This portrait of Ella Fitzgerald is the last in a series of four portraits of Black American singers who served as early inspirations to me as a singer. Ella was often referred to as the Queen of Jazz for her supple, horn-like voice, impeccable diction, and awesome improvisational chops. Among many others, I just love her swinging version of one of my all-time favorites, "No Moon at All."
Another hollyhock painting, this one of a crimson hollyhock that I planted by the white fence in my front garden. Hollyhocks originated in China, and I will forever be grateful that they made their way here. Hollyhocks make me happy, and I just love this particular rich dark red against the various warm and cool greens of leaves and their shadows surrounding it, and all of that offset by the white fence behind.
This is a painting of my musical idol, a young Stevie Wonder. I love this man so much, not only for his incredible R&B pipes, staggering body of work and virtuosic mastery of songwriting, but for his activism and social conscience as well. You don't need eyes to see his genius, just a heart and an open mind.
This portrait of Nat King Cole is the second in a series I'm doing of Black American singers and musicians, and I've decided to expand the category to include Black artists of all stripes. This one was painted with a very limited palette of burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, ivory black, and white. The portrait of Billie Holiday was also done with a limited palette, the same as this with the addition of Indian yellow.
Nat King Cole is one of my all-time favorite singers, and his version of "Nature Boy" is, quite frankly, one for a time capsule; it is the definitive rendition of one of the most poignantly beautiful songs ever written, and NKC's voice lifts it to the heavens.
Changing gears here with a portrait of Billie Holiday. I have it in mind to do a series of portraits of Black American singers and musicians as a way to honor their colossal contributions to American music. I was once a singer myself, and Billie Holiday (aka "Lady Day," aka Eleanora Fagan) was a great inspiration in my younger days.
Tanagers are some of the most colorful birds around. Like many colorful birds, this little fruit-eating bird lives in Central and South America. The color patterns vary wildly in this species, which is related to the cardinal. I would like to paint them all!
Matillija poppies always remind me of fried eggs, and I just love their papery white petals that are so big, they just flop wherever they please.
This 6" x 6" painting of a parrotlet is a life-size depiction of this cute little bird. Parrotlets are tiny! There is a special place in my heart for parrots in general. Years ago, I kept a red-lored Amazon parrot when I lived in New York and then Florida, but I later came to feel strongly that all birds should be free. In fact, I believe all wild animals should be free and not kept in cages or zoos.
Continuing with my current flower theme, here's a little painting of a flower that I wish was in my garden. I love all kinds of poppies. Alas, this is one I've never seen; it was painted from a photo. Apparently, this rare poppy is difficult to grow, but it can be found in gardens in the U.K.
Another recent addition to my garden has been a gorgeous deep violet cineraria, which I paired with lemony daffodils for this composition. You just can't get more complementary than that, can you? I do love the colors in this one.
This is one of my favourite flowers, and it is currently carpeting a section of my garden. I find this flower enchanting, and it is hearty, easy to grow, requires little watering, and is a prolific bloomer. I chose to paint this as if in the black of night because these pale pink flowers turn a neon pink as the sun sets, and I wanted to emphasize their very "pinkness."
This little study of a black tulip may get painted again as a larger version, but for now, and for the sake of sanity, I've decided to stick with little paintings that can be finished in a short session or two. It's simply too frustrating to not have at least 4 hours/day to delve into painting like I had a few years ago. Maybe one day I'll have the luxury of uninterrupted hours at the easel. I can dream, can't I?
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.
