Category Archives: Artwork

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Painting Process Videos on Instagram

I have been very poor at updating my website of late and focussing on Instagram which is so easy to add quick updates. I am endeavouring to make more time to update the blog pages here more often and show my painting process. But in the meantime do take a look at my Instagram page for lots more updates. I try to add posts daily
#lesley.boost.arthappyme

One of the great things about Instagram is that I can add videos easily. If you are interested in my painting process you will find videos there on my posts and IGTV.

Video showing some of my painting process

You will also find lots of tips and ideas on my IG pages and close ups of some of my work.

Close up from one of my abstract meadow Paintings

There is more of me too, which may or may not be a good thing. Ha Ha! I will let you be the judge of that. I will be adding more posts here soon and updating my gallery pages to showcase more of my art. I have already added a couple more photos of my latest abstract meadow paintings on the Buy Art page. My abstract meadows are now the focus of my work. I hope you like them. Let me know what you think.

And if you should come and visit me on Instagram please do leave me a comment to say hello. And I hope you enjoy my IG page enough to follow me.

I will be adding more content to the website here too, so stay tuned!

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Art For Sale – Abstract Meadows

At last I have my art for sale on my website Buy Art Yay!

I have just realised that I have not blogged about my art here for 3 months now. Where does the time go? Probably because I spend all my free time painting, which isn’t a bad thing, is it? But if you want to hear from me more frequently and see what I am up to with my art I do try to post every day on Instagram #arthappyme and also on my Facebook page ArtHappyMe

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I have been focussing recently on my Abstract Meadows paintings which I cannot tear myself away from at present.

They feed my need for colour and intuitive painting and I am currently enjoying working with negative space. Like most artists I have been searching for my own style since I began painting and I think I have finally found it. I love that my abstract meadows have no initial ideas, neither in composition or colour, but just slowly emerge. I literally start of with a blank canvas and just go for it. It is great fun and takes off any pressure for a painting to live up to a pre-conceived idea. And each finished piece is a total surprise to me! It’s like opening up a wrapped present very time. 😊

I now have my art for sale up here on my website here Abstract Meadows . I will ship internationally. Here are some close up snippets of some of the juicy bits.

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Acrylic Painting of Beach Babes – More Quirky Ladies

I have just completed a new painting. It is an acrylic painting with a collaged background. This is branching out for me as I usually do faces not bodies. But I must say I did enjoy it and I am pleased with the final result.

The idea for the ladies just sprang into my head and I couldn’t wait to make a start. I wasn’t sure if they would be a success. It was a little out of my comfort zone. I often find that the ideas in my head do not generally turn out the same in the end result. But I was splendidly pleased with the outcome.

First I sketched out a couple of Quirky Ladies in my sketch pad and once I was happy with them I drew them out again on my 12 inch square piece of wood that I had previously gessoed in preparation.

I collaged the background areas avoiding the drawn centre area. Then I painted the ladies and the background with acrylic paints.

 

Lovely ladies I am very happy with you. I may have to paint another.

 

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New Quirky Portrait

I do love to paint Quirky Portraits and every so often I have to get one out of my system. And today was one of those days.

I have named her Patty. Mainly because her plaits gave me a bit of a problem but I couldn’t call her Plaity. 🙂

Here is the process of how she developed.

First I sketched out my idea.

I decided to use a 12 inch square wooden board which I painted with white gesso. I collaged on some papers for the background. There is no plan here. I just randomly paste them on but I do try to leave a space in the centre for the portrait.

After this I sketch out my portrait on to the prepared background.

Sometimes I paint the face first and sometimes I paint the background first. On this occasion I painted the background first using acrylic paints.After this I went on to paint the face.

Finally the hair, hat, body and finishing touches.

And voila, Patty was born!

I hope you like her.

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This Quirky Portrait Needs a Name

I have finally got around to finishing another Quirky Portrait today.

I started her in October. Here is her sketch drawing.

Then I prepared her background.

And here is the sketched girl drawn on to the collaged background.

So today I had some time at last to take out my paints and finish her off.

She is painted in acrylics on 10″ x 10″ fibreboard.

Now I am presently calling her Library Girl, because she looks to me like she would be very happy swotting in the library but I am hoping someone can come up with a name for her. I would really welcome your suggestions in Comments please. A quirky name that sounds librarian like. Ha ha!

