Post 148: Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores in Louisa, Virginia V2, 10x20 Acrylic

Painting Name: Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores, Louisa, Virginia Version 2

SKU: 06CD21AC

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 10x20 Stretched Canvas SOLD

Edition Year: 2021

Framed?: No

Commissioned? No

What Brought About this Painting?

There was such a great response for the first Blue Heron painting (v1) that I just had to do a version 2!

Version 2 - "Blue" doesn't have feet in this one.

Sides of painting are painted as well, so it does not necessarily have to be framed.

Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores, Louisa, Virginia versions 1 and 2 are shown here. Version 1 on the left sold immediately (before I even completed it!). 

Maybe not so subtle variations in the versions. Version 1 is a little bit deeper colors and you see a little more of the pier and a pole in the water in the background. Version 2 on the right, "Blue" does not have his feet showing.

See the Painting in progress at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/2021/06/a-painting-in-progress-blue-heron-at.html

See the Version 1 Painting in progress at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/2021/06/blue-heron-at-blue-ridge-shores.html

Again, many thanks to Peter Olsen for the use and permission to use his original photo taken on Memorial weekend 2021 of a Blue Heron as my "model".
See the original photo at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/2021/06/a-painting-in-progress-blue-heron.html

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Post 146: A Painting in Progress: Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores (v2)

Painting Name: Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores (v2)

SKU: 06CD21AC

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 10x20 Stretched Canvas

Edition Year: 2021

Framed?: No

Check Availability and Prints on my Etsy Shop

What Brought About this Painting?

I had a LOT of people ask me about version 1 of this painting so I started another one. I am very grateful for the interest in it! This one will be slightly different, they always are.

Painting in Progress Images…

Friday, June 18, 2021 10:45 AM Moving along on another big blue heron bird painting. Ooops, looks like I missed filling in the background between the legs and tail. I can fix that.

Monday, June 21, 2021 11/35 AM Version 2 (v2) of "Blue" - he is starting to look like a bird and the lake is starting to look brackish. (See, I fixed it.)

Monday, June 21, 2021 2:31 PM Starting to fill in the bird, but I must get the background leaves in too before it gets too far along.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021 8:15 AM The floating Blue Heron with no legs

See the completed Painting at coming soon

Shop, Follow, Like, Comment and do all the social things for my painting Artworks: 

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Like my paintings? Need a handmade, original painting 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 in the form, or on my Facebook link. To Shop for paintings, please go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.

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Post 143: Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores, Virginia, 10x20 Acrylic on Canvas (v1)

Painting Name: Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores, Virginia (v1)

SKU: 06CC21AC

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 10x20 Stretched Canvas

Price: SOLD

Edition Year: 2021

Check Availability and Prints on my Etsy Shop

What Brought About this Painting?

There are a lot of birds I have been wanting to paint and a blue heron is one of them. Recently, an old friend of mine, Peter Olsen, visited Blue Ridge Shores in Louisa, Virginia. He is known for taking some GREAT pictures especially when he comes up to BRS from North Carolina.

After this past Memorial weekend (May 28 - May 31, 2021) he posted a bunch of photos on Facebook. I spotted his blue heron photo and asked his permission to use it for a painting. Permission granted, the painting began.

As I usually do, I will look at it for a bit to see if it needs any more tweaking before I varnish it but I think its about there. What do you think? This picture may show the colors a bit better.

By the way, see the original photo at the "Painting in Progress" post.

See the Painting in progress at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/2021/06/a-painting-in-progress-blue-heron.html

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Behind the Canvas Blog: Donna’s Cave Paintings Blog

Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
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Post 142: A Painting in Progress: Blue Heron

Painting Name: Blue Heron at Blue Ridge Shores, Virginia

SKU: 06CC21AC

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 10x20 Stretched Canvas

Price: SOLD

Edition Year: 2021

Commissioned? No

The Image for Reference:

Photo Credit and Permission Granted from Peter Olsen, May 2021 at Blue Ridge Shores in Louisa, Virginia

Painting in Progress Images…

What would you name this Painting? Blue Heron just does not seem quite enough. Maybe a name suggestion will happen as the painting develops. Follow "the painting in progress" here and leave your comments!

