Winter Cabin Study

 

8x6in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - click to purchase here

A subject I wanted to study specifically was leafless trees in the wintertime. I have a few breathtaking reference photos that I'd love to paint but have absolutely no clue how to approach them due to the trees only being wood. When I found this Paint Coach Patreon study I was very excited to jump into it. I'm also a sucker for reflective water in paintings, and I really liked how saturated the sky was compared to the muted winter landscape. Overall, a really successful study session.

A New Hand Touches the Beacon

7x5in. oil on canvas panel - not available

"Listen. Hear me and obey. A foul darkness has seeped into my temple. A darkness that you will destroy. Return my Beacon to Mount Kilkreath. And I will make you the instrument in my cleansing light." It's safe to say that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is my favorite video game. One of my future planned paintings is a still life of Skyrim props, so my first prop, of course, had to be Meridia's Beacon! I'm excited to gain more Skyrim props and eventually make my final piece. This painting was donated to the 2024 Summer Games Done Quick marathon, benefiting Doctors Without Borders (MSF). 17/52

Mountain Path Study

 8x6in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - click to purchase here

There was so much about this Paint Coach Patreon study that drew me in. The warm mountains in the background, the verdant dappled light in the grass, the gray path and the wildflowers in the shadows really wowed me. I really liked that this tutorial looked difficult - the cool thing about it is that it didn't end up being that difficult in the end! I learned a lot about hue and temperature play in this study. I will admit that greens are pretty difficult for me to get right, so I'm happy to have followed along to a study that emphasized the greens.

Visions of Gold

 

6x8in. oil on Ampersand Gessobord - sold

My husband's mom lives in a small town here in Nebraska. In her backyard, you can sometimes see the golden setting sunlight on the various houses. This evening was magical: wine coolers on the patio, bees buzzing about, the smell of summer in the air and general warmth was everywhere. I was enamored with the way the dappled golden light fell on this house. This painting went through many revisions - the values on the house versus the value of the dappled light was difficult to control and get right, but I think it all worked out in the end. I don't normally paint architecture, but this was a fun exploration into the subject matter.