on display at Porter Mill)

This is another of my paintings now on display at Porter Mill, in the first floor display case.  This one is called "Loveland Pass in Midsummer," acrylic watermedia on Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

Reposting: Above Breckenridge (now on display at Porter Mill)

Here is another of my paintings, currently on display in the first floor "Vitrine Gallery" at Porter Mill.  This one is titled "Above Breckenridge." It is acrylic watermedia on a cradled Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

Codfish "Blank" (For Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau)

On Sunday,  I picked up my pre-cut "codfish blank" in Marblehead.  I am going to decorate it for the annual "Codfish Auction" to benefit Marblehead Festival of the Arts.  This year I plan to decorate my codfish with the black-and-white stone wave pattern seen on the promenade of Copacabana beach.  I always name my codfish project, and this year, I am going to call her  "Rio Rita, Brazilian Bacalhau."  That's the plan, but right now, the codfish blank is still really just blank. All I have done so far is sand the edges. But here is "Rio Rita to Be," sitting in the sun.  I liked the shadows cast by the window blinds, so I took this picture.

Reposting: Estes Park Memory (now on display at Porter Mill)

I decided to (re)post the paintings that are currently on display at Porter Mill, in the window display on the first floor ("Vitrine Gallery").  So here is the first of the paintings: Estes Park Memory.  It is acrylic watermedia on a cradled Aquabord panel, 16 x 20.  

Blue and Green Wooden Necklace with Green Stones and Carved Accent Bead

I finished this necklace today.  I used wooden beads in olive green and blue, with green stones and a large wooden bead carved with a leaf pattern.  This can be worn with the accent beads in the center, or to the side.

Mountain Landscapes on Display at Porter Mill

Yesterday, I took some of my mountain landscapes to Porter Mill to be hung in the first floor hallway, in a big glassed display case called the "Vitrine".  The display case is about 3 feet off the ground, and it is big enough to stand up and walk around in.  I wasn't sure how many paintings would work in that space.  I was thinking six, but brought eight just in case.  It turned out that  I needed ten, but luckily I had some additional paintings upstairs in the studio.  It took a while to figure out the best order for the paintings, but I was happy with how the display turned out.  I had to take pictures so I could get the titles in the right order for the list.  While I was at it, I poked my cell phone inside the display case and took a quick video.  I wanted to improve on the video, but my phone died! The paintings will be up for about six weeks (including during Open Studios), so I will get a chance to take more pictures.  Meanwhile, here's the little video, with a big thank you to Porter Mill!

Necklace with Orange Stones and Carved Wooden Accent

Open Studios is coming up at Porter Mill, and I have been making jewelry.  Here is a necklace that I finished a couple of days ago. I started with wooden beads accented by gold metallic spheres. I added two orange stones framing a carved wooden bead to create the focus point. This necklace can be worn so that the focus point is in the center, as is traditional, but it also can be worn asymmetrically, with accent beads worn higher and to one side, like a decorative pin. 

Freesia Blossoms

I was looking through my photos for something else when I found a photo of Freesia blossoms.  Although I took this picture back on December 3rd, it somehow got lost in the mix and didn't get the attention it deserved.  So I cropped it and retouched it a bit, and here it is now.

Hy and Ruth at La Bate's (Rescued Photo)

Among my Dad's photos sent to me a few years ago, I found a picture of my parents seated at a booth with another couple. I had never seen this photo before.  But then I looked more closely and noticed a number of problems that might explain why I hadn't seen it, but I thought I could solve them on the computer.  And I decided to that today, because my parents were married on April 4, 1943.  The 5 x 7 photo was in a cardboard frame with folder, and on the inside of the front flap is a business card announcing: "La Bate's Club Tavern, Dining and Dancing Nitely" and also lists a Denver address (7795 N. Federal Blvd). Looks like they were out dining and dancing with another couple, unknown to me. And now for the problems. First,  in the original photo, my father was missing his front tooth. Hmm,  I had heard stories that during his time overseas, he had some kind of altercation during which someone had punched him and knocked his tooth out.  So this dated the photo as very soon after my Dad came back from overseas, before he had time for dental work.  So I opened the image in Painter, enlarged it, and drew in the missing tooth.  Next up: my mother's lipstick was smeared and my father's collar and tie were askew.  I started to smile, wondering if they had been necking in the parking lot or something.  It was easy to fix the smeared lipstick with some digital pastel, but harder to redraw and fix the collar and tie. After that, another problem remained: a woman's coat (my mother's, probably) had been  thrown over the back of the booth, and it was sliding down and and hiding part of my father's sleeve. I redrew the missing part of the sleeve and cropped out the rest of the coat.  I also cropped the photo to frame just my parents, simplified the background behind my Mom, and that's when I noticed that my Dad had his arm around her.  Finally, I got rid of the cigarette my mother was holding (something I was never able to do in real life), and closed up the open pack on the table.  It took a bit of doing to rescue this photo, but I am really happy with the result, well worth it for the look on my mother's face and my father's smile, and  I am also happy with the process, for what I learned by spending a little time working with this image and remembering my parents.  

