Shari Beaubien

July: Week 2

So here's where I'm at with my three July canvases...

This first one measures 30" x 40".  Usually, that's a large size for me but after completing my first 36" x 48" canvas last month, this one is feeling a lot more manageable.  It's difficult to see in this shot, but the background is a lovely, textured beige color which Steve calls my "adobe wall".  Here's a detail shot below so maybe you can get a better idea of the texture...

And these two are coming along.  The orange background is finished.  The blue background was finished, until I got carried away and painted the earth too dark.  Drat!  I plan to redo that portion this week in order to lighten it up a bit.

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!

End of June / Start of July

Here is the final June canvas.

It measures 16" x 20" and it's entitled "Stardust".
What do you think?

Below is a detail shot...

(click either photo to enlarge)

I think I've stumbled upon a new personal symbol in my work  - umbrellas and parasols.  And the entire thing actually happened quite by accident.  One sunny morning while sitting in my booth at an art fair, I pulled out my sketchbook to brainstorm some ideas for this painting push.  I had drawn an elephant and decided to add a tree.  I drew a sweeping arc to get the general shape blocked in and lo and behold... it looked exactly like a giant umbrella.  Smitten, I was!  I guarantee you'll be seeing more in the coming weeks.

And speaking of the coming weeks, here are my July canvases, all prepped with gesso and molding paste and ready for paint.

And so the crazy-paced fun continues...

June: Final Days

Well..., I did it!
I finished all of the four canvases I had slated for June!
Woo hoo!

This was my "MONGO" canvas - 36" x 48".
It's entitled "Flights of Fancy" and a few detail shots follow...

Believe me, I realize these pictures aren't the best.  I will publish the REAL, official photographs here and on my website when I get them taken.  I just couldn't wait to share these with you right away, though!  (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

Tomorrow I will post photos of the final canvas from the June set.  To see the other two, scroll back through the last four or five blog entries and you'll find them.

My New Favorite Book

I adore books...  And art books always catch my fancy.  There are many that I enjoy, but it's rare for me to come across one that I truly LOVE.  This is one of those times.

  I've had the honor of taking a workshop with Patti Brady and her new book is every bit as informative as she is live.  "Rethinking Acrylic" delivers all you could ever possibly want to know about the Golden line of paints, gels, and mediums.  This isn't a book offering up cute projects.  Rather, it's more of a bible for all things Golden.  Chock-full of ideas and inspirations to get you going, Brady leaves it up to the reader/artist to employ the techniques she presents in your own way and in your own time.  As many of you know, I have worked with the Golden products for some time now, but after enjoying this book, I am surprised by just how much I didn't know.  I highly recommend "Rethinking Acrylic" for any serious artist using the acrylic medium. 

June: Week 4

Things are moving right along here in crazy-painting-schedule-land.

Mongo canvas (above) is coming along,
although it takes me quite a while to complete the detail work.

This little 16" x 20" piece has seen
quite a bit of progress since last week.

Essentially, I only have the rest of this week to finish these remaining two "June canvases" before I have to start my July set.  I did manage to prep the July canvases this weekend though, so at least they'll be ready for me.

I'll leave you with a shot of Audrey and Bentley that I got this weekend.  (They were jealous that Montgomery stole the spotlight last week.)  I know I'm biased, but they are cute, aren't they?  Goes to show you we all could get along if only we tried and were more accepting of one another...