On My Way, path, palms, cardinal

 "On My Way"

"I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the

 Father except by me."   (Jesus speaking)  John 14:6

Exploring this path at a paint-out last year gave me some amazing photos! When the sun peaked through the clouds it inspired me to catch the memory in this painting. I've worked on this painting several times in the past few months and recently put the finishing touches on it.

The Plein air works I did that day were watercolor studies from a different area of the Ancient Oaks Preserve in Fort Pierce, Florida. 

~ Exclusive Art

~ Original Acrylic on hardboard

~ Professional Materials

~ 11 x 14 inches

~ Custom Wood Frame (see below)

SOLD

Click here to see more

Related posts:

Tree Tops

Morning Path

Below the Surface, turtle, fish, starfish, shells

"Below the Surface"

© Fawn McNeill 2022

Experimented with a limited palette. Wanted the texture to be the main focus. Added actual starfish, seashells, and clay objects that I created from molds. Used the palette knife to create the interesting textures of seaweed and sand. Peaceful. 

~ Exclusive Art

~ Original Mixed Media

~ Professional Materials

~ 6 x 6 inches

~ Sold

Click here to see more

Related posts:

 3D Sea Star

"Coming Storm"

 

Cliffside, ocean, trees

"Cliffside"

© Fawn McNeill 2019

Never posted this one, not sure how I overlooked it! 

Playing with texture, I added gel medium with a knife to create a buildup for tiny branches and bark on the trunks. When that dried it was interesting to add colors that enhanced the effect.

Enjoyed the whole process!

• Original mixed media
• 8 x 10 inches
• Custom frame
• Professional materials
• Sold

Click here to see more

 ge.

Relax 2, carved wood, word art, with sailboat

 

"Relax, 2"

Painted the sides (and the back).

Walking through thrift stores and sale isles at different outlets, I keep my eyes open for anything made out of wood.  It makes a great base for the effect of transparent water and sand.   Most items have to be cleaned and/or sanded before they can be primed and painted.  I use a clear primer where I want the wood to show through and white where I want bright colors. (Used both for this one, plus a primer for metal on the sailboat.)

This piece caught my attention because I liked the sailboat and because I had painted a coat hanger that said 'relax' in sunset colors which turned out awesome! 

I chose this color scheme for something a little different, plus these are my favorite hues! 

• Exclusive, original art
• Acrylic on wood
• 22L x 3W x 6H inches
• Sides and back are painted and sealed with professional materials
• Sold 

Click here to see more 

Related posts:

 "Blessed"

"Sea Star"

Hope written in sand, wall art, cheeseboard

"Hope"

Cleaned, sanded, and primed this cheeseboard before writing the letters on it. I painted over the straight vertical letters I had previously drawn on it, not just once, but three times.  Could not get the water and waves to make sense with the letters.  Each time, I painted sand over the letters and tried again. 

Frustrated, and tired from painting late at night, I gave up and prayed about it as I went to bed:

"Lord, can you help with this? How can I get the letters to tie in better with the sand?"

As I closed my eyes, it all came to me in clear images.  (This is not the first time I have seen the answer to a painting I am struggling with after I stop to ask for help.) You would think I would learn to ask first!

I fell asleep at peace with it. The next morning I couldn't wait to get started!  It is obvious now - people don't write in the sand vertical along the shoreline! So I turned it and tried to get some perspective, which is what I saw in my mind after I prayed about it.  This is the first time I tried to make the letters look like they are carved in the sand, which is another aspect I believe Father God showed me. 

This became quite interesting to learn to do, and I am so excited that it worked! I have a few more in progress and I am getting the hang of making the illusion of letters written in the sand.  I love the extra detail and the way it looks like the wood has been carved!

ENJOY!

• Exclusive, original art
• Acrylic on a cheeseboard
• 14 x 4.5 inches
• Sides and back are painted and sealed with professional materials
• For decoration only
• SOLD

Click here to see more 

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"Blessed"

Heart Beach

 

Love, wall art, beach shoreline at sunset

"Love Shoreline"

Found this wall hanging at a thrift store.  It was a solid dull blue-gray and covered in grime. I cleaned it up, sanded it down, and painted it with lovely sunset colors. Quite satisfying!

• Exclusive original art
• Acrylic on wood
• 19 x 6 inches
• Painted and sealed with professional materials
• SOLD

Click here to see more 

 

Busy Morning, mixed media, colorful flowers, insects, and a frog

"Busy Morning"

    What can I say? I certainly got carried away with this little piece! 

