One Smiling Artist and a Couple of Happy Cows

I nearly finished this piece yesterday and I just couldn't wait to show it off.  When you have been working steadily on a piece for several weeks, like I have been with this one, there is a since of satisfaction that comes over you as you head to the finish line.  

I really experience so much fun as these paintings come to that completion stage.  This is when I decide on last minute additions to the composition that I think really add character to the overall piece.  In this case, I decided to add a spunky little male sparrow on the fence post and a small butterfly resting on yellow wildflowers.  The bright yellow and orange are a great balance to the signature blue morning glories growing up the old wood fence post.

As I painted on this piece, these last few days, I could almost imagine the scent of the sweet pasture grass, the sound of the birds in the distant trees and even feel the warm sunlight hitting my face.  This exact scene or a variation of it plays out over and over again across this big beautiful country.  If you have spent any amount of time driving across the middle section of this vast country, you know exactly the story I'm trying to tell you here with my paintbrushes.

Cows seem to be constantly grazing like giant grass machines. They are almost always curious to a fault.  I find that they will usually stop for a moment to stare back at you with their big brown eyes as they stand there trying to figure out what in the world you are doing.  Of course who wouldn't stare at you jumping up and down, flapping your arms in the air, and "Mooing" at them like a darn fool.

 I loved the challenge of painting the roan coloring of these shorthorns.  Mostly using a combination of Violet, Raw Umber and Burnt Sienna but if you look closely there are touches of Orange, Lavender and Light Ultramarine Blue and White making up the fur.  Between the bright colors and their comical faces this painting is sure to bring a smile to your face just like it did to mine.




I am titling this one "Happy Cows" because it is sure to make you happy!  This painting will be featured in my solo art show next month at the Whitney Library.  If you are going to be in the area between March 28th and May 30th, I would love for you to stop by the gallery there and let me know what you think.  My reception will be on March 28th and I will be there with several giveaways and drawings to make the evening special.  Here is an invite just for you.

A FREE Valentine Gift for you.

Last week I ran a contest for my other blog that I have started called "Embrace Your Creative Side" and the response was so amazing on my Facebook page that I decided I had better share this with my Julie Townsend Studio followers too.  Of my five Valentine designs for 2017, this one that I call "Puppy Love" won the most votes.  So to show my appreciate and to say Happy Valentines Day to all my friends, I made this image into a FREE printable PDF file.  There are two (2) 4 x 6 " postcards to a page and all you have to do is to click on the link below and it will take you to that blog post.

Let me know if you actually decided to print out the card and add it to your Valentine Gift Giving.  I would love to hear about it.  This image and many more are available in my Etsy Store or you can contact me directly by email.


Embrace Your Creative Side: My Free Valentine Gift to You: 

Am I Ready for the BIG Leagues?

 

"Reach for the Sky"- Commission Piece painted for Walter Johnson Jr. High School- 18 x 24 Acrylic 

In the past two weeks I took a step in my art career that has been one I have wanted to take for some time but was hesitant.  Then this painting came along and I decided to have my most recent painting "Reach for the Sky" professionally scanned and digitized so that I could have the ability to have quality giclee prints made in the future.   I felt this particular piece was one that might have a greater appeal to a pretty broad audience and so I took the plunge.

On the recommendation of a good artist friend of mine,  I contacted Joyce Kasprzyk at Max Art Production here in Las Vegas.  Joyce was so awesome and I immediately took a liking to her.  She wound up taking me on a tour of the entire facility.  Every room we visited was full of the biggest printers and scanners I had ever seen.  Of course she had to show me the large print job they had just completed for the actor Jim Carrey.  Who knew he was an artist but just looking at that giant print made me feel like I had just been moved up to the major leagues.

The process itself was a wee bit expensive but I'm hopeful to recoup my invest many times over.  I was very pleased a week later when I arrived to actually view and approve the proofs.  The one proof you see is the one that I didn't take.  I was very pleased with the color and the clarity.  Of course this photo is taken only with my cell phone camera of the original artwork and with the proof laid on top. 

Usually we take a photo of my artwork outside in the shade with our Canon camera.  This works okay but sometimes I notice there is a flat spot or a little color distortion.  I make sure that I take have the picture taken before a coat of varnish is applied but even so often there will be a slight reflection that is difficult to deal with.  When I look at the two photos below and compare the images side by side I can see such a difference in clarity and color.  Perhaps if we knew just a bit more about our camera we could improve on the quality of the pictures we take but it is hard to image that we could get them as spot on as Max Art Productions did for me.  

Here you can judge for yourself:

No Edit - Photo taken by our camera

Photo using auto correction feature on Photoshop Elements

WOW-Professionally scanned image