Fine Art of Debbie Lamey-MacDonald: winter

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Winter Offerings

Winter Offerings, 4x4in. Oil on linen/board. Available

Available Here

Winter Offerings

"In the depth of winter, mother nature continues to present her offerings."

Debbie Lamey-MacDonald ©

This was another tiny bottle my mom bought for me at a local flea market. I loved its size and shape. I picked the fir sprig and rose hips while I was on my walk. Although sparse, still life subjects can still be found in nature during this cold season. I have to admit though, I am dreaming of days when the land will be filled with blooms and lushness again!

This was a different background color for me. At first I wasn't quite sure if I was going to like it, but once I started painting the fir and rose hips it seemed to make them pop. The warm tones against the cool seemed to be a nice combination.

Here are a couple of photos of my studio set up and work in progress.

I have been spending some cozy time in my studio these days. Between winter storms and frigid days, it is a nice place to escape the reality of winter. I have begun to work on a larger painting that I started awhile ago, but didn't get to finish. It sure is a change going from a 4x4in. to 24x12in. surface. Wink, wink. It is enjoyable to get lost in a larger format again though.

Here is an in progress shot showing my reference material, plein air painting, digitals and also my color notes written on location. The location is Powell's Pt. Park--one of my favorite places to paint.

You can join me on Facebook where I often post in progress updates.

Wishing you a Wonderful Day!

Warmly,

Debbie

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Thursday, January 15, 2015

Rescued and Word of the Year

Rescued, 4x4in. Oil on linen/board. Sold

Sold

Rescued

"Rescued from icy conditions, tiny crab apples relax upon a bowl of turquoise."

Debbie Lamey-MacDonald

I really enjoyed painting this one. I bought the turquoise bowl with my miniatures in mind. Loved the color and shape! I rescued these crab apples from icy branches and tucked them in my freezer when I got home. My family of guys just grinned and shook their heads when they saw them in the freezer. They have become accustomed to their resident artist. Never a dull moment! lol

Clusters of crab apples hanging from the trees. They looked like Christmas baubles.

I knew I wanted to paint them sometime, but wasn't sure when, due to my busy schedule. A month and a half later they came out of hiding to debut in this little still life.

The apples became darker from being frozen, but I thought they looked really rich beside the turquoise. I was also happy I had kept the branch intact as well. It created nice movement in the painting.

Up close and personal!

On another note, January is a great time of year to take stock of where we are and the direction we would like to be taking in various areas of our life--career, personal etc. One of the more common practices this time of year is to write New Year's Resolutions. I think they are a good idea in some respects because they help focus our dreams and desires. However, they are sometimes another "thing" to do and fall by the wayside because they do not align with our internal desires, only our "shoulds"! That is why a few years ago I began picking a word of the year that I felt intuitively aligned with where or what I wanted to experience more in my life for the upcoming year.

You can fine Christine Kane's Word of the Year booklet Here.

I got this idea from Christine Kane. She also has a great little workbook you can print off to get you started on picking your word. You can find her workbook here. I like to type my word and post it around the house, in my studio etc. My word this year is "Expansion" and last year's was "Joy" -- it led me well throughout 2014. Thought you might like to give it a try! Good Luck!

Hoping all your Dreams come True in 2015!!