Bovine Bliss - and an upcoming show!

 

Bovine Bliss, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2021

Available at the Davis Gallery

Flora and Fauna Group Show

Aug 7 - Sept 25, 2021

Opening Reception: Aug 7, 4-7 pm

This has been a crazy and unpredictable year for me, and my posts (or lack there of) have reflected that. I just spent the last four months helping my elderly parents get moved and settled into a senior living community. It was ALL-consuming, and I'm happy to report that they are much closer to my home now, AND that all went well!! YAY!! Hopefully, I will be getting back to a normal cadence soon!

If you are in the Austin area, please join us at the Davis Gallery Group Show opening reception this weekend! Attendance is by reservation only, and will be viewed in small, masked groups. Just to be safe. Click HERE to reserve a spot!

Hoping to see you! 

Garden Fire - Final week of show!

Garden Fire, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

Available at the Davis Gallery

This is the LAST WEEK of my solo show at the Davis Gallery! Sadly. It has been so fun to have it up, and to have friends and collectors visit the work. All of your wonderful comments have been SO encouraging. Thank you. I love seeing it altogether on the walls... sigh. The search will continue... of course it will!

EVIDENCE OF THE SEARCH

Davis Gallery, Austin, TX

On display through Thanksgiving!

View Online 

I love these three pieces together. 

Companions for sure (but can be sold separately.)

In the gallery window on opening night...

Garden of the Lion - with Process Shots!

Garden of the Lion, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

Available at the Anderson Fine Art Gallery

Revisiting this handsome lion with bigger brushes and larger canvas was so much fun. I love this guardian of the flowers. This one is fresh off the easel and available now at the Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, Georgia! 

Here are process shots to show how it came together...

BLOCK IN - SKETCH

I began with an underdrawing (ultramarine and burnt siena). This allows me to check placement and scale of all the elements, and its a good place to make adjustments to the basic design before I get too far along.

BLOCK IN - VALUES

I established a "roadmap" for my values by indicating the shadow areas of the scene. Putting my darks in early and accurately gives me a structure to build on. I also stained the canvas with spots of alizarin crimson as place holders for my geraniums that would be painted last. 

STARTING WITH THE DARKS

Working dark to light allowed me to hold on to values. It is also the best way to build a painting... so much easier to add lighter colors on top of a strong base.  

ADDING THE LIGHTS

The key to keeping clean color is to use a light touch with subsequent layers. With alla prima painting, it can be tricky and "scrubbing" turns everything to mud. Beware.

Final Marks and Highlights

Once all value areas were established, I was able to suggest detail with final marks and highlights using slight value shifts. So important to save these until the very end, when everything else is working. I also painted the geraniums last to keep their marks clean and fresh. 

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Click Here to register for PleinAir LIVE!

(I'm honored to be teaching in the Pre-Event Beginner's workshop! Please look for me there!)

Crane Courtyard and PleinAir Live!

Crane Courtyard, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2020

Available at the Anderson Fine Art Gallery

This larger work is fashioned after a smaller plein air piece I shared a few weeks ago. Crane's Cottage, at the Jekyll Island Club Hotel in Georgia, is the site of many weddings and special events. This intimate courtyard where lunch is sometimes served, offers a spot to get away, and have a "moment". I enjoyed my moment there immensely and found myself going back to the little scene, wanting to linger at this spot a bit longer. Painting it larger was just the ticket. 

It is newly available at the Anderson Fine Art Gallery in St. Simons Island, Georgia!!

And now for some BIG, BIG NEWS...

I am thrilled to be participating as an instructor in the upcoming PleinAir Live event! I will be presenting in the Pre-Event One-day Beginners Workshop, offering "the basics" to beginners who want to learn to paint outdoors. It will be a lot of fun, hope to see you there!

Click HERE for more info and to register!

Autumn Grazing - AWA Show at RS Hanna Gallery!

Autumn Grazing, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2019

On display at the RS Hanna Gallery, SOLD in pre-sale! :)

This weekend, please join us at the opening reception for this year's American Women Artist (AWA) show in Fredericksburg, Texas! Here is the info...

