Fish Stories

 

6x6 inch acrylic on gessoed watercolor paper.

Getting back to painting again after a long time off.  I'm experimenting with new techniques which is great fun.  This is pretty loose for me, playing with impressionism.  I've been gone from painting for so long I'm relearning, a good time to branch out.  

I took this photo at a lake near us.  I go to the lake and sit on the beach drawing sometimes and taking photos.  These youth were way off in the distance and I worried the photo wouldn't turn out.  The photo even though a bit fuzzy was still useable.  Can't you just imagine these two youths swapping fish stories?

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Skip It

 

Click Here For More Info:  $125, 6x6 inches, acrylic on watercolor paper

Who could resist a great photo reference like this (another from pixabay.com)?  I couldn't, it represents everything, good memories of a simple life, grandchildren, pets and sunshine.  I'm working to loosen up and let details go, just simplify which isn't as easy as it sounds.  

A black gesso ground was applied to the watercolor paper before painting.  

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Curiosity and the Cats

 

Click Here For More Info:  $125, 8x8 inches, acrylic on Ampersand Gessobord

Summer of 2022 I had the best time drawing and photographing four alpacas at a week long drawing camp through Rumriver art Center.  We were allowed to go into the enclosure for an up and close encounter with these four great guys.  We had to be careful because they would spit at each other competing for treats.  There was also a Momma cat looking for attention after delivering a litter of kittens. I threw in an extra cat for fun.  

I debated painting this photo for a long time, fear of failure is usually the culprit.  The alpacas had just been shaved and looked a little scrawny but this pose was calling to be captured in paint.

Be aware there can be some differences in color due to digital images and monitors but I try hard to get as close as possible.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Summer Buffet

Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, 12x16 inchesThis piece was painted awhile back for a show with a food theme.  I thought showing fair food was a clever idea, plus I painted fun fair images on two sides of the canvas such as pronto pups and cheese curds.  It didn't go over real big for the show, most of the paintings were classical food images.  Recently I pulled the painting out to rework a few areas adding admission tickets to the third side of the canvas.  I'm not sure if I posted this piece before but it works better now and will be for sale in a new show coming up in September at the Rumriver Art Center's Johansen Gallery, Anoka MN.
Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Grandma Time

 

My niece who is now a grandmother for the first time asked me to do a grandson painting for her.  She sent a couple of photos to choose from, this reference I knew in my heart was the best but the prospect overwhelmed me.  I had to pump up my confidence and really I thought what's the worst that could happen, a ruined  panel and a bruised ego.  Been there, done that.  Making some changes from the photo reference, I pumped up the color a bit and removed some clutter from the bottom with a few other minor changes.  The photo reference was beautiful telling such a sweet story.  Sometimes you have to put your big girl pants on and move forward, I'm glad I did.

Congrats to my niece, what a blessing to hold your new little one and show him the world.

Deborah A. Kirkeeide ©

A Piece Of Beach

 

Click Here For More Info:  $120, 6x6 inches, acrylic on 1/8" Ampersand Gessobord

I experimented painting this four times (see previous post) changing colors, adding a horizon line in some and using different background tones.  This ended up being my favorite.  The photo reference was cropped from a much larger photo from pixabay.com with a huge beach scene including two cruise ships in the background.  

I use professional artist acrylic paints in all my acrylic paintings for permanence and longevity.  Ampersand Gessobord has a professional quality acid-free acrylic ground on a wood museum series panel.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Four Square Beach Scene Exercise

 

A little experiment and exercise with color and composition.  I tried using different toned backgrounds, adding a horizon line and playing with different subject colors.  The top left was my beginning point then ended up liking it best.  It seems whenever I repeat painting the same subject, the first one is always best.  The idea is to loosen up but instead the opposite happens to me .  Funny how that works.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Conjunto

 

Click Here For More Info:  $350, 8x8 inches, acrylic on 1/8"Ampersand Gessobord

I never knew that Mariachi bands had accordion players.  There is a style of music called Conjunto that features the accordion.  Well learn something new everyday!  I found a photo of a Mariachi band on pixabay.com and cropped it to create this composition.  I love the visual interest of the accordion with all the keys, buttons and squeezebox area.  I can't imagine being able to play it.  And the happy sounds just make you want to dance.  On a fun note, my brother when young played the accordion so maybe that's why I was drawn to the photo.

