Using Photos for References

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As I mentioned in my previous post, I use different resources for my paintings. Some of it comes from imagination, in that I make I might put some wildflowers in the foreground or change the shape of tree so that its more pleasing to the composition. My florals rarely look anything like my references. I might buy a bouquet of lilies and use them as reference for sunflowers, or add another vase of roses that wasn't exactly there in my set up. I also like to play up the colors. But I usually have some photos to use as references. Sometimes the worst photos make the best paintings. This painting is an example of this situation. Here's the reference photo for this one. This is all I used...nothing else, but my memories of cruising down this beautiful road last year...too long ago, I might say! 

We were driving when I took this shot, so it's through a windshield and a little blurry (I sharpened it). I pumped up the colors a lot and discovered the trees were just starting to bloom (or at the end of the bloom...not sure). I was drawn to this photo, out of the 100's I took) because of the beautiful winding road with the shadows crossing it. I also liked how the sun was coming through at the end of the road (light at the end of the tunnel!) I had to crop a lot so the road hit at just the right spot. 

I have always been drawn to roads and paths. They represent the future to me and I love the idea of the light at the end. One of my favorite things to do is to take a slow drive in the beautiful country we live in. I'm usually the lucky passenger so I get to snap shots like this one to capture that time for future reference. I've also just discovered how to take a picture on google maps so the world is just a click away! I think I'll "visit" San Francisco via Google Maps. I have a few shots I took on my phone so they might suffice but it's nice to have more choices at my fingertips. 

Happy 4th of July to all of my American friends! 

This marks the countdown to my birthday in 10 days!

I always say I'm not going to celebrate anymore but still get excited when its 

approaching. July is definitely my favorite month!

 

Jacarandas in Maui!

Upcountry in Bloom

Here's my latest painting of the Jacaranda trees in Maui! I just love the color of these beautiful trees! I was in Maui over a year ago now and we drove all over the beautiful countryside in search of these trees. I went down this exact street but it didn't look like this. The trees weren't blooming...and everything seemed a little dry. I was lucky enough to have discovered a wonderful photographer from Maui on Facebook. His name is David Schoonover. I contacted him to ask if I could use his photos of the Jacaranda trees as reference for a painting. He said ok! He actually ended up being from a town not far from me! It's such a small world. I was so glad I asked him! I didn't want to copy his work but use it as a reference so I went on Google maps and took a tour through Upcountry on Maui until I found the same street. Believe me, it took a while but it was fun! I found other paintings I want to do later.

google maps reference

I just discovered another resource for photos that are ok to use. Richard Robinson gave the tip on his website. It's called, appropriately, "Paint my Photo", and has many photos that members have uploaded for other artists to use. My ideal would be to bring my easel to Maui and plop it down right in front of that tree and paint the day away...but reality sets in, and until that day comes, I'm happy to have these great resources and gracious photographers available to me!

Pink Fields of Tulips!

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16x20
oil

I love fields of colorful flowers and when I saw the photography of Steve Phelps I knew I just had to paint them! These are beautiful pink tulips in Washington. Steve has been following my

art on Facebook for a while now and about a months ago he posted one of his gorgeous photos on my

page and said that my art had inspired his work! It is really an honor to inspire another artist and I was thrilled when I asked if I could use his work as reference for a painting. Well this is what he inspired me to do! I just love the creative world of art! I've met so many really nice people.

Hydrangeas!

this is a commissioned piece 

24x30

oil on canvas

I just complete this large hydrangea painting for a client. I've never painted them before but it was fun! I love hydrangeas. They remind me of vintage gardens. My mom has one in her garden, growing in a pot. It actually looks similar to this one, but more pinks. I love all the varieties there are. 

I'm off to town for some shopping, then I'm going work on a few new paintings of trees...Jacarandas and more! 

Have a great weekend! 

Roses and Cherries 2...maybe 3

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I just completed this commission for one of my awesome collectors! It's a 12x12 canvas. I did one very similar to this one a few years back on an 8x8 canvas. I just bought some larger square canvases and can't wait to get started on them. Now,  I just have to decide what to paint on them.

I have one more commission I'm working on for a client. It's a large hydrangea painting. I'll share it here with you all when I finish it. I hope everyone is week and enjoying the weekend!

The weather has been pretty hot here so I've been inside for the most part. Heat seems to really bother me now. I need to live somewhere where the weather is moderate year round. That would be Southern California. Now if I could only get my husband to follow me there! 

Oh well, I guess I'll just stay inside for now.

Poppies All Around!

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These beautiful poppies are blooming in many gardens all around town. They don't last long so I've captured them in paint! I lost some of the variations in the reds in this photo so I'll try to get a better photos a little later.

I drove to the nearest big town yesterday to buy ink and food and had to make a detour at the rest stop, after waiting for almost 40 minutes for road construction! It's a two lane highway, over the mountain, and they've been working on the road, straightening out some of the switch back turns, so that big rigs can drive back and forth from the coast. I didn't mind the turns and they say it's only going to cut the time by 10 minutes. All was calm, though, after I stopped and took in this beautiful view of Whiskeytown Lake. It looks different every time I see it, and is always spectacular! It would be nice to live on the lake and paint it everyday with the changing light. The views are best as you drive by at 60 mph...I can't figure out how to stop and get a good shot without risking my life on that dangerous highway! This will have to do.

Have a great weekend! 

What will you be doing to kick off the summer?