A Tradition of Excellence

American Women Artists at the RS Hanna Gallery

244 West Main St, Fredericksburg, TX

On display through December 7

Reception November 1, 6-9 pm

As you can see, I was not quite done with my Longhorn series, and I suspect I will revisit these guys again in the future. AND... I am delighted to share that they have already found their forever home! YAY! 

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2020 PLEIN AIR WORKSHOP INFO:

March 30-April 2, 2020 - Wimberley, Texas

April 16-18, 2020 - St. Simons Island, Georgia

May 8-9, 2020 - Austin, Texas

SEE DETAILS ON MY WEBSITE: laureldaniel.com 

The Heavens Rejoice - Eternal Hope

The Heavens Rejoice - Eternal Hope, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2018

SOLD in Davis Gallery "Reflector" Exhibit

Last night's opening at the Davis Gallery was a wonderful time! It's always so much fun to see and celebrate the work of the gallery artists all hanging together; and it's also great to have friends and family come out to support us. I was delighted to discover that this piece sold before the show opened last week! YAY! It was shipped out immediately, and consequently, it is not on display anymore... but I can still show it here! :)

Here are some pictures of the party with some dear artist friends...

with Tammy Brown

with Chris De Dier and Joe Hammer

with Lynda Young Kaffie

Free To Roam and Happy New Year!

Free To Roam, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2018

Available at Davis Gallery

I know I have been missing in action for the last few months, and want to assure you that all is well with me. I have had a couple of kind souls check in on me, and I so appreciate that love and care. My only excuse is that life just got busy!! So here we are. Happy "New" Year, all! ;)

This painting was a fun one for me. I met these audacious little goats several years ago, and have wanted to paint them ever since. They quite owned the land on this ranch outside of Kerrville, Texas, and didn't let anyone get in their way. I loved that about them, and could kind of relate!

 

You can see from my block-in that I added one more goat to the front of the pack as the painting progressed. I really wanted to portray how very UNDETERRED they were by my presence as they ambled by (although I did get the stink-eye from Billy Goat Gruff in the middle). At the time I was doing a plein air painting from that spot, and I am pretty sure they would have walked right through me if they could have! 

Desert Clusters - American Women Artists Exhibit at the Tucson Desert Art Museum

Desert Clusters, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

SOLD at the Tucson Desert Art Museum 

Under a Vast Sky

American Women Artists Annual Juried Exhibit

Tucson Desert Art Museum

Tucson, Arizona

Reception November 3, 5-8pm

This year, American Women Artists launched 25 in 25, a goal to secure twenty-five museum exhibitions in as many years. We are doing this because work by women artists makes up only 5% of permanent holdings of museums in America. Can you believe it's that low? Our group is determined to do something about this, and now has museum shows booked through 2020. This is the first show from this initiative and it's pretty exciting! Unfortunately, I am unable to make the reception this year, but I know it will be a beautiful show! If you are in or near Tucson this weekend, please stop by!

Click HERE to see show online.

For purchase inquiries, contact the Tucson Desert Art Museum.  

Exhibit is on display through December 3. 

Ready for Harvest - Radiant Group Show

Ready for Harvest, 18 x 36, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

Available at the Davis Gallery Radiant Show

This is the last of my pieces represented in the Davis Gallery summer group show. In case you missed an earlier post, the show is "focused on radial compositions, luminescent surfaces, circular shapes, and all things Radiant..." 

As I worked on each painting, a local farm scene from my plein air workshop kept screaming to be painted. This angle, with it's one point perspective, added another whole level to the radial design concept. In addition to the circular form of the flowers, the radiating design of their petals, the luminescent quality of their color... the rows of plants themselves create a radiating pattern as they disappear into the distance. 

Radiant. I love this theme. The show is up through August 19 at the Davis Gallery in Austin, Texas. For purchase inquiries, please contact Kevin Ivester, kevin@davisgalleryaustin.com.

Tilting Faces - Radiant Group Show and process shots

 Tilting Faces, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

SOLD

This is the third of four paintings that are on display in the Davis Gallery "Radiant" show. I have had several people ask for more details on the underpainting technique I used to achieve the glow in these paintings. SO... below are process shots of how I preserved the golden areas by laying in a stain of Indian Yellow. Unlike the cadmium family, this yellow is transparent and works well as an undertone without contaminating the layers above. (Cadmiums are opaque and tend to mix into and change subsequent layers, instead of glowing beneath them.) 

