Addition to the calla lillies post.

Here is an updated photo of the four 8" x 10" paintings together as a set.  I don't have the original, so it's low-res, but still gives an idea of the look.  :)  Also, feel free to "like" me on my facebook page!  Happy first day of Autumn, everyone!

Orange calla lillies!

My co-worker commissioned another floral painting for the series I've been working on for her.  Yay for more work!  We might be discussing additional paintings in the future, too.  This one is to replace the pink plumeria in the set below (some of the ones below are upside down - this isn't how they're going to be hung, but it shows a bit of how they'll look together).  The plumeria will actually be hung separately, with the orange calla lilies taking its place diagonally across from the other orange (tiger lily) painting.

Previously created set:

New painting:

8" x 10," acrylic on canvas.  Picked up some Liquitex acrylic mediums over the weekend (a set with Clear Gesso, Slow-Dri Blending Medium, Flexible Modeling Paste, Gloss Super Heavy Gel, Pouring Medium, and High Gloss Varnish).  I'm especially excited about the Slow-Dri blending Medium, which is supposed to slow drying time by as much as 40%.  We'll see!

Also got some earrings and pendants done over the weekend, although thus far I've only taken pictures of the octopi set:

Hope everyone had a great weekend!  This gorgeous fall weather here has me itching to create.  :)  Can't wait to see the leaves turning here, since it's reputed to be quite lovely.

Cosmo Portrait!

So one of my dear, dear friends from back home and I are attempting to keep each other accountable in our art by setting bi-weekly goals of creating pieces with a certain theme.  This is our first one, and we went with pet portraits.  So here's the initial sketch for the Cosmo (my almost 6 month old, 11lb wire-terrier mix) portrait, and the photo it's based off of:

His one ear perks up like that all the time, it's soooo cute.  :)

Here's the finished portrait:

I feel like it captured his energy and attitude pretty well... ie., inquisitive and generally confused.  :)

Current Projects

It looks like I might be starting on another commission for a co-worker soon, but in the meantime I'm working on two different paintings.  I suppose both are slightly in the Halloween spirit.  :)

Underpainting sketch for my Archaeopteryx (meaning "ancient wing!" how much cooler can you get?) piece.  Planning on making the feathers fun and colorful.  I just love how skeletal images have such interesting negative space to play with.  And with dinosaurs, a little artistic license can be granted in my opinion...

Hooray zombies!  Here's the original sketch and underpainting sketch for my kabuki samurai zombie.  I want him to be pretty colorful and gruesome by the time I'm done.

Hooray fall!  I'm curious to see if the famed dreary Seattle weather ends up affecting my style.  Hopefully not.  :)

Introduction

Hello everyone!  I'm Kelly M. Cook, and I'm excited to be tying things together for launching a bit more of a brand for myself in regards to my art.  I'm a Charleston, SC artist who relocated to Seattle, WA with my husband in May.  It's gorgeous here, and despite missing family and friends back home like crazy, I love it!  I mean really, you can't beat having the mountains and the ocean all in one place.  Take that and add amazing food, a great art and music scene, progressive thinking and a multi-cultural environment... sounds a little too good to be true!

I've been creating art for a long as I've had the motor skills to grab a pencil. After showing with groups from 2009 - 2011 in Charleston, I'm excited to meet new people and discover new venues in this area to become involved with. I'm currently consigning with Skin & Soul Tattoo Shop in Bellevue, WA. Looking forward for further showing, consignment, and craft show opportunities as the year goes on!  Thank you for visiting my blog.  :)

Feel free to check me out on the following:
Etsy - www.etsy.com/shop/RenaitreALaVie
DeviantArt - http://joidvivre.deviantart.com/ 

Twitter - http://twitter.com/kellymcookart