A time for painting

As 2012 draws to a close, I am finishing the year off with the start of a new painting series focusing on octopi. I would say the first image for an octopus painting came to me I believe back in 2009 when I was in CRNA school. I've been waiting since then to create him/her, but it has taken all the way until now.

Here is the first....I call him "Octopus # 1" and he is 39.5 by 35.5 inches. Consisting of a mixture of acrylic & oil paints on wood.

Here are some detail shots....

Next I chose a completely different color palette from how I usually paint and I'm glad I did. I think this one came out great. I love the shimmer of the silver.

"Octopus # 2" 24 by 24 inches, acrylic on birch

Next for "Octopus # 3" I chose pinks & some peach. My favorite things about this one are the background and composition.

"Octopus # 3" 24 by 24 inches, acrylic on birch

And finally here is a picture of me working in my studio art room!

shannonmurrayart.com

Wreath Making 2012

My friend Tiffany came and visited me last weekend from Austin and we were originally wanting to make Christmas tree skirts out of felt, but decided to make wreaths instead. We survived the mad rush of women at Michael's and made it home with plenty of time to make the wreaths before going to Uchi for dinner!

dinner & playlists

Aren't Saturdays the best? I think so.

Lazy Butters...

We grilled tuna steak for the first time over charcoal. Diced it and mixed it with sliced avocados, red onion, green onion, and toasted sesame seeds all mixed in a special sauce I made from scratch.

Then salads with homemade pesto made fresh from basil grown in the backyard.