#2 of 21-in-31 "White Cockatoo"

 

"White Cockatoo" (pastel, 12x6 inches) bid or buy here

My second finished painting this month! Seems like I'm getting a slow start... it's already the 5th day... but, I did finish a batch of 6 underpaintings today, and a little chick for posting tomorrow! Yay! I'll catch up as the month goes on.

 

Tomorrow I'm working my gallery in Boerne. We're having our Too Hot to Handle sale this month! Check out some of the deals here!

 

Meanwhile, you can watch a quick speed video demo of this Cockatoo on my Patreon page!

Half-Faced Hereford

 

"Half-Faced Hereford" (pastel, 12x6 inches) bid or buy

Thank you to the Pastel Society of Southern California for having me do a Themed Thursday with them on Zoom last week!  This was an informal "paint-along" demo, and I decided to paint this simple half-faced Hereford cow, because I like the colors, and the light/shadow value patterns.

So, yeah! Since their Themed Thursdays are free events (some of you were there after I posted about it earlier,) the resulting video is also free! Whhoo-hoo! 😀 Here it is on the PSSC YouTube Channel https://youtu.be/1AEBQrjtyOw

You can find future PSSC Themed Thursdays on their events page when they have one coming up. Past events are there too!

Fiesta Llama - Day 20 of 21-in-31

 

"Fiesta Llama" (pastel, 12x6 inches)

This llama has very dark fur, but in the sunlight somehow it all got very colorful. I guess that happens sometimes with my paintings.

See progress pictures here!

On auction for one week only at Dailypaintworks!

Brahms - Day 16 of 21-in-31

 

"Brahms" (pastel. 12x6 inches, sold)
My opening demo for the workshop this past weekend. I like these half-face compositions sometimes, it really makes one look at the lines and value patterns. I even came back in from a short break partway through and for a half-second could not recognize what it was! 😂

The workshop was exhausting and wonderful and it was great to get back into some real life in-person communication!
Enjoy this speed video of Brahms the Brahman steer.
Here's a group shot of my talented students and me!

Oswald - Day 12 of 21-in-31

"Oswald" (pastel, 12x6 inches)

Another big, funny bird deserved a portrait!

See progress pics here!

On auction for a limited time at Dailypaintworks!

Day 15 of 30 - Ambre

 

Day 15 of 30 paintings in June - "Ambre" (pastel, 12x6 inches)

One of the mamas of some of the fawns in our back yard. She comes up for horse biscuits and will eat out of our hands. (I probably painted her as a fawn a few years ago!)

On auction for one week only at DailyPaintworks.com.

See a progress video here!

Day 14 of 30 - Elegance

 

Day 14 of 30 paintings in June - "Elegance" (pastel, 12x6 inches)

I may be entering this one into a show. I don't know yet. Or I may have already done. I've been drafting so many of these posts in advance while I paint new paintings that I'm loosing track of days! 😅

Click here to see a GIF and some progress pictures!

Smoky Bun (Warm Fuzzy #74)

 

Warm Fuzzy #74 - "Smoky Bun" (pastel, 12x6 inches)

This standing bunny was the star of my Virtual Open Studio on Tuesday this week. I had just got my second Covid vaccine and was feeling a bit slow, so instead of working on one of my overdue commissions I took it easy and had my VOS attendees pick which warm fuzzy underpainting to pastel! 

I just finished a GIF of Smoky Bun's entire painting process... see it here!

"Smoky Bun" (pastel, 12x6 inches) will be at the Carriage House Gallery this Saturday for the Boerne Art Waddle. I might make an online buy link if he doesn't sell there.

 

Fuzzy Jenny (Warm Fuzzy #73)

 

Warm Fuzzy #73 - "Fuzzy Jenny" (pastel, 12x6 inches) buy here

I painted this adorable baby donkey a few years ago ("Fuzz") but thought she deserved another go!  

This time she was my subject for a demo for the Arizona Pastel Artists Association. They have the zoom video link on their website; check this page under Pastel Demonstrations and Presentations. I hadn't quite finished the demo at the time, so I finished at one of my Virtual Open Studio days, and will be sending that video to the APAA. They might put it up on their site too!

I just love my job, painting cute fuzzy animals! 😁

Day 6 - Hey, Dude!

"Hey, Dude!" (pastel, 12x6 inches) click here to bid or buy

Day 6 of April 2020

I almost called this one "Staring Contest", but I suspect this dude is about to hop away at any moment...

