spring | sbhansen ART

Petals…or Pedals?

By sbhansen2014 on April 19, 2016

I had so much fun at the Willamette Valley last weekend! After hiking the Silverton Falls (10 falls, 7 miles…we shortened our hike and had 5 falls in 5 miles…gorgeous), we toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s Gordon House (my favorite architect of all time…what a treat), then managed to fit in a stop at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm before calling it a day…yep, all that in ONE day, and heading back to our VRBO in McMinnville.

I was somewhat amazed (and a little disgusted, frankly) at the commercialism of the Wooden Shoe. I had different visions of a quiet, peaceful field of tulips, but instead, there were inflatable kid toys, bungee jumping, rides through the tulips on a “train”, a hot air balloon, you name it. But for my purposes, we headed straight into the fields, where I managed to shoot about 200 photos of tulips and people in the tulips. It was incredibly beautiful.

You will see several paintings from this trip, but the first one I had to do was this one, a man on a bike, riding through the field. PERFECT! I took several shots of him. He seemed to be leisurely poking along, glancing down at the flowers every now and again, clearly out for a casual ride to see the sights.

First wash of teal and yellow

String, paper squares, produce netting and scribbles dance in the canvas, providing a crazy, fun background for the tulip colors.

Details:

In the background, I suggested trees and a distant field of pink flowers. You can see the squares of paper, produce netting grid, and string

Up close of Mr. Tulip Guy, where there is gridded pattern of netting and paper squares as well as a fruit tree in the background.

Here is a detailed view of the bike, with string, painted grids, and paper collage. As you can see, the flowers are not painted as such, but suggested by mass and color.

Finished original on Plexiglas! One of my favorite areas is the background, where it seems a little surreal, or suggestive of trees, clouds, and haze. This turned out to be a fabulous painting!! It strikes the perfect mood.

Petals, 20x16, $750 original watercolor and mixed media on Plexiglas

Petals, 20×16, $750 original watercolor and mixed media on Plexiglas

The question was…Petals? Or Pedals for my title. After some deliberation, I decided on Petals. Why? Not sure, other than that I just love the flowers.

Cheers!

Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and follow this blog to be informed of amazing new paintings and deals! Contact me to receive my newsletter so that you see me at showings and receive notifications about SB Hansen Watercolor & Wine Painting Classes. Every one of my paintings is available as a print, and I sell signed greeting cards of all my images.

4 Comments

Hoppy Bunnytine’s Day!

By sbhansen2014 on February 14, 2016

Okay, okay…it’s a little corny, but I figured, hey, with this spring-like weather on Valentine’s Day? I’m a little cheesy.

As I painted this bunny, I thought about his expression. He is chewing on something. Maybe a thought. Maybe a piece of an herb. Perhaps it is something slightly bitter. He’s mulling it over, as it leaves an strange taste in his mouth. Like an ornery thought, or a wild hare (pun…), it won’t go away. It won’t let him go. He’s planning a crazy move. My kids have looked just that way before they do something naughty.

Watch out. He’s gonna get his funk on.

Bazil, 7×5 original watercolor and gesso on recycled plexiglas. $110

And, as it just so happens, it is my 2-year anniversary on WordPress today.I set up my blog on this day in February, 2014. My very first blog post was March 10th. At that time, it had been 3 years since I stopped painting. I decided to begin again with a blog as inspiration. I had a goal of starting one new painting and finishing a painting every week. I promised myself to blog about the finished painting every Sunday, with a short story about the painting. It would give me a reason to paint, and hold me accountable to produce work that was not only going to be visible to anyone on the internet, but also improve my skills as a painter, by simply painting every week.

To that end, after 2 years and 99 posts, this blog has kept me focused. I still have the goal to start one painting and finish one painting every week. I’ve improved not only my painting skills, but my writing skills as well. My readers have increased in numbers and have kept me busy with their positive likes and comments. I have met many new friends with this blog and other social platforms that have spun out of it. Over the past 2 years, my business as an artist has grown until I am busy enough to have trouble finding time to write! I am selling paintings, prints, and greeting cards, and have added a monthly Watercolor & Wine Class that fills quickly and has been extremely positive and fun. Much of that success has come from right here…

To any of you thinking about starting a blog for your business, hobby, or just for fun, I would say go for it! You don’t have much to loose, and much to gain.

Can’t wait for more to come! Great paintings, an Italy trip, new friends, and more sales!! Thank you all so much for your continued support.

All images and paintings on this site copyrighted by Sarah B Hansen unless otherwise noted.

6 Comments

	sbhansen2014 on Explosion of Blooms
	sbhansen2014 on Explosion of Blooms
	Ann Thompson on Explosion of Blooms
	Mary Lou on Explosion of Blooms
	sbhansen2014 on Paint Costa Rica Day 6

Art Adventures

Posts tagged ‘spring’