Fred And Ginger-Beijing Ballroom Dancers

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Acrylic on Canson coldpress watercolor pad. Approx. 10x12 in

Here's Astaire and Rogers doing their thing in Beijing.

The acrylic is applied thinly in layers, like watercolor.
This is my attempt at the Ted Nutall technique. I came across his site and was impressed with his paintings. I think I could use a large dose of patience when attempting his great style.

I painted this as the last painting for The Flying Moleskin project. This is going to Vern Schwarz, a very accomplished artist with whom I have had many email conversations. He is an all around great fellow and I'm proud to call him a friend.
Yes, sadly, this is the last one and finishes TFM project. All in all it has been a wonderful experience conspiring and transpiring with a great bunch of artists! I love ya all!

Get ready, Vern...This is heading home to you!

NFS

Philippians 4:¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Sunlight Seeker-Rose

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Oil on 7x5 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's DPW Nature's Arrangement Challenge. The challenge was issued by the very accomplished artist, James Coulter .

James said: "For this challenge you'll have to go outside (yes, even if it's hot). Choose some flowers on the ground and stand from one to six feet away from them. Use only these colors: Ultra Blue, Cad Yellow Med (or Lt), Cad Rd Lt and white. Limit your painting time to one hour (don't cheat!). Using only three brush sizes (large, med and small) start with a large brush and cover the canvas with thin paint (not runny), getting most of the large, dark areas blocked in. Then work dark to light, thin to thick. Have a focal point with darker darks, lighter lights, more intense color, thicker paint and fewer sharper edges. The rest of the painting should support that area with less visual energy (softer edges, less intense colors, less contrast). Use the smallest brush only at the end and in the focal area only (last 15 minutes). Use a value scale of at least 8 to 2 (dark to light). And try not to use white to lighten unless it is a cool color (blue or purple). "

There's a lot of good advice in this challenge. I found it really tough to attempt a red flower with such a limited palette! Would have loved to have added some alizarin crimson, burnt sienna, and
quinacridone red.

Philippians 4^:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Floral Fragrance-French Window

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. The hostess, Catherine, provided the photos.

I chose this scene because I viewed it as an opportunity to get really loose and do a lot of implied detail. It may look as though it were done very quickly...but not so. This one took as long to complete as many of my detailed paintings do...around 2 hrs. Kinda like an orchestrated fight! Lol!

Song of Solomon 2:12 "Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

Amazing Grace

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Acrylic on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's DPW The Color Of Music Challenge. The challenge was issued by the very accomplished artist, Lesley Spanos.
She said: Your challenge this week is to paint a favorite piece of music. Interpret what you hear with pigment. The only rule is that you must tell us the title of the song you painted.

I chose "Amazing Grace" as my song to paint.

The chorus:
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

The words caused me to think of the homeless man...who, in this world, has fallen as low as he can go. But Christ gave his life so that this lowly man may be forgiven of all by Grace.
This painting symbolizes the once blind man seeing the way to Heavenly Glory!
This same great gift is freely available to us all!

NA
1 Peter 5:10 "God always gives you all the grace you need. So you will only have to suffer for a little while. Then God himself will build you up again. He will make you strong and steady. And he has chosen you to share in his eternal glory because you belong to Christ"

Nearer To Thee- Landscape

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. The hostess, Jean, provided the photos.

I was really tempted to try a great looking cat (jaguar, I think), but I was still seeing spots from last week's cheetah.

This is Mount Rundle in Alberta, Canada. Gorgeous scenes like this remind me of the constant presence of our Creator. The mountains seem to be in symbolic prayer to the Heavens.

Genesis 1^:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day

Shining Individuals-Still Life

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.
This is my contribution to this week's DPW Reflections Challenge. The challenge was issued by the very accomplished artist, Abbey Ryan. In her challenge, Abbey says:"pay particular attention to your excitement about the reflections. Once you find something that catches your eye, use your painting time to make a visual inquiry about the nature of reflections."

With that in mind, I chose the bottle of olive oil, the mixing bowl, and my favorite dark ruby red glass salt/pepper shaker. Each has it's own individual reflective qualities. In assigning personalities to them, the grouping reminded me of a group of bright folks...each contributing to the conversation.

Galatians 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: 5 To whom be glory for ever and ever.

Perusing The Menu-Cheetah

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. The hostess, Jean, provided the photos.

I about gave up starting on this beautiful cheetah three separate times because I had no idea of what I wanted...Lol. Finally, I just started applying paint runs to get inspired.
Now, I'm happy with how it turned out. It was one of those paintings that keep you in suspense until the end.

I could just imagine by the intense look in his eye that he's picking out his lunch. Hmmm...What looks good today? Gazelle...antelope...hare...??? Think I'll go with the gazelle. I hate hare in my soup.