    Honestly, I wasn't happy with it at first. It started as a palette knife painting. Nothing seemed to be working out.  I added more knife work and even used paper clay to build up the flowers.  (Paper clay is an air-dry clay that has paper fibers in it.  It dries stronger and is better suited for mixed media projects than regular air-drying clay.) But I still was not liking it. 

     Carol Jones (https://www.facebook.com/CarolsTreasuresFromTheSea), a close friend of mine, sent this resin frog as a gift with my order of seahorses and starfish. It made me smile each time I looked at it.  I moved it all around to see if it would look good and where I might add it.  It cracked me up! That got things moving.  I added some charms and then purchased some molds to make insects and flowers out of paper clay.  Thought I would use resin at first, but the paper clay worked so well I just kept making more.  

    The advantage of paper-clay is that I can paint it any color I want.  Resin stays as it was created, so you have to get the colors right when you make the mold.

    Painting the molded insects and flowers was time-consuming but enjoyable.  Each piece gave me a new idea of what else I wanted to add. I had to make myself stop because it was too much fun to keep adding more! 

    This breaks so many rules on so many levels!  So I went back and added shadows to the bottom and the left side of the painting (to tone it down some) and also to keep the viewer's eye in the painting.  I also used a solid color scheme of complementary colors throughout the project to harmonize the painting. 

    To top it all off, I made a shadow box frame for it and sealed it behind glass.  This added to the whole notion of a child capturing a frog in a jar!  So far everyone that sees it starts laughing.  That makes it all worth so much more!

ENJOY!

• Original art
• Mixed media
• 8 x 10 inches
• Gold shadow box frame (see below)
• SOLD

Click here to see more 

 

Serene Beach, shoreline, accent table, solid wood furniture

"Serene Beach"

© Fawn McNeill 2022

 

This is my first piece of furniture.  I started it two years ago!  I was working on it just before COVID shut everything down and I had to close my gallery.  Most everything has been in storage since.  

Lately, we've been remodeling, and I've been cleaning things out.  It has been good to finish up some older projects.

Originally I did a practice painting ("Invitational") on a canvas after ordering the table. Wanted to figure out how to make the woodgrain appear to be sand under the transparent water and to gain some confidence that I wouldn't add too much paint and lose the woodgrain.  It took a few tries to get the effect I wanted.  (See below.)

I left more sandy areas on this painting because I loved the wood grain showing through.  It required thin layers of paint, so I used a matte medium instead of water to make the paint transparent. I also added more seafoam than on the practice painting.  Just got carried away.  

I used a semi-gloss finish, sanding between each coat with fine-grade sandpaper. Five coats of finish! It made a beautiful hard surface that should not scratch easily.

• One-of-a-kind, hand-made original.
• Acrylic painting on a custom-made table.
• Solid wood accent table (a little taller than a coffee table).
• 5 coats of clear sealer.
• 22W x 40L x 21 H inches.
• SOLD

Click here to see more

"Invitational" 

© Fawn McNeill 2020

Acrylic on canvas

12 x 24 inches

Sold

Beach Pines, seascape, cardinals, knife painting

 "Beach Pines"

With COVID came a few unfinished lesson plans.  This painting started as a fall scene with deciduous trees.  After it sat in storage partly painted (due to closing the gallery),  I went back over it and exaggerated the beach.  It took over from there! No resistance from me either.  I got carried away with adding larger tree trunks, bark, and pine needles (all created with a knife), which added interesting contrasts to the smooth brushwork in the sky.  The male and female cardinals were an afterthought because I wanted to add some brighter color back into the composition - which led to the dead needles to give it color balance.

Acrylic on canvas

Knife painting

11 x 14 inches 

Ready to frame

SOLD

Click here to see more

Please email me at: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com for information about having something similar created in a size you prefer.

Beach Reflections, blue heron

"Beach Reflections"

This gorgeous sunset with vivid colors set off the silhouette of a great blue heron as he posed for my friend Carol. 

I used a palette knife for some of the dramatic highlights in the foreground, which gave the painting stronger contrast of not only the highlights but also the thick layers against the smooth brushwork.

The frame (see below) is heavily textured wood, which I slightly accented with gold throughout and then gave it a stronger gold inner lip.

Original art

Acrylic on canvas

14 x 18 inches

Unique custom frame

SOLD

Email me about having something similar created in a size you want! Fawn@fawnsartstudio.com

Click here to see more

Enjoy!

 

Winter Morning, sunrise reflections

Winter Morning

© 2021

Just rescued this old demo from last year.  Painted over most of it. Turned grays and rocks into lovely morning colors dancing on the snow and the water.  Love the unruly pine tree too! 

