Portraits, and Other Paintings....

Hello and welcome back everyone!

In addition to the narrative painting that I recently completed, I have been working on other paintings as well... Portraits have always intrigued me, and some of my favorite artists were fabulous portrait painters - John Singer Sargent, Cecilia Beaux, Joaquin Sorolla - they each depicted the uniqueness of human features with their own, individual flair. I wanted to give you a preview of my portrait promo postcard that I will be mailing out rather soon :

Front of Postcard:


Back of Postcard:

(Click on the above images for a closer look!)

Here are three stages of the painting process of a commissioned portrait that I just completed of an adorable little girl named Kaitlyn:

Stage 1- Underpainting using ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson, mixed with turpenoid.


Stage 2 - Shadow masses have been painted, leaving the white of the canvas for the brighter, lit areas.


Stage 3 - Final painting!
"Kaitlyn," Oil, 10"x8"

So if you would like to commission me to do a painting of your loved one, please contact me! I would love to work with you. :-)

In addition to portrait painting, I completed a still life just this morning. Still life set-ups are always wonderful exercises in color, value, shape, and composition:

"Artsy Attire," Oil on Linen, 10"x8"

Finally, I have created some new illustrations - I just love the balance between illustration and fine art oil painting - newfound lessons I come across in each artistic realm are transposed into the other as I paint. For example, reflective color bouncing from the violet table onto the glossy flower vase in "Artsy Attire" made me more aware of the reflective color that would bounce from the cobalt water up onto the lower planes of the fish's lips and underbelly, as well as the boy, in "Freshwater Friends". There's never a dull moment in the world of art!

"Freshwater Friends," Watercolor, 7.5"x10"


"Freshwater Friends" detail


"Panda Pal Pleasantries," Watercolor, 7"x11"


"Cockatoo Comrades," Watercolor, 7.5"x11"


"Bold Buffalo Brothers," Watercolor, 7"x11"

I hope you enjoy the featured paintings! Thanks so much for stopping by, and come back soon! Also, please contact me for more information if you are interested in a portrait!
(aliciatemplin@sbcglobal.net)

*All images copyright Alicia Templin 2010*

Firelight Painting Completed!

Hello everyone!

Well, I have finally finished the painting of the girls telling stories by firelight. I wanted to share with you a series of photos that show the painting's progression - from the blank canvas to the completed piece!
I would love to hear any and all of your feedback on this new addition to my portfolio - I will be presenting it to a Dallas gallery quite soon!


Stage 1 - Underpainting : I use a mixture of Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue, with Turpenoid, to mass in the shadows and half-tones (the drawing will be refined throughout the painting process)


Stage 2 - I paint Peyton and the slippers in the foreground - At times I prefer to paint in the foreground first, because I know that I will be using the areas around it to 'carve' the final shapes and edges of the foreground character.


Stage 3 - I paint in the rug and deepen the shadows beneath the girls, in order to anchor them to the ground, to create a sense of weight, and heighten the sense of a strong, fiery glow.


Stage 4 - I now paint Emily and Sarah's pajama pants and socks - Emily and Sarah's shapes were linked in many areas, and their adjacent edges were reliant on each other - a constant push/pull between them to have a balance of soft and hard edges.


Stage 5 - Sarah and her bear are added - I allow for the dark shadows of the background to blend with the dark shadows of her pajamas and hair (as well as Emily's)


Stage 6 - Most of Molly has been painted at this point (her navy blue shirt nearly becomes one with the deep blue background, with highlights on the material indicating the form), but I have not painted her left leg, because I now know that I want to add a sleeping cat basking in the fiery warmth in front of her.


Stage 7 - Channing's body and teddy bear are now a part of this warm world, with only her face revealing the underpainting beaneath


"Captivated," Oil on Linen, 24"x36"
The Final Painting! Channing's sweet face, a sleeping tabby cat, a bowl of popcorn, and a polka-dotted pattern on Molly's pajama pants have been added. I then allowed it to dry to the touch, then I varnished the entire linen canvas with a brush-on Retouch Varnish, which unified the surface (dull and shiny areas were evened out) and brought all of the colors back to the richness they had when they first touched the canvas!

