Spring Impressions

 

 This is now posted and available in my Daily Paintworks gallery

Click Here For More Info: $100, Acrylic on watercolor paper, painted image 6x6 inches with a 3/4" border

An original expressive floral painting inspired by the energy and abundance of spring!  And I need some spring right now.  The reference photo is from my granddaughters photo of dry flowers at home.  We paint together via FaceTime occasionally and share ideas.  Just for fun and variation I cropped the photo while she painted the original size . 

The border around the painting is actually white not gray.  I like to leave a border making it easier to mat paintings that are on watercolor paper without loosing any of the image or you can include some of the little bleeds for interest.  A mat can be cut to fit an 8"-10" square frame.  

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide © 

Water Lilies

 

6x6 inch acrylic on gessoed watercolor paper

The title isn't very imaginative.  Perhaps It could be named "In Monet's Garden" since he was the master of the water lilies.  Would he appreciate my rendering I wonder.  

This is another fun play, experimenting with different brushes and brush work.  The colors are a very different take on the photo I used which made it hard to get the values right.  It eventually worked out and I'm happy with it.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide © 

Polka Dot Garden

 12x12" acrylic on Da Vinci Pro Panel (cradled panel).

A friend gave me these flowers for my solo show which wraps up tomorrow.  They were so beautiful I had to come home and paint them quick as natures natural course would soon take over.  Before adding the polka dots the painting didn't look finished.  It wasn't my original plan to add polka dots but it made all the difference.

Having a solo show was a great tool for self examination and seeing a whole room of only my paintings was an eye opener.  I haven't had a solo show since my graduation show so so many years ago.  The show was a good experience.  I even stood and gave a talk in front of a group of people, definitely out of my comfort zone.  Absolutely nervous in the extreme but the teacher in me took over and saved the day.

Still haven't figured out mailing on these larger pieces but if you're interested please email me through Daily Paintworks (click on the link to the right).

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Memories

12x12 inch acrylic on a Da Vinci Pro Panel (cradled panel).  This is another of my abstracted paintings finished awhile ago and I have another in the works.  The painting process begins with palette knives then switching back to brush work.  Its a very challenging and time consuming technique but keeps me away from perfectionism which weirdly allows for more freedom.  

Once I figure out how to mail a painting this size they will be offered for sale.  Fall of 2025 there will be a solo show of my work at Rumriver Art Center in Anoka where my new paintings will be displayed for sale.  So if you live in the area save the date September 13th 2025. 

I've discovered the problem with my blog, it doesn't like Safari any more, there seem to be no problems when working in Chrome.

 Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©

Treasured Things

 

Click Here For More Info: $150, 6x8 inches, Acrylic on 1/8" Ampersand Gessobord

My Mom brought me this really pretty paper weight from her trip to London years ago.  Mom has since passed so it's a treasured memory and it's sparkly glass paired nicely with the delicate peony.  And yes I treasure everyone of my peony blooms in fact so much so that it took years for me to even cut a bouquet.  

I've been spending this week drawing alpacas at a drawing camp.  Getting to know four beautiful boy alpacas who were recently sheared of fluffy coats.  At first I thought darn wish I could have drawn them with the fur but now I realize it's great seeing their bone structure which gets totally obscured by fur.  I may post some of my drawings later and may even do a painting.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©   

A Delicate Subject

 

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

Returning from vacation I was happy to find more of the peonies still blooming!  Their beauty is so short lived but I managed to capture a few more.  I discovered something about them this time around, the younger blossoms will close at night to open again in the morning.  How did I never notice that after 30 some years!  One more to post and they are done until next spring.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide ©   

One That Lasts

Click Here To Buy It Now - $100, 5x7 inches, acrylic on 1/8" museum gessobord

This is the last peony I've painted for the spring season 2020.  I was going to name it The Last One but to put a positive spin on it the name changed to One That Lasts.  This is my favorite peony for 2020.  I had trouble finding a short glass vase, for some reason my short glass vase did a disappearing act.  How does that happen?  The stubborn part of me wouldn't give up until finally remembering my saved food jars under the sink, I found this short pickle relish jar which worked perfect after removing the label.  More info than you probably wanted to know, I just thought it would be fun to let you inside my imperfect world.