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Painting Quirky Portraits

Today I have been painting more of my Quirky Portraits and I have finished one already. The background I had already painted with acrylic paints back in April last year. That’s more than a year ago! I had prepared these three 10″ square canvases which were sitting on a shelf in my art room and to be honest I hadn’t known what to do with them.

So I took them off the shelf and decided they would make great backgrounds for one of my Quirky Portraits. It was a different way of working for me though. Normally I have decided what I am going to paint before I prepare my backgrounds and then the background is prepared accordingly. So this was a little scary for me and I was very dubious that it might not work out. But in fact I am very happy with it.

I chose to work on this prepared background first.First of all I painted her face.Then those white fanned brush marks above her head appealed to me so I added more to give the appearance of a headless.Then I added a Cleopatra inspired hairstyle.I have named her Cleo (for hairstyle reasons).

I thought you might like to see the sides of the canvas too.As you can see I have used a deep edged canvas and I take the painting around to the sides, including the top and bottom. I like to do this so that a painting can be enjoyed from any angle.

 

 

 

So now I need to work on the other two of these prepared canvases. Let’s hope they work out for me too.

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Quirky Portraits

Today I am back to painting quirky portraits. I do love painting these. They are such fun to do and there is no pressure because I can just use my imagination. It is particularly easy with acrylic paints because it is easy to correct things when you change your mind.

In fact I decided to correct part of the last quirky portrait that I was not happy with.I had originally written headache above her right eye, but I decided I didn’t like it.I had already prepared the background some weeks ago for my next Quirky Portrait. So today I added her face. I am very happy with her.These portraits are both painted on a 12″ x 16″ deep edged canvas using acrylic paints on a collaged background.

 

 

 

 

 

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A Couple of Days of ArtPlay

At last I have found some time for creativity including some abstract art. I have had a couple of days of art play and am so-o-o-o happy to have completed four pieces of work.

First of all on Saturday I decided I would paint another Big Eyed Girl inspired by Mindy Lacefield.

This is an 8″ square canvas. Started off with some collage for the background and then painted the girl in acrylics. I do love painting these little girls.

And today was even more productive. I completed three pieces of artwork.Yes three! Woo Hoo!

I wanted to delve a little more into some abstract art. I have had lots of ideas buzzing around in my head. Even been dreaming about it and waking up to make notes!

The first one is fairly large (for me) 12″ x 17″. Collage, acrylics, watercolours and stitchery on watercolour paper.

Then a smaller one 8″ x 10″. Same techniques but no stitchery on this one.

And finally a more colourful piece. This one is using watercolours, collage and stitchery. 6″ x 9″.

And as you can see I already have them signed and mounted. Feeling very virtuous! And also feeling very happy to have had some creative time again.

However, my art room looks like World War Three! So now I have to go and tidy up and clean all my brushes etc. That is the not so fun bit. 🙁

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“Abysstract” – Delving into Abstract Art

I have signed up for an art course with Kate Thompson and I’m really enjoying it. This is the result of the first lesson; my first attempt at abstract art!

Abstract art

This was great fun to do and I am loving the result. I have decided to call it ‘Abysstract’ as the word ‘abyss’ conjured up everything I felt about this piece of work.

Noun:
1. a deep, immeasurable space,
2. anything profound, unfathomable, or infinite: the abyss of time.
3. a subterranean ocean.

This piece is 12″ x 16″ on watercolour paper using a .5 mechanical pencil, a .3 fine line pen, charcoal, watercolour paint and collage. Includes scribbling to music which is very therapeutic.

I can see creature like shapes that appear to float across the surface. Not planned of course, but just happened. I would be interested to hear what you can see?

I need to find some more time now to try some more abstract art and also to delve further into this great art course.

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Artwork using my fabric cords

Do you remember when I showed you how to make fabric cords to include in your art I showed you this photo at the end.Ideas for fabric strips

This is where I laid out a couple of my cords on paper together with some small samples of painted papers?

Well this little lay out sat on my work top in my art room and kept calling out to me to create something.

So finally I found the time and this was the outcome.

LovelyFlowers

Watercolours, collage, stitchery and some added word snippets on 8″ x 12″ watercolour paper.

I was very happy with this piece and all inspired from a little play with making fabric cords.

Gotta keep that brain inspired!

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