I use professional artist acrylic paints in all my acrylic paintings for permanence and longevity.  Ampersand Gessobord has a professional quality acid-free acrylic ground on a wood museum series panel.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Sometimes You Need A Duck

 

Click Here For More Info:  $300, 6x6 inches, acrylic on 1/8"Ampersand Gessobord

Looking for inspiration at a local lake beach last summer I spied this little guy.  He was far away and headed for the beach so I had to click fast before someone else blocked my view or he made it out of the water.  Fortunately the photo, though blurry, turned out great.  Sometimes the simplest things can bring a lot of joy, sometimes you just need a duck and maybe for me a bit of luck.  (Couldn't help the pun.)

I use professional artist acrylic paints in all my acrylic paintings for permanence and longevity. 

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Banjo Man

 

Click Here For More Info:  $200, 8x8 inches, acrylic on 1/8" Ampersand Gessobord

This painting is from my own reference photo taken years ago.  I could never figure out how to make him come alive in paint so he waited for inspiration.  Finally after years and inspiration from other artists, I was ready to tackle my banjo player, then came the alpaca week and another hold on the project.  The alpaca paintings actually gave me more ideas for Banjo Man.  Funny how that works. 

I have an accordion player that needs to be painted so maybe thats next after a kitchen remodel.  Looking forward to a new kitchen but not the mess and work involved.  No painting for awhile I'm afraid.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Sisters

 

Click Here For More Info:  5 1/2" x 7 1/2" (an extra 1/4" around for matting), mixed media (acrylic and marker) on watercolor paper

Still having fun with mixed media while planning some new fall and winter classes I will be teaching.  These are a real departure from my other work and I probably spend more time painting them but they are fun, freeing and challenging.  They are sort of like taking a vacation. 

I did some fun sketches a few years back that I'm rediscovering.  My hopes were to do something with these sketches and this medium seems to be perfect.  I've been inspired by artist Karen Knutson who in turn is inspired by Gustav Klimt.  Gustav painted incorporating a bunch of small shapes to create a whole and the patterns are so interesting.  If you do a google search for Gustav you'll recognize his work.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Update #9

This update is really from a few days ago, I've painted since and will post that one in a day or two.  This paint session was all about painting the big window with the two figures and I can't even remember how many times I changed the frame colors, nothing seemed to work.  When I say changed the color I mean the dominate color since I always use a mix of many colors.  This version is the best so far and may be tweaked a bit in the future or maybe not.  The first version the frame peak was dark and that's where your eye went then right off the edge.  It needed to be painted in such a way to complete the window but not lead you out of the picture.  If you notice there is a circle pattern leading your eye around the composition for example follow the bright yellows: the foreground girl, the yellow in front of the man and the bush behind the man, the tree in the middle background then the grass in front of the tower house and back to the girl.  There is also a circle of orange within the circle of yellow and centers around the middle house.  It was both a conscious and subconscious effort.  I mean subconscious in this way, when you notice something is off yet don't know why or what's wrong but you know something is not working, that's when consciously you start to work out the problem.  Does that make sense?  It's part of being open to letting the painting lead you where it wants to go.

Part of me wants to get rid of the big window, the other part of me is saying keep working on it and make the window better.  Which voice will win?  I'm pretty stubborn and don't like to give up on things which is not always good.  How would you vote, remove or leave?