That's how life is for me lately, turning the struggles into something, although I'm not as sure about the outcome with life situations!  Most of it is good.  God is faithful.  (Romans 8:28, He works it out for good if you love Him.)

8 x 10 inches

Acrylic on canvas panel

Ready to frame

SOLD

Please email me for availability, or about having something similar painted in a size you prefer: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com

Click here to see more

 

Palm on a biscuit, nautical art

Coconut Palm

How cool is that?  I tried waves on the shore at first, but the raised flower pattern on the sea-biscuit cried out to me, "Make a flower, or a plant, or something!"  It took a few tries to get it to look like a palm tree instead of a green flower, but it was worth the extra effort!

The sea-biscuit has an interesting texture, which I would like to explore the next time I create something on one of these.  It seems like it would make very nice seafoam and bubbles.  (See the painting below for the back of this sea-biscuit to see the texture. Click on the image to enlarge it.)  The prep for this was a little more involved: used bleach to clean it, and 3 coats of clear primer. 

~ One of a Kind Original Art

~ Acrylic Painting on a Sea-Biscuit

~ 5 1/2 x 4 1/2  inches

~ Painted and Sealed with Professional Materials

~ Front and Back are Painted and Sealed

~ Sold

Click here to see more

Back of sea-biscuit

 

Florida Sunshine, butterfly

"Florida Sunshine"

One of my favorites! I just made this small painting available in greeting cards!

The butterfly landed on the grapefruit, which had a crack in it, and the light was making him glow.  It was captivating!  I took a lot of pictures at different angles until he finally flew off.

(The original is sold.)

5 x 7 cards, blank inside, $5.00 each

Click here to see more

Email me: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com  for information about having something similar created in a size you prefer! (Also we can create: animal portraits, kids with pets or livestock, homesteads, inspirational art, etc... )  Price list by size.

Thanks for stopping by!

Click here for customer feed-back to see what others say about my work!  

Working the Edge, tricolored heron, mixed media

"Working the Edge"

I saw this heron while we were out fishing in the rim canal at Lake Okeechobee.  He fished that edge for quite a while and I got some nice pictures of him.  This was a fun little impressionistic painting with lots of loose brush strokes and bright colors.

I hid some clear colored beads in colors that match, so it is a somewhat hard to see them until the light hits them.  There are some peach and orange beads on the hill, green ones among the lily pads, and a few blue ones near the rocks in the water.  The blue ones show up the best, which was the goal, so it adds more sparkle to the water. 

 Framed it in a nice wide custom frame and embellished it with silver lace along the inside lip (see below).

Enjoy!

5 x 7 inches

Mixed media

Sold

Click here to see more

 

Relax, beach scene, sunset, coat hanger

"Relax"

I found this wood sign in a thrift store.  Went back to it several times, but I really did not want to clean it up.  It was old, grimy, and smoke stained. It also needed some wood glue to hold the letters in place as they were coming loose.  

The scene on it was cartoonish, and the shells were dull browns. I wasn't sure it would be worth the time to clean it and prime it.   

First I repaired it, then I tried to clean it.  What a mess.  It did not come clean, even with strong cleansers and rubbing alcohol.  So I sanded it down to get most of the dirt and paint off.  Then I primed it with a couple of coats of white primer.  

The shells and starfish are made from some kind of hard plastic.  I used a special primer so the acrylic paint would not peel off.  (Acrylic paint does not like slick surfaces.)

 Now I could see it would work.  I drew my seascape on it and got the first layer of color started. That's when I knew it would be worth it! I always love painting the colors of the ocean, and this was one I could really exaggerate.  I also added some pearlescent paint to my colors on the shells and some in the painting too.  When you view it at different angles it shines.  

The idea of taking something I would have thrown away and turning it into something beautiful and valuable really made me feel good.  Made me think about how God rescues us so often, and He turns our lives around for good.

Description:

Original hand crafted art

Acrylic on wood

Coat hanger (see below)

15.5 x 8.5 inches

SOLD

Click here to see more original art

Thanks for looking!

 

Rough Shore, sand dunes, waves, mixed media

"Rough Shore"

"...in this world you will have trouble... Take heart,

 I have overcome the world!" 

 (Jesus) John 16:33

 Learned how hard it is to undo things that have been adhered to with acrylic modeling paste while I was working on this painting (off and on for the last couple of years)!  It certainly is difficult to change my mind once it has dried.  (This was one of my early experiments with mixed media.)

 I started it just before I closed my gallery and teaching center because of the pandemic.  Worked on it several times, but I struggled to resolve the texture issues that are left behind when you remove items that aren't working.

