Merry Christmas

I used to make Christmas cards.  Every year we sent cards that I designed, either hand made or printed to our loved ones.  The last few years, for some reason, I fell away from doing this.  It's not that Christmas means any less to me, in fact it means even more to me than ever before....  but maybe I am seeing more the importance of sharing the Christmas spirit all year long, not just at Christmas.   Yes, keep Christ in Christmas, but keep Christmas in your hearts all year long.

Today I designed this card, for you and all our friends.  I won't be mailing it, but I hope that you see it, and if you are reading this, you are.

Peace to you and yours this Christmas season and coming year.  True peace.  Here is my Christmas card to you. OUR Christmas card.
Love,
Cheryl & Terry

"Heikentää Ranta - Eroding Beach"

I used "Google Translate"... so to my Finnish friends and family, correct me if I have the title wrong!  I know sometimes the word might be right but not the correct choice, the meaning be off if the wrong word is chosen.

10 x 30" Acrylic on linen

The coastline here is fascinating.  We have discovered things washed up on the beach from soles of shoes to an elk that met its demise.   More fascinating, though, is the way the shoreline is eroding, trees are toppling over the edge, and there are lines on the banks, showing the years.  One such line is a row of clamshells about 6' high that glistens in the sun.  Supposedly, from what historians have discovered from Native American legends, is there was a huge earthquake here 300 years ago, and this area that is now bay dropped around 6 feet.  

"Gloria in excelsis Deo"

The sunsets here on the bay have been nothing short of glorious!  The other night, Dec 4th was the best so far.  Here is a painting I created from one of my photos, adapting it to the size of the canvas so nothing much more than sky and water are showing.

10 x 30" Acrylic on linen canvas

I was asked today on my Sunny Pea Facebook page how long this painting took.  Here was my answer, and more to the story behind this painting.

"To be honest about how long it took… here's the whole story. This started out as an angel, with possibly a manger scene, something for Christmas... last week. The song "Angels We have heard on High" was on my brain... and I wanted to illustrate it, but I could not, without copying other artists' interpretations of what an angel looks like, come up with an angel I liked (there are a few there under the layers of paint!). Then I thought about painting a sky of lights, like the Aurora Borialis, but I didn't have a good personal reference for that… as I was looking up pics of angels, of lights, of skies, on my computer, I was hit in the eye by the light through the window. There is when I took the pics of the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen in my life! The painting of this sky took a couple days then after that. :-) Short story … long.."

Clamming in Willapa Bay

This past Thanksgiving weekend, my daughter and her husband went out clamming.  They ordered clamming licenses on-line, studied up and learned all about how to dig for clams, and then went when the tide was out and brought back several clams which they then proceeded to make clam chowder out of.  I don't like seafood, but felt I needed to at least try it... surprisingly the bite I had was yummy!

This painting is of them walking out to where they dug for clams.  It is a 10x30" acrylic painting on linen canvas.  (I have never painted on linen before, which is what I accidentally ordered.  I have decided it is what I want to paint on from now on!)

"Clamming"

10x30" acrylic

I am so thankful to have family willing to learn and try new things.  It makes life fun and gives me interesting things to paint!

Stay posted for more scenes from this quaint fishing village we are now located in for a little while.

‎"A Soggy, Rainy New Hampshire November"

In this painting I worked out what's been in my head and in my heart lately.  The weather here has been reflecting how I feel.

"A Soggy, Rainy New Hampshire November"
10" x 30" acrylic

miniature abstract water colors

Watercolors are a love / hate thing for me.  I love seeing other people's work in watercolor, but hate using them myself because they have way too much a mind of their own.

Inspired by my walk in the woods yesterday, I did this set of small 3 x 4" paintings,  and let the paint have its way with just a little bit of guidance from me ....

Autumn Abstract #1

Autumn Abstract #2

Autumn Abstract #3

Autumn Abstract #4

"The Sky is Falling"

18 x 24" acrylic

This is a piece I was working out from my head today.  Tomorrow it might be a blank canvas again.

"Clouds Over Lake Sunapee"

acrylic on 3 separate 12 x 12" canvases 

"An August Afternoon"
24 x 48" acrylic on masonite

new presence on fb

It appears I have run into a dilemma that has been plaguing me for months now.  I have a Facebook account profile and a separate Facebook page for my art... both by the same name (except that subtle difference of the picture and added middle name).  The problem being, when I post artwork (to the public page), people think that I am posting it on my regular account wall or vise-versa.  I have even gotten confused myself and posted a private message on my public wall.

