Selection of My Summer Paintings - by Lily

As the summer days grow hotter and lazier, I have more time at hand to spend on my paintings. About three years ago I started to learn acrylic painting.  At that time it was fun and exciting just being able to mix up the colors and draw shapes on the canvas. I remember at the time I was fascinated by the color of the clouds and the shade of the trees and wondered how I would be able to capture that on the canvas.

I borrowed books from the library to learn more about the characteristics of the paint, the color balance, the variety of brushes, and the painting techniques. I love the way how Thomas Kinkade captures the light and how Jerry Yarnell depicts the depth of the scenery. But for me, the journey to the final product is always a test for my patience and endurance. Often I end my session with frustration when I can’t figure out how to get the colors right to convey the layers of the contents. A few days later, looking at the unfinished canvas from a different angle somehow I figure out what I was missing and would fix it and move forward. At the end even Nicholas is surprised to see the painting reasonably well done after witnessing all my “mess ups”. I guess we all need to appreciate the fluidity of the canvas.