I hope you have enjoyed journeying through this painting process with me! I certainly loved painting all of these adorable girls - they were wonderful models and a true joy to paint!

I will be posting more paintings and videos soon!
Please leave comments, I would love to hear your thoughts!

*All images copyright Alicia Templin 2010*

Fun with Illustration!

Hello everyone, and a warm welcome to you all!

I cannot believe that we have already reached the tail end of January 2010 - where does the time go?! Well, I have heard that "Time flies when you're doing art!" It's so very true.

I wanted to share a few new illustrations that I recently completed - I love working back and forth between the whimsical world of illustration and the representational realm of fine art painting. There is such a fine (often blurred) line between the two fields, that they often overlap - in my mind and on paper and canvas!


"Water Buffalo Buddies," Watercolor and Ink on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x10.75"



"Striped Similitude," Watercolor and Ink on Watercolor Paper, 8"x11"



"Graceful Gaze," Pastel on Watercolor Paper, 11"x8.25"

I would love to hear what your thoughts are on any of my new works that speak to you - please leave comments! I'll be posting progression photos and a final photo of the large narrative painting of the girls telling stories by a fireplace very soon! Thanks for visiting, and come back often! :-)

*All images copyright Alicia Templin 2010*

New Video Painting Demos!

Hello friends!
I do hope that 2010 is starting out to be a wonderful year for you all! I'm looking forward to discovering what the Lord has in store for this new year. I suspect that an abundance of artistic experiments, fulfilling friendships, and exciting escapades are waiting just around the bend.

I am in the process of working on a large narrative painting of a group of young girls telling captivating stories by a fireplace. I have completed five head studies, one of each of the girls, in oil paint, in preparation for the final painting (You can view each of these studies on my first blog, or on my website : www.aliciatemplin.com ).

I have also created a video of the process of painting one of these studies from start to finish. Adorable Channing is the model of the featured head study :-)

The rapid (47 second) version of the painting:



The 20 minute version of the demo with artist commentary:

"Channing" - An Oil Painting Demo by Alicia Templin from Alicia Templin on Vimeo.

Please enjoy!
I will periodically be adding new video demos, so tune back in frequently!
Thanks for visiting!

*Featured painting video copyright Alicia Templin 2010*

A New Year of Art!

"Evening Glow," Oil, 20"x16"

Hello everyone! Welcome to my new blog page, which I will be updating quite often throughout the new year. 2009 has been a year full of adventures and milestones - I graduated in May from the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, CT with a BFA in Painting. I have returned to the Lone Star State to launch my painting career, and I am very excited about the plethora of possibilities that lie ahead!

I am now a member of a wonderful Ft. Worth group of artists - we meet monthly, enjoy a tasty breakfast together and have group critiques that are incredibly beneficial and enlightening. I am so grateful to be a part of this circle of painters - it's a huge blessing and a great inspiration. In addition to possessing a wealth of artistic knowledge and experience, this party of painters also has a fantastic sense of humor, making each meeting filled with lots of laughter! :-)

In September of 2009, I had the opportunity to participate in Galerie Kornye West's "8th Annual Invitational" Exhibition in Ft. Worth, where I displayed two of my paintings. It was a wonderful experience, and I met many fellow artists at the gallery.

I am currently in the process of further building up my portfolio and communicating with local galleries. I am doing several oil head studies for a large, narrative painting I will soon be approaching. Each study builds my excitement for the final painting, and I just fall more in love with color!

Here is a study of a girl who is captivating her audience with a fireside story:


"Peyton," Oil, 10"x8"

A young girl listening intently to the storyteller:


"Molly," Oil, 10"x8"

A girl with glowing features clutching her stuffed animal:


"Emily," Oil, 10"x8"

Entranced by the story:


"Sarah," Oil, 10"x8"

Whisked away to another world:


"Channing," Oil, 10"x8"

Simply click on the above images to see larger, close-up views of the brushstrokes!

I will be adding more studies to my blog rather soon, so please tune back in! Thank you for visiting.... More art fun is to come! Happy New Year everyone!!! I believe God has great things in store for this year - my motto is "We're all gonna win in 2010!"

*All images on this blog copyright Alicia Templin 2010*