I've really enjoyed this project but I'm looking forward to moving on wherever the next inspiration leads.  Stay well, keep positive and HAPPY EASTER!  One of the things I love about the little girl (my Mom) is the Easter basket with what looks like a price tag still attached.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Our House Update #8

I'm starting to see an end to this project, maybe in 2 or 3 days depending on how long the paint sessions are.  I'm not real pleased with the little girl in the foreground so will continue working on her.  The stencils and the stamp came out and you can see some of that in the foreground close to the girl.  I'm going to add a few more of the curlicues on the other side of the girl to see how that looks.  At this point I have to be careful and not overdo keeping the fun stencil and stamp work from being obliterated.  For me it's hard to let go and leave things alone.  I will be so happy when all these little faces are done, they can drive me nuts.  What was I thinking adding all these people anyway, this was supposed to be about houses.

So are you Zooming?  Lots of people are zooming or doing some type of video conferencing these days.  I was on zoom this morning with an art group, so nice to see and chat with friends. Everyone is adapting and learning new things because thats what we do during hard times.  Over coming challenges makes us stronger so keep challenging yourself and stay safe.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Our House Update #7

I had another good day of painting yesterday, probably around 7 hours.  Once I start painting it's hard to stop, there's always one more thing to tackle.  After taking a photo for the day then I spend time looking at the photo to see what direction to take for the next paint day.  They say to stand back and look at your painting periodically while painting to help see mistakes and visualize, for me photos do the same thing.  And I really love working on the stenciled and stamped surface!!  It leads me in places I never thought of going.  Now I see areas where I'm going to add more stencils and stamps.  Getting excited!

I forgot to mention that my Daily Paintworks page is temporarily closed due to my travels to California over the winter.  When I figure out mailing during this pandemic it will be restarted.

Oh and if anyone has questions regarding my project and paint process please leave a comment I'd be happy to answer your questions.  If you are using Safari you won't be able to leave a comment for some reason, however you can using Google (Chrome) and maybe other search engines.

I hope you are healthy and staying safe, finding positive and maybe creative things to help keep busy.   For those still working and on the front lines God Bless You, I really cannot thank you enough.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Our House Update #6

The project is moving along, I put in a good day of painting today and finished the middle house.  I also realized I made a composition blunder by putting that house almost dead center.  It should have been off centered a bit, funny I didn't notice that in the planning stage.  My focus at that stage was to keep the tower house from being covered up.  Oh well hopefully the other design elements will keep the eye moving through the composition.  And rules were always meant to be broken, artists break them all the time.

I'm having a lot of fun working with negative spaces and looking to see what background can be left that works with the images.  For those not familiar with negative space, it's simply the space around the subject matter or images.  If you notice the vest on the figure was left the background textures and paint as are some of the fences (so the space between fence posts are negative spaces).  I hope to keep them but you never know what mood will hit me.

Our house is a very very fine house and I'm thankful to be in it staying safe through this pandemic.  Be positive, count your blessings every day.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright 

Connecting

Not For Sale - oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

My Granddaughter was not posing for me this time, I noticed her curled up in the chair and knew it was a perfect natural pose.  I call her my favorite model because she is great to paint but the only time she sits still is when on her iPhone.  She is a creative social butterfly, I love painting and creating with her; one day she may be posting paintings of her own.  I'm so fortunate to share my love of the visual arts with her!

Due to the limitations and inconsistencies of various display monitors, the colors you see on your screen may not be a totally accurate reproduction of the actual painting but I work to get the best likeness possible.

(c) Deborah A. Kirkeeide

"Once Upon A Time" Art Journal

Another mixed media art journal I completed this fall as a gift.  The backgrounds are all hand painted using acrylics and stamping.  I had fun incorporating old family photos and working some of them into color pages.  Every time I create an art journal new ideas emerge, I'm exploring more outside the box and growing.  I need to incorporate this freedom into my oil paintings.  Why do I feel so restricted when painting in oils?  It's time to start experimenting and maybe start using acrylics and oils together.  Hmmmm, another road to explore.

(c) Deborah A. Kirkeeide