On his latest trip, Herbert found himself in the company of some rather silly little creatures. They all liked to pick a direction and stare off endlessly. Herbert joined in to see what all the fuss was about. Last I checked, he was still with the meerkats, waiting for something to happen.
Herbert the Owl found himself atop a building in a colorful city. He scampered along until he ran into a band of raccoons. They were a mischievous bunch indeed! They danced across the rooftops, tried to catch some fireflies, and generally annoyed the townsanimals. Oh, what fun!
Prints available here.
Feb 28
The Bay in Gold and Grey
I’m really excited about the way this painting came out. Another from an Instagram shot. I tried to keep it pretty loose… I definitely have a tendency to fuss until I bludgeon every ounce of freshness from the painting. I’m happy to note that I didn’t do that here. I kept the values lighter than that of the photo. I think if I were to do this in oil, I’d definitely push the darks darker. Again, I feel a bit limited with acrylics, but that could be an experience thing.
The photo was taken from the Berkeley Marina looking toward downtown San Francisco. I love the texture of the clouds and the glow of the sunset. Definitely a moody piece.
Instagram:
Painting:
Feb 27
Pink Moon
So this was a tricky painting. I’m not entirely sure that I feel like I pulled it off. I was driving up to go for a sunrise hike and saw the moon peeking over a hill – it was setting quickly. I barely managed to get this picture of it, but I wanted to try another Instagram painting and this seemed like a good candidate.
Instagram photo:
Painting:
Obviously, I made some changes. I thought the moon deserved a bit more, well, attention. I wanted the water to take up more space then the land. I also lifted the pink clouds a little. I could probably do something to the sky – perhaps lighten it? I’m noticing I get frustrated when my acrylics don’t behave like oil – they dry quickly and I find the body of the paint to be lacking – but then I remember, “Well, Maggie, they’re not oils..”. Anyway (oh, for the exciting thoughts in my head), I’m still learning how to use acrylics, I suppose. I’m sure there’s a medium out there that will do the trick.
But the better point is that I’m doing a ton of painting these days and I’m really enjoying it. Yay!
Feb 26
Puffy Clouds
Yesterday I needed a bit of a break from the real world, so I shut myself in my studio in my pjs and pushed paint around all day. I’ll share the results over the next few days, but what resulted were 3 very different seascapes based on Instagram photos I’ve taken.
A friend suggested I start a special section of my site where I do commissioned “Turn Your Instagram Photos Into A Real Painting” paintings. I think it’s a good idea – but am wondering: I tend to take some license when working with photos (unless it’s a portrait). Will people be terribly disappointed if the painting doesn’t look EXACTLY like their photo? Something to consider, I suppose. At any rate, I’m including the photo I used as a source image for this one. I took a little more liberty than usual, but I wanted something a little lighter than the photo.
At any rate, enjoy!
Feb 19
A View from the Headlands
I started and finished this little painting last night. I got so wrapped up in the clouds that I didn’t realize it was 1am (way past my bedtime)! I snapped the source photo on a hike around the Bay. I can’t help by feel incredibly fortunate to be in such a beautiful place. I’m really having fun painting clouds these days.
This painting is 8″ x 10″ on a wood panel – comes ready to hang unframed. Available here.
Feb 13
Big Skies
Several years ago, I was driving from Texas to Louisiana, and I remember feeling dwarfed by the weight of the skies. They seemed so huge and oddly heavy. Recently, a friend of mine was in Austin. She snapped a photo on her way to the airport that inspired this little painting.
Available for purchase here.
Feb 07
We’ll Float, #3
This little painting morphed a number of times before arriving at it’s final finished state. Getting the glow of the mist/fog in the background was a bit of a trick – sometimes getting white to be bright is a challenge. Also, switching around with mediums is also a challenge. I’ve been working with oils in my studio on some larger pieces and the way the paint behaves (or doesn’t 
) is completely different from the way acrylics work, which is completely different from watercolor. Perhaps I should just stick to one?
But what would be the fun in that!?
So here’s my latest little seascape. It’s available here.
Looking to pick something special up as a Valentine’s gift? Or have you been coveting something for yourself?
Today, starting now and going through Midnight tonight, I’m offering 40% off everything in my Etsy shop: http://maggieshurley.etsy.com.
Featuring select Herbert, Bittybots, and my This is Love series. Head on over, have a look, and be sure to enter coupon code XOXOSFETSY at checkout to get your discount. Happy shopping!
*Please note: the discount only applies to items found in the Etsy shop listed above*
Some of what you might find:
Jan 29
Some Day…
I’m going to try and paint a little painting every day. Nothing too complex, just something to keep my painting muscles a little workout. If you want to claim one for yourself, I’ll be listing them in my originals section. This little painting can be found here:
http://www.maggiehurley.com/product-category/original-paintings/land-and-sea/
Recently Added to the Shop!
-
Herbert Runs Into A Rhino
From: $20
-
Herbert Mingles With Meerkats
From: $20
-
Herbert Finds Mischief on the Rooftops
From: $20
-
Original Painting – View from the Headlands
$128
-
Original Painting – Big Skies
$100
