1959 Impala

"1959 Impala"  (Watercolor)  C. Eastwood, 2013

Okay, then.  Wow -- painting a car.  Yikes -- that was a stretch.  We were told to paint our dream car...or a classic...or a clunker.  Whatever made us happy.  So I tried to imagine my "dream" car and all I could come up with was something that never needs gas, always runs perfectly, and remains clean at all times -- including the windows.  My friends who are car buffs sneered at my description.  Apparently I'm not a "car person."

So I took a suggestion  from my sorority sister, Marie, who knows cars (and who did not sneer), and voila...the 1959 Impala. Famous for their cat-eye taillights, the Impala seemed like a good candidate.  I was excited to give it a try until I realized that the stupid thing has reflections and chrome.  Good grief.  So here it is, in all it's glory!

Grapes and Cheese (SOLD)

"Grapes and Cheese"  (Watercolor)  © C. Eastwood, 2013

One more food item -- something to accompany "Lunch Time."  I decided to take a close-up look at the grapes and make them the star.  And lest you think these were gargantuan grapes, everything is actually in proportion.  The cheese was a little tiny wedge with a small spread knife cutting into it. 

Giving Thanks

"Giving Thanks"  (Mixed Media)  © C. Eastwood, 2013

This has literally been a labor of love as it was painted for a member of my new extended family.  These are her boys and she's the photographer.  It was lots of fun layering in color and texture.  She wanted "mixed media" and boy did she get it with this one.  I've never tried layering canvases before, but it worked and it was really fun to see this come together and match what I had visualized as a completed piece.

Lunch Time

"Lunch Time"  (Watercolor)  C. Eastwood, 2013

Okay -- today's challenge was more pressing than usual.  We needed to bring in something edible to paint.  I decided that a nice sandwich would fit the requirements by being colorful and having different textures.  But there was one catch, the sandwich was my lunch and I couldn't eat it until I finished the painting.  This is called "motivation."  You can't take all day on a painting if you're waiting to eat it!  Anyway -- with apologies to poor Susan who was sitting next to me and getting a whiff of the onions for a couple of hours while I sketched and then painted -- it was an interesting assignment. 

Two Eggs and a Pomegranate

"Two Eggs and a Pomegranate"  (Watercolor)  C. Eastwood, 2013

Okay -- so obviously art class is back in session because I'm painting unusual subjects again.  We were presented with a carton of raw eggs (and an admonition to be careful!) and told to combine them with other items to make a still life.  I added some really dried out leaves, garlic, and a pomegranate that looked like it was made of leather it was so old and cracked. 

It's good to be back painting with friends and stretching my creative muscles.  I haven't been doing that enough lately and I've missed it.