Experimenting landscapes??

So normally, I don't paint landscapes.

Yes, I do a little bit(ish) in my spray painting. But the spray paint is meant to be more of a background, not the subject. I honestly have never like oil painting landscapes. I've only ever done maybe one or two in my entire life and never actually liked them.

But my heart has just been aching to do a beach or ocean scene lately. Probably my poor soul missing the homeland of Hawaii, and then getting stuck here in Idaho. It can do a number on you.

Anyway. I didn't want it to just be any old landscape or I knew I wouldn't like it. So I decided to have some fun. I found these two old pieces of wood in our storage unit. That just happened to fit perfectly together.
I sanded them down, and put some olive oil on it. If you paint on any porous surface in oil paint, you want to prep it. Many artists like different, customized levels of porous canvases. Some add extra layers of gesso and glue, to smooth it out, or rough it out. Whatever they prefer.

I like rougher surfaces personally. I think it adds texture, smooth surfaces just feel slippery.

But especially with a piece of wood, wood is extra porous. So I added olive oil to it to soak down into the wood, so the oil in my paint wouldn't get sucked into it too quickly.

Then I got to painting! It's totally fun to experiment and do different thing with your art every so often.

I think I might drill some holes in the top of it and hang some rope through it. Since obviously framing two pieces of wood wouldn't feel right.

My reference pic of this beach was stormy. So the sky was really grey. And I didn't like that. So I changed a few things including that. I also wanted to make it represent more one of our favorite beaches we would go to in Hawaii, Kawella Bay (which is also where they filmed movies such as the Hunger Games: Catching Fire by the by).

But well, without further adieu, my 3rd landscape in my life, the beach!

Happy Halloween!

Or well fine, the day after Halloween. Whatever.

Anyway, Ryan and I had an awesome Halloween this year! I did some pretty cool (if I do say so myself) face paint and makeup. And Ryan being the wonderful photographer he is, and I, wanted to go for an adventure and take some cool pics of it!

I think we're a pretty good photographer team. He poses and takes the pics, and I edit them! Here's what we came up with!

Ugh, as for the makeup, it was draining. I didn't have the powder I should have had for the look I wanted, just paint, that I've had stored up for two years! And a couple of old dirty make up sponges. But hey, you make do with your tools! I'm still happy with how it came out. An hour and a half later, I came out looking like the half-dead!
I also did end up just dapping a bit of my glittery eye shadow hi-lighting powder on, to give it a more 3D look. So if you got up close, I was a sparkly skeleton ;) And a lot of the black I just used my black eye shadow for! Which worked, perrrrfectlyyyyyy.

(The full album is on my facebook, both my personal and my art page. But here are just a few of my faves!)

What a fun time! These were just taken in an empty lot across the street from our house!

We even had a few trick or treaters too. But then went and hung out with some awesome friends and watched scary videos!

Hope your Halloween was just as Spook-tacular!

BOO!

Plumeria Painting for my Mom!

I've been feeling pretty sick lately, but finally finished my mom's painting! Not many people get free art from me, but naturally the woman who gave birth to me is one of them! :)

Sometimes when I paint, I won't be interested in the subject. That's why typically when I do come up with a painting, I know I need to get it done quickly before I get bored with it. Well this was one that I started while I wasn't super interested. I love flowers, but they're not my main love to paint. So I more so started it out of obligation.
I did an outline and blocked in the colors one day........and then I lost interest. It took me weeks to get back at this one, but when you feel it, you feel it.
And man I FELT it!

For some reason just the other day I had this URGE to paint these! I NEEDED to paint these plumerias. So I practically finished it in one day. Almost.
But then I got sick. So today I picked it back up and finished it! And for not painting flowers often, I've only done maybe 2 other flower paintings in oil in my life, I'm decently proud of it :)

I know it's not perfect. I don't want it to be. But I think it's good.

The background is green spray paint. And the flowers are oil. One thing I love about doing oil on spray paint is that if you mess up on the oil, let it dry, and you can pretty much scrub it all off with turpentine. Without damaging the spray paint. So as long as you don't have layers and layers of oil paint.
A lot of people say you shouldn't paint oil over acrylic, vice versa, but I don't care. Technically speaking, it shouldn't exist. Because when oil is painted over plastic the oil can't bind to anything. Hmmm....well it works for me!

Night Waterfall

New spray painting today!

This one is similar to my Hawaiian Sunset painting, but is a night scene.
Man I will tell ya, sponges and spray paint are difficult little monsters to put together. That's possibly because of I use the crappiest, cheapest of everything. But hey, it's a poor workman who blames his tools.

Anyway. For some reason I was having difficulty getting the big shiny stars on this one. On the waterfall I tried to have a sparkle star, but I destroyed it about 4 times and had to re-do my waterfall until it became decent.

I also did this painting on the back of one of my old poster board projects from my graphic design class.....So there may or may not be a design of a man's face on the other side of this....

Using poster board.

Pro: It makes the spray paint extra shiny, so it's extra fantastic to look at.

Con: Because it's super shiny, it's extra glare prone. Making it impossible to figure out how to get a decent picture.

Someday I will put in the effort to take nice pictures of all my paintings with my nice camera, instead of my husbands iphone....

And that day will be wonderful.

Also, when painting most people will wear gloves, whether oil painting, or especially when spray painting. But not me!

Wearing gloves while painting just doesn't feel right, especially since I use my fingers for many of the textures in both mediums. Wearing gloves feels constrictive. I need to feel the paint on my fingers to know I'm doing it right.

While it is impossible to wash off my hands afterwords, I will accept the consequences!

Viva free hands!

New art Website!

Everyone go check out my new website for my art!

I put a lot of effort into it!

It'd just be fantastic if you would share it too!

Thank you!

kanoelaniart.com

Shabby Chic Night Stand in Lace

I know this isn't a painting or anything as in actual art, but it is one of my crafts!
I am so excited with how this came out!

And using the lace doilies was an absolute treasure!

It used to be just all solid black, and now it's fantastic!

First Hawaiian sunset waterfall Spray Painting

Today I experimented a bit and made my first waterfall spray painting, that I actually like. I'd done several other waterfalls before with the dragging method, but didn't really care for the finished look. The water just reminds me of ice-sickles, So I tried some spongemethods today. I think they're handy but only when used in proper placement.

The sponge causes a harder edge so I wouldn't want to use them on clouds close to the horizon, because the closer to the horizon they are the farther away they are, and objects as they get farther get softer edges. But I liked the sponges for the higher clouds.

I currently have the make up type sponges, the rectangular ones, I think the circular or rounder edged ones would be better for the vegetation on the mountain side.

I also got new spray paint today!!! YAY! I love getting new colors! But hate sooooo much how expensive they are...it slightly kills my soul.
Today I got a turquoise called beach island, and a coral pink. Real original huh.

Detail pic on right

Current sale price $100