"ROSE"

Painting "Poplar Changes"

Painting "Poplar Changes"

The first thing I did was blend the shy using cobalt blue, titanium white, paynes grey and a bit of yellow orchre.  I used yellow orchre and cobalt blue with t. white to make the color for the ground and blended that in making it darker as I moved forward.  Last, I added a cloud that's very similar in color to the sky.

Next I used cobalt blue, yellow orchre and paynes grey to block in some trees on the right.  At this point I have in mind where the light will come from and I use different shades of color as I block in.

Now I begin to paint in a tree to the left.  This will be my center focus.  I start with a thin trunk then build on it.  I basically use it to structure how I will paint the rest of the tree.

Next I add leaves.  I start with a dark shadowy color, in this case I choose a dull purple because I plan on painting yellow leaves.  Since purple is yellows complement, the yellow will look brighter.  After painting a layer of dark leaves, I paint yellow on top.  I use yellow ochre for a mid tone and yellow medium for a highlight.  I also start to add color to the trees on the right.

 

I then add two more trees in the foreground to the right.  They also have yellow leaves so I follow the same procedure.  I leave these two trees less detailed to draw more focus to the left. 

I continue to add details in areas I see fit and put some yellow orchre in the foreground. 

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As a parent I think it is my duties to address some ageless issues. Hopefully my sharing will help you or the next wave of parents that have these issues and are really wondering if they are slowly slipping into insanity or if this is normal and no one else really talks about it out of fear that people will thing oddly of them.

MY OWN EXAMPLE:

OK so...... My 2 year old (just this morning) decided that the coast was clear and it was OK to get into my dark blue NAIL POLISH!!! OK, OK, before you faint.... just picture him thinking about me painting my nails, and his big sisters, and all the times he has asked me to paint his nails and I said no......This was his moment! He must have looked both ways and then went for it. I can just see his chubby little fingers wrapping around the black top on the polish bottle as he is trying with all his little might to open it before I come back into the room. He didn't actually paint his nails though, instead he painted his arm and his leg and his very lovable chubby cheeks!! He also got a nice size drop on my very lightly colored carpet..... So now what did I do with him your asking yourself??? Well after I almost fainted myself, I scooped him up and put him into the tub. Baby oil mixed with baby soap is such an amazing help when trying to get polish off of your child's cheeks.... Then what did I do?? Did I swat his tosh? Did I take away Christmas, his birthday and vacation, is he still allowed to roam the home without a shock collar?? LOL!! I didn't punish him......well not by taking something from him or by bending him over my knee anyway. The polish was on very thick so I did have to scrub a little, leaving his chubby cheeks a bit pinker than usual. Needless to say I think he probably learned his lesson. Sometimes when kids are little stinkers, things just have a way of working themselves out all on there own. ( I did feel bad that I had to scrub the polish off, but I also couldn't let him walk around looking like a smurf just exploded right in front of him either could I ???)  In the end I think it will make a silly story to tell when he grows up....Oh and you better believe it that I took pictures of him covered in the blue goo! His future wife will thank me later!!

 Topic # 1: Why can't I go to the bathroom alone?

•   Every mom friend I bring this up with always seems to end up laughing about it with me, as we share in our frustrating memories.... but this is a real problem. I personally don't get it why it is so fascinating to come and chit chat while mama goes...well you know.... I do however think that the problem stems form a realization that they have (even temporarily) been separated from the mama(or in her mind, her safety, comfort, and friend.) Maybe if we gave them a job to do, something little, but timely, so that they wouldn't even realize we are not with them for ten min. Try giving them a puzzle to do, or give them some pop sickle sticks and ask them to build you a road and all the crossroads that go with it. ( I have seen a man assign this task to a child no more than 4 years old and she was amazingly occupied for about 30 min!!!)
• Lets try and make it aware to kids that our "private parts" are ours and that we need to keep them just that, Private! They will actually start to put this into there own practices while using the "potty".

Topic # 2: I am so overwhelmed, how do the other moms juggle multiple children and still run a     household efficiently?

• OK don't you dare let this one go beyond the realm of your child's natural ability....but have you thought of asking your 6 year old to help with feeding baby sister? Or how well would it go over to have your 4 year old help you fold the clothes? Sure you might have to help her fold some things and yes the bedsheets will need to be refolded, but she will really enjoy being involved in the mechanics of running the home. Kids love to help and as long as we are not so overly focused on the perfection that they are way beyond attaining, then they will have fun and feel like a contributor in the family. Let your 6 year old try and wash dishes....YES....Wash Dishes..... This is mind blowing that a child would want to help you wash the dirty dishes but the really enjoy it. My kids actually argued over who will help us wash them! Again, they are young so they need to have help but they enjoy it and they are being supervised while they lend mom a hand. It sure beats the alternative of them running around taking toys from the 4 year old and picking out clothes to change into that are clearly way to warm to put on when it is 95 degrees out.

Topic # 3: My child throws a fit when it is time to take a nap, what in the world am I gonna do?

• Since I am well versed in this area I would first like to point out the obvious, if the child will clearly not be soothed in any way, shape, or form, then the parent should consider closing the door to the child's room!! NO this is not child abuse, and NO you are not doing damage to the child in some way by giving them some alone time. Dr.Lehman actually says that the quick fix to a child's temper tantrum problem is to separate the child from you while they are acting out. It makes sense doesn't it? The child is acting out to gain your attention, but not in a positive way. So to let them know that it is not acceptable to scream for ice cream or to get a new barbie, give them a time to collect themselves in private. If they are doing this at nap time then again just gently put the child in their bed and close the door. If they end up falling asleep next to the bed ( usually they do get back into bed themselves if they managed to get out) is it really going to shake them to the core?!

Xanadu Gallery

I am really excited to share that I have been accepted into Xanadu Gallery! It was my top pick as far as galleries go and I made the cut! Not only are the reputable, but they also have some of the best artists of today on the Xanadu Gallery Site. This is a huge step for my studio. My wife and I were like a couple of kids at Christmas when we got the letter from them saying we were in. I can't begin to tell you how many hours we have put into the studio and the website....etc, but lets just say if I was paid overtime we might be able to retire already based on the amount of overtime we have racked up! Don't get me wrong I LOVE IT, but it is work. It will pay off for us though and in the end we can look back and say this was a great time in our lives.

My Website

This is our first commercial

The Roaring Twenties!

THE ROARING TWENTIES!!

By: Derek Clark 2012 @ www.DerekClarkStudio.com

 

 

Such a memorable time in history.

• The 19th Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, giving women the right to vote.

• The first commercial radio broadcast is transmitted.

• The League of Nations is established by the United States and other world leaders.

• The stock market crashes, marking the beginning of the Great Depression.

........to name just a few major events..........

 

 I have been really into the 1920's lately and have decided to make a leap into this beautiful time period to gather some inspiration for my my up coming painting.

 This is far from complete but here is a sneak peek to give everyone an snippet of whats to to come. I am so excited for the unveiling of this one. I think that any of the major iconic figures from this decade would be proud of this piece!!