Catch up January 2022

I did these two paintings from a trip to King Ranch for the Ranch Hand Breakfast.  I was mesmerized by all the activity around me.  So glad I took my camera.  I actually didn't get around to eating breakfast.  Hopefully more paintings to come in this theme as I love the Texas that surrounds me. 

These are some Christmas Commissions I painted for an Artist Friend. 

I did another Master Copy to add to my collection.

Fun Summer Project

 

When I look at old portraits, I wonder about the person in the portrait.  What kind of person they were, in some cases their name is unknown.  Here are some examples that I saw last week in a local antique store.  

Isn't this the cutest photograph of two little girls, lost in time.  Names unknown.

This painting intrigued me.  Did the Artist know the soldier, was he a family member or was the Artist just using a random photo.  The frame suggests around 1940.  Just a guess.  I'm intrigued though.

The back of the frame and make.

A popular style of painting.

Who was the child?

In my Artist statement I mention Adolphe-William Bouguereau and his models.

"I will never meet Bouguereaus’ young shepherdess or anyone who knew her but she has an identity in my heart."

Bouguereau is one of my favorite portrait artists and it's in my study of his work that I have noticed how one of the models he used looks a LOT like my grand daughter.   My husband and I saw an exhibit of Bouguereau's paintings in Memphis when this painting took us by surprise, as it looked just like our grand daughter

I have no proof but since this model also looks so much like our grand daughter at her present age I am willing to say it may possibly be the same model, just older.

  The Bohemian 1890

So for a summer project my grand daughter decided (with some prodding) to dress up like the model.  It was a bit of a rush as we just decided to do this the day before.  We borrowed a friend's violin (Thank you Jeannie) and got as close to the painting as we could under the circumstances.  It was a rush job and just for fun.

Not much is known about the model used for the paintings so we thought it would be a fun idea to continue her story.  I can't match Bouguereau's mastery but it's a fun project.  Can you picture the girl in his painting getting up and playing her violin?   The background in our new painting is not Notre-Dame Cathedral but Corpus Christi seawall.  

We will make sure and write our model/grand daughter's name on the back of this painting.

Are you looking to create a heirloom painting?

I am accepting commissions, it's what I love to do!

 

Temporary Frame for the Horse Whisperer Painting

Framing is a work of art and I love to buy frames from people that take as much time and care into their frames as I do my paintings. There are occasions when you just need something temporary to hang your work for Art Shows. Y’all know I like to recycle so I thought I’d show the process of this frame. I bought it at a charity shop and gave it a coat of diluted primer paint. I even wiped the paint with a rag to get it thin. I sanded it once dry with steel wool to get the distressed finish I wanted.

I really hopes this painting will sell soon.  

Until it does I will enjoy looking at it on my wall.

unclose view of the frame when finished.

Happy American Mother's Day!

Yesterday I met a neighbor who has portraits of her four children when they were 6 yrs old. She is so proud of the paintings, 40-50 years later. Children grow up so quickly. Right now I'm working on a portrait of my Grandson and he is 15. I love looking at portraits of my grandkids, how about you? There is nothing I enjoy more than paintings kids! Contact me for more information on creating your family heirloom.

He's not just a number

 I'm calling this painting finished. 

It will takes a few weeks to completely dry and then varnish. "He's not just a number" is a painting I'm donating to a family that lost their Husband, Father, & Grandfather to Covid on Christmas Day 2020.  

The Granddaughter started a Facebook page for people to post photos of loved ones who died of Covid. Go look it up and give them some love. Coastal Bend Hearts Taken by Covid.  

Some of the pieces in the painting belonged to Rodolfo. The blue silk represents, water and his years in the Navy. I like to buy local, so a shout out to La Michoacana Bakery for the Conchas, La Casita de Barro Imports for the Catrin figure, Total Wine & More for the Tequila, the butterfly washed up on the beach at Padre Island National Seashore, and a lovely friend loaned me St. Joseph.  

Feel free to contact me if you would like to commission your own painting. Ashes may be added to the paint when painting the portrait if that is something you would like to do.

20x30" Oil on Dibond

The Horse Whisperer Painting

 

"The Horse Whisperer" oil painting on panel is available.  Prices are on my website www.AlisonSchuchs.com or feel free to message me if you would like to add this Art to your collection.

It was a lot of fun to paint, quite a challenge for a few reasons.  It was my first time to paint a horse and actually I find pink a hard color to get just right.  It is easy to become "muddy" as it is transparent unless you add white to it which makes it chalky.   I love learning about color though and still enjoy the science of it all.  Choosing which color to use, which compliment, does it need to be warm or cool, transparent of opaque, etc.etc.  

The photoshoot for this painting was a blast.  We were invited to take photos at a local Ranch and my model Alexis outdid herself, changing outfits and steadying her horse.  It was a lot of fun and we were treated to some delicious enchiladas.  A great day! 

Monarch Butterfly Painting

 

The painting of the Monarch Butterfly was inspired by the Hispanic belief about the Monarch, correlating with "Dia de los Muertos".  I am intrigued with Dia de los Muertos and plan do a series of paintings on the theme.  Having lost a child, I think it's honorable and healing to acknowledge those gone in this way each year.  The British way is to not mention their name, to cause embarrassment or uneasy responses.  To me this painting also speaks about holding on too tight and not returning to the world of the living.  Perhaps in grief hanging on to things that are not healthy for us.  We can't control what happened and have to learn to control the consequences, one day at a time.  Will this girl suffocate the butterfly or let it go?  She is taking part and indeed longing to be like the butterfly by painting her face to match, but only half her face as she is living in two worlds.  

Thank you to Sherrie Sandell who wrote this beautiful poem to go with the painting on Monarch.  I knew Sherrie when she lived in Tupelo but had no idea she was a Poet.  

It was hard to photograph the painting because of the gold leaf background.

Thank you to my Model and exquisite crown maker, Shylo Ochoa, check out her other work at Works of Heart by Shylo.  Also my amazing friend who did the hair and makeup and faceprint for the photoshoot, Aundrea Victoria Salinas, owner and founder of Velocity Studio Spa.