Art find of the Day

Check out this mural!

http://www.woostercollective.com/2009/06/boxis_to_die_for_on_the_streets_of_athen.html

It's a bit depressing but the simplicity of their pose and emotion is incredible. It's very similar to the work that I am doing now: simple expressions, simple poses, the weight of the subjects and lots of space!

I see stuff like this and wish I could have been the artist! (Especially since it's in Athens!)

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I need to pay better attention to upcoming exhibitions at museums. Maxfield Parrish work is at Delaware Art Museum right now! http://www.delart.org/exhibitions/fantasies_fairytales.html I'm thinking about going this or next Sunday. Come along!

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And with my own art:

I'm actually really busy with art right now. I'm working with Bright Ideas Press to do more coloring pages for a homeschool ciriculum Tyler and Helen have written. I have worked with Bright Ideas Press in the past to create coloring pages for this book: http://www.brightideaspress.com/YSGComposers.htm
I'll be sure to show a sample or two of the current project when I get them in ink and scanned in.

More for Today

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I started adding color. I need to make choices about how I'm going to approach the background. I won't touch the brush till I have a plan!

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Works in Progress

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Sorry it's been so long since an update! I'm finally getting back into a rhythm again. I'm really excited to show you what I have in progress now!

This first image is a portrait commission in progress. I am so excited about painting the most beautiful baby I've ever seen! I've only just started to add glazes of color to her skin. The background will be in muted pinkish-purples and whites and will fade into more of a watercolor effect.
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This second image is one you've seen before (if you follow this blog) in two different forms. One is a sketch from my sketchbook. Then another time I started it as a painting but ended up making it too big of an image for the effect I was going for. I named it a study and used loose paint strokes, bright colors, and just had fun with it. My original intentions have been to do this image as a painting the way it is now below with a lot of space and the girl painted with a sort of delicate detail. The space, the weight of the girl, and the little details are what make me excited about this piece. I will be adding muted color to this. Click image to see in detail!
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Both of these works are on board. Painting on board is going so much better for my style of painting than it ever was on canvas. Goodbye canvas! Hello higher quality work!
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My First Landscape!

My friend took this photograph and had a lot of faith in my ability when commissioning me to paint my first landscape! It was a lot more fun than I anticipated. I really enjoyed painting the mountains and creating a depth of field much wider than the usual portrait requires.

Funny story- several days after completing the boat in the foreground, I had walked into my room and was very impressed by the luminocity of the boat! "Wow!" I thought, "I am better than I thought!" After a moment I realised the boat was luminous because the sun was shining through the back of the painting! It shone through the boat more because the paint wasn't as thick and opaque as the rest of the paint on the rest of the canvas! But Jen had the same reaction with me, so I'm not alone in my mistake. We still were excited about the effect! hehe...

Mark your calendars!

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What? Art in the Park
Where? Mario Lanza Park, 2nd & Catherine

When? Sunday, May 17, 11am - 5pm
Why? Support yours truely!
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I think you need some art on your walls! I'm selling a variety of floral drawings and photographs. All are matted. Everything is $25 and under (!) so this is absoultely fantastic time to purchase a Nicole Petersen work of art. Your walls will never be happier! If you can't purchase anything right now but want to say hello, a walk by and a "oh look at this fantastic work!" to a random stranger would be completely sufficient! ;-) Here is a hint of what you can anticipate to find (click to see close ups):

Portrait and 3 Cherries

I took better pictures before sending it off to its new home:

1 x 2" acrylic paintings for Nelle's birthday (being that her last name is Cherry):

I'm Still Here

I've been busy with a variety of things so I'm sorry that I haven't been able to update lately. Here is a completed portrait I finished just this week. Forgive my bad photo quality.