Framing Makes a Difference

The framing can both take away from or add to a piece.  It is important to choose a frame desing that enhances the artwork rather than distract from it.  In this case I chose a very wide and visually heavy frame for the rhino because that animal is very wide and heavy.  Also the darker color of the frame helps the brighter colors of the painting jump out.

As for the abstract, I chose a wide frame with a high gloss finish.  This painting is laquered with a high gloss coating so that together they both look as though they are wet.  Also, the pattern in the frame is similar to the patterns in the painting.  And like the rhino painting, the dark frame helps to set off the bright colors on the canvas.

Painting Personality

color has a lot to do with how a painting effects us.  But the personality of the subject can have more impact.  Then combine the two and you can create a an abundance of personality.  The result can be very rewarding when you know it's your work that made someone smile or even laugh out loud the minute they saw your painting for the first time.  Laughing subjects help create this kind of response.  But nothing can beat cute.  And nothing is curter than baby animals.  The innocence, the posture and the gestures and expressions of new borns will almost always brighten anyone's day.

Painting Elephants

Perhaps my favorite subject is an elephant.  The majority of my pencil drawings are made up of elephants.  I love the texture and extreme detail of the wrinkles and lines in the skin.  When I began to paint, it was simply for the sake of using color.  My first works were abstracts.  Then enough people told me they loved the use of color, but they would prefer to see something in the abstract.  So I began to use the elephant as my subject once again, only this time I combined color and the different textures you can create, either visually or physically with paint.  How abstract the painting is, or how much of the bright colors I use, or how large or small the canvas is that I use all contribute to the feel or character of the piece. 

Painting Tigers

I seem to be attracted to tigers more these days as my subject of choice.  There are several reasons for this.  It is easy to incorporate several colors, as well as different textures in many interesting ways that can help set the tone of the piece.  The pose of the tiger can also help set the mood of the piece.  Deep reds and orange colors used for a tiger that has his mouth open and fangs showing create an aggressive or loud piece.  A tiger at rest painted with cool blues and light greens and yellows soften the feel of the piece.