Mini pond paintings

Pencil Up

Preliminary acrylic paint

I haven’t put any of my larger pond paintings up for sale yet because of my merchandising efforts, so I decided to do some mini 4″X4″ ones for sale in my etsy shop or on instagram. I am working on all three at once in a little row on by drafting table because they are so small and to keep the colors somewhat unified. They are all developing a slightly different palette as I go along, which is nice.

Red brick

Red brick facade

All finished with this traditional Southern red brick home. These bricks commonly feature an even coloration with not a lot of variation to it. The bay bump out and the half round window tops add lots of visual interest. That must be a rather spectacular two story foyer for an entranceway, too. Don’t forget to notice the angled soldier brick courses with a limestone keystone above the windows and garage doors. Lots of details added to make this a lovely home for a family to grow in.

Not a great deal of landscaping in the front, but it is still welcoming. The pink/white flowers are azaleas, another common southern home feature. I have tried to grow them up here in Indiana, but the are super sensitive to frost and often get burned. A large, blooming spring azalea is something to see after a dark and gloomy winter.

A last minute commission in 2020

I got a surprise home portrait commission right before Christmas. She wanted it for a gift for New Year’s and I am happy to say UPS made it in time. It is a stately home that raised children with good memories and is now being moved out of.

Maybe it’s done now

Is it this one

Or this one

There are only a few subtle changes in these two. Can you tell which is the final? Look for the little bit of change in the blues and whites, especially around the flowers.

Okay, it is the top one. I took out a bit of the reflections. Not a big deal, but it made a difference to my eyes. I am taking all of my pond paintings to a photographer to have really good color quality pictures for marketing them. I got accepted into the on-line art print dealer Turning Art and I want the absolute best representation for them. Don’t get me wrong. I like what I have done for my Society6 shop on my own. I certainly would not put up something I was unhappy with, but I think it is time to up my game.

I think out of all of the pond paintings I have done these last two years, this is my favorite. What about you? I think if you search for pond paintings here, they should come up.

Mostly done

More paint on

Subtle changes

Is this is mostly done? What does it still need? A lot, actually. I know it is hard to see, but the bottom one is a later version and I still think it needs a lot of work. It is still quite flat looking and not enough tonal difference. I changed the photo to black and white and it definitely showed that the tonal balance was off. The good thing is that the more I do these, the less afraid I am of making alterations. I think you will like it when it is done.