Uncategorized Archives - Page 29 of 32

…For My Little Super Heros

Work In Progress

Boy’s bedroom wall

Here’s a sneak peek of a wall mural I’ve been working on for my boys, especially my oldest. It’s hard to believe he will be turning four in a couple weeks. My husband has been asking me to make a super hero room for my boys since they were still a thought. I think this present may be more for him than my little guys. 😉

This has turned in to quite a project. I have been working on it for a week straight. Two of the walls are covered with a cityscape as seen above and there are five super heros scattered among it. Fortunately, I’ve had some help from my awesome sister-in-law, Darby who gave up her weekend to help me paint buildings – but boy do I miss my watercolors!

Artist Spotlight: Crystal Cook

Several months ago when I decided to start working with watercolor, I started researching watercolor artists and came across an incredible blog that belonged to accomplished Utah artist, Crystal Cook. I was immediately drawn to her work – the use of light, the intense feeling that comes from each portrait, and the way each picture tells a story. I started following Crystal’s blog and quickly found that her blog is very special. She is funny, intelligent, and extremely talented!

I quickly formed an online friendship with Crystal and she has graciously offered to allow me to interview her. Here is your chance to get to know her, through her answers and online presence:

Bring Me to Life by Crystal Cook

Tell us a little bit about your background as an artist.

I’ve pretty much always been painting or drawing. I was the kid in school who always turned in my homework with horses, or princesses drawn around the margins.

But I really got serious about honing my skills after my first son was born, ten years ago. The powerful emotions of motherhood took me by surprise, I didn’t even know I was capable of loving someone like that. My days were spent holding my son and studying his sweet baby face, and I had this all-consuming love for him that I had never felt for anyone else. Painting my son, and working to improve at capturing a real likeness of him, was a way I felt I could express those emotions.

Fascination by Crystal Cook

What inspires you to paint most?

Light. I am almost always left awestruck when I see some beautiful sunlight, feeling this compelling urge to run for my camera, pencils, or brushes. Sometimes when I see something in the right light it hits me so strongly that I almost feel like weeping. It can really be any subject as long as the light is captivating. Of course other things factor in after that, I’m very drawn to faces and expression, color, reflections, and body language.

Solemn by Crystal Cook

Why do you favor painting portraits over other types?

I love expression, and I love seeing it up close. People (or animal’s for that matter) loose a little bit of their natural inhibitions when you’re looking at them close up, eye to eye. I also just love seeing people live their life. I love wondering about someone’s story, what they might be thinking, whether it’s something so mundane as what they’re having for dinner to something a little more compelling like if that guy they’re into is going to kiss them on their next date. And I think that some of that, those feelings, can be captured in a portrait and that’s what keeps me painting. Striving to capture that.

Self-portrait by Crystal Cook

In all the years that you’ve painted, are there any techniques that you’ve learned that significantly improved your work or helped your find your style?

The thing that helped me the most was a statement by Cindy Agan, a realistic watercolor artist who I really admire, she said that a lot of artist’s she knew could finish a painting in a matter of hours and hers would take her days and days. So she tried painting looser because she felt a need to fit in, but it just never felt like it fit her. Then a friend told her to forget worrying about it, that’s how she paints. So she did, and painted realism very happily after that.

That stuck with me because a lot of what painting realism is, is taking time to observe what’s in front of you and translating that to your painting. It isn’t a quick process, and we shouldn’t expect it to be. Once I realized that, I decided to try a slow, gradual build up of color and value with light washes and that’s when my style really became my own. Once I slowed down to really think about how watercolor worked I realized that I was in control of how I painted and I could choose to be as loose or tight in a given area as I wanted.

Windows by Crystal Cook

What are your long term goals as an artist?

I just want to always love to paint and to always have the means to do so. Sales and acclaim are wonderful and I’m so thankful for all that I’ve had so far, but ultimately for me painting is a love affair and I want to always have that excitement, and enthusiasm for putting brush to paper that I have now.

Safe Keeping by Crystal Cook

Which tools (for inspiration, learning, selling your work, etc.) have helped you most as an artist?