Facebook allows us to change our names on our profiles, but not on public pages, or I would have long ago.  Today I came up with a solution.  I created a brand new page called The Sunny Pea Gallery.  It can be found at:  http://www.facebook.com/SunnyPea  (This is for those outside of Facebook, it will be redundant to anyone reading this post on Facebook.  Sorry.)  If you are on Facebook and are not associated with the page yet, please go to the link and click "Like" at the top of the page.  :)

One thing I have decided to do differently this time is  open it to other artists / photographers.  I don't want the page to be all about me!  I want other artists to share what they are doing in the photo gallery section and promote themselves and their work in a cooperative way!

As of this writing, the photo gallery is open to fans of the page. I will reserve the right to delete any posts I don't feel are appropriate to the Sunny Pea page or may be offensive, and I only will accept images of art (not general snapshots of grandkids or pets, etc.) This will give you yet another networked chance to promote yourself, your art, photography or your related websites and let us all know of any workshops, exhibits, etc you know of!

Please share this new page and refer it to your friends.  It is open to the public, share it freely and help promote this virtual gallery! :)

gorgeous gorge to living water

Speaking of nakedness.

In one of my early blogs, I had mentioned that one of the hardest things for me to do, and always has been, is share a work in progress.  Even if someone would walk into the room when I was creating, I would tell them not to look - as if I was getting undressed or something.  A lot of soul goes into my paintings, maybe I feared there was something there someone might see that I needed to hide.  The beauty is, I am learning, I have nothing to hide.

I have been working away from this fear, through this blog and through asking opinions of others along the way.  Right now in the painting of the "gorgeous gorge", I have been baring a lot what I don't like to share.  The mess I've been feeling inside because I've let stress get to me instead of letting it go, was coming out in my painting of the falls.  Even Terry, who always likes what ever I do, didn't like it.  It needed a change.

I want to mention (again, if I have already) that I started "gorgeous gorge" using pallet knives.  I switched to brushes when it was just not satisfying me.  What works for some (paintings… people…) may not work for others.  Be true to yourself and what ever you are making or doing.  Your journey through it might change along the way, but you need to be passionate about it so you create a thing of beauty.  Today I have been concentrating on brushstroke.  Smooth, methodical, consistent brushstrokes, become almost cathartic.  That and simple, unified color.  Sometimes that's what it gets down to - concentrating on what is important, the small simple things, instead of getting caught up and overwhelmed by the big picture.

Here it is, my creation, which I have renamed "Living Water", with which I am now on the way to being well pleased.  I'll look at it again in a few days to see if it needs tweaking. :)  (click for a larger version)

gorgeous gorge in progress

Sometimes paintings just don't work... so you either do something drastic, or toss them in the pile of tears.  This one was not working for me... so I took one last ditch effort on it and slopped on some paint....

I removed the rocks in the river and added some along the side.   I also removed the bridge.  As I am progressing on this, I am finding it's becoming more of a New Hampshire scene instead of Oregon.  Maybe I just don't know Oregon well enough yet to do Oregon in the nude.

Stay tuned... we'll see where this goes as I get more intimate with it ... 

gorgeous gorge

The Columbia River Gorge is full of gorgeous sights from majestic waterfalls to the plants and wild life along trickling streams ... all on their way down the mountains to the grand Columbia River which rushes on to the Pacific Ocean.

I am working on a painting of a scene from one of our road side stops the last time we were out there.   If you are ever out in Oregon /Washington I highly recommend a drive down the Historic Columbia River Highway.  Google it and you will see what I mean.  The drive is absolutely worth it!

This is where I begin.  It is an 18 x 24" Oil painting.   So far I have laid it out with thin layers of paint.  I have not painted in oils lately so I am a bit apprehensive of its outcome.

The next post of this painting will be the finished work.

Enjoy the ride!

redesign, revamp and redirection

I am taking this blog into a new direction... or a more direct course.  I will strictly be adding artwork, and letting the art speak for itself, with maybe a few words to explain what I did to create it.

As for my old posts,  I have removed all of them.  I will be revisiting them and adding again as I discriminately decide which to use and what artwork to include.  I have exported all the articles so I will have access to them.  If you are interested in rereading any of them,  or if you have favorites you would like me to repost, let me know.

