Creating the Mood

"Evening" 9 x 12 Mixed media on paper
Email nicolehilsabeck@yahoo.com if interested in purchasing
A week ago, it was so cold at a Fourth of July event that we were shivering with sweaters on.  This week, the weather has turned...

Dreaming of cool evenings, I took out the oil pastels and sketched in a tree, Then I added a little bit of sky and water.  I really just wanted to give myself a color exercise, but it turned into a full painting.

After I filled the paper with a full oil pastel underpainting, I used light watercolor as a wash to fill in color over some of the whites.  Once that was dry, a layer of chalk pastel completed the piece, giving it that soft, textured look.  I stuck to a lot of blue and purple, using a bit of green to suggest the leaves of the tree and the grass.  A little red and yellow-orange in the clouds lent a bit of warmth and variety.

I used Strathmore watercolor paper, which holds up pretty well for mixed media pieces.  I didn't have any particular place in mind as I worked, although I usually work from photo references or plein air.  This also allowed me to focus n the color and soft mood, since I could add or remove elements without feeling like I needed to accurately capture a reference.

"Cool Water" 9 x 12 Chalk and oil pastel on flat canvas
Click here to purchase original
In website news, I'm trying Foliotwist out for a week to see if I like it (so far so good!), so I'm in the process of moving my originals for sale to that website.  To see my new website in its earliest stages, click here:
http://3713.trial.foliotwist.com/
If it works out, I'll be officially transferred over there in about a week.  Hopefully, that will streamline my original works and make it easier to find them.  Any feedback readers have would be helpful!  I'll still keep my latest blog posts here and link them to the website's blogroll, since I'm kind of attached to this one.

There's plenty of new work available on my Etsy store:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/nikihilsabeck




Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 21, 2012 at 9:52 PM

    Very beautiful each and everyone of your paintings a delight to look at..
    Sherri:):)

    ReplyDelete

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