Personal Art Blog

Sharing the lessons I teach at the Artist Guild and the personal discoveries in my art.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Meet Mr Fabulous!


Posted by Picasa

Meet Mr. Fabulous!

4x4inch   oil on board  Not for sale

My daughter gave me this gorgeous Betta fish after my other
one passed on to the big rainbow in the sky.
I find it very relaxing and inspiring to see the amazing shades
of red, coral, blue and green
flashing with each movement as he swims in and
and out of the green weeds.

Artist Note.

How to paint a moving fish was a dilemma for me.
If I made it too sharp it didn't work at all. I found I had
to make it look slightly out of focus here and there to
look as is there was movement.
The light shining through the weeds made some
 areas glow with a brilliance impossible to duplicate.
Fracturing it made for some exciting moments...
I made a few headless fish before I got it right!

27 comments:

  1. Beautiful colors..love the vibrant blues..it give it that iridescent glow that fish have sometimes. I always wanted to paint my Koi's that I have in my outside pond. They have grown quite a bit..maybe about 1 ft.or better so they should be fun to paint but I don't know how! LOL so I think it would be better to take a photo first. Maybe I'll take the challenge.! I think you did a wonderful job on this painting, Julie!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would love to see you paint your Koi fish. If there are more than one you definitely need a photo, of that I am sure.

      Delete
  2. And Mr Fish is Fabulous. Bold, carefree colors. Great job. The darks make the beautiful colors just sing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wow, Mr. Fabulous really is Fab! I love the way you got the iridescent look to that shine!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The iridescent happened all on its own. I painted what I saw ans it worked out.
      thanks, Mary.

      Delete
  4. We watched the DVD "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" last night, and so your painting is highly appropriate, Julie. It must have been a real challenge for you to capture such a complicated subject, but you obviously did. I think the inclusion of so much black made such a difference, anything else might have diluted the strength of the image, black focuses us entirely on Mr F! Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I loved that movie and so did my hubby.
      I have a dark background to my tank to make the colors stand out so it was easy to copy what I saw. He thought he was getting food so he stayed at the top by the weeds.
      I treasure your comment.

      Delete
  5. You have worked the paint very well on this one, Julie! Great chroma against the black! I also like the blue waterline at the top. FAB!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fancy noticing the blue waterline. It wasn't there and I put it in to top out the weeds. The actual water line was very thin.
      Thanks Dean.

      Delete
  6. It is lovely! I love the amazing colors in betta fish.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Julie,
    Lovely.
    I think you should come to Albuquerque next year for a mini-workshop. Three or four of my artist friends, we will pay you, and take you out for a scrumptious dinner and to see the sights. What do you think?
    Marry Christmas!
    Dee

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mr. Fabulous certainly is fabulous! My best wishes for a wonderful Christmas to you and your family, Julie. And a peaceful, prosperous, healthy and painterly New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How nice of you - thank you Susan
      I wish the same for you too.

      Delete
  9. Wow...you fish does have a lot of movement. How sweet your daughter bought you a new one. I love how you paint all the gifts and flowers people give you. The rooster teapot in the last post is just delightful.

    I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Julie! I am so happy we met in 2012 and look forward to all the art and friendship in 2013! Great big hugs and Christmas kisses!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What pleasure your blog has provided my eyes and heart. I thank YOU, Lisa.
      You are very special.

      Delete
  10. Hello Julie:) The fish, eh... mr. fabulous is beautiful. Also like the green highlights. Very nice painting!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Merry Christmas and Happiest New Year, Julie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wish you the same and thank you, Maga.
      I love the Christmas tree you painted. So elegant.

      Delete
  12. Love the dramatic lighting Julie. Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Merry Christmas ,dear Julie ,and Happy New Year to you and yours!Warmly,Rita.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are a treasure to so many of us dear Rita and I thank you and am grateful.

      Delete

I love that you are taking the time to comment and thank you for it. I am sure other readers will enjoy them too. If you cannot comment through this format then email me at juliefordoliver@gmail.com
Cheers,
Julie