Birth Month Flowers

This past week I did some new drawings on my computer using my Bamboo tablet.  The three I did were the birth month flowers of my three kids.

The first one was March daffodils: joy • happiness • rebirth • new beginnings ....

The second was May lily of the valley: purity of heart • humility • sweetness • happiness...

The third was chrysanthemum: cheerfulness • optimism • truth • long life • joy....

You can also see them on my Facebook SunnyPea site.:  http://www.Facebook.com/TheSunnyPea

painting riotous skies - as opposed to righteous

Today I have pulled out a painting that was just sitting around being boring, predictable and almost cartoonish to me.  It is a scene oft painted and more so photographed:  Cape Neddick ("Nubble") Lighthouse, in York, Maine.


The first photo is how it was (it looks better in this picture than it did in real life).  The photo is greatly reduced in size from approx. 24 x 36".

The next two images are what I did yesterday.  I will continue on, adding excitement to this piece.  It may end up in the dumpster (better yet, covered in gesso and repainted something else to save the canvas) or I may end up falling in love with it.  Either way, I am going to have fun, create and make (at least) my day!  :)

First I added yellows to the sky.  I also added some cobalt blue.  The point is to create.  Do what feels good to you with your brush and paints.  If something isn't working for you, try something else.  Don't be afraid to start over. Starting over is not the end of the world, it could be the start of something exciting!

Here fluffy happy clouds are forming.  I often envision God painting the skies with a gigantic paintbrush and having fun doing it... though we often are too busy to stop and appreciate the beauty of it all.  Every day, a new sky, a new canvas.  Lucky.

OK... back to painting.

The finished piece.

paints I have missed thee, you bring good things to life

Being away for a month from my paint supplies was a bit more trying than I thought it would be.  When I slopped the paint of the canvas this morning, by body let out a big ahhhhhhh, I am home! 

What I have started here is going to carve itself into a portrait of a family member my sister Sheila, her husband Sam and their two daughters lost a couple months ago, their beloved dog Nex.  Nex had cancer, when they discovered it, he had a ruptured spleen.  It all happened so suddenly for them.

Bear with me while I bring this canvas to life and in a way immortalize Nex for them.  I will be adding to this post as I add to the painting.

18 x 24"  

I started with red oxide and cobalt blue that I mixed right on the canvas.  Red oxide, somewhat the color of blood, mixed with colbalt, the beautiful blue often found in the sky, makes a rich dark brown.  I think the colors are very symbolic in a way.

After the paint dried, I gridded the painting and sketched in the placement and composition of the piece. In the background, on the floor, you can see my impatient way of drying paint...  I like to use a blow dryer when layering paints and glazes.  

Making a few minor adjustments to the sketch, I've now blocked in black areas.   This is a very beautiful animal.  As I work along, I am seeing a myriad of detail I will be adding to him.  I have quite a ways to go still. 

I blocked in some yellow ochre.  At this point it looks crude.  Next I might work on blocking in a bit of red... but then I think I will start on glazes and details before posting again.  

(Sheila, if you are reading this, I hope you don't mind that I am sharing the process of this painting.  I may just end here and let the next post be the finished painting.   I am grateful that you have allowed me to paint Nex.)

I added red.

Details came next.  I am almost finished.  I have to walk away from it for a day or two and come back to it with a fresh eye to see if and where I am off.  I know for certain I need to work on toning down the highlights in the fur and do some tweeking on and around the eyes as they tend to be the most important part. 

I think the hardest part for me in a painting... is knowing when it is done.  

I think this one is done.  

"Love, Nex" 

18 x 24" acrylic

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PS.  I worked from photographs that Sheila and Sam gave me.  Below is the one they chose that this painting is fashioned from:

play day

Cleo Daisies

digital painting

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Wearing White After Labor Day - Winter White Lace

18 x 24" Acrylic on canvas

"Winter White Lace"

We ... well, I... complain so much about the seasons.  When it is hot I want cool.  When it is cold I want warm.  Well, I went away from the cold last week to where it was HOT.  Made me appreciate the beauty I came back to (well, it was 55 when my plane landed so it wasn't hard to appreciate!)  Since I got home, we've had snow.  A LOT of snow.  The 55 degree whether went away and it's been in the 30s.  It is pretty, though!

I did this painting today knowing the snow won't be around much longer.  In fact, we are going to spend March in Florida so maybe it will be gone when we get back.  I will appreciate it for today.  As long as I am able to get out the driveway tomorrow that is!

