Happy New Year from Cheeto

"Cheeto"  (pastel, 10x8 inches)  sold (commissioned pet portrait)

Here's wishing you all a very Happy and Successful New Year!

I'm marking the occasion two days early with a recent commission to a client who has several of my little animal paintings and now a few special pet commissions as well. I'll be framing and shipping this one in the next couple days.

I'm taking some time off in January, at least from painting. I might find the time to post a few older paintings that have yet to find a home, but I'll be devoting my days to a list of "other stuff" as long as my arm (and my other arm and maybe a leg too) that has fallen by the wayside this past year including but not limited to: cleaning out the garage, and the pantry, and the master closet, catching up on all of my paperwork (and specifically doing the taxes because my son will be going to college and the FAFSA is due in February and it needs 2015 tax data. I Know, yuck!), sorting 85GB of photos from the last two years, redesigning pieces of my San Antonio Rodeo booth to fit into a new vehicle because the old truck threw a rod, adding a 'press' page to my website, and getting one kid to finish his Parent-Taught Driver Education Program and the other kid to start hers! Oh, and maybe continuing a search for an artist's assistant, lol.

So I hope you all have a fantastic beginning to your 2016, and may all your lists and goals get taken care of smoothly and free from all stress!

Here are just a few progress shots of Cheeto:

Thanks for watching! Please share!
:)

Piglets in Dreamland

"Piglets in Dreamland"  (pastel, 8x8 inches) click here to bid 

Another old favorite picked up from a gallery recently.

I've also been grinding away at a bunch of portrait commissions at this Holiday craft show I'm in. I did a portrait of twins today. It wasn't this one (to preserve the client's Christmas surprise) but it was similar. This one is from 2008.

You can see more of my Detailed Pencil Portraits at RitaKirkmanDrawings.com

Scaredy Toad

"Scaredy Toad" (pastel, 6x6 inches) click here to bid

After a week of hectic activity, finally here's Happy Toad's companion.

I've done several pencil portraits at the craft show so far, and more to come! I can't post current ones for fear of disturbing someone's Christmas surprise, but here's one of my favorites from last year:

"Chloe" conte and pastel pencil, 10x8 inches

I've drawn this girl every year since she was about 2 years old!
Candice (my assistant artist) and I will be at Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio TX, every day until Christmas eve, drawing detailed pencil portraits like the one above, as well as quick-sketch portraits and caricatures. We're upstairs near the food court between Pretzelmaker and Kay Jewelers.

You can see more samples of my portrait and caricature drawings at RitaKirkmanDrawings.com.

Happy Toad

"Happy Toad"  (pastel, 6x6 inches)  click here to bid

Setup for the craft show is tonight. I've been updating signage, painting chairs, refreshing samples, and will be loading the truck all day.

Meanwhile, here's another old favorite from the same time period of yesterday's tortoise (I guess I wasn't always painting cows!)

Yawning Tortoise

"Yawning Tortoise"  (pastel, 6x6 inches)  click here to bid

In the midst of preparing for the Christmas Arts & Craft Show at my local mall (setup is Tuesday night) I've been having horrible posting withdrawal symptoms from having not blogged or done anything with social media in six whole days! Aak!

So, since there are no new paintings as I head into three weeks of pencil portraits, I decided to give an old favorite some new attention! I've always liked this tortoise painting. I painted it when I was really getting a good grasp of applying the pastel in a minimal and fresh way that allows a little to say a lot. I recently got it back from a gallery where it had just never connected with the right buyer, so I'm giving it another shot on auction, unframed. We'll see what happens!

While I'm on the topic of paintings, I have the decisions from the Ming Gallery jury for their "Spring Greetings" exhibit coming up in February. They've chosen (of course) "Deep Sheep", and five of the smaller paintings that I submitted last week... drumroll... Here they are!

"Deep Sheep" pastel, 28x25 inches

"Cat-ness" pastel, 12x9 inches

"Ginger Bun" pastel, 8x8 inches

"Hop Cross Buns" pastel, 10x10 inches

"Listening" pastel, 10x10 inches

"Pippi" pastel, 9x7 inches

 The exhibit will be at the Ming Gallery in in Suzhou, China, Feb 4 - March 6, 2016. I'll post more info as the dates approach.

Deep Sheep

"Deep Sheep"  (pastel, 28x25 inches)

Day 1 of my.... no, just kidding!

This is my final painting to be submitted to the "Spring Greetings" Exhibition at the Ming Gallery in Suzhou, China. (More info on this post.) The submission deadline is tomorrow, Dec 2, which of course is why this painting was finished today. Ha. Could have been worse. I could have finished it tomorrow. Hey, I could still make edits tomorrow!...  Ok, I won't do that.

Hop Cross Buns - day 30

"Hop Cross Buns"  (pastel, 10x10 inches)

Day 30 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November! I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THE WHOLE MONTH! Whew! Thank goodness that's over, as I've got a ton of business to catch up on before my Holiday portrait commissions start taking over. I've also got to finish one large painting for the exhibition in China in the next two days!

This one will also be submitted to the "Spring Greetings" Exhibition at the Ming Gallery in Suzhou, China. (More info on this post.) To be submitted Dec 2.

Listening - day 29

"Listening" (pastel, 10x10 inches)

Day 29 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

Another one for submission to the "Spring Greetings" Exhibition at the Ming Gallery in Suzhou, China. (More info on this post.) To be submitted Dec 2.

Some progress shots:

Velvet - day 28

"Velvet"  (pastel, 6x6 inches)  click here to bid

Day 28 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

I've painted this cutie or her siblings a few times, from this pose and other photos. This time I made her all black (they all actually had white legs...)

