Oh no, Realism?

Here's Zak and Eric, Zak playing and Eric watching hoping to get his turn.  This photo was taken at Younger Daughter's home on Christmas Day, 2013.  I immediately love the way the light catches the boys faces and hands.  There's shadow areas which are not so easy to define and there is a golden reflection of light on the keyboard which is a matt black color underneath the glow.

So here's my interpretation so far.  I cleaned up the background to give full focus on the playing of the music.  In life there is lotsa texture and paint on this canvas.  Looks like I need more highlights on Zak's face and shirt and also on Eric.  I didn't want to do too much highlighting on Eric as I felt he would become a white blob but as I see it now, a lighter value of his skin color would work only using a small bit of white where the lightest light is.  This is an oil so I am going to let the paint settle for a few days before attempting more.

Gosh, I just don't breathe correctly when doing these...too close to realism I think.

My Most Recent Series: Joyful People

So been off the grid since Christmas!  Whoa!  It is February and finally I am back in the blogging mood.  I have been very busy with my new series of paintings and it's people, mostly children doing fun things.  I am using oil now, have set my acrylics aside wanting to use big pieces of paint again.

Here is my art space, the little area where I work.  There is my palette, brushes, medium and on the easel is the piece On which I am working.  It's three kids marching in their paper hats to launch a paper boat in a stream, very cute.  I've got a long way to go on it.

This is of a girl sitting waiting for her Mama in Thailand.  It's almost finished.

Another painting done from a pic of interesting happenings which I snapped, but this time in Laguna.

And this is Blue Lady.  A woman standing looking out at her child who was getting a little too deep out in the surf.

This little girl was playing and dancing in the water while I watched from a vantage from where she could not see me.  She was playing alone even though there were so many others around her.  I was enchanted by her moves and the joy that was so obvious.

Here is Blue Lady again snapping a photo of her own.

My grandkids, DJ and Leilani.  This still needs some highlights.  One day when I become really brave I'll go back and do the finishing touches.

Here is Papa and Zachary and Levi.  We were hiking in the foothills a while back, and  I purposely was in the rear to enjoy the antics of these three boys in my life.  I snapped a shot as we were on this ridge, the trees and trail continues below.  Papa came out younger in my painting, I guess because that's the way I see him.