Below you can see how I went from my block in, straight to staining the "glow" areas. This allowed me to preserve those areas for later development AND provided a base tone that would glow through subsequent layers. 

Sketch and beginning of block in.

Block in with Indian Yellow applied to floral "glow" areas.

I painted the yellow in, then wiped it out leaving a stain behind.

Working dark to light, I return to the foliage... 

Darkest darks and highest contrast in foreground, muted and softer in background.

In the final stage, I add highlights to all the greenery and develop the flowers.

Perhaps the biggest development is how that front flower "tilted it's face" in these final marks. It's never too late to change things, and that was an important one. I thought it looked too rigid facing forward, so I used information from flowers behind it to change things up. I like the final gesture of that front sunflower so much better! It feels much more natural to me. :)

Personal GrandBaby Update: I am still in heaven with my daughter's family and their new baby girl, and so grateful for these days of bonding. Her name is Laurel Anne (she'll go by the double name), after me and her other grandma, whose middle name is Anne. What a great honor for us!

Urban Pinwheel - Radiant Group Show

Urban Pinwheel, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2017

SOLD

I love that sunflowers come in many varieties. They are cultivated as a farm crop but they also make wild appearances along country roads and city highways. These untamed beauties were especially captivating to me, as they shimmered in juxtaposition to the hard lines of the cityscape in the distance. That contrast greatly enhanced the brilliance of the delicate flowers. 

One painting technique I used to depict "radiance" with these sunflowers, was to use an undertone in the brilliant areas. I did my block-in as usual, but before building up the values and color, I added passages of Indian Yellow where I wanted the color to pop later. Indian Yellow is transparent and can easily be used like a stain (if applied thinly and wiped out it's unobtrusive to subsequent layers.) I then continued to work from dark to light, as usual. That intense undertone not only saved the place of the brilliant areas, it helped to cast a radiant glow. (For purchase inquiries, please contact Kevin Ivester, kevin@davisgalleryaustin.com.)

Initial Sketch...

Block in with splash of Indian Yellow to mark the brilliant areas. 

Baby Watch Update: Our sweet baby granddaughter was born early Monday morning (on her due date), healthy and happy! What a great blessing and honor it is to be here, and to see this dear new life as she meets her family and the world for the first time! Her big brother is pretty taken with his new baby sister! Such JOY!!!!!

Bedroom Nook - Show Tip #24

Bedroom Nook, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2016

Available 

What is it about little nooks and homey stopping places? They give me visual rest and physical rest in the busy flow of life. This charming little corner graced a beach cottage we rented a few summers ago. We stayed long enough to put our stuff in the drawers and loved every minute. (That's the trick to feeling at home you know... put your stuff in the drawers like you're never leaving!) 

Show Tip #24 - Stay the Course
When the last paintings are finally drying, I feel both elation and letdown, and a huge desire to put my feet up. However, there is still work to be done and now is not the time to rest on my laurels (so to speak). It may not be as fun as smearing paint on a canvas, but pulling the last details together is really important. So after taking the weekend off, it's back to business until the last i's are dotted and final t's are crossed for my show. This week I'll be framing the last paintings and cataloging. I don't want to reach the end and be panicked about any of those pesky details! The goal is to finish well!

Here are links to other Show Tips:

Tip #1 - Stock up on Supplies
Tip #2 - Set up Deadlines
Tip #3 - Determine Subject Matter

Tip #4 - Work in Series

Tip #5 - Establish a Schedule

Tip #6 - Be Kind to YOU

Tip #7 - Follow your Heart

Tip #8 - Stay Flexible

Tip #9 - Whistle While You Work

Tip #10 - Fight Through Fears

Tip #11 - Take Notes

Tip #12 - Know when to Quit

Tip #13 - Stay Updated

Tip #14 - Balance Effort and Ease

Tip #15 - Assign Tasks

Tip #16 - Step Back 

Tip #17 - Sign As You Go

Tip #18 - Take Your Best Shot

Tip #19 - Celebrate Growth

Tip #20 - Varnishing Day(s)

Tip #21 - Frame Incrementally

Tip #22 - Deep Six Your Doubts

Tip #23 - Get the Word Out

Painters - join me at this Plein Air Workshop:

April 28-30, Anderson Fine Art Gallery, St. Simons Island, GA

Contact Info: Mary Anderson, 912-634-8414

Winter Berries - Show Tip #23

Winter Berries, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2016

Available, Davis Gallery

Red berries of many different varieties are prolific in Texas in the winter months. They bring pops of delightful color into an otherwise grey landscape. They are also a reminder that spring is just around the corner; and I like being reminded of that! 

