White, not black

I'm painting a picture frame for Abbey and I planned to use a black background.  My "black" is actually green-black because it's not as harsh and flat as black black.

However, I haven't been able to find green-black, so I'll use a white background.  Not actually white, but a very, very pale green-white.  Again, it's not as harsh and flat as white white.  Now I have to try out a new varnish that's not too shiny to coat the background before I begin painting the flowers.

A gift for Pete

Pete wanted me to paint something for him that he could use, not just set on a shelf, so I made him this cutting board.  He knows the rules: only use the unpainted side, place a towel under the board so you don't scratch the paint, and don't use it for fish or meat.  The last rule shouldn't be too hard for vegetarian Pete.

A finished plate

Here is my finished plate.  I think the bright flowers look quite dramatic on the black background.

Class project

This is the plate I worked on during my recent four-day class.  I will be painting a few more small flowers nearer the rim of the plate and then doing something decorative on the rim.  The red rose, the orange eight-petal flower and the leaves were all new to me.  The class was very energizing.

Learning from the master

I just finished a wonderful four-day class with a master rosemaler.  What a pleasure!  There were twelve of us in the class and you can see how intent we are to learn from this talented teacher.  As I work on things I've learned from her, I will will show them on future posts.

Eleven little birds

I finished painting eleven bird Christmas ornaments--one for me and ten for my rosemaling club.  I think they're sweet.

No, No, Yes

I will be painting ten bird-shaped Christmas ornaments for my rosemaling club.  I always agonize over the design because the painting reflects the club as well as me.  I started out with the bird on the left with the yellow flower and green leaves.  That design wasn't going anywhere, so I didn't finish it.  Then I tried the cabbage rose but the flower seemed to disappear on the white background and the dark blue leaves were too harsh.

Then I tried one of my Os flowers because of the bright, happy colors.  I first painted the bird in the middle, but thought it looked a little empty.  Then I painted the bottom one, but I think the top one fits the bill.  Now I just have to paint them.