Annika on the flute

This painting is one in my music series.  My daughter Annika was my model for this picture.  I enjoyed working on reflections in the water.  Also allowing her toe to reflect the light just before it hits the water.  Also with the bridge running across the painting I didn't want it to push the eye out of the painting, so the bridge is darker near her and as it goes out it lightens up.

Street Tiger

                                                   Painting size 14 x 30
If you ever got a chance to see a spay artist do his magic you know how fun it is to watch.  This man was working on his painting in Winnipeg MB.  We were visiting family and went to the Grand Forks and got to see this being done.  The evening shadows added to the charm of this scene. I really worked on getting a lot of color in the cans to allow them to be the secondary subject of this painting.

Blue Bird

Painting size 16 x 20

I thought all along that this was a blue bird, but now I am unsure.  If you know what bird this is

 you could let me know.  This picture was inspired by an old door in Potter County Pa.  I loved the 

chipping paint and the old rustic look.  Something about birds are fun to paint.  The background

of this painting has some orange in it to compliment the blue of the bird and make him steal the show.

Gum Ball Machine

                                                        Painting size 16 x 20

This painting was a lot of fun to paint.  I actually painted it during some of the long winter months.  Whenever I would sit down to work at it it would bring a smile to my face,  This painting allowed me to play around with color.  I tried to float the strong colors around in the chrome as well as the gum balls.  

Night Life

                                                              16 x 25
  I'm thinking it would be cool to take up the saxophone. I loved this guys expression and how you almost feel his music.  Think of a warm evening by the water.  The city in this painting is Columbus Ohio. 

The Soul Sings

                                                                19x28                                                                                    Here is another painting in my music series.  Jackie is a very gifted singer and I have enjoyed listening to her make music come alive.  When I took this picture she was actually singing one of my mothers favorite songs. 

Anna

     Here is a picture that came about when I found this hat at a shop.  The hat is a vintage hat.  I really liked it and wanted to paint it.  My sister-in-law Anna was willing to model for me.   She did a great job.

Classical sound

                                                                    18x 21 1/2
This painting is another in the music series.  A friend of mine agreed to be the model for this painting.  I loved how the cello, scarf and her hair all worked together.   I enjoyed working the orange color into the scarf. 

Natural Melody

Painting size is11.5 x30

This is painting of a friend who plays violin with her family.  Her older sister got married and she had this beautiful celtic dress for the wedding.  I asked her if she would be willing to go out  with me to take some pictures.  She did a wonderful job.  I had so much fun painting her hair and the willow tree that she is sitting in front of.  Hope you enjoy.

Raspberries

This painting fits into a 10x20 inch frame.  

To my canadian friends

This picture is a tribute to all the native people of Canada.  This picture came together with the help of a few friends.  Glenda Mast took the picture of the little girl, my mother gave me the picture of the lady holding the fish and Merle Nisly completed the picture with the great photo of the lady in the top left had corner. My desire was to do something from my past.  The older pictures were done in black and white to give a feeling of past history.  The little girl is done in full color to show current.  As I was painting the little girl I kept thinking about what a work of art her outfit is.  It is truly amazing the time that must be put into making an outfit like hers.

Guitar Player

Up close and personal with a guitar player.  This is another painting where I combine my love of music and my love of art.  My husband plays guitar and we often play music together.  This painting is larger then some of my paintings, about 20 x 30 inches.  The challenge was to keep it smooth while covering a large area.  I hope you can feel the warmth of the sun. Play some music today and let it lift your spirit.

Jam Camp

The children and I have been a part of a jam camp. It had some great photo opportunities. I guess once your an artrist you look at every event as a art opportunity. Lots of musicians and musical instruments. I love mixing music and art.

The barn raising

In the Looking Glass

This is a picture of my niece. (Daryl and Robyn's daughter) She did a real great job! There is something in every little girl to dress up and pretend. I know when I got the picture developed the man behind the counter said to me ," This is just what my little girl likes to do". This is my first experience with working with the mirror. I choose to make her very detailed outside the mirror and more muted in the mirror. So, I pushed the color and outside the mirror. I also worked to keep the same colors floating around in the picture.

From wax to watercolor

Color, color, color, This painting was a great color study. With complementary colors bouncing around. The crayon box held a wealth of beauty. This painting was challenging. It was also a lot of fun. I didn't have to be as detailed in this one, so I could concentrate on being bold with strong color. Everyone has memories of coloring as a child. These in many ways become peoples first art experience. So, keep getting out the box and allowing yourself and your children to increase their creativity with these wonderful tools. Have a great day. Jennifer

Cherries

Just for fun. I was needing a brake from the big paintings I've been doing. I had taken a picture of these cherries this summer when they were in season. I was striving for strong color. It was a great little piece to work on. The size is 5 1/2 by 12.

Crafting Music

Here is the finished product. I wrote about the painting on an earlier post. If you scroll down you can see it in progress.

Litiz Art Show

July 31st my art work was in a show in in Lancaster Pa. It was a beautiful day. A lot of people came out to see and buy art. I was honored with a fourth place price in water color. The picture of the girl putting on the roller skates won the prize.

Work in progress

I thought I would share with you what I have been working on. Jevon and Annika are taking violin lessons. We purchases violins from this man. He also makes violins in his work shop. Painting thoughts were running through my mind while we were there. He graciously agreed to allow me to take some pictures. This has been my project for the last few months. The painting is almost finished. Hope you enjoy this work in progress.