Visiting Northern England: Portrait Of A Swan

White Swan
20 x 20", Oil on canvas
Rita Salazar Dickerson

There are so many aspects to England that pulled me in and inspired my thought process. The obvious attraction was its overall beauty and charm. Sometimes I felt like I had entered in to the pages of a children's fairy tale. All of the needed ingredients were there: stone cottages nestled in little villages where the butcher still cuts fresh local meat for you, chickens wandering in yards while picturesque sheep dot the rolling green hillsides, and then there was the wildlife. Take this swan for example. The light on her feathers and the reflection in the purple waters made painting her seem like a party.

Below you can follow the steps that I took to render this painting.  

Stage 1: Painting in the shape of the swan, freehand, with a thin wash of  Burnt Sienna.

Stage 2: Painting in the first layer (under painting) of the water.

Stage 3: With a brush and palette knife I applied paint over the wet under painting.

Stage 3: For the neck, I once again painted in the under painting with broad, flat strokes - paying attention to the colors and values.

Stage 4: Once I had the shape of the head in place, it was fun to add texture and more color with thick strokes of paint - transitioning from light to shadow.

Stage 5: I painted the body and its reflection with the same approach as I did with the neck - with a flat under painting and then lots of creamy thick paint on top.

I did a small 6 x 6" first which I always enjoy. Color studies are a nice way of figuring out the general plan in a small scale before I start squeezing out large quantities of paint onto my palette for the large one. Its like a little map that I have created for myself to follow.

Now I will let this painting rest and come back to it later with fresh eyes and make changes if I need to.

Painting Sheep IX: Stages 4 - 5, Completed

Painting always makes me happy. But there is something about painting this little lamb that makes her extra special.

Little Lamb
Oil on canvas,  10x8"
Rita Salazar Dickerson

She was born in the same month as my little newborn granddaughter. They live not far from each other. And when I was thinking about a baby gift for her, to welcome her into this world, I thought that a painting of this little lamb would be ideal.

Painting Sheep VII: Stages 1 - 4

I woke up this morning wondering if I had any more sheep paintings in me...

Turns out I do.

This ewe and her lamb inspired me with her regal pose; so confident and peaceful.



Her little lamb resting close.

I am continually entertained by the variations in features, markings, and character of each sheep I have painted. I guess that's what keeps me going.

Now that I have blocked in their shapes with color its time for lots of paint and my palette knife. 

Sculpture From The Nereids Monument

One of the Three Nereids
Nereid Monument, Xanthos, about 390-380 BC
3 1/2"x 5", pen and ink

This is my final ink sketch while visiting the United Kingdom. Robert and I spent a few days seeing the sights of London. While we were in the British Museum, this ancient life-size sculpture, one of three in a set, captured my attention.  The beautiful movement and flow of the drapery was a stunning sight to behold. I spent the next 30 minutes sketching her. She was the perfect model, never moving and so accommodating.

Growth Charts: Hand Painted Christmas Gifts

Inspiration for this project first came from my daughter, Emily, who months ago asked if I could make a growth chart for her little girl; something that could be easily moved when necessary. This request triggered  memories of a growth chart we had for our children years ago that was not so movable. It was the white painted wood door jam of a 1950's kitchen in our home in Durango, Colorado. This growth chart was not restricted to family members. Anyone and everyone who wanted to be measured would stand up to that doorway and stretch as tall as they could; I would take my ruler and pencil to mark their place on that wall with their name and the date they were measured. It was so much fun for everyone to compare who was taller than who and track the progression of our children and their friends as they grew. Our tallest entry came from a good friend and co-worker of my husband's. His name was Jack and he measured in at 6 feet, 9 3/4 inches. Jack was a tall man. The kids squealed in delight when they saw his mark.

I never realized how special that growth chart would be until the day the movers came and everything we owned was loaded up into a large moving truck. The only personal item remaining in that empty house was the immovable growth chart, a small memorial to the many years of growing and changing that took place in our little house. I cried.

And now I fast forward to today and the creation of growth charts for my granddaughters that will never have to be left behind. I painted them on a pre-treated canvas fabric with acrylic paint.( My kind next door neighbor, Susan, hemmed in the edges for me.) They turned out to be quite the Christmas project. Each one took longer than I had planned but in the end, they were wrapped and ready under the Christmas trees waiting for their unveiling.

Santa Claus Nativity Painting: Decorating the Christmas Tree

Santa Claus Nativity Painting
11x14", Oil on canvas
6th Session

At times it really felt like I was actually decorating a live little Christmas tree with lights and ornaments that flowed from my brush.

Portrait Of A LIttle Girl: Elena Running 6th Session

Elena Running
oil on canvas, 16x20
6th session

Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area Plein Air Painting

If someone ever asks you to backpack into the wilderness of Colorado to catch the last of the summer's wild flowers, eat freshly caught trout, and sleep under the stars...do it! For the past couple of years my husband, Robert, has been asking me to go. I have always been hesitant for numerous reasons (bears, mosquitoes, and the lack of flushing toilets, to name a few) but when he lured me with one of the amenities being incredible views for artists who enjoy plein air painting, I finally agreed that I had to try it. I could no longer ignore the beautiful photos that he and my son, Adam, took each time they went that were taken miles from the familiar and more accessible Colorado landscapes.

Since we did not set up camp until it was almost dark, I knew my opportunity to paint at our campsite would come first thing in the morning. After a delicious hot breakfast of oatmeal and tea, Robert set off to fish at the lake down below our campsite and I excitedly got out my acrylic paints, painter box and brushes to record this breathtaking view with the early morning light.

My little French easel was perfect for this adventure. It comes with leather straps and  has its own built in palette and space underneath to store small paintbrushes.

I settled in and began to paint quickly.