Monday, June 14, 2021 5:10 PM - Roughed in the heron and the background

Monday, June 14, 2021 5:43 PM - He looks kind of ghostly doesn't he?

Monday, June 14, 2021 6:47 PM - bird has a bit of a hunchback. Blue Heron of Notre Dame. I'll have to smooth that out. 

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 8:32 AM - Still no legs but he has an eye. I like painting birds, and other critters. (That's the southern influence on me.) Feathers are such intricate delicate things. Our God and Creator really let His imagination soar (<- get that?) when it came to birds if you think about it. Their colors, how they are so exotic and different from each other, eh? (Eh? - That's the Canadian influence of friends and family there.)

Blue Ridge Shores is a lake in Louisa County, Virginia. The lake is man-made lake that began in 1960 as a resort community. The water has a lot of sediment in it, therefore the "color of water" has a green look to it. 

Coloring water also depends on other things like its bottom (or substrate), what's in it (even as recently as a good rainfall), the surface - refraction and reflection, and a biggie is the light which is directly influenced by the surface.

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 11:11 AM - Still no knobby knees or those long luxurious "strings" of feathers. Coming along but a long way to go yet. Detailing feathers takes awhile. 

What NOT to paint opposed to what to include

Also, from the real picture at the start, I am assuming that the lumpy stuff on the dock are things I do not want to paint. When you blow up the photo, the nails on the dock are actually quite raised. Much for bare feet to be aware of.

I also did not include the stick on the pier as there wasn't really enough room to do it justice. So far I did not include the red reflector on the side of the pier. I'm thinking it over. Attention should be on the bird not the pier one might think.

I was just wondering what these guys sound like? Anyone know?

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 1:15 PM - Pause in the painting for a bit. My neighbor had commissioned a painting for me to do for her daughter, Alison's birthday. Alison is visiting a couple of days and we "sprung" the surprise on her. See the entries listed under the keyword "Richmond VA". Warms your heart when someone sees the work for the first time.

Face details on the heron coming together...

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 3:30 PM - She's got legs, and he knows how to use them. ZZ Top, right? At least these little rinky-dinky things will become legs. HOW do they hold themselves up with those stick legs? Baffling. Like bumble bees. How DO they fly with those big bodies and rinky-dink wings?

I am reminded of the famous painter that painted geese, ducks, etc and she never painted feet. The birds were ALWAYS in the water or sitting down. She had a thing about feet. If you don't know who she is, she's P. Buckly Moss, of Waynesboro, Virginia. http://www.pbuckleymoss.com/

I am currently really liking the idea of no feet. Guess I cannot get away with having the heron standing in a bucket of water.

See the completed Painting at https://donnascavepainting.blogspot.com/2021/06/blue-heron-at-blue-ridge-shores.html

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Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork.
Side Note, if you have purchased one of my paintings, please send me a picture of YOU with the painting and I will post it on the corresponding blog page.

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Post 48: Koi Pond in Louisa, Virginia 15x30 Acrylic on Canvas 2021 Commissioned Painting

Painting Name: Koi Pond in Louisa, Virginia

SKU: 01F21ACG

Medium:  Acrylic

Size:  15x30 Stretched Canvas

Price: Not Available

Edition Year: 2021

Commissioned? Yes

About this Painting…

Wouldn't it be great if every yard had room for a koi pond, or at least a water feature? 

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Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork. Thank you for visiting, and remember to Follow, Comment, and Review! 

Post 46: A Painting in Progress: Koi Pond in Louisa, Virginia

Painting Name: Koi Pond Louisa, Virginia

SKU: 01F21ACG

Medium: Acrylic

Size: 15x30 Stretched Canvas

Price: Sold

Edition Year: 2021

Commissioned? Yes

My second commissioned painting in a month!!

