paintandsimple

4″ square oil on panel

SOLD

If you are fortunate to have cardinals a part of your winter landscape you know how stunning they appear against the bleak winter landscape. They are my delight ever winter.

If this little painting would delight someone on your Christmas list, it is available for $35. Please contact me directly julianacrownover@gmail.com

If you would like to give the gift that keeps on giving, consider a painting class! I have classes that range from a couple hours to week long workshops. Learn more here

20″x16″ pastel on sanded board

I Love this guy.

20″x16″ pastel on sanded board

I painted today at Baylor Hospital in Dallas. So many people stopped to talk. They had stories about their friends who raise, or just love chickens. They also wanted to talk art, there are many artists out there waiting to fulfill their potential. Maybe I gave them a nudge in that direction today. Mostly I just had people thank me for breaking up their Thursday. My art gave people a break before an oncology appointment or infusion. Turns out I can spread the joy I get from painting!

I just finished a very successful mixed media workshop, photos and report to come. I love opening up the world of “why not try this?” Into paintings. This morning I opened up the a new world of possibility, and scavenged some old clothes, some really ugly upholstery fabric (turned dull side out), and some random bits of fabric from my sewing box.

I am working on a big commission. I decided it needed more light, more clean color, and more texture. So I made…FABRIC BRUSHSTROKES! I can’t wait to incorporate them into the painting.

Coming up…

If you are in the DALLAS area, I will be at Northaven Garden Center selling my art Dec. 1st.

7″x5″ pastel on sanded paper

Downtown Granada, Spain. So beautiful. The sky really was purple!

7″x5″ pastel on sanded paper with alcohol underpainting

I love the way this underpainting made this grey day colors sing.

18″x12″ charcoal on Canson paper

Life drawing. I drew the whole face; what I was really happy with was the nose!

Oil on panel

Value studies are something I do a lot in my art. In art terms, value is essentially how light or dark something is. If you can get the values correct, you can have a blast with the color. Color seduces and confuses us, so a value study keeps you on track.

As I wrap up my month of pink paintings for breast cancer Awareness, I think about how cancer can serve as a value study for our lives. The diagnosis comes and suddenly what is important to you or not important seems much more clear. I think that is one of the blessings of cancer. Sometimes it allows people to not sweat the small stuff and to focus on what really matters to them.

Please enjoy a celebration of pink paintings this month, in honor of breast cancer awareness. I paint for my friends and family who have fought the good fight against cancer, for their families, and for all caregivers who help along with the journey toward a healthy self (body, soul, and spirit). In my strokes of pink, are prayers of strength and healing.