Brande Arno Art

5 x 5 inches, Oil on Gessoboard - $ 75. Click to Buy I'm building a website and have been a little behind with my paintings. It has given me time to re-think what I'm doing as an artist.  I'm leaning towards painting larger studio pieces and plein air one day a week.  Nature and I are a good match because plein air painting really soothes me, even though the challenges are much different than studio painting. I'm also thinking of keeping a pen and wash journal sketchbook and draw random things around the house, to include Cooper & Cookie...my special doggies.  So, there should be more variety in my postings. 

Pellet Portrait, 6 x 6 inches, oil on panel- Collection of Artist The weekly challenge this week for Daily Paintworks is "Paint your Pet"  I decided to paint my beloved cat that passed to kitty heaven last week.  He was named Pellet by my husband.  I wanted to name him roofus so I guess I can't complain. Part of the challenge was to make sure your values are correct by making a black and white of the picture source.  I took it one step forward and made a black & white of my completed painting.  I'm happy with the values that make up Pellet, but could have done a better job with making the towel that he's wrapped up in darker than the background.

Puma Bugatti & Cadence Marine 12 x 12 inch Portrait - Sold OK, well this is the final painting for my niece and she has approved it.  She always wanted them painted together and I gave up after the first two days of failures.  I decided to paint them separately.  Well that didn't work either, so I decided to try again.  After a few tries, I finally got them right. One thing that was new for me with this painting was that I used large brushes.  I think that allowed a freshness in the finished painting.  

Question:  How do you take your eggs?  Answer:  Anyway but on my face! Oh -I had egg on my face right after I found out that Puma is a female feline, not a king of the jungle.   My niece was very gracious about the assumption on my part, that Puma Bagatti had to be a name for the king of the jungle or at the very least, the king of her apartment.  So I got back to work this morning giving Puma the eyes she should have had yesterday.  I did a little more work on her ears, whiskers and collar.  She looks like the princess of the house that she is.  Unfortunately for  Puma, she shares her kingdom with another feline princess, Cadence Marine.      

Puma Bagatti, 8 x 8 inches oil on board, sold Puma is my niece's kitty and more than a month ago, she commissioned me to paint him.  I think I captured the attitude of most cats with this portrait.  They are so the kings of their life.  Maybe it's that Puma doesn't like Mondays.   In process photos are posted on facebook.