Painting in Progress Images…

The gesso phase of a canvas is just UNINTERESTING but a necessary step. Even when the quality canvases have "primed 3 times" on them, well, I'm still priming it. The paint sits better on the canvas, the surface isn't so grainy. So I'm not doing a picture of a white canvas getting gesso'd with white gesso. Sort of wax on wax off. Fairly boring. Gesso, watch it dry, gesso, watch it dry.

1-9-2021 15x30 Heavy Duty Wrapped Canvas - I liked my light reflected in the wrap

More to come...I'm watching gesso drying...

1-10-2021 "rough draft" - the point is get a basic idea of placement and start filling in

1-11-2021 it is starting to look like something

1-11-2021 long way to go but the stars of the show are starting make an appearance

1-11-2021 late in the evening now, back at it tomorrow. I'm liking it and hope you all do too!

11-12-2021 Koi Pond in Louisa, Virginia is coming along. How many fish do you see?

11-13-21 A few more things to do and probably some shadow tweaking (or twerking) and finalize the edges. Final photos will be when completed. I had an idea for something too...

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Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member? Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork. Thank you for visiting, and remember to Follow, Comment, and Review!

If you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt

Post 11: Blue Ridge Shores Main Beach in the Fall 16 x 20 Framed Stretched Canvas (SOLD)

Painting Name: The Main Beach at Blue Ridge Shores, Louisa, Virginia 

SKU: #10I20AC
Medium: Acrylic Painting

Size: 16 x 20 Stretched Canvas

Price: SOLD (see story below)

Edition Year: 2020

Check Availability and Prints on my Etsy Shop

Beach Painting of the main beach at Blue Ridge Shores in Louisa, Virginia, a small lake community near Lake Anna.

Blue Ridge Shores, or BRS (aka Lake Louisa) in Louisa County, Virginia was a fun place to grow up in the 70's. My family and I lived near the main beach depicted in this painting. There used to be a raft to swim out to in the deeper water (long gone), the umbrellas were various colors, and an area for the little kids was sectioned off. As we say, 'those were the days' - when Momma G was cooking burgers, music played across the sand, kids played all day long, and skiers zigged and zagged across the lake sending up fountains of spray.

Did we ever have rainy days in the summer, didn't seem like it. You could spend all day making sand castles and baking in the sun. It was a great childhood.

Painting above, photo below.

I took this photo at the BRS beach on Saturday, October 17, 2020 so as you can see, a few less leaves on the trees and I left off the volleyball posts. Actually, I didn't know they were permanently set. Artistic license - like make up.

Like this painting? Need a handmade, original painting as a gift for a friend or family member?

Or if you want to commission me to do a similar painting for you, please contact me through this blog or go to Donna Liguria Art on Etsy at https://www.etsy.com/shop/DonnaLiguriaArt to shop my available Artwork. Thank you for visiting, and remember to Follow, Comment, and Review! 

This painting is no longer available, it has been SOLD!

And wouldn't you know, there is a story in the how and who bought this painting!

A few months ago, I was chatting with my cousin who was in the process of moving to Blue Ridge Shores into her mom's house at BRS in Louisa (Aunt Tessie, who has gone on to be with the Lord). She LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this piece but just could not get it at this time with all these changes. 

Again, some time went by and I was contacted by another cousin, her sister from above, and she wanted a house warming gift for her sister, moving into her mom's house. Transaction accomplished, and we quietly made arrangements to deliver the painting.

In the meantime, the BUYER sent a note to her sister that something was coming, and the card arrived the day before I showed up. (Good timing, right?)

I purchased a frame for the piece and was able to get to BRS on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Knocked on the door and told her a story of her sister wanted to get her a house warming gift....and my cousin started saying, "Is that what I THINK IT IS???" repeatedly.

So after many hops up and down and ecstatic "ooos" and "ahhs" (one happy cousin), up went the painting on the wall in this spot until she finds exactly where she wants it to go.

Tidings of great joy in this uncertain, very weird world. Glad for a very happy new owner of something I painted.

Thank you again, cousin in Virginia Beach! Enjoy it, cousin at BRS!

Not sure why, but I have Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons singing, "Sherry, Sherry Baby..." playing in my head.