This mountain range before me was absolutely breathtaking. At that moment I knew that the five hour car ride, the additional two hour four wheel drive to the trail head of this remote area, and then the two hour hike to our campsite was all worth it.

I quickly painted in the shape of the mountains,

and then began working on the middle and foreground of trees, the lake and the the mountain side.

Once I had all of the major shapes and colors in, I relaxed and knew I had time to add some details.

I had only one direct encounter with the local wildlife. It was this brazen jay bird who decided that she would investigate what I was doing and examine all that I had. She landed on a tree stump nearby and then squawked and flew at me. I jumped up to get out of her way and she boldly flew down to my paint supplies. She picked up my painting towel and then dropped it, grabbed my extra painting panels one by one and threw them down, scattering them around, and then perched on the edge of my can of water I was using for the paints and looked at me. For the love! 

After that little painting break, I added some details: the snow on the mountains, the hint of yellow wildflowers on the mountain side and the rocks jutting out here and there.

Two exhilarating hours later it was time to pack up my paints and head back down the mountain. I felt satisfied and happy. 

This experience has changed my perspective. In my journeys to other parts of the world, planet earth has always seemed smaller. But when I traveled to this amazing place right here in my home state of Colorado, the world seemed like it had grown so much bigger.   

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains..." Psalm 121:1

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”

― John Muir

Portrait Of A Little Girl: The Background

Elena
oil on canvas, 16x20
6th Session

I thought I would add these two photos that show the painting progression of her great grandmother's buffet. It serves as an interesting background in that it is detailed but does not overpower the subject.

Portrait Of A Little Girl: Arms and Hands

Elena 
oil on canvas, 16x20
4th Session

Portrait Of A Little Girl: The Face

Elena
16x20 oil on canvas
Second Session

Portrait Of A Little Girl

I can understand why some artists get hooked on doing children's portraits. American artist, Mary Cassatt,  is one of the first that comes to mind. She painted beauty, softness and innocence.

I feel fortunate each time I have the opportunity to paint a child's portrait. It's exciting every time. And in this instance, if you add to that a handmade blue dress lovingly sewn by her mother that is embellished with little white satin flowers handcrafted by her grandmother, it all becomes sentimental and lovely. In addition to that, I will go another layer deeper and tell you that her mother was painted in a portrait when she was a little girl and she sat in this same rocking chair. Another bit of family history in this painting is the buffet in the background - it was passed down from her great grandmother. History once again mixing with art and telling a story. I love it.

Now that I've drawn in her image with a thin layer of burnt sienna, I am ready to pull out the rest of my paints and get busy.  

  

9/11 Artifact Restoration

When asked if I would be interested in painting one of the 9/11 artifacts from the World Trade Center, emotions that I didn't even realize I still had, resurfaced. This was a commission involving subject matter that still touches the hearts of our nation with pain and anguish. My mind was filled with the visual images of that September 11, morning nearly 10 years ago.

As I accepted the job, my heart started beating faster with excitement and anticipation. I felt honored and privileged to be invited to work on this piece of steel that now represents a life changing part of our country's history. It will be displayed as an outdoor memorial at NORAD (Northern American Aerospace Defense Command).

The goal of this project was to preserve this steel beam artifact so that it will always look as it did when it was pulled from the rubble at Ground Zero: ripped, twisted, rusted and with the original markings of numbers and letters. In order to achieve that goal, it was first photographed with accurate photos that captured the details and coloring. If left untouched out in the elements, it will continue to corrode and rust and lose its original markings.

My challenge was to paint the steel artifact with a faux finish that captures the likeness of how it looked when it was taken from that rubble. Since this job would be impossible to do in my studio, I worked each day at a local paint shop (Taint Paint) that specializes in electro-static applied custom powder coating. It almost felt like I was working with ground pastels or chalk.

When I started painting, it seemed so quiet. Even though there were others working in other areas of the paint shop, I felt alone with my thoughts. As I touched the rough piece of steel and began applying the paints, I could not help but think of the lives lost on that beautiful September morning. Sadness. Horror. Tears. I felt like I was surrounded by it. It was sobering. I have been to Ground Zero and when I was there, looking at the devastation, I never imagined that one day I would be touching a piece of it. That it would follow me home.

After each layer of carefully laid paint was placed on the beam, it was then baked in a large, walk-in oven. The beam weighed 850 pounds. Moving it was not easy. The workers at the paint shop were so helpful and ready to assist. I stood clear and let them do the heavy work. Once cooled, I would start on the next layer.

A little over a week later, my job with the artifact was done. As I watched them load it back on to the flatbed to be transported back to the construction company, I felt the same way I always feel when a commissioned painting is completed and taken away. A part of me is going with it.

Sofia's Dress

The dress is identical to the one that was worn by Sofia's sister, Julia, for her portrait on the same stairs. Matching dresses worn in matching portraits of two young sisters - how fun! The hands are next.

South Africa: The Other Twin

 This painting is the second in my series of paintings inspired by South Africa.  After searching through all of my photos from my trip to South Africa I finally found the one I was looking for: a strong reference photo of the twin sister. Even though painting the first twin (see earlier posts) was such a pleasure and challenge for me, I somehow felt like I wasn't really finished until I did a portrait of her sister. She could not be ignored since she was the other half of the story.

The minute I started this second painting it brought back memories of that warm day in March (South Africa's early Autumn) when we were invited to their family birthday party and treated as honored guests. It was late in the day. The soft light was beautiful. There was anticipation in the air. Everyone was waiting for the birthday girls to arrive. I had no idea what to expect and assumed they would look like everyone else who was there, dressed nicely and ready to party.When the young women arrived, modeling  incredibly detailed, colorful costumes, it was breathtaking. Their contrasting colors enhanced the scene. I was not expecting this. It was enchanting.