Sitting Duck

oil on panel, 10" x 10"

It's back to birds now with this painting of a rare blue-headed mallard duck.  I love their shapes and colorings, especially those iridescent heads, and have a few more duck varieties in mind to paint.

Red Velvet Cake

 

oil on panel, 8" x 10"

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.

Baked Alaska

 

oil on canvas, 6" x 8"

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.   

A Peony from Memory

 

oil on zinc plate, 8" x 6"

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.  

A Bud About to Burst

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

I've got spring fever!  Funny, it happens every year around this time, which means I'm in flower-painting mode.  This one is of a rather pregnant peony bud, one of my favorites.

Spring Heifers

oil on panel, 16" x 20"

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.

Just Horsing Around

 

acrylic on canvasboard, 12" x 12"

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.

Caged Birds

 

acrylic on panel, 20" x 16"

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.

My Heart

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

This is a study of a barn owl portrait, which I may do a larger version of, as it didn't give me quite the result I was after.  Still, I feel this little one is not without its charms.  

Capped Heron Study

 

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

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!

Of Beauty and Sorrow

 

acrylic on canvas paper, 9" x 12"

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.

The Harpy

oil on panel, 10" x 10"

Back to birds, a frequent subject of mine, here is a portrait of a harpy eagle, an exotic-looking raptor found in Mexico and the tropical rain forests of Central and South America.  I am fascinated by all the wildly varying bird species that inhabit our planet.  I find them extraordinary in their uniqueness, every single one.

From Out of the Shadows

oil on panel, 11" x 14"

A few weeks ago, I didn't know who Amanda Gorman was, but her poem, "The Hill We Climb," and her inspiring recitation of it at the presidential inauguration on January 20 blew me away.  What a beautiful spirit!  I felt the need to paint her portrait.  We need more poetry in our lives.

Church at Black Mesa

 

oil on panel, 11" x 14"

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.

Rose

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

In addition to the many wild turkeys that roam the property, Denman Ranch recently acquired four chickens.  They all have names and are very friendly and approachable.  They also give us fantastic eggs!  This one, Rose, went missing for a short while but then was found and returned to the flock.  Whew!  They offer painting challenges as well, so I will be experimenting more with these beautiful creatures.

Fat and Happy

oil on panel, 6" x 6"

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!

Seagull on Sand

 

oil on panel, 8" x 10"

I'm going back to birds, one of my favorite subjects, with this little painting of a seagull.

Iris in Bloom

oil on panel, 14" x 11"

This is a portrait of a friend's daughter I had intended to paint from live sittings, but due to COVID I ended up painting her this time from a photo.  She is only 14 years old but her bearing and maturity are well beyond her years, and I tried to capture that here, as well as her kind, sweet nature.  A beautiful girl, inside and out! 

Baring Witness

 

oil on panel, 12" x 24"

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.

Yellow Boat

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This is a scene I painted earlier this year from a photo of Nantes, France.  It speaks to my sense of isolation in this time of COVID.