Cow

Feeling Better

Animals, JenArt, Life, Nature, Oil

After 7 days in the hospital I was good to go home at last– to my family; people, fuzzies and friends– to recuperate. With the help of my loved ones, a little red wine and some medicinal herb, I was able to put the past week behind me and heal pretty quickly.

After a week or so at home, the surgical pain was gone and I was eager to get back to painting. Although I was still in a cast, my arm was bandaged nearly straight (approx 90° angle) which allowed me to paint– broader, looser strokes anyway. I managed to work on the farm animal diptych begun in November from the Painting With Attitude class with Nancy Mitchnick. A couple weeks later, the stitches were out and I was freed from the cast. I completed the painting, which my older son has endearingly named, “Barnyard Surprise!”

In early March the “Gang of 4” met up for a luncheon at the BBAC in my honor. It was so great to see my art friends and catch up. The girls brought/made little thoughtful gifts for me — I was so touched! Nancy gave me two metal Milagro pieces; a small arm and a larger hand.

Milagro translates to “Miracle” in Spanish and these small trinkets have been part of Latin American culture for centuries. Traditionally used in religious prayer, a Milagro may be given to a loved one to convey a sense of well-being or well- wishes.

I strung them together with a personal zodiac necklace of mine and added a few extra colored beads to create a new piece.

In addition to the Milagros, Nancy gave me an awesome palette knife and a mini Isabey painting brush! One of my favorites!! Laura brought delicious strawberry preserves for everyone, Kristen painted a mini-milagro canvas of an arm, and Cynthia (who is an incredible dressmaker) hand-knitted a pair of arm cozies for me!! You can see all the wonderful gifts in the last picture — Zoe the cat approved! It was such a wonderful afternoon and I truly feel blessed to have these incredible women in my life!

  • Ladies Luncheon
  • Painted Arm Milagro
  • Isabey & Palette Knife
  • Zoe Approved

Mooooo…

Animals, JenArt, Oil

I love cow paintings! For the past few years I’ve seen them everywhere and wanted to purchase one. But the artist in me thought, “I can do that!” So, I finally took the plunge and created my first cow.

Blue Nose
Blue Nose

After finding just the right image online I began by priming the background a blue “sky” color. Next I drew in the cow using vine charcoal. Instead of beginning with local colors, I choose to start with the shadow and highlight colors to create a more dramatic effect. I really liked this first phase with the blue nose and eyes – it was very Andy Warhol-esque.

Adding Color

I really wanted to paint this one loose and fast. Well, that’s how she started as you can tell by the the ears and top of head. But along the way, she smoothed out. I reconciled this by realizing that not every aspect of a painting has to, or should be, the same. Right? I mean, that would be awfully boring!

Refining

So, just as my boys look in the morning with their hair all dissheveled and moppy – so does my cow. Who knows, maybe she had a rough night! I wanted the focal point to be her sweet face so I went more soft and delicate here. She was a gift for my mom who also loves cows. She already has a new home – over her fireplace mantel – so I can visit her anytime.

Mooooooo…

Moo…