DIY Art: Painterly Canvases

lately i have been really inspired by painterly artwork. painterly refers to when you can see the brush strokes in the art. i had this crazy idea this weekend that i could create a painting of my own. as previously mentioned, i am not the artsy craftsy type so the fact that i painted might be surprising frightening. or just crazy. especially to my mother who was an art history major and quite a talented artist. she tried her best to cultivate my creative side but despite her best efforts, it just wasn't my calling.

but who cares! here are a few of my inspiration pieces:

via isuwannee

via eos via veranda

via eos via veranda

via eos via susan calloway fine art

i bought 2 canvases, one small one for practice and one big one once i get the hang of it, but started by tackling the small one.

first i came up with a color palette of yellow, pink, and coral, mixed up my paints, and started to randomly apply it. i didn't do a good job of taking pics as i went but here is one of the nearly-finished product and my supplies. out of view is a cup of water - important to keep the brushes wet!

i actually kind of like it and decided to put it on the mantle for now. the mantle is in need of some design anyway (and some color) so this is a first step!

best comment came from mr. r who surprisingly loved the painting and said that if my last name was van gogh it would go for big bucks. mind you he is less artistic than me, if that's possible, but it still made me smile :)

don't worry, i know this isn't "real" art and i'm sure an art buff would agree. but i have to say it's a pretty great sense of accomplishment to complete a painting. and i've always thought that art should make you happy. so what do you think? will you be trying something like this?