I did a gouache two color paint sketch (with white) and an acrylic paint sketch using bright colors yesterday.  I will post them soon.

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright 

Peony In A Bottle

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

Goodbye peonies until next year.  I'm happy that a few from my garden made it to paint.  I have one more to post then sadly they are done.  I do however have some photos I took for those winter blues and the need for spring.  But summer is just beginning, the world is sunny and warm, yay!

Deborah Ann Kirkeeide copyright

Birthday Bouquet

Click Here To Buy It Now - $400, Acrylic on museum gessobord panel, 9x12 inches

When I receive flowers I have a hard time not painting them and this birthday bouquet was hard to resist.  Because flowers are so short lived I feel good about capturing them with paint, allowing them to live a little longer.

Due to the limitation and inconsistencies of various display monitors, the colors you see on your screen may not be a totally accurate reproduction of the actual painting.


(c) Deborah Ann Kirkeeide

Succulence

Click Here To Buy It Now - $300, acrylic on linen panel, 8x8 inches

This is one of the paintings where I experimented with high flow acrylics for an under painting (see below).  I used the high flow acrylics as a washy value study which turned out pretty fun all by itself. I tried to save some of that cool drippy texture in the completed painting leaving the background very sketchy.  I learned a bunch from this experiment and hope to incorporate and continue to work with the high flow washes and drips.  My other under painting did not turn out so good in fact it will be a do over.  It turned out dark and for some reason in a much tighter style but that failure led to my success with Succulence. So which do you prefer, the completed painting or the under study wash?

Due to the limitation 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

Heirloom Sunflowers

Click Here To Buy It Now - $100, oil on gessobord, 6x8 inches

I attended an art festival last fall and they were giving away all these wonderful annual seed packets, these are heirloom sunflowers named Autumn Beauty .  I love the ring of yellow around the dark center!  I wasn't sure about planting them as they were outside the comfortable standard yellow sunflowers normally planted but I'm sure glad I tried because they are beauties.  And well it's summer after all so I have to paint some flowers.

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

Violas

Click Here To Buy It Now - $75, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches

I love my Violas, I've heard them called Johnny Jump Ups also.  They come up everywhere in my gardens and most the time I just let them be, I haven't the heart to pull them.  Such sweet faces and colors who can resist!  I found some photos I took in the spring, cropped it, painted some areas with the scribbly scratchy technique (background mostly) and love the way it turned out.

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

Single Peony

Click Here To Buy It Now - $50, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Bloom time for Peonies is so short, I wanted to do another peony painting before they were finished for the season.  Even though the bloom time is short it's well worth having them in the gardens.  Maybe next year I will paint my hot pink peony which is gorgeous but hidden around the side of the house.  I really need to move her to a better location.  The peonies are done and so is Spring but I'm enjoying Summer time!

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.

Peony Bouquet

Click Here To Buy It Now - $75, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I don't normally cut my garden flowers and bring them in simply because I love to walk in my gardens and enjoy the flowers there.  But I had some friends over and wanted a bouquet for my table and thought it would be a wasted opportunity not to paint them afterwards.  So these peonies were well enjoyed, they did double duty.  Maybe I should have named them Double Duty Bouquet.  What do you think?

I took a short break for needed inspiration and tried some mixed media paintings.  I love mixed media!!  Soon I will be posting some mixed media pieces.

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.

Flower Power

Sold - oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

You can tell I'm a product of the 60's with a name like Flower Power.  I wanted to try painting flowers up close and thought it would be a very simple painting to do.  For me, it was like trying to paint an abstract, something I never do but maybe it would be a good practice tool.  This was a humbling experience, my hats off to all those who paint beautiful flowers up close and personal. 

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.

Pink Carnations

Click Here To Buy It Now - $50, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I was grocery shopping and saw these beautiful pink carnations and couldn't resist.  It seems wherever I go my thoughts always turn to whether something would be a good paint subject.  Also I love this tiny little bottle I found at the Goodwill, It will probably find it's way into more paintings.

Yellow Trio

Click Here To Buy It Now - $75, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I've been having great fun painting these Rudbeckia flowers from my garden, they look like little umbrella's.  I think I'm finally getting the hang of capturing them after adding them to two other paintings (soon to be posted).  I'm going to miss my flowers, these are about the only ones left in my garden.  I suppose I'll be painting pumpkins soon.