Today I Wanted To Revisit My Art Work ..

I have been in a bit of a creative slump for the last few days. There is no where to really place the blame for it, just havn't had much motivation or time for it. Time I suppose is the real culprit. When I get home from work, there's little time for art. I spend it mostly showering, cooking, eating, playing with the pups, and talking with my wife. Then I head off to bed to start all over by waking up then going to work. The weekends are my best chance to indulge in this hobby, but my weekends have been relatively busy lately as well. Either way, I don't have anything newly created to share with you.

So Instead ..

I am going to share a painting, tropical in nature, with you today. I painted this piece a while back and it still sits leaning up against a wall in one of our bedrooms. It was one hundred percent inspired by our multiple trips to the Hawaiian Islands. We've been blessed to be able to travel to Maui, Kauai, the Big Island and Oahu. Every time I am in that room, dusting, watering plants or getting a shirt out of the closet, I see the painting and beautiful memories come flooding back. All of our pictures are on film.. yes you heard me.. film. So when I get a chance I have to scan them in to make them digital. Otherwise I would share some with you. For now, the painting will have to do I suppose.

It's Not A Bad Painting..

I painted this one using oil paint. First I cut a four foot long by one foot tall piece of hardboard. Being it is so long though, it's a little flimsy. I applied a thin coat of gesso base so that the oil paint would rest on the surface rather than be soaked into the wood. Applying the gesso also aids in blending. Since the oil from the paint isn't being absorbed into the wood, the paint stays more fluid or blendable. If I didn't apply it, the oils become almost clay like. I wish I had some progress photos to show you, but unfortunately I didn't care at the time I was painting it. Only since joining Steemit, was I compelled to take and share progress photos. I started with the background and moved forward, painting the palm trees and grasses last. If I remember correctly, the whole process took me about 15 to 20 hours. Larger paintings always take more time to complete.. go figure. I guess that goes without saying. Time well spent. Maybe it didn't come out exactly as I was expecting, but for a painting created with no reference photos (purely from imagination), I was more than impressed with the results.

Opinions Are Always Accepted ..

I have my opinion on this piece. When friends come over and see it, they usually hand out many compliments while I quietly am thinking and critiquing it. That's what artists do I suppose.. always their own harshest critic. I painted the piece almost 10+ years ago now. My talents have improved a little since then. My style as changed a bit too. I see several things that I would do the same and several that I would change the second go around. Just to name a few things that I did like; The way the colored light bounces off the palm tips and grass, the soft looking water with just a slight reflection, the sky and clouds, the way the terrain fades into the distance, and a good balance of foreground and background. I won't list the things I don't like.. You can if you dare! haha.

My Wife And I ..

Are considering a return trip for our 20th wedding anniversary next year, in 2021. If so, I should be able to get plenty of inspirational photos for plenty more years of painting and creating. Keeping my fingers crossed for everything to work out for us to take that trip.

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.

About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit.

If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:

They can be found for sale in

My Facebook Shop

OR

My Etsy Store

If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).

"The poor dog, in life the firmest friend. The first to welcome, foremost to defend." ~ Lord Byron

I Proudly Support The SBD Potato: Peg Repair Community Initiative

Beneficiary Declaration: This is a 15% @sbdpotato beneficiary post!