DJ Geribo

A few years ago I had several frames made up in a variety of sizes. One of the sizes was to fit a 3"x5" canvas board. Since that size is so tiny, I thought it needed something more so included a linen frame insert to offset the painting from the actual frame. I really like the way they came out and they do accentuate the paintings much more.

This is one that I finished yesterday and that I will be including in my solo show at the Libby Museum in July this year. I painted it in acrylics. I was fortunate to get several photos of cedar waxwings as they passed through our neighborhood, which they usually do during the late winter months. I'm guessing they are traveling to someplace warmer!

When my sister-in-law and her family were camping on a lake in NH where we live, Jim and I spent an afternoon with them, enjoying the outdoors and the nearby wildlife. This little guy was obviously a seasoned resident and came right over to us, fearlessly. We happened to be eating cherries so shared a couple with him. He quickly picked it up and started eating, ripping the skin back to get at the ripe, sweet fruit. He sat, eating with us, as if a member of the family. I almost expected him to join in conversation but after having his share of the fruit, he ran off, obviously to the next family, looking for, perhaps, a little after-dinner dessert.

I took a photo of a friend's cat a few years ago and recently came across the digital photo while looking through my extensive digital photo library. Such a pretty cat, and such a good poser (I have found that cats are much better at posing than dogs are).

This painting worked up quickly - I got in and got out and before I knew it, the painting was complete and I liked what I did. That doesn't always happen, but it is only 5"x7", one of my favorite small sizes to paint. And of course, acrylics allow me to finish a painting in one sitting, also.

Today I finished my Mini Cow Painting. The size, as I mentioned earlier, was 3"x5". Sometimes smaller sizes can be more work than larger sizes. I have painted both so I can attest to this. I have painted 30"x40" paintings and the first time I did so I thought I would be overwhelmed by the size when in fact, I was quite comfortable with it and thought I could paint even larger! But working in oils on this 3"x5" has been tedious. I can't seem to work on one area without messing up another area that is close by. I planned on doing another 3"x5" in oils but I'm rethinking that and will possibly paint it in acrylics instead.

But now I'm finished (mostly). I will add a little bit of grass pieces here and there and as I looked at it this morning, a few more touch ups (that hopefully will not mess up the rest of the painting!) but other than that, I'm done. I have a linen mat and frame ready to put this in - after I varnish, of course -  just in time for my July show.