Zach is a fine lacrosse player at Houston Christian School. His grandmother commissioned this watercolor by giving me a stack of photos. I combined several elements of each to show our star escaping his opponents with the ball in the pocket. It was difficult to capture his likeness with the helmet and I had to rely on other photos to see his eyes. It is difficult with these action portraits to get the likeness on a small face, using snapshots.
May 312011
May 312011
Last year I had a commission to paint some adorable Scottish Fold kittens which were the delight of my client. I had never heard of this breed which characteristically has a folded ears and are sweet natured. They love to play in the sheets so I painted them in the white linen.
Jan 032011
I have always loved the markets of Mexico as they are so full of life and color. Last year I took a trip to the state of Oaxaca Mexico with a sociologist from Wellesley College and group of ladies including my sister. We visited famous artisans who made clay and wooden figures, historical ruins, and culinary centers. I came home to paint some of the scenes I remembered.
This market scene appealed to me particularly because of the colors and light. I love the hot pink and bright yellow. The women of Oaxaca wear exuberant costumes and provided a feast for the eye of this painter. Most of my market and artisan paintings are in the “other” section of my website.
Jan 032011
The Examiner newspaper ran the following article about my work as an action artist and highlighted the painting of Eden Epner midair in the hurdles event at a St Johns track meet.
http://www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/01/12/river_oaks_examiner/lifestyles/ex_action_artist_ro.txt
It is gratifying to have some publicity and hopefully I will get some new commissions from it. I had such a good experience painting Eden’s portrait as it is based on a wonderful photograph by Kevin Long.
Jan 082010
I was asked to create a painting from a black and white photo from the 1950s of University of Texas varsity swimmer James T. Willerson. Dr. Willerson has gone on to distinguish himself as a premier cardiologist in the United States and is President of the Texas Heart Institute. He is very proud of his athletic accomplishments in college. It was a privilege to paint this memento.
Dec 292009
As an artist, I am so excited to have a forum to show my work and express my ideas. I have completed a few new commissions for clients for Christmas. While I love the act of painting, it is especially fun to do have an assignment with particular requirements. I strive to maintain an artistic vision while using the photos and information from the clients to make a work of art.
One of the most challenging recent “action portraits” was of a large family of 7 of playing in front of their house with 4 friends and the family dog represented. I had lots of elements to deal with: 2 on the trampoline, 9 playing touch football, the house itself. I used some reference photos, but had to imagine a lot of the action and try to get the relative sizes and poses to correctly represent all the characters. Doing this in watercolor made it difficult to make adjustments while I painted. I think the result was successful, but I plan to have more useful photos for complicated future projects.
Welcome to the blog and website
Uncategorized
Comments Off
Dec 032009
Welcome to my blog. I am excited to get my paintings out into the world to view. I am energized by the beauty of the world and love to capture it through my painting. I hope you will review the website and give me your feedback. I plan to report on my artistic exploration and projects.
Since 2010 has almost begun, I wish all a Happy New Year,
Mary Cooley Craddock