Sunrise: Morning Has Broken

Sunrise:

Morning Has Broken

The sun rises over distant hills casting a rosy glow across the landscape. The colors are slightly muted, more subtle than the colors of a sunset - a bright, cheerful hello at the beginning of a day in contrast to the vivid, dramatic colors announcing its end.
In order to preserve the luminosity of the colors, I worked this one in layers, gradually building them up from very thin to thicker paint.  It was done is a somewhat looser style than my animal and wildlife paintings without so much attention to detail.
The colors themselves are a fairly standard selection - ultramarine with a little cerulean blue and lots of white for the sky, more white, cad yellow hue and a little ochre for the sun, and just a tiny bit of crimson and even more white where the sun meets the blue sky.  The earth was painted in ochres and umbers, with a bit of raw sienna. I am experimenting with  a new addition to my personal palette -quinacridone burnt orange.  Not new, but new to me and it is working out well so far.
Occasionally adding new colors to my working collection is a good way to keep me from becoming bored - and therefore boring. It can be overdone, of course, but a little change now and then keeps me going.
I gave the painting the title of a favorite song, Morning Has Broken. You may be familiar with Cat Stevens' version of it, My favorite is by Michael Card.

This and many other paintings are available through my gallery

The Creative Spirit, Art by Della Burgus

"At Day's End" Old Barn Acrylic Painting

At Day's End

Old Barn

"At Day's End" signifies not only the end of the day but of a time long past. I thought about calling it "Day is Dying in the West" but that did seem a little depressing, plus it makes rather a long title.

Old barns can be picturesque and are even considered beautiful by some, but to me there is always a sadness about them.  The family farm is quickly disappearing from the American landscape. Where once there was life and activity, crops and livestock, parents and children working and playing together, now there is only silence. That way of life and even its memory is fading away. It has been said that, besides death and taxes, change is the one constant in life. It isn't all bad; in some ways we live better than they did back then. Automobiles are nice, electricity and indoor plumbing. I for one am thankful for the Internet as it has enabled me to meet people throughout the world.  Still, there is a sadness associated with the end of things, a nostalgia, and perhaps a desire to visit those quieter, simpler days if only just once.  We could learn something from them, probably more than we would expect.

This is an acrylic painting on stretched canvas and is available through my online gallery. The Creative Spirit Gallery.  It was inspired by the barn belonging to my husband's step-grandfather.

For a number of reasons, I have been absent from the blog lately and I apologize.  One of my favorite quotes was actually attributed to John Lennon: "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans."  I can blame illness, busyness,  family circumstances, and all kinds of other things, big and little,
but those are the things that make up life, and they are not really an excuse.  I promise to do my best not to let those things get in the way so much, now that they have all settled down a little. For a while at least.

Have a happy Tuesday!

Landscape Meadow Oil Painting by Della Burgus

In Green Pastures

Oil on Canvas

18 x 24

A large oil painting of the peaceful meadow Larry and I see when we drive to his parents' home in southern Iowa. We have been working on the house for more than three years now and we are hoping to sell it soon.   I will miss the lovely scenery but not the long trips, the hard work, nor the drain on our bank account that results from paying two sets of utility bills and property taxes.  We like to think that our "burden" will someday become another person's blessing.

The title is, of course, from Psalm 23:2, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures."  At least that is the way I learned it as a child.  The passage has always had a special meaning for me, because there was a pasture on the farm where I grew up.  I spent hours there "alone," dreaming, imagining, and talking with Jesus. That is how I learned to pray.  These days it seems there are many times when He has to "maketh me to lie down in green pastures."   When deadlines, disappointments and demands overwhelm me,  He says,  "Come away for a while, rest your mind and spirit."  Then I reluctantly put down my work and my worries to spend time with Him in a quiet place. Soon the troubles of the world begin to melt away and all those things that seemed terribly important just don't matter so much any more. But there are other times when He doesn't have to "maketh" me to lie down- when I am so weary of the world and its harshness, when even those closest to me don't understand or seem to care. That's when I run to the green pasture in search of Him and His peace,  and He wraps His arms around me and assures me that everything is in His hands.  

This is the first new painting I have posted in a while and the first landscape in a long, long time.  It was painted on  a large stretched canvas and will need a frame.  I am offering it both framed and unframed. It will be posted on Art Helping Animals and Daily Painters as well as Chisholm Trail Art.
For more info, email me.  dellartist@yahoo.com

Now, go find yourself some green pastures and lie down!

Dog Art Cavalier King Charles Spaniel PLUS A Work in Progress!

