Curious Koi

 

NFS, 6x8 inches, Acrylic on a linen panel

I painted this awhile back from another pixabay.com photo reference.  Something bothered me about the painting so it was never posted.  I never planned to work on it again but one day the problem suddenly emerged, a bothersome tail.  So tail fixed and it's ready to find a home.

This has been a summer exploring hand built ceramic pottery.  Feels so good to be challenging myself in a new creative way.  That said it's also been frustrating, working with clay is a lot harder than it looks and is taking me ages to finish projects.  So I'm taking a break from painting for the moment enjoying some 3D creations.

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 ©

I See You

 

Click Her For More Info: $250, 9x12 inches, acrylic on watercolor paper

I have been working on and off on this painting for over a year and truth be told, working more off than on.  Something about it bothered me so it sat (the off time) until slowly, very slowly the realization was the background trees weren't working.  What to do?  Well it should have been obvious but no, so it sat for awhile longer.  I finally made the addition of more colorful leaves covering the offending trees.  You can see the first version below.  So new additions deserved a new title and Hidden Purpose became I See You.  Now the question is:  Who is seeing who?

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 ©

Waiting For A Breeze

 

Click Here For More Info:  $250, 8x10 inches, acrylic on 1/8" Ampersand Gessobord

Passing through pixabay.com this photo reference caught my eye.  Those long stems created all this lovely negative space which is so fun to paint.  Crazy the things that inspire me, and you, others may pass by this same photo and not give it a second glance.  Although these dandy's make a fun painting, a single breeze however will release thousands of seeds looking for a nice watered lawn.

I use professional 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 A. Kirkeeide ©