Post 340: Commissioned Painting of Vicki's Pond

Painting Name: Vicki's Pond

Because of Etsy, because of koi ponds and perhaps also because of keywords, Vicki found me on Etsy because she liked my artwork, especially of koi ponds. She commissioned a painting from me to paint her pond - even though she resides several states over from me. Pretty awesome, right?

SKU: 01D24ACGC

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 16x20 Stretched Canvas

Edition Year: 2024

Framed?: No

Commissioned? Yes

What Brought About this Painting?

Vicki put in a pond in her backyard in the later part of 2023 and wants a painting of her pond based on the Spring time - so she can view her pond in the best, most colorful season of the year - all year long. 

Here is a photograph of her pond and she has let me know what she's planted that will be coming up in the Spring - I hope to make this painting as pretty as I believe her Spring time will be there and in the years to come. 

Woohoo, so let's go!

Painting in Progress Images…

Watch the painting as it progresses!

Friday, January 26, 2024 10am. Paintings start with several layers of gesso that prepare the stretched canvas with a smoother finish for receiving the paint. The canvas is white and so is the gesso I am using, so there is not a lot to look at for the moment. I'll put usually 3-4 layers of gesso and those need to dry (and sometimes be sanded) before the sketching on the canvas can begin. Then its off to the races!

Sometimes it takes a couple of days to have something on canvas decent enough to show, but the gesso has begun!

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 8:34am. I have the sketching of the pond done and am now doing the underpainting in a Burnt Umber. So the canvas is a lot of brown at the moment. Underpainting is NOT pretty so be aware of that in this picture below. I'll probably build in a couple of layers of the paint to really fill in a base of paint to work with. Bare with me, it will start looking like something in a bit. 

When I paint, I usually start from the farthest thing away in the painting and move forward from there. I build layers, LOTS of layers. For instance, in a landscape with the sun showing, I would start with the sun, then the sky plus clouds, mountains, then more forward. Doesn't mean that you may or may not see all of that but if trees are in the foreground, the sun, sky and clouds may be partially seen so they must be back there. 

Same here for this painting. Although the fence is not a focal point, it is in the background so I have to have some of it - or hints of it, be seen. Back to painting and let's see where the next update goes.

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 5:11pm. Paint a layer, let it dry, paint a layer, walk away. Layers upon layers, building up color, and coverage. LONG way to go...

Wednesday, January 31, 2024 12:42pm. Adding more color, defining the rocks. 

Thursday, February 1, 2024 8:38am. Good morning - what do you know, the sun is shining here in Northern Virginia! And its The Chosen Season 4 Episodes 1-3(?) day in the theaters! Can't wait to see it over the next few weeks.

I think my friend Vicki, over a few states finally got a wee bit of sun yesterday and she got some very nice photos for me. Knowing which direction the sun is coming from at different times a day makes the world of difference for the artist. So this is where I am this morning, back in the pond...

Thursday, February 1, 2024 11:41am. Got this far this morning. Time to take a break. 

Thursday, February 1, 2024 5:02pm. The 3 P's. Progress, Progress, Progress. I'm getting hungry. 

Friday, February 2, 2024 7:43am. Groundhog's Day and he saw his shadow so Spring is supposedly coming early - if you follow the furry weather forecast. You can click on a photo for a larger view. 

Painting rocks this morning, lots of rocks as they surround the pond. Here are 2 links to past paintings with LOTS of rocks...And I hope to start really adding some pops of color.

Mountain Reflection

Koi Pond in Louisa, Virginia

Friday, February 2, 2024 11:40am. Maybe the Groundhog was right today - Spring is coming early! PROGRESS and of course, more layers.

Even flowers are layers - spots of the darkest color first, then several layers of increasingly lighter colors.

Friday, February 2, 2024 1:42pm. Stuff is starting to bloom all over.

Saturday, February 3, 2024 6:08am. Let's see what kind of progress can happen today! Bit of glare at the top of the canvas from the lights above it. In person, so much more intense color - and detail. That's what I do. 

Tuesday, February 6, 2024 2:42pm I was out of town a couple of days - back home now. Let's see where the painting is now...

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 8:02am This picture includes light coming through the blinds this morning...Some new things starting to appear around the pond.

Wednesday, February 7, 2024 4:07pm The really cool thing about a deep canvas is painting the edges - all around. Never know what you might find there too. I've done this with a couple of paintings, where there was more to the story of the painting if you look around the edge.

Friday, February 9, 2024 6:25pm Finishing up the painting at this point, adding some small tweaks and ensuring the edges are smoothed out. Looking for anything unfinished - which I see one thing right in the middle to do...

As I've posted on other paintings, sometimes its a good idea to just stop and look at the work and see what it needs. Make sure the lighting is right, the shadows, the water reflections. I've called that the "tweaking phase".

And believe it or not, its a good idea to turn the painting upside-down and see how it feels. A different light, in another room, lets you see it differently. A painter knows when its done.

Monday, February 12, 2024 12:30pm. For the last few days, the tweak-a-thon has been ongoing - finalizing the edges of the painting, shadows and more. 

The painting contains, although some are quite small:

3 Monarch Butterflies

2 Dragonflies

2 Frogs

1 Turtle

1 Hummingbird

1 Cardinal

1 Ladybug

Viewable Goldfish and Koi Fish - 13

Additionally around the pond are the Heron and the Lighthouse and on one side of the painting is the floating white swan. Here are a few photos of the painting hanging on a wall - although the light today is horrible. Total gray-out outside.

Photos are pre-varnishing and wiring but I think its done!

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Let me know if you like my paintings and if you need a handmade, original painting for yourself or as a gift for a friend or family member. If you want to commission me to do a painting for you, please contact me through this blog, on Facebook, My Website at https://DonnaLiguriaArt.com, or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://donnaliguriaart.etsy.com to shop my available Artwork.

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