"Fire In The Sky"

This is a painting I did this morning, which was inspired by last night's sunset. I didn't take a photo at the time, so it's pretty much just my recollection of it. My main focus was the sky itself, so the land and water are the result of my imagination and just added to complete the composition. This is Oil on a 12" x 16" panel.

I'm Back!!!

I'm sorry I've been absent for so long from this blog, but I have just had sooo much going on! From what I've gathered through various inquiries, and e:mails, some of you thought I'd passed or at least moved out of the country! lol No, I'm still kickin'!!

Our Studio Open House was last week-end and it went much better than I ever would have expected. I found new homes for a dozen of my paintings and picked up a few more commission orders. Plus, Glenda scheduled some photo shoots for portraits, so it was great exposure all the way around.

Now that some of my paintings have left the nest, I've been busy painting some more works to fill the void. I have to revamp and rotate the stock at some of my local display areas, so now is the time to do it, with the Holidays approaching. This time of year is always my best period as far as sales go.

Here are a few recent paintings from the past couple of weeks. The deer is actually a commission piece which was done from a client's photo. No, that's not dandruff on her head. I think she had just walked under a snow-laden branch and got dumped on! lol

And you know me and "old barns". I never get tired of painting those!

"Snowy White-tail" 12" x16"

"December Morning" 11" x 14"

"Fleeting Light" 20" x 20" Gallery Wrap canvas

New Dvd Release

The first of my new Dvd's for The World of Art series is now available. Titled, "A FOUR COLOR LANDSCAPE", this lesson fearures step-by-step instruction for a winter, snow-capped mountain scene and requires only 4 paint colors!

Three more videos are "in the can" and will be forthcoming in the not too distant future.

This tutorial can be purchased now at my website, www.wilsonbickford.com and also at Jerry's Artarama www.jerrysartarama.com and Art Supply Warehouse www.aswexpress.com

Fresh Off The Easel

I'm still trying to get enough work finished ahead for my upcoming Open House. Past experience tells me that it's best to have a variety of subject matters and sizes. Something for everyone! So, I've been trying to come up with some different ideas to fit that bill.

Here are the latest,...... all just completed within the past few days.

"CALLA LILIES" ( 10" x 20" )

"SEASIDE STROLL" ( 11" x 14" )

"EVENING FLIGHT" ( 12" x 16" )

"White-tail Doe"

For whatever reason, I awoke this morning with an idea for a painting. It was just a mental image of a deer standing in a meadow, but I could see the composition my mind. I knew I had to paint it. So, after breakfast and a couple of errands, I leafed through a few reference photos I had on hand and got started.

This is the result of a fairly detailed Acrylic underpainting with Oils over the top. Because of it's fast-drying nature, I can get a lot of detail with the Acrylics. But, I still love the richness and vibrancy of the Oils. With this approach, I get the best of both worlds.

We have a lot of deer in the meadow behind our house, so they provide plenty of inspiration.

I've had a very busy class schedule for the past couple of weeks ( nearly every day ), so my intent is to spend some time on my own paintings this week. I'm not sure I'll complete a painting each day, but I will definitely be at my easel, as I have some other ideas I'd like to work on.

I have a true compassion for any and all animals, so I feel privileged to be able to capture them on canvas.

New Works

Here are a few pieces I've been working on lately in preparation for our Open House in October.
All are in Oils, some with an Acrylic underpainting, some not.
I've had a busy week with classes each day at the Thousand Islands Art Center in Clayton, NY.
It was a great time and I had the privilege to work with a great bunch of folks. Painting truly puts us all on one level and diminishes any social barriers. I meet people from all walks of life in my classes and I am fortunate for that.

I had a call the other day from the local chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Assoc. in regards to my appearance on the local Labor Day Telethon again this year. ( I have gone "on-air" every year for the past decade or so at the local TV station, to create a couple of paintings which are raffled to raise money for the cause. ) When I get that call each year, I know that Summer is winding down and Fall will be here all too soon. It's hard to believe we're zeroing in on September already! But, the crisp air and rich colors of Autumn are always welcome, too. It's just hard to let Summer slip by.

"Baxter" ( Pet Commission )

This is my latest pet portrait. Meet "Baxter". This piece was commissioned as a Christmas gift for the client's daughter. Having never seen this little fella in person, I worked from reference photos which were e:mailed to me.

Personally, I feel that I have captured him and it is finished, but the final, ultimate say on that is always left to the customer. I'll let her look it over and if need be, I'll make any adjustments she may recommend. It's pretty easy to render a dog, but it's much more challenging to capture their dog, since they know him best. I can't always trust photos 100%, as they sometimes fall short of a true representation.

In any case, this was a really fun piece to create and I enjoyed working on it.