Green and Gold Earrings and Necklace

Here are the green and gold earrings that I made recently, along with the matching necklace.

Green and Gold Earrings

Earlier this week, I made these earrings with olive green wooden beads, lime green semi-precious stones (howlite), and gold colored metallic beads.  I matched these earrings to a necklace I made previously so I could give them together as a gift.  Tomorrow I will post a photo of the earrings with the necklace.   

Necklace in Hot Pink and Black-and-White

I worked on this necklace for several days, and finally finished it on March 18th.  I started the striped black-and-white beads, and put them with wooden beads in hot pink. I added black stone beads and silver metallic spheres. This is my kind of color scheme!  I think it would look good with a black or black-and-white outfit.

Double Circle Pendant with Red Bead on Black Cord

Open Studios is coming up at Porter Mill here in Beverly, MA, so I thought I would make some more jewelry.  Here is another necklace that I made recently (March 14).  I left extra cord so the length can be adjusted.

Necklace with Wood and Red-Orange Stone

After painting so much for my recent show, it was time to shift gears and make some jewelry.  I was looking through my beads and found an unfinished necklace.  I decided to start with that. This is how it looked when it was finished, back on March 12th.

Hopeful Sunflower (Acrylic Mixed Media)

On March 15th and 16th, I painted this hopeful sunflower  for Galatea Fine Art's art show and fundraiser for Ukraine. The fundraiser, called "Art for Ukraine," is now posted on Artsy.com.  Galatea artists were asked to contribute their work.  Here is a link to the show on Artsy: https://www.artsy.net/show/galatea-fine-art-in-solidarity"  You will see lots of sunflowers. Mine is 8 x 10 on canvas, created with acrylic paint and pasted paper.

Two Paintings at Galatea Fine Arts

Time for one more post: two paintings on display at Galatea Fine Art.  Top image: Rising Road: (To Estes Park) and bottom image: Near Colorado Springs.  The show will be up until 4 pm today., last chance to see it in person.  But after that, you can still see it online on Artsy.com: https://www.artsy.net/show/galatea-fine-art-randa-dubnick-back-to-the-mountains-memories-and-daydreams 

Three Paintings at Galatea Fine Arts

Still one more day to see my show at Galatea Fine Arts.  Here are three of the paintings;  Top: Towards the Mountains.  Middle:  Lake Estes  Bottom: Near Garden of the Gods.

Four Mixed Media Paintings at Galatea, March 2022

My solo show is still up at Galatea, but will come down at 4 PM Sunday. I hope local Facebookers will stop by. But there is still time to show you a few photos. This is a group of four paintings, all mixed media (acrylic paint and pasted paper). Top Left: Mountains of Home (Near Pueblo). Top Right: Sunrise on Pike's Peak. Bottom Left: Front Range Thunderstorm. Bottom Right: Front Range Sunset (Near Fountain)

Wedding Cake (on Zoom): with Prisma filter

The one year anniversary of our son and daughter-in-law's wedding is today. The wedding took place over Zoom, and one of the wedding guests took the original photo (seen via a laptop).  I added the Prisma filter.  Here are the bride and groom cutting the wedding cake, as friends and relatives offered advice and good wishes. Great memory of a very happy day.

"Back to the Mountains": Video of show after installation

On February 28th, we drove down to Galatea Fine Art in Boston. It was time for my show to go up on the walls.   Marjorie Kaye, along with fellow artists who are members of the installation committee did a great job decided where to hang what. After the work was hung, I took this video, although I was way too excited to have a steady hand.  I edited the video afterward, but it is still a bumpy ride. .

Back to the Mountains (Heading West from Denver): Acrylic Watermedia Painting

This was the last painting that I did for my show, "Back to the Mountains: Memories and Daydreams,"  at Galatea Fine Arts this month. I finished this painting on February 20th, doing most of the painting all in one day, which is very unusual for me.  I used a bright blue for the sky, and created some of the textures in the mountain ranges with acrylic paint used with water wash-off and table salt. Perhaps because this was my last painting for the show,  I pulled out all the stops.  I mixed some pearlized irridescent paint with titanium white for the snow.  I mixed silver metallic paint with blue to get those blue-gray areas on the mountains.  And I used my old favorite "hot pink" for the sun, and for the a subtle outline on the tops of the mountain range.  This painting combines some of my "old standard" techniques for acrylic watermedia landscapes, but also reflects some new things I have learned in preparing for this show: an emphasis on a strong shapes and  textures, thanks to my work with pasted paper. Despite the time pressures and stress that come with getting ready for a show, I really did enjoy it.  It has been lovely to get back to the mountains.

Back to the Mountains: Heading West from Denver (Painting as of February 18, 2022)

Here is my painting as it looked on the first day, which was February 18th.  Using my photo reference (posted here yesterday(, I roughed in the lines of the composition with blue paint, and then indicated areas of light and dark.  More to come. . .

Back to the Mountains (Photo Reference for Painting)

I needed just one more photograph to serve as a reference for a painting, the last one for my show. I found what I needed among photos that I took during our most recent trip to Colorado,, in 2018. I cropped the image seen here from a photo that I took as we were headed west from Denver, back to the mountains