Happy Valentine’s Day! I took this screen grab from my Facebook page. Pianists Jai Jeffryes and Geoffrey Burleson appeared at the Nicholas Roerich Museum to perform selections from Jai’s new CD, Tangent Shores – Amethyst and music of Burleson, Rakowski, and Antheil.
My painting “Submerge/Emerge” was chosen for the CD cover. See previous post for details.
It’s been a while since I posted on this blog. Been focusing on my painting-a-day project for the past several months. Last year, a friend talked me into posting my artwork on Instagram. I was reluctant initially, but found it to be a great resource/virtual art gallery. I met artists from around the world as a result. It’s been a great tool for selling my paintings. https://www.instagram.com/sallynovak3/
A few months ago, I was approached by a talented musician friend, Jai Jeffryes. He was interested in using the image of one of my daily paintings as the CD cover for his forthcoming album, entitled Amethyst. I told him it would be an honor. His crowdfunding campaign for the recording and release of his CD was a resounding success. You can read about here:
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/tangentshores-amethyst
My painting below entitled “Submerge/Emerge” was chosen for the cover. You can see it’s a perfect fit with graphics added.
Just finished this commission. This is Hammer. He’ll be included in my Dogs in Sweaters series. Dogs have the most soulful eyes. Hammer is no exception.
Check out that fancy sweater!
My sister and her husband travel to Scotland frequently. My brother-in-law is from there. They always stay with a close friend and his wife in their beautiful home set on a loch. During a recent trip, Buddy the dog was a houseguest as well. He appeared in many of the vacation photos. One series taken at Spynie Castle compelled me to re-create the scene in watercolor.
Buddy and the cows appear to be captivated by one another.
Completed these two commissions. Lucy (top image) has a great smile. Teddy (bottom) is more soulful. These images are also posted on the company website I co-founded with long-time friend, Barbara Stanley at PetPortraitsCoast2Coast.com. Visit our page, and send us some feedback!
This pencil sketch was a joy to do. Look at that happy, adorable face? It almost drew itself!
Starting to add light washes of color. Beautfiul tints. Will continue to add layers of color. I have a good feeling about this one.
My Dogs In Sweaters series is featured in Brooklyn Daily Eagle’s Best Ways to Pamper Your Pet.
http://brooklynstreetbeat.com/brooklyns-best-ways-to-pamper-your-pet/
I teach adult and children’s art classes. It’s a delight working with them to unlock their imaginative/creative selves. They inspire my own art practice. I just completed a commission for the parents of one of my students. Had the pleasure of meeting Mo in person last weekend. He has a lovely human family!
Behold the awesomeness of Mo.
This is a recent commission of Buddy, an adorable little guy from Scotland. PetPortraitsCoast2Coast is now international.
Buddy
The portrait of Buddy was mailed to Scotland this week. I was happy with the finished piece. I like to keep my brushstrokes loose and immediate, so the background is a stylized reference of a wooded area that Buddy had taken a walk in. The green tones didn’t photograph or scan true to the original painting. The digital image appears more yellow. This is a common issue when photographing art and viewing on a computer monitor. Nine times out of ten, the original looks better, as in this work.
Our website is live!!!!! Check us out at petportraitscoast2coast! We hope to hear from you soon.
Sally Novak 