Summer Friend

Many of you may be familiar with.... the Eastern Box Turtle!

Contemplation: Box Turtle Shell

oil on canvas, 10"x8"

email info@susannapantas.com for purchase information

The subtle patterning of colors on the surface are gorgeous - and I marvel at the symmetry.   I wonder about the small soul who once lived within the orange and black patterned armor, and whether he or she liked blackberries or mulberries or wine berries best.  

One of the new little ones

Contemplation: Remembering the Wind

oil on canvas, 10"x8"

email info@susannapantas.com for purchase info

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am working on many more from the Contemplations series.  I just can't get enough of this series!  The small format of the canvases makes these paintings quick and fun for me.  This painting, above, may look familiar, as it is the same butterfly featured in another painting that is called "Contemplation: Remnants of Flight," however this is from a different angle and on a smaller canvas.  I wanted to continue to push myself with trying to create the powdery and glittery aspect of the fragile Swallowtail wings.  I just love how the edges are a bit jagged and the perfection of the butterfly isn't quite... yet the beauty still remains.

Busy, Busy, Busy (Thankfully: Productive too!)

Things have been steadily chugging along in my studio lately.  I don't know if it is the beautiful spring weather that has been adding a creative wind to my lungs or what  (somehow I doubt this... considering my new Claritin regime!).   I think what has happened is that I am finding myself incredibly inspired by those around me and in the creative world.   Spending time at the recent opening, on March 11th, at ArtSource Fine Art in Raleigh was so much fun.  Seeing old friends and new artwork has added more grease to my wheels and stirred me to paint.  Here are a few images I took in my studio today:

Above: I'm working on new small Contemplations as well as several larger paintings in an as-of-yet-unnamed series.  These paintings are all in various stages of completion.  Sometimes it is hard to know when they're done!

Above: a reclining figurative piece that still has a long way to go...

Above: Pictures of new works in progress, including one from my Avian series in the top right hand corner of the photo.

I usually work on several pieces at once, finding that the medium of oil paint forces me to slow down and take breaks even when I want to continue.  Each layer has to suitably dry before I can add a new one, so when that happens... on to the next!  It's actually very refreshing and allows for a mental break of sorts.  If I'm working on an especially repetitive detail or pattern, working on a broader application of paint on another painting helps to loosen my tension and paint more freely.

Painting the Peacock

Recently, I had the privilege of painting one of the most exotic and flamboyant of birds, the peacock.  This was a commissioned work that was intended to hang in a client's study.   She was basing her entire room around the colors in a peacock - the golds, teals, blues, and greens - and this painting was to be a focal point.  A lifelong lover of rock-n-roll, this client would also accompany the painting with framed rock album covers hanging nearby.  I knew this piece had to be fun, dramatic, and energetic.  I used a variety of photos from the internet as references to create a piece that was truly my own.

Here is the finished painting, which is an oil on canvas, measuring 24"x30"

Fanfare

oil on canvas, 24"x30"

SOLD

closeup 1

closeup 2