Winter

"Winter" (pastel, 6x4 inches) click here to bid or buy

Painting 5 of my 21-in-31 of March

Spring is coming... down here in Texas, but for some of you Winter might still be lingering! Hang in there!

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Smiley

"Smiley" (pastel, 6x6 inches) click here to bid or buy

Painting 4 of my 21-in-31 of March.

Couldn't resist this face!

A Soft Kiss (study)

"A Soft Kiss" (pastel, 10x8 inches) sold

Painting 3 of my 21-in-31 of March. (See Friday's "Lady Coco" post to read about my personal challenge this month..)

This is on another old under-painting that I finished pasteling in February. I just love when the fuzzy critters show affection for their young so obligingly when I have my camera ready, and on a sunny day to boot!
This painting will be with me at the Bayou City Art Festival March 29-31, 2019 (unless it sells first!)

*UPDATE this painting has sold! And I have completed a larger version, to be with me at the festival.

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Lady Coco

"Lady Coco" (pastel, 6x4 inches) click here to bid or buy

Painting 2 of my "21-in-31" of March...

I've spent the last five or six Novembers doing what is called in the Daily Painting world a "30-in-30" (30 paintings in the month - one for each day.) My schedule having kept me out of my studio almost since, well, last November, I really want to do a 31-in-31 this month, my first non-November month in many years, But reality and common sense has me modifying my goal to a 21-in-31, which still sounds kinda cool and catchy, and will hopefully give me a few extra days to maybe work on some larger paintings for the Bayou City Art Fest coming up at the end of the month.

So, to give myself a jump-start, I finished up some of January's batch of under-paintings while I was at the Rodeo last month and saved them to include in my March 21-in-31. Honest, that's not cheating! ;) In art, there are no rules!

And since Persephone was posted yesterday, this is my second painting for March!

Here are some progress shots for you:

Persephone

"Persephone" (pastel, 8x6 inches)

"Persephone", my newest addition to my Renaissance Portrait Series, has been accepted into the Austin Pastel Society's Juried exhibit. (She will also be going to IAPS  - the International Pastel Master's Circle Exhibit at the Convention in June!) That was my plan, one painting for two shows...

Actually, my original plan was a much larger painting with three figures but I ran out of time to complete, so Persephone was my Plan B.

You can see her and the other amazing paintings of the members of the Austin Pastel Society at the Chase Bank Building Corridor of Art, 700 Lavaca Street, Austin, TX, now through April 28, 2019.

Or peek at the show here, online!

Join us at the reception: Thursday, March 21 from 2 – 4 p.m.

Click here for directions and more show info.

Just for you! Some progress shots of Persephone:

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The Girls - a Double Doggie Portrait

"The Girls" (pastel, 10x8 inches, from client photo) sold

Another favorite commission form the Holiday Season, these two little Schnauzers were a sweet combo! The client liked the reference photo pose just how it was, with the clingy Maya closer and braveheart Sasha more independent.

The gift recipient loves it and sent me a pic today:

And I got some good process shots of this one too:

 The first under-painting layers are my gold-colored primer (which is the Golden brand Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold fluid acrylic color mixed into Golden (brand) Fine Pumice Gel at about a 1/4 color/gel ratio.) and the Art Spectrum (brand) Pastel Primer in the terra cotta color. The terra cotta acts an my mid-tone.

On this painting I also used a higher-color mixture of some ultramarine blue (Golden brand) fluid acrylic color with the pumice gel to catch the darker values. I love how this blue mixture (being semi-transparent) remains bright over the gold color, but becomes quite deep over the terra cotta!

 My final under-painting step was to go back and tweak the light and mid-values with more gold and terra cotta where needed.

 Then, the pastel, starting on the darkest, and the lightest...

 ...then everything in between. When the under-painting has the image and values accurately, the pastel part is so much easier!

Thanks for watching! To commission a pet portrait for yourself or a loved one, visit my website ritakirkman.com. Feel free to share!

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