All Played Out

Pastel on Sennelier Pastel Card

Image size 7 x 9

Animals have the most expressive faces. While they don't express themselves with words as we humans do,  it is not often difficult to know what they are thinking or what they want to tell you.  This little pup, like most babies, had played very, very hard,  and suddenly realized he was past due for a nap.  When they are puppies, they simply drop wherever they are and take a snooze.  Later on, they have their own special blanket, pillow, or space on the couch, and they absolutely must turn around three times before they lie down.  I have read that is a throwback to when they lived in the wild and had to make sure the area was secure before they slept. Don't know if I buy that, but it does make an interesting story.  This little one, though tired out, looked very content and happy. Cavalier King Charles Spaniels always look happy to me. They are one of my favorite breeds to paint, and if I had room for one more dog in my house,  I would like one of these.

For more information on this or any other painting, email me

dellartist@yahoo.com

WIP*

or

WOMEN** 

 *WIP = WORK IN PROGRESS

**WOMEN= WHAT'S ON MY EASEL NOW

It isn't often that I share anything on this blog except finished works,  and there is good reason for that.  My process is not the usual step by step kind that is taught in art schools, work shops and DVD's,  with each step following the previous one in perfect succession, beautiful harmony, the end evident in the beginning well diagrammed layout.  I work intuitively, though some have unkindly referred to my process  as "convoluted." Some days I make great strides forward - step one, step two, etc. - but there are times when it all falls apart.  I see a passage that maybe needs just a  little adjustment, a tweak. Three hours later I am still "tweaking"  and somehow I know that it will take three more days of work just to bring it back to where it was before.   And don't let anybody fool you - you can't pick up a house painting brush and expect to create a masterpiece in twenty minutes.  It only works that way on TV.

Having said all that, I would like to share with you the painting that is currently on my easel, a landscape of the rolling hills of southern Iowa, my husband's home base.  It has been a while since I have tried a landscape of this size, because so much of my time is taken up with commissioned portraits and my work with Art Helping Animals - plus various family obligations - so it is really exciting for me.  For me painting a landscape is like meeting an old friend that I haven't seen for a while.  It will take us a while to get re-acquainted, but eventually it will be just like old times again.  In anticipation of a show we will be doing this fall,  Art of the Prairie,  I will title this one Prairie Song.

I know that many artists periodically show  works in progress on their blogs - many even include videos of themselves actually doing the painting.  I applaud them for their organizational skills and their courage but have no fear, you will not see anything like that here.   This may be a work in progress or it may be a work in regress, I am not sure.  If it is ever finished, I will share the completed painting with you, but there is no guarantee that you will recognize it.   It is early days yet, so all that remains to be seen.  Or not.

Animal Wildlife Red Fox in the Snow by Della Burgus

A red fox stops for a drink of icy cold water.  This is one of my favorite wild animals to paint. They  are incredibly beautiful, especially in winter landscapes.  There is something about that gorgeous red fur that just stands out against the pure white snow.  Of course I know that they are not universally loved.  We have all heard the phrase, "a fox in the henhouse," and I am certain they deserve that somewhat less than stellar reputation, but when they are in the wild, where they were meant to be, they are amazingly wonderful creatures.  Like all of us, they tend to get into trouble when they wander too far from home and go places that they aren't supposed to go.

This painting is an acrylic on stretched, wrapped canvas 12 x 16, all edges have been painted and no staples show, so that it may be displayed with or without a frame. It is available on Art Helping Animals and has been shown on the Daily Painters website.

Landscape Oil Morning Snow by Della Burgus

Frosty Morning

In church a couple of weeks ago, our pastor asked us to greet one another by saying something good about the snow.  I couldn't think of a thing at the time, but a little while later I had one of  those V-8 moments, you know, like the commercial. Someone eats something really bad that tastes really, really good, then hits his head and says, I could have had a V-8.  Suddenly I realized - hey, I am an artist! The snow is really beautiful to look at, as long as you don't have to be outside in it. Why is it so easy to forget who I am, and to fail to be thankful for all the gifts of God?  He gives good gifts to men and women, but sometimes it takes a little digging for us to see their value. 

He has made everything beautiful in its time, and has set Eternity in the hearts of men. Ecclesiastes 3:11

This painting is an oil on stretched, wrapped canvas, standard depth. All the edges are painted and no staples show, so that it may be displayed with or without a frame.  It was painted in  a loose, "painterly" style,  a little more Impressionistic than some of my work. It will be listed on Daily Painters and Art Helping Animals on Tues,  Jan 26.  Or you may purchase it through  Pay Pal on this blog by clicking on the Buy It Now button.

Frosty Morning

Oil on Canvas

11 x 14

$100

20% will be donated to Rimrock Humane Society