Week 29 - Mysterious Enduring thoughts

Mysterious Enduring Thoughts - Dawn Marie Black

I have decided to take a break form butterflies for a moment and do another floral.  These are calming and cathartic to paint.  I wanted to incorporate some of the fall hues as we enter into the Autumn season, if only the weather felt a bit more seasonal. 

Week 25 - Pink Lemonade - a soft pastel Plumeria for summer

Pink Lemonade

by Dawn Marie Black

Sounds of summer, splashing water in the back ground, ocean breezes, kids laughing...

I am fond of these sounds, sights, fragrances, and they have been distracting me lately.  This brilliant weather is what we all miss during the dark months of winter.

This piece decided it's own fate, as I could not put the dark background on this piece, it was so alive and ready for bright summer living.  I am still learning to enjoy these moments of artwork speaking to me as I contemplate the final  touches.

Enjoy the summer, and all of it's pleasures.  Let life move you.

Week 22 - Springtime Perfection

 

Springtime Perfection

This piece was completed with watercolors. I've now done three plumeria flowers, one in oil pastel, one in soft pastel, and this one in water color.  I will paint this type of flower again in other mediums to see which effects I like the best.  Each has their own personality and feel to them. Which artistic medium do you prefer to paint with? Which do you prefer to look at?

This week embrace the creative spirit that lives with in you, what ever form that takes and enjoy the beauty around you!

Available for purchase on website "Dawn Black artist website"

Week 20 - Holiday weekend

  Take Flight - Sumi-e

This weekend was different from other three day weekends, we normally have travel somewhere fun.  This weekend we were not in a position to travel, and so we spent our weekend cleaning, I managed to find time to paint as well.  It was a relaxing time, and I feel very accomplished in all the projects I was able to finalize. These are the three I completed, there are about 4 more that are almost finished, which is very exciting for me.

 

Pure Love - watercolor

 

Mystic Night Dragonfly - watercolor

Have a great week, keep making the world around you beautiful!

Week 18 - Farewell Beauty

Farewell Beauty

This week's flower is late in that it was to have put up for Mother's Day.  This one is for my mom, Gerbera Daisy's were her favorite.  This one was my first attempt, and I'm sure it will not be my last.  There are many meanings to daisy's and farewell and beauty are two of them, I have combined them here in the title to honor my mother.
I will be working to get the color more accurate before posting to my website for sale, it's really a bit darker pink than this picture shows.

Week 14 - Refined Beauty & Arcadia

Arcadia

Refined Beauty

This week was a very interesting and fun week for me; I completed these two pieces of art, and began to work on a couple of other pieces. There are moments in our lives that inspire us, or drive us to do things that might be above our normal self. Take advantage of these moments in your life, they may become defining moments for you. A dream is born, and then comes action, that movement puts our dreams into motion.


I watched "The Blindside" again tonight, and I was again inspired by one family who stepped out of their comfort zone to help another, in so doing they were all changed. I may have smaller defining moments, but one day I may come to a greater decision like they faced at that moment I want to know that I planned to give my all, that I would step up and become greater than myself. I think that you all have the same possibilities in your lives as well, little things that test who you are. These little things may be the building blocks that will help you become the person that you always knew you could be. I am taking small steps in the art world, and building a collection, and setting deadlines so I can meet them. One day these little steps will prove to be a good discipline, for the future I am working to create for myself.


I hope that you can relate, whether your dream is related to art or some other goal. Take the small steps to prepare yourself for the larger steps that will come into play. Take the leap when the greater moments come, even if they seem to be more than what you feel you can handle, rise to the occasion. Let your greatness shine. Do not let fear hold you back. Have a great week, and keep on creating.

Click here to see more lilies in soft pastel.

Week 8 - Hybiscus

 

I have been busy working on another piece, and I was hoping to be able to post it this week, but The best laid schemes of mice and men....

This however, is my first attempt at the hibiscus, and I am happy with how it turned out for being my first try.  I love flowers, and feel that their essence should be caught in many different art forms.   Spring is coming, and I am waiting with baited breath, to smell deeply the freshly washed air that comes after the spring rains.  Chinese brush painting is a fun and loose way of painting for me, it helps me not get to tight and wrapped up in the details.  The flowing ink that can not be erased or fixed, the delicate paper that soaks up the ink and water, the art form that has been around for centuries, it is perfect beauty.  

I think my next attempt at the hibiscus I will be a bouquet of flowers, that could be beautiful.  I have also decided to do the same picture in multiple mediums to see how the different mediums impact the subject.  I think I will need to locate a hibiscus photo that I can begin to paint in various mediums.  Have a great week and take the time to appreciate the beauty around you!

Week 7 - Pansy

Pansy

This week went by so fast, the time just flew by.  This next week is looking to be about the same speed, fast.  Times like this are both good and tiring.  Boredom is not a friend of mine, so time going quickly is wonderful, but it does leave me a bit worn out when I come home to relax and create.  The good news is, I have many different ideas already piled high.
I take quick walks around my office during the day, very short 3 minute breaks to clear my head and move.  This last week the flowers blooming have caught my eye, Pansy's.  They are bright and cheery flowers.  Spring is not here yet, but it is coming and these bright flowers are reminders of the beauty of springs bright blooms.
This water color I used the primary colors and mixed the purples.  I like the depth of color mixing the purple brings out.  The next pansy I paint I will focus on other areas, but this one I wanted bright and fresh like spring.   Have a great week, take the time to see the beauty around you.

Three White Flowers - Week 2

"Three White Flowers" Pastel on Fabriano paper

Here I am at week two, and I've completed a project I had begun a while ago.  Some of the before photos will be included in this post, so you can see the evolution of this piece.
I have not been a lengthy writer on this blog since the main purpose is the art, but this week I felt like saying more.  Art is judged by a variety of things, composition, color, use of the medium etc.  This piece was created in a rather unorthodox manner, and the pastels are layers onto water color paper primed with a purple gesso paint.  I've been experimenting with many mediums and different ways to utilize the mediums, this particular piece will only be one of two.  I will be using other paper to pair with pastels, something that allows me to layer better.  The "Lacey" effect is on purpose, I wanted more interest in the flowers than just painting a lifelike piece.  I hope it moves you, or captures your attention for a while.