Sisters. Lydia Host

Just loved painting this commission for my sweet friend. Her beautiful little girls were a dream to paint, and the limited palette was fun.

I think I am finished with all of my Christmas paintings/commissions and am going to focus on my family for the rest of this year (smile). I have all three of my boys home and that is a special treat these days.

My hope for you is a peaceful, enriching holiday time; may you love and be loved!

Thank you for your encouragement and support this year, I appreciate every bit of it.

Lydia

house portrait. Lydia Host daily paint

This is a house portrait that I painted last week. The picture was taken with a phone, so its a little more distorted than in reality and the color is not acurate...but who cares! You get the idea.

My son is recovering nicely from his surgery which went without a hitch. Thank you for your warm wishes and prayers.

Peace.

Lydia

The sun will come out. Lydia Host daily painting 10x10

Its been raining here for days now. I think Mobile is living up to its 'rainiest city' reputation, perhaps even being an overachiever. Whenever I buy myself flowers, I think that I will do it all of the time, because it makes me so happy...totally affordable happiness. I also love to paint flowers, esp. sunflowers. I am going up to Tuscaloosa this afternoon to be there for my sons surgery tomorrow morning. He has had some lung issues and so the surgery which is minor and lapro-scopic, should solve his issues....but he will be on a lung machine for surgery and that scares me. So if you are a praying type, please keep Knowles in your prayers. Thanks, Lydia

fido. Lydia Host Daily painting

This little guy was fun to paint. I have always had big dogs ...but if I had a little dog it might be this kind, they seem to be friendly and not yappy in the extreme. I like how silky their hair can be. Lydia

shrimp boats. Lydia Host daily painting

Furthering my quest to paint the 'old style' shrimp boats. Its so cold and dreary here today, that it was nice to think about sunny days out on the edge of water. I bought some new white paint that is so creamy and thick, it makes me happy to brush it on. Happy weekend to you! Lydia

Don't give up Lydia Host daily painting a day paint 8x8

Don't give up Lydia Host daily painting a day paint 8x8 Don't give up on me yet! I got stuck in California (which was a good thing actually) and then had a really big research paper due, and I have been painting daily but mostly portrait comissions which I can't share with you until they are revealed to the client! I am so happy with the way that these roses turned out. I feel that I started to capture what I like about them. The computer makes the red look 'hotter' than it does in person. Thanks for sticking with me.Lydia

travels.

I am in Sunny California. The weather here is so lovely...I forget how bright and clear everything seems out here, and the mountains...sigh. Of course seeing my beloved family, and close friend has been the best part of this trip. I hope you had a great day yesterday with some people and food that you love. This is a painting that was made to clean my palette off before my trip. Happy weekend to you.

french market. lydia host

My parents are traveling around Europe, eating fresh and fabulous fruit and vegetables. My Mom snapped this shot and emailed it to me!

I am teaching a mini-workshop on Daily painting at 301 in December, Jan. and Feb. each class could be taken individually or as a group they will build on each other. This class is designed for all levels of painting and will be laid back and fun! click here for more information you have to scroll down a bit!

I am heading to California for Thanksgiving, not sure if I'll be able to post or paint even...so I will wish you a Happy Thanksgiving now! Happy Thanksgiving!

Lydia

French creamer 2. Lydia Host

I was thinking about my grandmother today when I decided to paint this little french creamer that she gave me...with the fabulous 'weed ' Lantana stuck into it. She is eighty-nine, and just one of the smartest, most classy of persons you could ever know. Lydia

zannie Apples. Lydia Host 8x8

This is not a great photograph of this painting...but when it gets dark so early. ...I will try again tomorrow. I am painting some fruit and veggies for a little show on Saturday at the Paper Wasp Gallery where I will be showing with Lisa Warren, and Ardith Goodwin, it is the last market day of the season, so get down there and get your farm fresh produce! (painted and grown).