Thanks for watching! Please share!

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Day 2 - Young Mewler at the Window

"Young Mewler at the Window" (pastel, 12x6 inches) $425 framed. Buy here.

Day 2 of my 31-in-31 in January.

Another cute pic of our Mewler when he was a kitten. He doesn't wear a collar anymore because his half-brother Argie never could tolerate one, and so to be fair, both are very happy to go without.

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X O Award of Excellence in Chicago

"X O" (pastel, 12x6 inches) $1250

I haven't had time to post much in December, but now that my local craft show (where I've done portrait sketches for the last several years) is over for the Holidays, I'll be back to posting more frequently again I hope!

I noticed that I had bragged about this award on Facebook but didn't blog it, so here it is! I'm thrilled to say that "X O", an offshoot of my Renaissance Portrait series, won the Award of Excellence (equivalent of Second in Show!) at the Chicago Pastel Painters 7th Biennial National Juried Exhibition, Pastels Chicago 2019.

Since my own personal subtitle for this one is "Biker Santa", I thought it made an appropriate post for this time of year... Santa's headed toward his leisure days after all his hard work last week. ;)

See some progress pics of X O on an earlier blog post here: http://ritakirkman.blogspot.com/2017/10/x-o-wins-award.html

Ozzie

"Ozzie" (pastel, 12x6 inches) $300 unframed for a limited time

One of two paintings I finished at the Carriage House Gallery on Saturday, since I needed at least a couple of paintings with me to my workshop in Montreal this weekend. I haven't been painting any "inventory" (aka: Non-Commissioned Work) recently and so I didn't have any new available unframed paintings... and since I'm flying to this workshop, I can't just toss all my stuff and a bunch of framed artwork into my van...

Anyway, I really like Ozzie, I think he's cute. And I'd kill for those eyelashes!

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Peggy, and the Texas Masters Invitational

"Peggy" (pastel, 12x6 inches) $400 framed

Finally got a chance to get going on a few of the last under-painting batch. I had tossed a couple penguins into that one just for a change from the usual.

Peggy will be with me at the Texas Masters Invitational Fine Art Show & Sale, next weekend, May 24-26 at the Y.O. Ranch Hotel, Kerrville, Texas. Come enjoy Memorial Day Weekend in the Texas Hill Country!

Here are some progress pics of Peggy:

Little Ruby

"Little Ruby" (pastel, 12x6 inches) $400 framed

Back in the studio with a vengeance! It's finally hit me that the IAPS Convention is only 17 days away, and I've got to freshen up my demo technique...
Not only that but the Texas Masters Invitational Fine Art Show & Sale is next weekend, May 24-26 (at the Y.O. Ranch Hotel, Kerrville, Texas) and I need some new paintings! Little Ruby will be with me there (unless she sells first.) Hope y'all can come by and enjoy Memorial Day weekend in the Texas Hill Country! (The Kerrville Festival of the Arts will be down on Water Street too -- plenty of great Art in one trip!)

Miss Bellabun

"Miss Bellabun" (pastel, 12x6 inches) $395 framed

Painting 14 of my 21-in-31 in March!

Miss Bellabun is also from a donated photo of a House Rabbit Society member, Christi Freiburger. For my last batch of under-paintings, I wanted to include a couple of bunnies and went back to my HRS folder since there are a lot of donated pics I still haven't used. The House Rabbit Society Facebook group was very generous in sharing their pics with me a couple of years ago! You want a quick, intense dose of daily cuteness, there's no better place!

"Miss Bellabun" will be with me at the Bayou City Art Festival, March 29-31, 2019 (unless she sells first...)

10% of sales of the paintings I do from HRS donated photos is donated back to the House Rabbit Society. 

A few pics of my progress:

Thanks for reading! Please share!

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Profile of a Peacock

"Profile of a Peacock" (pastel, 12x6 inches) click here to bid or buy

All right, I managed to get one more sunlit animal painting in before the barrage of portrait orders buries me by Christmas.

Speaking of which, I'd like to mention I'll be back at the Showcase of Arts and Crafts, a fine craft show at Rolling Oaks Mall in San Antonio, Texas, From Dec 7 through Christmas Eve, drawing portraits and caricatures from life and from client photos. There's still time to get your order in for Christmas, but don't wait!

Come by the mall (upstairs near the food court) and see me, or order online at RitaKirkmanDrawings.com.

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