Terry is in Washington this weekend.  I am catching the bus to Boston tomorrow to meet him there. Then we will go on to FL on Monday via Memphis.  We have a guy coming by to take care of things at our house, all our business is on our laptop computers, the business phones forwarded to Terry's phone and other than the actual inventory which is in WA, so we are going to work from a condo on the beach.  Kinda nice to live in this mobile age! ...the variety of things to paint around this wonderful world are limitless... 

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Side note:  Meanwhile as I painted this, a huge earthquake hit Chile.  Tsunamis are threatening Asia, Hawaii, west coast, etc as a result.  An earthquake hit in Okinawa.  As I sit in my little world painting ... life and death goes on around me.  People are talking about the "end" of the world.  But the message we should all remember is, don't be troubled or look for global signs... instead look inward instead ....   Pursue love.  God is love.   With love there is nothing to fear.

life's fragility

Life's Fragility

12 x 16" Prismacolor Drawing

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This a Prismacolor drawing I did several years ago when my son was still very young (he's now 27).  It is called "Life's Fragility".  I purposely focused on his hands so they look large and clumsy holding the fragile orchid.  On one hand he is admiring its beauty and on the other hand he, being a child, could get bored and crush it ... and it would be destroyed.

We are all children.  Be aware of life's fragility and careful how you handle it.

Happy Valentines Day!

This weekend is Valentines Day.  I will be in Puerto Rico with my sister so I won't be celebrating the day with my sweetie-pie.    We never really do anyway, as we both feel it is just a holiday made up for the card companies (plus candy, flower and now jewelry companies!).  It's just a silly holiday.

In honor of silliness, I made this cartoon "valentine" for Terry.  Whether anyone else "gets it" doesn't really matter - he cracked up laughing!  And that was my intent!  It's been a running joke that I flap my arms like wings when I dance, and now I especially do when I try to entice him to dance with me.  He's never enjoyed or much chosen to dance, though when we do, it is close and very nice and he is a very good lead.  

Anyway, in honor of him, our 30 years together, all the men who "don't" dance and the women that "do".  Happy Valentines Day!

ever feel like you're going against the flow?

Acrylic on 18 x 24 canvas

"Going Against the Flow"

I will come back to this blog later to add my thoughts.  I may also be adding to the painting.

Electronic Painting Explained

I need to explain a little bit about the process I used on the last two digital "paintings" posted here.  I don't mean to bore anyone, but it may be a process not everyone knows about.

I created these in a program called Photoshop, which was designed for photo editing, but I use it to create artwork from scratch also.  I draw like normal drawings, but without paper, and instead I open a window in my computer program the size of my choosing, and create artwork on that.  Usually, in this program, I will use a mouse or my fingers on my laptop touchpad but details and precision can be limited or hard to do.  The Bamboo pen gives me that control.

There are others out there, but Bamboo is the brand name of the touch pad and pen I have.  It is a pressure sensitive "pen" that when placed on the pad or tablet that is connected to my computer through a USB port, will draw on my computer in Photoshop or another drawing or painting program.  A program called Corel Painter came with the pen, but I have not yet installed that, but instead have been playing with it in the programs I already know.  I'll install it soon to see what other cool effects are available with it, if any.

When using the pen, it feels a lot like any other pen or paint brush.  It is wireless so except for the fact that I am looking at a computer screen instead of paper or canvas, it feels like I am drawing with any ordinary tool.  I choose from a seemingly unlimited palette of colors in my programs and can vary the size and shapes of the lines I create by choosing different brush tips on the screen.  I can crop, edit, redo, paint over and over without build up of paint or wearing out the paper.  I can vary the size of the lines or opacity of the color by how much pressure I use also.  And the coolest thing about about painting electronically, and also unlike real paint, is I can undo strokes I don't like.

The paintings, when done are in my computer, unless I print them out.  As of right now these are only in an electronic format that can be seen on the computer, I have not yet printed them.  I created them in a high enough resolution so that they will print clearly if I do choose to do so.  I have a printer that will print archival quality prints that will last for over 150 years.  They are water resistant, resist fading, etc, because special inks are used.  I could not justify getting a big printer yet, but mine does print up to 13 x 19", which when matted and framed will be 18 x 24" which is not bad.  It calibrates with my monitor so it prints pretty true to what I see on my screen.  Nice thing about Macs,  they are pretty true to color.  What you see on your computer may not be exactly what I intended, but I know here on mine it is what it is supposed to be and will translate well when printed.

