Studio News, Latest Works & Musings On A Coastal Life

I've added a fourth coastal painting to my Miniature Collection in time for holiday gift giving.  It's a beach scene with sailboats in the distance, and has the same soft color palette that I've designed to complement just about any coastal lifestyle or beach house decorating scheme.

               "Sailboats"  2-½" x 3-½"

               © 2011 Barbara Blair

The next group of miniatures I'll be painting will be in 4" x 4" size with mixed media, using sea shells, sand and maybe some beads.

I'm busy creating miniature originals of coastal and beach scenes for holiday gift giving.  They are very small paintings with a very small price, which I am offering as multiple originals.  Although I paint the same image multiple times, each one is slightly different and therefore unique, as it is hand-painted by me, and not a mechanical reproduction. 

Each one comes with a cute little easel so that the art can be displayed on shelves, tables, mantles or other decorative options.  These make great gifts for the coastal lifestyle and beach lovers on your list.  It's also an affordable way to help a friend or loved one start or add to their collection of original artwork.

They are priced at $29.00 each plus tax (California residents only) and shipping of $5.00 by priority mail to the continental US.  If you'd like to order several, the shipping would only total $5.00 as I'll send them at the same postal flat rate, but in a larger box.  However, you need to call or email me so that I can make the shipping adjustment on your purchase.

This photo shows the three images that I've completed so far.  I have a few more designs in the works, some of which are a slightly larger 4"x4" size which will be priced a little higher.  I'll be getting them onto this website as quickly as I can complete and photograph them. 

The challenge is to design pictures that are simple and not too detailed so that I can offer them to you at such a reasonable price.

Click here for purchasing information on this collection.

Continuing on from my previous blog post (Peaceful Water Paintings - Part 1) about my learning process in painting water, I wanted the third canvas to be larger, so here it is:

 "Peaceful Water, Turquoise"   24x24"

My goal for this piece was to be somewhat abstract without a lot of brushstrokes or detail, and use my established style of softly blending colors.  This idea worked well for my intended result of a peaceful, non-busy image.  It has less lines and ripples in it than in "Peaceful Water, Blue" (previous blog post).

My biggest challenge in this painting was working with acrylics, my paint of choice.  The colors are lighter in value when wet, and dry darker.  So it takes some practice in the paint mixing to know whether the value is right before applying it. 

This painting needed quite subtle gradations of color and values in order for the finished effect to be soft and somewhat ethereal.  I had to rework some of the ripples and areas of light on the water several times before getting the values that I wanted. 

Overall, I'm pleased with this piece, and plan to do more similar ones in soft colors, some on larger canvases. This is also my favorite of the three I've done so far, because I love all shades of turquoise.  It's my favorite color!

For more information and pricing on "Peaceful Water, Turquoise", click on the title below the image.

If you'd like information and pricing regarding custom sizes and colors, please email me or call 760-966-1295.  This style of painting is perfect for any room in a coastal or beach house decorating scheme, or any space where rest and relaxation is desired.

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