Mandy

Buy "Mandy" at my Etsy shop

"Mandy"

6" x 6"

Oil on canvas

Amber L Bailey

I have started a project that I think is going to be a great exercise and fun for the people involved. (It's a secret.) I randomly picked this picture of my junior high school friend, Mandy, to paint. She has no idea I painted her...yet. This is another one of my small plein air panels. It was a fun little piece to paint.

Zachary

SOLD

Zachary

6" x 6"

Oil on canvas

Amber L Bailey

I have to say how excited I am to have my plein air panels! Tonight was my first night trying out the small 6" x 6" squares and the painting just seemed to fall together all by itself. I started with a burnt umber under painting and then blocked in Zachary's face like a value study, then proceeded with my mix of cadmium red hue and permanent green light, etc etc. I have had this picture of Zach for a while and have been meaning to paint it. I'm sure I will have to reshoot this painting in daylight and do away with the light reflecting from the wet oil. By the way, my friend Jennifer (in the portrait below) is the photographer. Her link is in my list of links - Jennifer Burggren. Zachary is Jennifer's nephew for those who were curious. :)

Lorraine

Lorraine
24" x 36"
Oil on Canvas
Amber L Bailey



This is my friend Lorraine as she poses for a picture on the beach. I think I've done what I am going to do on this one. I captured her likeness ok - not my best, not my worst. :)

Jennifer

"Jennifer"

8" x 10"

Oil on Canvas

Amber L Bailey

I am pretty happy about the way this portrait turned out. I have been intrigued by my friend Jennifer's Facebook picture for a while so I sat down and decided to paint it...right off of the screen. I'll bet that was better than having a print. It's late, I worked all day, worked out and painted tonight. I am tired. I am going to re-shoot this piece tomorrow in the daylight. :) I can say I am happy with it, I just wish I could take a good picture! Tomorrow can't come fast enough...oh and it's FRIDAY!

Imagination Squared

Here is my submission for Imagination Squared, a community project for artists in Jacksonville. Imagination Squared is an opportunity for every artist in Jacksonville, Florida to paint a small wooden block that will be assembled into a large permanent fixture somewhere in Jacksonville. The location is still not known. Artists are scrambling to get their squares painted!

September Sky - Original Oil Painting by Amber L. Bailey

September Sky

11" x 14"

Oil on panel

Amber L Bailey

Buy Bailey's painting September Sky on Etsy

I couldn't resist snapping a picture of the clouds with the pinks and oranges shining through them - and the painting turned out even more inspiring than the photo.

Paintings from the Carol Marine workshop

"Plum Perfect"

8" x 10"

Oil on Canvas Panel

Amber L Bailey

I couldn't resist that name, I realize I could have just named this painting "red plums" or something equally uninspiring. ha.

"Opposites Attract"

8" x 10"

Oil on Canvas panel

Opposites attract - you know, red and green? Hey, it was a fun name to me.

"Sideways Squash"

8" x 10"

Oil on canvas panel

These are a couple of studies from the workshop with Carol Marine.

"Plum Squash"

8" x 10"

Oil on canvas panel

These are a series of small studies from the workshop. These were great exercises and turned out to be a fun little piece. The objective in this study was to make every brush stroke count - to be "deliberate" in each stroke. We had 5 minutes for each little painting, then it was on to the next timed study.

I have more to post soon!

Painting with Carol Marine

Painting a day workshop in Jacksonville, Fl

with Carol Marine

I took Carol Marine's workshop at Corse Gallery in Jacksonville this past weekend. If you are unfamiliar with Carol Marine's painting a day, check her out. I have learned so much just by following her blog. Carol's workshop was an amazing experience and I learned some valuable information, not just about Carol's painting technique and process, but about the business of being an artist, particularly in selling art online.

Some of the most valuable things I learned from Carol Marine this weekend involve the process of Ala Prima painting, or wet into wet painting. Here is a list of some of the most valid points Carol makes about Ala Prima painting.

Paint what's vulnerable first (I quote Carol) - Have you ever gotten extremely frustrated with a painting that you thought was going well by accidentally making mud of your colors? Carol's idea of painting the "vulnerable" first is an amazing remedy for this problem. Put down your most saturated colors first and don't "fuss" over them! You could refer to this technique as "painting the island" first. It also helps you create interesting edges without creating MUD.

Why hues are bad, or so I have learned - Hues have white in them! I have never understood why I struggled so badly with certain colors, particularly Cadmium Red Hue (in oil paint.) I blamed myself and figured maybe I just can't paint reds very well.

Be deliberate in your brush stokes - Make the important decisions about a brush stroke BEFORE you make it. This is an interesting concept...planning to be unplanned is what I call it. Once you put down a brush stroke, leave it. Don't fuss.

There are many other great things I learned from Carol this weekend, and I can already see an improvement in my painting. I would recommend her workshops to anyone interested in painting every day or in painting ala prima. Painting on a small scale every day helps you enjoy the process and eliminates the agony of entering your painting realm with the huge commitment that painting large can cause.

I will soon post pictures of my work and exercises from the workshop.