Reading other artist’s blogs is a great source of information for me. I soak up so much from studying paintings I love. I also love art magazines and collect them like a crazy lady. I love going through them and studying artwork. Practicing every day is also vital to my own art education, I always seem to learn something new when I sit down to paint. And as far as selling goes I think Etsy and Daily Paintworks have helped me the most. It gave me a platform to get my art seen and those sites also encouraged me to continue producing work.

What are some of your favorite materials?

I love synthetic sable brushes, this surprises a lot of people because they’re seen as inferior for some reason, but I love them. My favorite brand is Robert Simmons white sable in a size 8, 12 and 4. I also realy love the colors quinacridone rose, cobalt blue, and hansa yellow light by Daniel Smith. And brown madder by Winsor and Newton. Most of the time it’s those three colors (excluding the brown madder) that I use to paint with. Especially skin tones.

Penumbra by Crystal Cook

I want to thank Crystal for her inspiration and support. She has be a wonderful artistic mentor and friend in the time that I’ve known her. In her own words “Huzzah!”

Hide and Seek

8×10

Watercolor

There’s nothing better than a fun day at the beach, especially if it involves a game of hide and seek! The smell of the water, the salty air, waves crashing, and a strong breeze instantly puts you at ease. But children enjoy the beach on a whole different level. The beach becomes their playground. I had so much fun painting this because I felt transported right into the scene. I hope to paint more pictures like this in the future.

Palm Gazing

8×10

Watercolor
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Some people star gaze, but I palm gaze. I love palm trees. This painting was inspired by a trip to Hawaii with my husband, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law. We spent hours sleeping on a beach blanket staring up at the palm trees on Waikiki Beach.

I live in Florida so I see a lot of palm trees, every day. Most of the time I pass them without acknowledging they are even there. But when I take the time to look at them, they take me to a different place and I feel like I’m on vacation. I have a feeling I’ll always live in tropical climates because I can’t bare to live without my favorite tree.

That’s My Dog

Roxy

5×7

Watercolor

This is my dachshund, Roxy, painted from a picture of her at 8 weeks old. Roxy was my husband and I’s first baby. She was so tiny when we got her that she could fit in the palm of our hand. We took her everywhere. About a month after we got her, we thought it would be a great idea to give her a sister, which is when we brought home a rescued mutt – we named her Sasha.

It’s funny how different they are. Roxy is quite stuck up and doesn’t follow direction very well and Sasha (who is twice her size) is super sweet and listens very well. Our dogs were the center of our lives for years, until our boys were born. Now it feels like a chore to feed and walk them, but we still love them and they will always be our first babies.

Sasha: From Start to Finish

Sasha

5×7

Watercolor

This is my sweet baby girl – and this is how I created Sasha’s watercolor.

Sasha – Step 1

Sasha – Step 2

Sasha – Step 3

Sasha – Step 4

Portrait of my Soulmate

My Honey

5×5

Watercolor

This is a portrait of my handsome husband, Alex. He is my soulmate in every sense of the word. There is no doubt in my mind that God had a plan when he put us together years ago. We aren’t perfect but we are perfect for each other.

I painted this portrait from a photo that was taken of us at Christmas time and you would never know by the look on his face that he has a three year old hanging from his arm, but that’s how Alex always is. He has a way with kids and so much more patience than I. I am blessed to have him in my life and to call him the father of my children.

Perfect Day

8×10

Watercolor

There’s nothing better than a day at the beach with family. This is a self portrait with my youngest boy. My husband took a similar photo as the day was winding down and my little guy crawled into my lap to take a late afternoon snooze. We dozed off together and as I woke up, I couldn’t help but realize how truly blessed I am…perfect day.

Animals for Friends

Kimberly’s Pelican

5×7

Watercolor

Kennedy’s Bunny

5×7

Watercolor

These two paintings were created for two of my best friends, Kimberly and Raina (her new baby girl). I enjoy paining for dear friends so much. Sharing art with the people you love has to be one of the most rewarding things you can do.

Three Little Ducks

Mandarin Ducks

8 x 10

Watercolor
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I love the colors in these ducks and I love even more that they’re “three little birds.”