Here's a link to the:   Bamboo Pen  There is also a video on there if you can watch it,  As it explains,  I can write on documents, sign things, or other boring stuff ... but I think for me it was created for so much more!
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Added:

I installed the Corel Painter that came with my pen - a pretty self explanatory program.  If you want to have fun on your computer creating and like to doodle....  :)

Winter Dreaming

13 x 19" 

Digital Painting

I've got a new medium!!

"Caitlin"

Digital Painting

Caitlin gave me Bamboo pen and touch tablet for my computer this past Christmas.   At first I was just sketching on it and having fun.  Last night I decided to try "painting" with it.  This is what I created, looking at a photograph of Caitlin, not a manipulated photo image, paying homage to her for giving me such a cool gift.  :-)

This is awesome - no mess, no cleanup.  I am getting used to the sensitivity of the touch, to vary the shading, the size of the stroke, etc.  like painting with actual paints!  In Photoshop I have several brushes to choose from and unlimited colors.  And with my archival printer, I have found a new love!

(PS to all - ie: Mom & Dad - post comments once in a while - then maybe I will post more often! ;D )

The Musician

18 x 24" Acrylic

Observations of the Disregarded #1, Part 6 - Finished

The Musician

18 x 24" Acrylic

I have run out of good daylight to take a decent picture, but I am posting this anyway because I wanted to be done.  Maybe tomorrow I will post a better image.


PS - All 6 steps are included on this blog if you want to read about the process behind this painting and see the different layers (click on the SunnyPea logo and they all will show.  Also, you can click the painting for a bigger image).

Observations of the Disregarded-1-Finished

Observations of the Disregarded #1, Part 5

I have added red.  Now I will go back and add more light / highlight and shadow... since I didn't start with black and white, it appears some of my shadows (blues) are disappearing.  I've already added a blue glaze to the trim on the door.  I want to bring out the detail with the next layer that was showing better in the first sketch.  Also, it is my plan to tone down the red on the face.  I do like that the painting is being to show the translucent quality that actual skin has.  I just have to get the tones right with more layers.  I will continue avoiding any opaque color, but just use glazes.  There is a time and a place for paintings with the impasto technique, but this is not one.  I want to give a three dimensional quality to the painting without it actually being three dimensional.   Hopefully if I achieve this, you will not look outward like you would at a textured tapestry or at thick brush strokes of other paintings but instead look inward, into the painting and through the layers.

Observations of the Disregarded #1, Part 4

Today I added a yellow layer.  Here it is important to make sure each layer dries before adding more.  If you go back and try to even add more of the same color on top while it is still tacky, you risk peeling off that layer.  This technique works wonderfully in oils (glazing) but waiting can be all so much longer since oils can take months to dry.  I am doing this in acrylic.  If I want to speed the drying process, I take a blowdryer to it.  :)  I think this one may need a bit more yellow... haven't decided yet...

Observations of the Disregarded #1, Part 3

This is a painting I am doing in layers of glazes.  Since I started with a blue base coat, I am doing my blue layer.  I would normally have a black and white layer and then add color to that, but this time will begin with a blue and white layer.   

I am enjoying this painting.  I think the thing that drew me to this subject is that his hair seemed to be singing and dancing to the music he was creating on his flute.  I'm not so certain he was a homeless person as much as just being a free spirit sitting on front stoop, but there was a sadness in his melody.  He seemed to be hiding and yet at the same time trying to tell the world his story.  The old door he sat in front of as well as his beard gave him a timeless quality.  I also like that he somehow reminds me of God.

Now on to more color after this layer dries!

Observations of the Disregarded #1, Part 2

With the paint dry, it was time to chalk in an outline of the painting's layout.  Sometimes I sketch my paintings, sometimes I just paint.  I chose to create a drawing for this one, based on the composition I had already designed previously from a photo I took.  

Observations of the Disregarded #1, Part 1

I am going to post these paintings in parts, to share the journey from blank canvas to creation.

Shown here is the beginning.  I have painted the background my favorite color, a deep, blue-violet.  I believe it is my favorite because of its moodiness.  Hopefully your browser shows it correctly, or the same as mine - a cross between a dark purple / violet and a cobalt blue.


I wanted to start this painting dark for the atmosphere and to bring me into a certain frame of mind.  This color does it for me.  Even if none of this color shows in the finished painting, I will know it is there, and now you will,  too!