I wanted to contrast smooth areas (created with a brush) with thick areas (built up with a palette knife).  I was after the effect of waves crashing against rocks near the shore.  This proved to be quite a mess at first.  Needed to resolve texture issues and correct the size and placement of waves coming onto the shore. Finally found the effect I was after.

Then I got to have some fun! Added sea glass, beads, shells, and aquarium stones. Rearranged them several times before deciding on exactly where to place them.

I framed it in this lovely textured frame, which complements the whole effect I was trying for.  

• Original Art
• Mixed media on hardboard
• Professional materials
• 11 x 14 inches
• Textured custom frame (see below)
• SOLD

Email me if you are interested in something similar! Custom orders are priced by size.

fawn@fawnsartstudio.com

Click here to see more

Thanks for looking!

 

To and Fro, beach, crabs, waves

 "To and Fro"

Palette knife painting on a small wooden plank.  This was actually a failed attempt at transparent layers of water rushing up over the sand.  The wood grain was perfect for the sand and made interesting patterns that I wanted to exaggerate.  But the wood its self was damaged in a quite a few places and the thin layers of paint exaggerated the odd scars in the wood, which went in the opposite direction of what I was trying to achieve.

So I squished out large blobs of paint and took my palette knife and covered the scarred wood with wonderful mixtures and textures!  I added some pearlescent paint in the water and two little crabs running back and forth on the beach, which made me laugh.  Good memories.

About this painting:

Acrylic knife painting

(mixed media)

Wood support, wired and ready to hang

12 x 5.5 inches

SOLD

Click here to see more

Thanks for looking!

Be Still, wood plaque

 

This was a little plaque I found with the words already on it.  It was plain white with a bit of wood grain showing.  I cleaned and primed the surface before I painted over it in thin layers.  I added the letters back onto it where they had almost disappeared.  I used a matte medium to make the glazed colors so they would be transparent.  This glazing technique adds a nice luster and depth to the painting, and it also ensures that the integrity of the paint is not jeopardized.  Then I used a semi-gloss sealer over the whole thing to give it a uniform shine and to protect the painting.

I generally do not like words in my art, but this was simple and the words didn't overpower the painting.  It really spoke to me.  There is always a refreshing of the soul when I  go to the beach. (I also like the nice twist of creating my art over the words.) I will most likely do a few more of these and see how it goes.

Enjoy!

Be Still

Acrylic on cradled wood

10.75 x 5 x 1.5 

SOLD

All Wrapped Up Again, mixed media, heart

 

"All Wrapped Up Again"

Added some beads and glitter paint to this old gem.  I love the way it shines when the light hits it from different angles.  I also strengthened the tiny black shadows.  

I've been having too much fun with these mixed media pieces!

Mixed media on hardboard

5 x 7 inches

Custom frame: classic black

SOLD

Click here to see more

Enjoy!

Deep Calling, shells on the shore, mixed media

"Deep Calling"

Deep calls to deep at the noise of your waterfalls; All your waves and billows have gone over me. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life.  Psalm 42: 7-8

This painting went through a few phases.  It started with an underwater scene, which became very dark and uninviting.  So then I added more sand and deep blue water to get a better bird's eye view of the transparent water on the shore, which has been a recurring theme for me lately.  I love the challenge of getting things under the water to show up and still capture the feeling of movement in the water.  Plus I love finding shells and sea glass at the beach.

I used the brush for most of the painting and then used a palette knife to build up some interesting textures in the waves and sand.  I used gel medium for the thicker impasto areas, and then did a dry brush technique with white paint to enhance it. 

I decided to add found objects after leaving it alone for a few days.  (I wasn't sure if it was finished yet.) I set a few on and took them off.  I didn't want to take away from the painting.  But in the end the little girl in me showed up and dictated the outcome!

I finally adhered the seashells and the aquarium stones with gel medium.  Something about that always makes me laugh.  I feel like a kid while arranging them.  I think it has something to do with breaking all the rules of fine art and making something more of a fine craft.  I was never crafty, and I was taught that it devalues the painting when it looks more like a craft project.  However, I have found it to be a wonderful expression of art, and I feel comfortable with lowering my prices on the mixed media pieces.  This is because they are smaller works for the most part, and they don't take as long to create compared to all the hours of adding tiny details to my realistic paintings.

10 x 10 x 1 1/2 inches

Mixed Media on cradled hardboard

(Painted sides, framing is optional.)

Sold

Enjoy!

Click here to see more

Email me: fawn@fawnsartstudio.com  for information about having your own custom painting created! (Animal portraits, kids with pets or livestock, homesteads, vistas, inspirational art, etc... )  
Price list by size.

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 "New Every Morning"

"Blessed"