775 Three Graces

For this painting, I was blessed with a beautiful reference photo taken by my friends, Ann and Steve on their trip to Tanzania a few years ago.  I am enthralled with the beautiful acacia trees.  I am happy with the complimentary color palette and am getting a little more familiar with the oil paints.

"775 Three Graces"
oil - 18x24 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/775-three-graces/445529

dianecampion.blogspot.com

771 Twisted

This is another scene from Tanzania of an acacia tree, photo taken by my friends, Ann and Steve.  I am very drawn to these beautiful trees in photos and paintings, but am not sure I have ever seen one in person, although I learned through research that some varieties grow in the United States in South Carolina, Arizona and Hawaii. I particularly like the Umbrella Acacia shown in this painting because of its graceful trunk and the shape of its foliage, sometimes called the thorn tree acacia.

As I was reading about the Acacia, I learned that gum arabic is derived from this tree, and I have used it as an adhesive and an additive to ink for calligraphy purposes.  It is also a common ingredient in some beverages (Fresca, RC Cola, Root Beer) and in Altoid mints,  gum and M&M pretzels, as well as in perfume.  The wood is used for hardwood floors and furniture.

As you can probably see, I enjoy learning from painting different subjects.   I learn something new from each new painting, in this case, not only about the Acacia tree, but another lesson in painting with oil paints. 

"771 Twisted"
oil - 18x24 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/771-twisted/443745

dianecampion.blogspot.com

770 A Bird's Eye View

The beautiful photo reference for this painting was taken in Tanzania by my world traveler friends, who have been to so many exciting places, often biking their way through the countrysides.  I live vicariously through them as I am somewhat impaired when it comes to travel, although I have been to Lebanon three times, which most people find daunting.  It is hard for me to imagine being so close to a zebra and other wild animals.  They have graciously shared their photos with me and have given me permission to paint them.  Thank you Ann and Steve.

I've been feeling a little restless with the start of the new year.  I have been tirelessly working on portraits with determination to master them, but I really needed a little break because I've also pretty much run out of interesting photo references after scouring thousands of photos in my iPhoto folders.  The conversations go like this:  "Would you please send me photos of people in interesting poses with high contrast and no teeth showing? "  .......somewhat limiting.

In the months ahead, I have scheduled two weekend workshops from two of my favorite artists, both of whom teach and paint in oil.  Although I love the many benefits of acrylics, I would like to experiment with oil paints.  I have dabbled in the past, painting seascapes, but nothing like this subject matter.  For this painting, I used water soluble oil paints, which behave like oil paints (I think) but there are no smelly chemicals involved, and best of all, they clean up with soap and water.   I really enjoyed the experience and plan to continue pursuing this medium.

"770 A Bird's Eye View"
oil - 16x20 in

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/diane-campion/770-a-birds-eye-view/443121

dianecampion.blogspot.com