This project was a commissioned paintings order from Project Self-Sufficiency. Each year, they give the board members a gift when they retire. I’ve been honored to create paintings for this for the past two years. Project Self-Sufficiency is near and dear to my heart and I love being able to create art for them as a way to express my appreciation for the things that program helped me do!
These are 8×10 canvasses and I used acrylic paint.
This is an old painting that never made it on this site, I guess. I think it’s because I can’t figure out how to get a good picture of it! About 3 feet tall. Acrylic on canvas. Check out the before and after picture! The revamp was after I’d gone to school and studied art! There’s still much room for improvement in some areas on the newer version, but quite a difference in skill!
Commission request by Project Self-Sufficiency.
I was asked to paint three paintings for board members who retire or move on to different paths and leave the organization. They were very pleased with the paintings.
I took a unique approach to a landscape painting and used one to cut out the shape of a tree, and then painted a mountain theme and sunset in the background, representing the beautiful Colorado sky.
-A-
This painting was a new request for me. A family member passed away recently and was cremated. I mixed his ashes with most of the paint and came up with this for his mother. When asked what kind of painting she wanted, she replied “Modern art.” To me, this means a billion different things, but my mind tends to gravitate towards more abstract concepts when I first hear those words. I didn’t really have a plan at first; in fact, I started one painting and it wasn’t striking me in the right way for what I was trying to accomplish. This turned out more to my liking. Painting with ashes was interesting. I had to strain it through a small screen to get it finer than it was initially (i.e. I had to strain out the bits of bone). I left some texture on the canvas using molding past in my paint mixture. I used Golden Open Acrylics.
Mixing. Here you can see the bone.
Painting abstract compositions is refreshing. I feel like even if there is a direction you’d like to go, the painting takes you along on its own journey. I represented the sun (or, son), along with a loose representations of a mountain and clouds, upside down rain, all incorporated in red, the favorite color of the recipient.
-ALN
This is a digital version of an acrylic painting. Golden Open Acrylics are my go-to when canvas painting. This original was donated to a fundraising auction. Prints of digital version available. I love the way Illustrator translated my brush strokes, it makes for its very own version, leaving the original painting truly a one-of-a-kind.
Caricature of my moms two dogs, Penny and Ruby. Acrylic on canvas 2010
I painted this for my son, Max, while I was pregnant with him. Acrylic paint on compressed cardboard 24″ x 36″ . 2009
Painting, Acrylic on Canvas
Novotny Artistry 