There's a giveaway going on!

available as a print

For a chance to win any 8x10 print from my Etsy shop just pop over to Melissa's blog, So About What I Said...! Melissa was so kind to host this for me! I hope you find her blog as much fun as I do and that you continue to follow her interesting, heartfelt posts. Please enter for a chance to win by commenting on her blog! Thank you for your support!

Pink Roses and Peach...

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Here's my latest palette knife floral painting. It's been a while since I've done one of these. I love these colors! It's filled with pink roses and hydrangeas in peaches and creams.
I always take shots of my paintings as I work on them.
It really helps me see how they're working. I can get a sense of
how the composition is working and can see if something need more or less
emphasis. I don't ever post these because they're just for my reference
but today I'm sharing them with you because it's one of the 30 day challenges
by Leslie Saeta.

I usually tone my canvas with a warm color first but sometimes I just can't wait to start!

In this photo you can almost see the pencil marks where I roughed in my drawing.

I don't get very detailed in that stage. I also like to work all around the painting

not concentrating on any certain area. This helps me with color harmony and balance.

Just filling in more color and a little unsure how it's going at this point. The flower in the upper

right just didn't want to emerge yet.

It almost finished in this one, just needs a few details and a signature!

and it's finished!

I want to invite you to my Facebook page, J Beaudet Studios if you haven't seen it yet. I've been posting my paintings there first, before anywhere else. I also haven't painted lilacs in a few years and there blooming now! I've done a few of lilacs and lemons. I love the combo of the purples and yellows. Have a great weekend!:)

Always learning...

As a self representing artist I where many hats and am always learning new things! You may already know how, but I just learned how to make a photo collage from Leslie Saeta's 30 Marketing Ideas in 30 Days using ipiccy! It's never boring around here. I think I could work from morning til night and never run out of things do to! But that wouldn't be too much fun...I sometimes have to turn of all the machines, lay down the brushes, and just relax...[insert photo of me on a beach on Kauai]

Irises in my backyard...

Iris Study
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Iris Garden
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This is a painting of one of my favorite places in Redondo Beach, where I grew up. It's a popular restaurant that has proven to be a popular subject as well. This painting sold in about 2 seconds after I posted it! I'm definitely going to paint more of this area.

My Muse...

in private collection

I've found my muse and she was right in front of me all this time! My daughter was nice enough 

to pose for me in this beautiful red kimono I borrowed from my mom. I have a few more pieces I'd like to do for this series. Hopefully I don't get sidetracked! I still have the spring blossoms I promised earlier. I haven't found a nice place to paint yet. I'm waiting for the dogwoods to bloom! 

I was going to post the progression of this piece and somehow the photos are stuck on my phone. I've transferred them before so I don't know why I can't this time. I'm hoping to get them posted. 

Enjoy your beautiful spring day! 

In my garden:)

I have endless inspiration around me right now! These little beauties are going to be on canvas soon! 

And now I just discovered some beautiful deep purple irises starting to bloom. 

A few changes...

going to be revised

Kapalua Memories

being revised

This painting was done from a reference photo I took on my Maui trip last year. It was a perfect day for strolling along the path. We walked all the way to the end and saw the most majestically powerful waves, crashing on the rocky lava coast. Such great memories. We weren't staying at the butterfly place (see link above) but we did get to stay at the Westin Kaanapali Villas, which is now my favorite resort. It's sits on the perfect beach for sunbathing, snorkeling, and of course...sunsets. 

Aloha! and Mahalo!

Sunflower Study...

Sunflower Study 3
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I picked these happy sunflowers up at Trader Joe's this week. They have so many beautiful flowers right now! These actually lasted long enough for me to capture them in paint, 

so now they'll last forever. 

If you'd like to purchase these for your home just click on the title in the first photo and it will take you to Etsy. From there you can purchase it throughout Pay Pal. You can also click on the link to my Etsy shop to the right.

I had a wonderful, but super fast, week with my daughter, who was home from college for a week. She had to leave before Easter, so we had a family Easter dinner yesterday, which was really Good Friday. If I remember correctly you're only supposed to eat fish...well, we had ham. But to us, it really was Easter. It's so nice to get together with family.

While we were at my mom's I had my daughter pose for me in a beautiful red kimono. I think I managed to get a few photos that I'll be able to use for references. She's such a trooper! It was actually pretty funny and she had a hard time keeping a straight face through all the poses. 

I'm still working on a large Hawaii piece of Maui, it's slowly coming along. It's hard to keep working when my daughter is home. I just want to go play! So now it's time to get busy! One good thing about working from home is you can take time off whenever you want...that can also be a bad thing. I always need to keep disciplined or I'd never get any painting done. And there's so much more to being a working artist than just painting. Not complaining though...I love it!

Gifts From the Heart

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Sometimes it's hard to find the perfect gift for someone who has everything. But they could just have many materials things that they've bought themselves, and would never think to have a painting specially made for them. It's a personal gift of love that comes form the heart and will always be cherished and used (or seen, I should say). I mentioned in my earlier post that I have done a few commissions over the years and this is one of them. I was commissioned by a gentleman to paint this portrait of his father, as a gift to his mother. His father had past away not long before. Handsome man, don't you think? The gift was received with great love and I was told how visitors often admire the painting. I think this has been my most special painting to date. 

Here's another commissioned piece I did. This one was for someone who wanted to remember a beautiful place she had once lived. Beautiful place indeed! I was just noticing this one reminds me of my latest piece. This one was 11x14 though and my latest is only an 8x8. I think I prefer the larger size. 

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If you are interested in having a special piece done, just email me at jbboutique at yahoo.com and we can chat. I just received a new commission I'm excited about. 

It's of someone's young son and his friend and should be fun to paint!