A Happy Marriage

December 15, 2014

Happy Marriage Acrylic 11"x14"

This week's composition was inspired by a gift mom and dad received many years ago in celebration of their marriage.  They are still trying to puzzle out the meaning of these two bears playing or fighting.  No matter the sculpture offers interesting forms and textures to challenge our artist. Cannon likes to work with blacks and browns, both can be challenging colors to keep lively.  The textures also offer a challenge.  Cannon touched the sculpture to see how the artist used 3D texture techniques to give the impression of fur. But it may have looked like fur but it definitely didn’t feel like fur.  Cannon felt the fur of a rabbit skin to get an idea of what thick, heavy, bear fur might  feel like.

When I arrived both Cannon and Avalon were eager to show me their decorated Christmas tree and other holiday decorations. This inspired us to do two paintings today.  One of the of the sculpture and one inspired by Christmas colors. We would switch back and forth between the two paintings letting each one dry between colors and techniques.

We started with the Christmas inspiration.  Cannon carefully directed me in the placement of each color and then using his favorite tool used the brayer to move the colors where he wanted them on the canvas.  The first layer was a combination of three different colors of green.  Then we set it aside to dry in front of the space heater.

Cannon then selected the colors for the bear sculpture inspiration – black, 2 browns, dark blue and a touch of red. Next Cannon experimented with a new textural method to give the impression of the fur on these black bears. The colors were placed on the canvas and the secret element was added and Cannon started painting with energy and enthusiasm. 

The secret ingredient worked well.

Back to the Christmas colors composition with a layer of two different red colors, some drying and then some more experiments with different tools for adding flecks of silver, gold and white. We tried a tooth brush, then a round brush and finally settled on the kitchen basting brush.  Then off for a final drying time.

 

We took a break and studied the Christmas painting while we enjoyed some special Italian holiday bread – panettone and a coffee for me.

 

Back to work!  Cannon added a few details to the “Bears” painting with a small brush.

All artists know it is important to know when to stop working on a painting and Cannon decided this one was done.

 

Back to the Christmas colors composition.  Cannon wanted to share this holiday composition with others so we divided it and created greeting cards each with an original Hoops canvas.  They will soon be on their way to friends and family. 

It was a busy day and there was lots of clean up to do – we found paint in the strangest places.

Check out the ear!

Cannon finished our session with a “selfie”. 

Shhh!  The secret ingredient - Kitty Litter.