Brande Arno Art

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Gessoboard  $ 75.  Purchase There was something about the original  "Eating My Greens" painting, that didn't set right with me.  Some paintings can do that...they kind of sing this song to you.  The words go something like "Na-Na, Na-Na-Na" Which translate to:  Something's wrong and you can't fix it!   There's another oldie but goodie song "Time is on my side"  Yes it is!  I simplified the composition, added a little calligraphy brushwork and adjusted those greens.  I'm more than happy with the outcome.  Below is the painting before I gave it more attention.

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.

5 x 7 inches, Oil on Panel $ 85. Click to Buy Although, I haven't posted new paintings at the frequency I usually do, I've been busy in the studio.  I completed a larger commissioned painting and doing lots of homework with an on-line course.  And to guarantee complete stress...I'm also trying to build a website. 

8 x 8 Inches, Oil on Panel Mother's day, 2015 was quite meaningful for me as my daughter and granddaughter made a 4 hour trip to visit. When you live more than a fews hours away from family, warmth fills the heart when you're in each other's company. My mom, who will be 87 next month, lives with me and my husband. How blessed we were to have four generations present at the table. My daughter carried in roses. Beautiful roses, a dozen each of coral and magenta. As I put them to water in vases, I was being bit hard by the inspiration bug. I bided my time. I generally have common sense when it comes to barking up the wrong tree, but not when it comes to painting florals. I say this because I always have problems when painting florals and roses in particular. Over the years, struggles and trials at the easel have resulted in resolve to accept what I can do in the "roses" department. I like the outcome of "Mother's Day Roses" it's j...

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Panel I'm in the throes of an online course tailored to artists taking control of their careers.  Right now, I feel like I can't digest another anything.  I feel overwhelmed because until I started this course, I was blissfully ignorant of  web technology.  It's not a leap of faith...it's do I have the faith to leap. Unless I'm painting, gardening, or keeping house, I'm at a disadvantage.  And I paid money to prove that to myself again.

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Panel-  Click to Bid I was driving home, when I came upon some sort of major road problem and I had to take an alternate route.  It was a wonderfully sunny day, in fact, the best that Spring can offer.  Sometimes, even the littlest change causes one to look a little closer when driving and that's how I spotted this little guy.  Actually, he was comfortably grazing with his mate and a small herd of long-haired steer.  I am so thankful for my I-phone, because it takes great pictures and is always with me. It zooms and edits. What more can one ask for?  

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Panel- $ 55.-  To etsy The word is out that bird seed abounds where I live.  I saw this young male with a female at the feeder.  When I first consulted my NY birder manual, I thought it must be a house finch.  I didn't think I'd be so blessed to have a purple finch at the feeder.  But I took a closer look knowing the House Finch and Purple Finch look very similar but the later is very rare.  So I really studied my birdies and I can confidently exclaim I had a visit from a male Purple Finch, got pictures to prove it and now, this painting.

This is a commissioned painting that I started several days ago.  Artists take commissions for a variety of reasons and every artist I've either talked to or read about, takes on a commission with a pit in their stomach.  There are many good reasons why but, I'll list two that always boil to the top of the pot: Lack of artistic control Fear of disappointing patron One cannot come up without the other.  The artist in most cases sacrifices one because of the other.  In this case, the arrangement of the deer fly in the face of good compositional rules: Odd number of subjects over even numbers.  In this case, 3 or 5 deer is better than the 4 the patron is expecting. Placement of the subjects are static.  In this painting, the patron wants two and two.  It would be better to group three of them together and one off to the side and that deer looking in the direction of the other three. But there is a reason for patron's desire for two and...