This painting of a sunflower aptly expresses my mood lately. Having been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, I can now look forward to seeing friends and making plans for a trip later this year. Sunflowers are symbols of hope, and I am feeling more hopeful and optimistic than I have in quite some time.
This painting of a Galah cockatoo was started a few weeks ago, and then I was pulled away from my easel for a work project. By the time I returned to it, I was in quite a different frame of mind from when I started. For me, it is of prime importance to have a sense of continuity when painting, which is why I tend to prefer working alla prima (i.e., finishing a painting in one session). I don't have that luxury right now, so I have to work with things as they are. Still, I quite like this little guy. It's not his fault he got neglected in the process.
This is a painting done strictly from my imagination. I usually work either from life or a reference image; this was just me playing with color, as I love to do. I did another one of these flower paintings from imagination in 2017, hence the title. They're fun and satisfying, especially when I don't have a good chunk of time to devote to painting, which was the case these past two weeks.
I was pulled away from my easel this past week on a project at work, and whenever that happens, I tend to choose simple subjects to get me back in the swing of it again. This little duck is native to northern Eurasia, and I just love his violet sheen and bright little yellow eye.
Here's another sweet treat from the easel. I'm having fun with this food theme at the moment, where I get to feature the texture of the paint itself, something I've been wanting to do for ages.
I had an urge to paint some food and this seemed like a fun subject, using a palette knife to paint the ice cream layers within the dessert. I've had the urge to paint food before but don't recall ever following through on it until now.
I meant for this to be an abstract painting, but I had peonies on my mind and they insisted on appearing in some form. With this palette knife painting, I was reminded of how much I like to paint on metal.
I love Holstein cows. They dot the landscape here in Sonoma County like moving abstract black and white paintings. The black and the white are up for interpretation, however; depending on the light and the time of day, there can be all sorts of colors in there. I may be stretching it a bit, though.
Playing with color here on a rather vivid horse portrait, I got carried away and had to put him back in the paddock, as it were. I do like what the pink and blue do to the chestnut color of the horse, though. I hope he forgives me for messing with him.
This is a narrative painting that is attempting to capture the loneliness and isolation of life during the time of COVID. Like caged birds, we are all being held captive by this pandemic, albeit to varying degrees. I tried to show the beauty of the outside world in the colors of the sunrise as a measure of hope for better days to come.
There are so many extraordinarily beautiful bird species on this planet, and this is one of my favorites. The capped heron is a rare bird that thrives in the rainforests of Central and South America. I just love their colors!
A quick head study in acrylic, I used an atypical palette of Hansa yellow, Indian yellow, naphthol crimson, Prussian blue, transparent brown oxide, and chromium oxide green. That was fun.
Here's another scene from colorful New Mexico, a simple little adobe church sits in peace and harmony with its surroundings.
I am happy to say that, after years of neglect, I have finally updated my website, www.lianaharris.com. I had originally created it entirely in Flash, which was recently rendered obsolete. That got me off my duff to bring my website into the 21st Century. And for the first time, I am officially offering paintings for sale directly from the website. I am also excited to share my digital art, which until now hasn't really had a proper showcase. Prints of the digital paintings will be offered for sale as well in the coming days as I get the commerce end of it set up. I will continue to post on a regular basis to my blog, though, where I share anecdotes about each painting.
Here's a little pink robin, a symbol of renewal, to usher in a new year full of passion, abundance, and new beginnings. Wishing you a Fat and Happy New Year!
I'm going back to birds, one of my favorite subjects, with this little painting of a seagull.
It's back to Naked Athena and the Portland protests with this piece. I struggled with this one and because there were such long time gaps between sessions, I lost my way a bit, so it is going to the time-out room for now. Maybe in the new year, I'll be able to see my way forward and finish it. That would be nice.
I thought this subject apropos of wintertime this year, a year without precedent in so many ways. If 2020 has been an eye-opening year, 2021 must surely be the year we look within ourselves for answers to the questions posed by 2020. The wise owl is a fitting symbol for such an endeavor.
Here's my take on a classic artists' subject, one that has been painted many times over but continues to draw us in. Apart from the beautiful lines and curvy shapes of this amazing structure, it's the light that emanates from it, even under a dark sky, that inspires my awe. To be inside of this church is to invite the light into your soul.
Taking a break from more complicated paintings I'm working on, I seem to have channeled my inner O'Keeffe with this one. I've heard the symbolic meaning of a petunia points to anger and frustration. Well, that would certainly be me lately, what with all the turbulence of these times we're living in. But what does it say about us as a species that we would assign such negative traits to a flower, of all things! Just sayin' . . .
For a change of pace, it's back to digital art with this painting of Lindsey Kustusch, an extraordinary artist, as she paints a landscape en plein air from a field in Hampstead Heath, London. Lindsey is also a true animal lover, and one of the nicest, kindest people you'll ever meet, if you are so lucky.
Well, this little ditty took way longer than I thought it would, even as I simplified the scene quite a bit. The orange sky was from the fires in August that the lightning strikes sparked, lending a surreal quality to atmosphere.
A lion study here, done on canvas paper which warped a little. I may adhere it to a hard surface, as I do like this lady. She is centered, calm, and focused on a hot afternoon.
acrylic on panel, 14" x 11"
A fitting self portrait for the times we are living in. It perfectly captures the spirit of the day, wouldn't you say?