"Pansy" (7x5", sold)

"Parsnip" (7x5", sold)

"Pearl" (8x8", sold)

Roosty - day 27

"Roosty"  (pastel, 6x6 inches) click here to bid

Day 27 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Happy Thanksgiving from Tidbit

"Tidbit"  (pastel, 7x5 inches)  click here to bid

Day 26 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

I didn't have time to frame this one for the Wimberley Alive Music & Art Fest this weekend Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27 and 28, 2015. So I put it on auction instead. But I'll have a lot of my other November paintings at the festival. It will be raining (again!) but bring an umbrella and come on out anyway. Support the town's flood recovery and avoid the malls!

See their site at www.wimberleyalive.org for more info!

Noir - day 25

"Noir"  (pastel, 7x5 inches)  $250 framed

Day 25 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

I have a video of this one, which I sped up to 4x and posted on YouTube:

Enjoy!

Cloudy - day 24

"Cloudy"  (pastel, 7x5 inches) $250

Day 24 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

Today was sunny, but it's going to be cloudy (and rainy) for the next several days, so I thought a cloudy-day sheep was due.

This one will be with me at the Wimberley Alive Music & Art Fest which will now be this weekend after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27 and 28. It will probably be raining (again!) but come on out anyway and support the town's flood recovery and avoid the malls. (If flooding is threatened, the festival will be moved to the Community Center.)

portrait - day 23

"Lexi"  (conte and pastel pencils, 10x8 inches) Example of $150 portrait drawing

Day 23 of my 30 Paintings (or drawings) in 30 Days of November!

I've had a few pencil portrait commissions due in November. I finished one today so I'm using it for today's 'daily painting'. This is not it; I like to keep the current portraits secret to protect the clients' Christmas surprises. This is one from 2012 instead, but it's a stand in, so it still counts!

I'll be quickly heading in to my busy Christmas season of portrait commissions in December. Visit my drawing site RitaKirkmanDrawings.com for more samples and info on how you can commission a drawing of a loved one this Holiday Season! Beat the Christmas rush and order soon!

Sunny Daze - day 22

"Sunny Daze"  (pastel, 7x5 inches)  $250 framed

Day 22 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

One of the last little ones I snuck in during my workshop today while the others were working.

I'll be getting ready for the rescheduled Wimberley Alive Music & Art Fest which will now be this coming weekend after Thanksgiving, Nov. 27 and 28. So no more new auctions until after. This week's paintings will be going right into their frames, to fill up my booth in Wimberley! Come on out and support the town's flood recovery, avoid the malls, and have a fun and relaxing weekend in Wimberley!

Just a few progress shots:

Sonata - day 21

"Sonata"  (pastel, 6x4 inches)  click here to bid

Day 21 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

One of my demos today in my workshop at the New Braunfels Art League. I took video of this one and another, but there appears to be something seriously wrong with my Windows Movie Maker. It's taking WAY too long to do ANYTHING! So once again, the movie clip will have to wait, because I must get this posted while it's still 11/21....

Park Trail #36 - day 20

"Park Trail #36"  (pastel, 6x8 inches)  click here to bid

Day 20 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

Today in my workshop I demoed my underpainting method with pastel primers; in the morning I underpainted a rooster and in the afternoon I underpainted this landscape. The plan was originally for the students to underpaint a 'batch' of paintings today, then add pastel on Saturday and Sunday, but by popular demand, I added the pastel to this landscape today after underpainting it. (Plus I needed a painting to post today... so this is it!)

I have no progress shots to show, but I think one of my students might have some.
I did finish this little landscape when I got home (in case you students recognize that it looks a little different..) The batch of trees on the upper left were far too sparse, and overall I still had too much of the red primer showing through some of the green areas, and conversely, parts of it were getting a little tight and overworked. So I wiped out the left side trees and repainted more thickly, and then generally added loose greenery all over, and a bit more looseness to the sunlit patch on the lower left.

Pippi - day 18

"Pippi"  (pastel, 9x7 inches)

Day 18 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

This pretty pig was by request of the Ming Gallery, and will be submitted to their "Spring Greetings" Exhibition in Suzhou, China. (More info on this post.) To be submitted Dec 2.

Goldie Hen

"Goldie Hen"  (pastel, 8x6 inches)  click here to bid

Day 17 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

Here's my demo from this afternoon at the New Braunfels Art League. My workshop is this weekend so I wanted to do a good one and maybe attract more workshop sign-ups! (We've had a couple cancellations.)

I had my camera taking video through the whole thing, but it's taking way too long to load, edit and format. So that one will have to wait til another day. Lol, I MUST post this tonight because it's my painting for today!! I did a little bit of refining on Goldie Hen after I got home, only about 10 minutes worth, just to clean her up a little...

Sleepy Siblings

"Sleepy Siblings"  (pastel, 8x8 inches)

Day 16 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

Another one for submission to the "Spring Greetings" Exhibition at the Ming Gallery in Suzhou, China. (More info on this post.) To be submitted Dec 2.

Bunny Secrets - day 15

"Bunny Secrets"  (pastel, 12x9 inches)

Day 15 of my 30 paintings in 30 days of November!

I'm half-way there! Whew! It feels like I've been at this for months instead of just 2 weeks. Getting so many of these larger (large for me) paintings in has been a real challenge. A month of 4x6's would be a breeze after this!

I'll be submitting this one to the Chinese exhibit on Dec 2.

See progress shots: