The Mourning Dove

The Mourning Dove, 8 x 10 inches, Oil on Board

Wow- this piece was really a labor of love. I tried many days to get this painting to completion and had nothing but problems. This happens when you really don't know what you want to paint...or you have a unclear, fuzzy photo reference.

This give and take started when I looked out my living room window to check on my bird feeders and noticed a most charming neighborhood Mourning Dove perched on a tree limb. Of course I snapped it's picture with my phone followed by going upstairs to get my real camera. When I got back to the window, this adorable creature moved on.

So I tried to make the best of a bad picture and it sure took a long time. I'm pleased with the outcome and I've learned quite a bit from this painting. Did I say it's the same lesson I learned pretty early in my artist journey: You can only paint what you can see!

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The Rare Snowman

The Rare Snowman, 4 x 4 inches, Oil on Panel Sold - Thank you! It's a warmer day today and the one snowman in the neighborhood is not faring well. In addition to melting he's got a problem with one of his twig arms. I take Cooper & Cookie for short walks several times a day and when I saw what was happening to this guy, I knew I had to make a painting of him. While returning home, I pondered how many snowmen are not created because of video games. I know that I don't see them much at all.

Two Snow Cones

4 x 4 inches, Oil on Gessoboard Sold - Thank you Every now and then, I get humbled at the easel. Like all artists, I have a love-hate relationship with it. This painting was inspired by a recent trip to the doctors. I've seen these shacks many times and each time I say: "I need to pull over and get a picture" followed by, "I'll do it next time." Sound familiar? Well yesterday, I pulled over and got the picture. When I got home, I was very excited to begin painting. The Easy-Peasey, this will be a piece of cake attitude was as thick as cigar smoke. I started out very worthy of my swelled head, but believe me, it went downhill. It's amazing how quickly I can turn on myself. It started by reminding myself how much housework I have, before I took my next breath, I reasoned that I could have made a nice dessert, cleaned the house, changed the oil in my ca...

Double Take

Indigo Bunting, 4 x 4 inches, Oil on Board Click to Bid I'm fortunate to have a mated pair of Indigo Buntings visiting my bird feeder. I say that because I've had the bird feeder for over 10 years and my first sighting was last week. The male of this species sports stunning ocean blue feathers...some teal in there also. I paint with a very limited palette, so I was challenged to come up with the right mixtures. But it wasn't very long before I realized that mixing the right "Indigo" color wouldn't be enough. So I subdued everything else, to include his cute little beak.

Brande Arno Art

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