Now listing original artwork on Dailypaintworks

I'm now offering my original watercolors on the Dailypaintworks.com site.

My first listing is Apple of Her Eye which is an auction.
6 x 6 in. watercolor on Aquabord, sealed with gloss varnish
It can be displayed on a small easel or framed (without glass).

Apple of Her Eye Watercolor Portrait

Apple of Her Eye
6 x 6 Aquabord

My cousin's daughter is adorable. For this little painting I decided to not rely on my usual burnt sienna for skin tones. Instead I used Winsor & Newton raw umber warmed up with a little scarlet lake. Raw Umber is a wonderful neutral. She was wearing a very colorful top so I pulled a lot of the reflected color into her face as well as using these colors on the apple (manganese blue, scarlet lake and new gamboge). I've never used raw umber for caucasian skin tones preferring it for hair but this worked so I'm going to give it another shot in the future.

In the end, getting the values correct is the main thing and then it doesn't matter what colors you use.

I posted a progress photo of this painting Instagram.  Come follow me!

Little Green Dress

I'm flexing my portrait and figure muscles again. It feels good. I've been going back and forth between working on illustrations and then "fine art" paintings. I'm also working on Aquabord which is a favorite surface. I love the way you can layer and layer and not muddy the colors and then you can lift back layers. The other big plus is not having to stretch or mat the final art. A little glossy varnish brightens the colors and then you can just put it in a frame like an oil or acrylic painting. The best of both worlds.

Back to Watercolor Portraiture

I've spent some time this last week finishing the above portrait of Dani to enter into the Missouri Watercolor Society's International Show and then in a sudden spur I painted 3 dog portraits in two days which I posted on Instagram. It's been a fun switch between working on sketches for another children's book. They're different forms of art requiring different parts of my brain.

I can't choose just one to focus on.

Oil Painting Kids on Tractor

Right now I'm wishing my Facebook was connected to my blog because I've been posting lots of art and news about a recent children's book that was published. I need to remember to post in both places.

Here's a little painting (8 x 10) that I finished today. My friends keep luring me over to oil painting and I confess I'm enjoying myself. These are my kids about 10 years ago when we took a trip to a farm that had a weekend open house showcasing vintage ways of farming. It was really a nice day.

RIP Prince... truly a sad loss

I grew up in the 80s and Prince was one of my favorites.

This is also my 4th day of the 100 Day Project. I'm posting art daily on Instagram with the tag #100daysofKathyJurek. Later today I will post a watercolor (as soon as I finish painting it. :)

Fox and Monarch Butterflies Watercolor

A gentle fox is number two in my new Woodland Animals series of watercolors.