Thanks for looking.

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

The Crew-Painting Tools

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.
This is my contribution to this week's DPW Paint What You Paint With Challenge. The challenge was issued by Carol Marine. It went something like this...challenge this week is to paint what you paint with. Brushes, paint tubes, pastel sticks, paint cans, etc. - paint what you like.

So there they are...The crew. A badger brush, a color shaper, and painting knife.

Available... If interested, contact me at kkayangel2(at)yahoo.com

My Etsy

1 Corinthians 15^:58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

In God We Still Trust

Happy Fourth Of July

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is a rerun from 2010. I have just changed the wording a little.

The principle of our republic is based on God given rights! Understand, that if America loses God...we lose those rights.

I am proud of the the USA. Look at any country (or person) closely enough and you will see faults. But there's an overwhelming amount to be proud of...not ashamed of.
So this coming Monday...Happy birthday America!!!! Know that you are still loved!

God bless the USA!

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Please take a minute and listen to this song.
In God We Still Trust

Forever Friends-Big Ears And Chloe

The start

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Done

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Acrylic on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. The hostess, Elizabeth, provided the photos.
These are her two cats, Big Ears and Chloe, caught in a touching moment. She lost both of them a month apart, from two different terminal illnesses.
I know how much this hurts from my own experience with my little dogs.

The acrylic is used much as thinned watercolor...looking for an expressive feel.

Thanks for looking.

My Etsy

2 Corinthians 4:18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

One In A Mill-ion -The Old Mill

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my interpretation of the photo to the DPW Old Mill Challenge.
The challenge was issued by artist Jean Nelson , who wrote:
"Often we encounter a scene when either en plein air painting, or from a photo that has potential to be a nice painting. But it needs to be cleaned up a bit, maybe a seasonal change, information deleted or added, cropping, etc.. This photo is just that kind of challenge. It has potential, but needs the imagination of the artist to make it an interesting painting."

Unavailable

My Etsy

2 Corinthians 12^:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

Free Spirit- Native American

First pass

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Finished

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. The host, Dominic, provided the photos. By the way, Happy Birthday Dominic!

I just knew I had to try the Chieftan when I saw him. I wanted to do this with a sort of controlled looseness...Strange term, huh? Using a triad of orange, purple, and green at first, I loosely laid out the portrait.
Then I would rub areas with a rag...streak through paint with a blurring brush stroke...smear parts with my fingers. Creating a looseness which I would go back over and re-establish certain parts.

I've included my start...a little over an hour. Then I got carried away with the destroy and repaint process...and spent perhaps another three hrs.
Maybe I should have stopped sooner, but it was fun and a great learning tool about working with paint....pretty freeing.

Available... If interested, contact me at kkayangel2(at)yahoo.com

My Etsy

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed"
John 8:36

Reflecting On Good Times-Watermelon

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to the DPW Challenge.
This week's challenge was posted by Carol Marine. Carol wrote: "Often when we are trying to render a subject, we SEE one thing but our BRAIN tells us something different. And too often we trust our brains when we shouldn’t, and our art ends up looking awkward. There are several “tricks” for getting past what our brain is telling us. Chief among these is SQUINTING! But another way to practice is painting upside down.
So, this week, I challenge you to paint this still life, upside down, from start to finish! I tried to pick a subject that would be compelling enough, simple in parts, but also fairly complicated."

I have used this great method in a limited way in the past. So this challenge was challenging indeed and very instructive.

I also invested a little more time to achieve a more developed painting.

Happy Summer Everyone!!

Available... If interested, contact me at kkayangel2(at)yahoo.com

My Etsy

Genesis 1:¹² And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

How The Helican-Pelican

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's WDE at Wet Canvas. The host, Beth, provided the photos.

I picked the pelican, even though I think it will be a very popular choice this week.

It brought to mind this poem:
A wonderful bird is the pelican,
His bill will hold more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week,
But I’m darned if I see how the helican.

Available... If interested, contact me at kkayangel2(at)yahoo.com

My Etsy

1 Corinthians 10^:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

Balanced Diet-Still Life

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Oil on 5x7 hardboard.

This is my contribution to this week's DPW Challenge.
The challenge issued by Cathleen Rehfeld is to "create a stack of something that is balanced, in many ways. Literally balancing things on top of other things, and balance in color, color compliments, neutrals and bright color, composition, negative/positive space, and then paint it!"

Ta Daaa...The Balanced Diet! Though I must admit, all the food groups stacked in sandwich fashion loses out in the appetite appeal...could it be the protein flipping around???


My Etsy

1 Corinthians 2:⁹ However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—