Leanne Shawler, Artist

We're about to start week 8 of the challenge and I just finished my eighth portrait so I am a week ahead, still. In 2012, I went to an exhibit about the Titanic and your ticket identifies you as one of the passengers. I was Helen Bishop. Helen survived the sinking of the Titanic and went on to have her first child (which died a few days after), get caught up in an earthquake and then was badly injured in a car accident, and it seems the resulting brain trauma from that is what took her life. On the way out of the exhibit, I picked up a packet of Titanic ephemera (all reprints, obviously) and these form the base of my collage. There are plenty of websites on Titanic survivors around, so I found a photo of her to use. The base colors of my palette are Cerulean Blue, Yellow Ochre, Venetian Red and Titanium White. I have enough left for another painting. (Even after I forgot to put the lid back onto the palette overnight.) First layers The results is a good likeness of...

This week I took the Week 3 LifeBook 2018 lesson by Ivy Newport as a prompt. I followed her journaling prompt (later used for collage fodder). Then I picked out my own color scheme and collage items, including a picture of part of my face (which was also part of the lesson), which I then basically painted over but used as a guideline. So far as a self-portrait goes, it isn't, but one of those abstracty concept paintings. I left a space in the center because that's where I thought I was going to put the face, and then I changed my mind. Which is just as well, because the lesson had the face in the upper middle part of the page with the focus on the hands. Mine is more right upper with a focus on the face. Although I'm really happy with how the bowl turned out. I call her "seeking wisdom". For my colors I used Golden's Smalt Hue and a smidge of Teal in heavy body, some Titanium White and Buff in Golden fluid, about three of Jane Davenport's mat...

I still can't show you the 4th portrait, but I finished the 5th portrait in a couple of days. I forgot to put the lid back onto the wet palette and all the paint drying out kind of forced my hand. But she was already done, thank goodness. I got inspired by an article in my home town paper, The Newcastle Herald . It was mostly about some coal company giving a small country town funds to improve infrastructure (with the associated drama). They spoke to local residents of Sandy Hollow and one of them was an artist. He'd done a mosaic of one of the valley's legendary souls, a "lady bushranger", she was called, even though she was active in the early twentieth century, after most the reign of most bushrangers. (She stole cattle, mostly.) The Herald quotes the artist, David Mahoney : His naked mosaic of a stylised Hickman, displayed at his Sandy Hollow gallery, was designed to “give the Lady Bushranger a little bit of status and make her look a little sensuou...

Well, I wish I could show you this week's portrait... I'll share a few photos but as this painting is a gift, the full reveal will have to wait until the recipient gets it. You'll just have to trust me until it gets to Australia... This is the first week I spent tracking my time at the easel (because I was using an easel this time instead of in my journal). I am using Jane Davenport's "Learning to Fly" planner, which is super-cute. Aside from the fact of leaving my wet palette opened from Thursday morning, through Friday night, thankfully after I had pretty much finished the face so the paint that did try it didn't matter so much, this went pretty well. I am also deeply thankful for the Facebook group "52 Portraits in 52 Weeks" as they came to my aid as I struggled to work on the shirt. The reference photo had a striped shirt that seemed really complicated. The final piece is 12" x 16" on cold press watercolor paper i...

As I was working from home on Monday, I was able to get all the prep done for these jelly donuts (recipe by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen ) and thus able to fry them first thing Tuesday morning to take into work for a Chanukah treat. There are two rises involved with this yeasted dough and I got a bit worried: the milk didn't froth with the yeast in it (not lukewarm enough?) and although after the first rise the dough was a bit puffy, it looked pretty sad and flat the next morning after the second overnight rise in the fridge. BTW, I did the "peskier" method where you prefill with jam before frying. Having never made these before, I had to do a taste test. (My hubby was dispatched to work with the one donut that "exploded" during frying.) Thankfully, they turned out pretty dang good (I think the lemon zest really made it) ... ... and off to work they went! Portrait #2 is underway for the 52 Portraits in 52 Weeks challenge. This time it is...

It's just the first week and it already has proved that one can complete a portrait in a week even if one works full-time and has to deal with family emergencies (we're okay). Monday night: image sketched Tuesday night: set up palette and first layers Wednesday night: choir Thursday night: well, we had to watch The Voice! (yes, more about those choices later) Friday night: one of my bosses got installed in his new job (where he is still my boss), an amazing evening Saturday: at hospital most of the day, home for an hour where I painted! then off to Christmas party Leaving Sunday to photograph and scan the finished portrait and get it online for y'all, as well as prep for week 2! For Week 2, I am still trying to decided between the redo of Frida Kahlo (which is on a board) or a whole new painting. I still have a lot of paint left from this painting in blues, reds, greens and purples, so I'm leaning toward the Frida Kahlo redo as it is more abs...

I didn't get started on the first week of my challenge to complete 52 Portraits in 52 Weeks until tonight, but here are a couple of pics. I decided to start with a self-portrait. There was a crazy looking one where I'm super-happy, but it wasn't my best angle, so I decided to use one where my hair looked fabulous instead. Before I began: Initial sketch: I'll show you the final result Sunday. Follow me on Instagram  @leanneshawler to see progress shots throughout the week. See the pinned "Featured" post  to learn more about the 52 Portraits in 52 Weeks challenge and how you can join in.