Colors Of Summer

Click Here To Buy It Now - $250, 8x8 inches, acrylic on museum gessobord

There is a special piece in this painting with many memories, the blue glass salt shaker.  It's one of a set that belonged to my brother who passed away last fall, they bring me happy memories of visits to his home in Colorado.  Then I pulled out my Mom's old filbert paint brushes to experiment with for a creative jumpstart (yes she was a painter).  I LOVE the brushes and will be using them maybe from now on.  So thanks Mom and Dan for your inspiration, love you always!

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Bright Spot

Click Here To Buy It Now - $100, 5x7 inches, acrylic on museum gessobord

Sometimes it's the simple joys than can cheer you up or maybe brighten a dark mood.  Yum Cherries one of summers simple joys and they are great to paint and eat.  This is another painting on black gesso, it just makes red pop.

This is a little paint sketch, 3x5 inches, on Canva paper I practiced on before doing the larger painting.  It really helped with color on the glass bowl.  Now I'm not sure which one I like better.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Admired

Click Here To Buy It Now - $150, 6x6 inches, acrylic on museum gessobord

These cups seem to be surrounding and admiring the silver sugar piece.  Well at least I am, it would be fun to use as a display for a tea party with friends.  The first silver painting "Showoffs" took me about 5 minutes to set up, this one took me hours moving cups around and trying different colors.  I needed something to create a composition that was interesting and pleasing to the eye without distracting from the sugar bowl focal point.  The white cups where perfect and the yellow cup gave it some pop.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Silver Showoffs

Click Here To Buy It Now - $175, 6x8 inches, acrylic on museum gessobord

It's almost as if these two silver pieces were saying to me, "see we can reflect life better than you".  They are such showoffs!  I made a happy discovery recently, the silver tea set believed to have been sent to Goodwill was actually wrapped up and still in storage.  Yay!  I've been looking for silver pieces so I could paint more reflections and upset with myself for having thought I'd given this set away.  A friend gave me this fun patchwork and embroidered piece of fabric which has been sitting around for over a year because I had no idea how to use it.  I set these silver pieces on the fabric and wham that was it, in fact I never even moved them for this painting.  Sometimes good things just happen.

On another note, capturing art work via photographs is challenging.  Colors can be off and then monitors are not all the same which can affect color.  In this case my camera is pumping up brushwork, things you don't see or notice when viewing the original painting.  The blue background area in the photo is an example, the brushwork just pops out, something you don't see much in the original painting.  I have to figure this out.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Mostly Rocks

Click Here To Buy It Now - $100, 6x6 inches, acrylic on 1/8" museum gessobord

Visiting Arizona one winter my sister and husband took me for a ride in 4 wheeler type vehicle into the desert.  We followed a mostly dry riverbed and stopped to picnic and look at rocks.  I'm a huge rock lover, growing up in Arizona I saw more rocks than water.  The riverbed was the same thing, more rocks than water.  Arizona has it's monsoon season and the washes and riverbeds can fill up fast from mountain runoff.  I lived in AZ for 28 years and we were used to road closures when a big storm came through because many streets crossed washes, washes that otherwise were dry most the time.  Not good planning!  I love this bit of water trickling through this huge rocky riverbed, probably a remnant from a recent passing storm.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Meadow Belle

Click Here To Buy It Now:  $150, 6x8 inches, Acrylic on 1/8" museum gessobord

I'm inspired to paint animals right now so here is Belle.  She has a dreamy far away look or maybe bored and wants to be back at the barn.  I really don't know Belle but loved the photo reference and decided to give her a bright sky background with clouds.  I was thinking of naming this painting Belles In The Meadow but my husband wasn't fond of that title.  What do you think?

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright  

Another acrylic sketch

Working from one of my own photos and experimenting painting rocks and water on Canva Paper.  This photo is from a visit to Arizona and there were so many rocks it was confusing so I downplayed the rocks for a more pleasing composition.  I may try another as this one turned out pretty good for a first try.  Sometimes my first trys are the best, funny how that works.  This one is pretty small which keeps me loose and from adding to much detail.  It's a continual battle to keep from adding to much detail.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Life's A Ball

Click Here to Bid Now:  6x6 inches, acrylic on 1/8" museum gessobord

This painting is from a photo reference on pixabay, it makes me smile and gives me joy.  What could be better than a ball and a loving human companion to tirelessly throw it?  The joy of simple things, a simple life.  It's a reminder that there are still good things in a world that seems broken.  I needed this reminder and I hope the painting makes you smile.

Stay safe everyone and be reminded of the simple joys around you.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright


On another note I'm still working on my painting of a family vintage photo from the 1940's.  It's getting closer but just not there yet.  A good exercise but frustrating.  I'm not someone who likes painting the same subject over and over, I loose interest and if you don't have interest you might as well not pick up the brush.  I'm also stubborn, this is like my 4th try at painting this subject.  Because I have so many great family vintage photos to paint I keep striving to figure it out.  The place in Arizona is called Hole In The Rock.