Show Tip #23 - Get the Word Out
I think long and hard about how to let people know about any upcoming shows. Of course, if you follow my blog, you know I have been talking about this since January (alright already!) In addition to that, 4 weeks before the opening I mailed postcard announcements. Three weeks out, I sent my first email blast (which will be followed up with email reminders 1 week out and the day before). Finally, I use Facebook to get the word out on social media. My hope is that this combination of efforts will reach my world with news. We have so many avenues for sharing information these days, and finding the right balance is probably a little different for everyone. 

Postcards printed at Vistaprint.com

Here are links to other Show Tips:

Tip #1 - Stock up on Supplies
Tip #2 - Set up Deadlines
Tip #3 - Determine Subject Matter

Tip #4 - Work in Series

Tip #5 - Establish a Schedule

Tip #6 - Be Kind to YOU

Tip #7 - Follow your Heart

Tip #8 - Stay Flexible

Tip #9 - Whistle While You Work

Tip #10 - Fight Through Fears

Tip #11 - Take Notes

Tip #12 - Know when to Quit

Tip #13 - Stay Updated

Tip #14 - Balance Effort and Ease

Tip #15 - Assign Tasks

Tip #16 - Step Back 

Tip #17 - Sign As You Go

Tip #18 - Take Your Best Shot

Tip #19 - Celebrate Growth

Tip #20 - Varnishing Day(s)

Tip #21 - Frame Incrementally

Tip #22 - Deep Six Your Doubts

Painters - join me at this Plein Air Workshop:

April 28-30, Anderson Fine Art Gallery, St. Simons Island, GA

Contact Info: Mary Anderson, 912-634-8414

Fruit Bearing - Show Tip #22

Fruit Bearing Loquats, 18 x 18, oil on canvas, L. Daniel © 2016

Sold in Solo Show, "Chasing Color, Finding Light", Davis Gallery

These pretty little fruits are Loquats. We have several Loquat trees in our backyard and they produce lots of fruit every spring. I am always attracted to their shapes and often paint them. And yes, you CAN eat them (squirrels love them too). They have several pits and taste a bit like apricots. Yum! 

Show Tip #22 - Deep Six Your Doubts

Somewhere along the line, and often as the big reveal of all my work draws near, a case of the "doubts" sets in. I begin to wonder... What I was thinking? Is any of the work good enough? Why did I think I could paint at all? I've come to expect this stage, but it's never fun. Combatting it requires digging deep for hidden courage reserves and keeping a level head (having a trusted friend or spouse who can talk you in off the ledge is very helpful too). It's all related to the fact that these paintings are very personal expressions, and let's face it, the possibility of rejection is scary. I share this tip not because I have a foolproof solution, but because the feeling is pretty universal. Somehow it helps to know that we ALL feel it at some point. 

Here are links to other Show Tips:

Tip #1 - Stock up on Supplies
Tip #2 - Set up Deadlines
Tip #3 - Determine Subject Matter

Tip #4 - Work in Series

Tip #5 - Establish a Schedule

Tip #6 - Be Kind to YOU

Tip #7 - Follow your Heart

Tip #8 - Stay Flexible

Tip #9 - Whistle While You Work

Tip #10 - Fight Through Fears

Tip #11 - Take Notes

Tip #12 - Know when to Quit

Tip #13 - Stay Updated

Tip #14 - Balance Effort and Ease

Tip #15 - Assign Tasks

Tip #16 - Step Back

Tip #17 - Sign As You Go

Tip #18 - Take Your Best Shot

Tip #19 - Celebrate Growth

Tip #20 - Varnishing Day(s)

Tip #21 - Frame Incrementally

Painters - join me at this Plein Air Workshop:

April 28-30, Anderson Fine Art Gallery, St. Simons Island, GA

Contact Info: Mary Anderson, 912-634-8414