And The Oscar Goes To...My Top 4 Picks!

The Paramount

11"x14"

oil on Raymar canvas
available

This year I was on a quest to see all of the Best Picture nominees, but I still fell short of seeing them all. However, here are my...

 Top Four Favs:
1. The Help - My sentimental favorite. I saw this movie three times; first with my girlfriends, then with my grandmother, mother, and daughter (four generations!), and then again with my husband and everyone loved it. Such a wonderful, moving story with brilliant acting.


2. War Horse - Beautiful cinematography and touching story. 


3. Midnight in Paris - As an artist or art lover - this one is a must see. What a wonderful thought to go back in time and visit with some of the greatest artist of our time!


4. The Artist  - As someone who loves old movies - I absolutely love, loved this one. It was my favorite date night movie...very charming.

So, who do you think will win?

 This painting was completed last year for The Virtual Paintout's location in Boston, MA. I fell in love with this old-fashioned sign and enjoyed painting it from an unusual perspective. I'm sure a lot of great movies were seen at the Paramount.

#4 That Summer in Italy

That Summer in Italy

5"x7"

oil on RayMar panel

available

This was painted for The Virtual Paintout whose location this month is Elba, Italy. How idyllic it would be right now to have the warmth of the summer sun and take a nice bike ride to the beach!  I was just realizing that it was 20 years ago this month that I went to Italy - such a beautiful country! It's hard to believe that so much time has passed. I am motivated to get out the old photographs for some painting inspiration.

#3 Red Finch

Red Finch

5"x7"

oil on RayMar panel
available

The wonderful photo reference for this painting was provided by Lee at A Day Not Wasted.  I have really enjoyed painting birds over the last few years.

Someone else who really likes birds...

...my cat, who seems to be bored since there's nothing outside the window right now to capture her interested.

 While I'm continuing to work on my larger paintings, I have decided to get back to the small, daily paintings as well and have recently joined Daily Paintworks to get back into the swing of things. 

Enjoy!
~ Michelle

Shoes

The Tailgaters  (detail)

I'm continuing to work on my larger painting, The Tailgaters, though progress has been slow. I spent the afternoon working (fussing) on these shoes...now I only have five more pairs to go!

Happy Valentine's Day

Red Velvet Cupcake

6"x6"

oil on artboard

I painted this last year, but it seemed like a good day to re-post. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Enjoy!

~ Michelle

#2 Les Jonquilles

Les Jonquilles

8”x8”

Oil on canvas board

I happened upon another challenge blog  “A Nos Pinceaux” and saw these wonderful daffodils posted by Evhe to paint. They remind me so much of March and spring which is where my dreamy mind is at right now despite that it is only mid-February. 

I am finding that painting is a great cure for the winter doldrums.  I’ve been away from painting for a while…feeling down and disappointed with it.  I’ve tried getting involved in other things such as making jewelry. Last month I was involved in Andrew Thornton’s jewelry making challenge that was ironically titled “jonquil” for the wonderful yellow beads.  Here is my creation:

While I do enjoy creating jewelry, it doesn’t match to enjoyment of painting. I’ve realized that despite my disappointments with painting, the best thing…the only thing is to keep painting. Which is what I’ve committed to do!

Enjoy!

~ Michelle

#1 The Color of White

Study in White

8"x8"

oil on canvas board

I took some time away from the painting I've been working on for a while to participate in the Daily Paintworks Challenge. This was my first time participating in the challenge and it was also my first palette knife painting which was a lot of fun. For this study, I wanted to focus on laying down thick daubs of color and less on form. It was interesting to see just how many colors I could find within an all white still life!

What I've Been Up To...

Tailgaters - work in progress.

I've been away from my blog for several months and only painting off and on, but I'm now trying to get back to painting more frequently.  I've been working on this painting for a family member and I hope stay on track and get it finished for them as soon as possible. I will be posting my progress...so stay tuned! :)