Lydia

green chair. Lydia Host painting a day painting 8x10

I have so many pictures of girls in chairs. For my senior thesis I painted a series of chairs and some of them in with people some without! I had fun with this. Lydia

shrimpers. Lydia Host daily painting a day painting 8x8

Today was a fun plein air day. There were three of us....it started out a little chilly but became quite fabulously warm and it was a sparklingly clear day. Joanne Brandt painted a little dingy up on props that was charming somehow, the painting was equally as charming! Conroy Hudlow, is a regular at the figure drawing classes- his work is quite amazing, but it was his first foray out into the plein air scene...so he just sketched ( well it looked more like a finished drawing to me). Click on their names to see their blogs. I wanted to paint shrimp boats and these two were parked together... I am not exaggerating the color of the nets on the boat on the right...bright green. Anyway I liked that there was a real modern fishing boat just visible on the left...not as picturesque as the old ones....better start painting these old guys fast! Hope you have a great weekend. Lydia

Blue chair. Lydia Host painting a day painting 8x10

I painted this from an old picture that I took of a friend....I love the angst! The blue chair is a 'reading chair' that was given to me by a really nice lady, who told me it was from her grandmothers estate ..in San Fransisco Ca. I love that there is a chair made just for that purpose!

Lydia

Sweetness. Lydia Host daily painting a day painting 8x8

I took some snapshots of this little girl at a local exploreum (with her mothers permission!). I just loved her whole look, and her expressions, the headband was the perfect finishing touch. Lydia

Tea. Lydia Host daily painting a day painting 8x8

Something emerges from the chaos! I actually love it when that happens. There is a painter who kind of took off on pointillism and creates these images that seem to emerge from the fray...Chuck Close kind of does that too, although his have a technical or computer generated quality. I will see if I can find the other artist that I am thinking of and post a link to his work.

Lydia

Pre- Raphaelite= Waterhouse copy.

Sometimes when I need to just paint something that makes me happy....I will paint quick copies of some of my favorite portraits. This is actually a really poor copy ( I know I am only supposed to sound positive for posterity...but its true) but I liked the way it turned out anyway. This is from 'The Lady of Shalott' 1888 by John W. Waterhouse. I just have always loved the Pre-Raphaelites and their lovely models full of angst and drama! They are sort of glazed over in Art History classes that I have taken, but there is a class that is offered occasionally at Spring Hill College by Dr. Patricia Neal that is about this movement, last year I signed up, but the class didn't make and so I am just hoping to see it again and when it does I will start canvasing for people to take it with me! Lydia

tilted. Lydia Host daily painting a day 11x11

More beautiful persimmons. You may or may not know this, but there are two kinds of persimmons grown around here; stranuous and non -stranuous....if you've only had the stranuous you might think that you don't like persimmons. I had only had the stranuous and recently tried the non...boy are they sweet and delicious- almost like an apple in texture as opposed to the stringy weirdness of the other. Lydia

Piled up. Lydia Host daily painting a day 11x11

Had to give these lemons another go. I went to see Lyle Lovett this week, and it was so great, watching people do what they do best is so inspiring. Somewhere I read or heard that all visual artists are jealous of musicians, because they make such ethereal art that can be so infused with emotion that a listener hears it and weeps, or is elated or charged up, invigorated. I think about that idea a lot. I love to listen to music and it has a great effect on my mood...visual art can also evoke emotion, trigger a memory etc. I guess its the ethereal, or intangible part that is most intriguing. Have a great weekend- give out lots of candy! Lydia

Cupcake conference Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

I painted with Mary Elizabeth, she has these lurid cupcakes that were a blast to paint. Lydia

Camellia. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x8

I thought I'd give these classics a try! Pink camellia's .....sigh.... what a symbol of the south. Lydia

Lemons in a bowl. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

I painted with Joan E. W. this morning. We are having fun painting together. Lemons are a classic subject that could be painted over and over with something learned everytime.

Lydia

S. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

This is on board again. I took a picture of this girl reading for the reading show, but then didn't get around to using it...but her face is just so beautiful I had to paint it! Lydia

Seated Figure. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

This is from a figure drawing session sketch. I am painiting on hardboard here, which is textured so that paint 'grabs' on to the surface...I like it so far. This particular pose had opposing light sources, one from each side, and one warmer than the other, which was great fun to paint. Lydia

Berry Happy. Lydia Host painting a day 11x14

Painted with Joan again this morning, and it was nice. I have not been happy with any of my previous attempts at painting strawberries, and so I went with a different approach today and it worked. These are definitely my best berries to date! I am learning so much by doing this daily painting exercise, I highly recommend it to anyone who paints, or wants to improve in painting. Cheers, Lydia

Day off . Lydia Host daily painting a day painting 8x8

A day off .... wind in your hair, sun on your face. Bliss! Happy weekend. Lydia

Masks. Lydia Host Painting a day 4x12

I went to the Mobile Mardi Gras Museum yesterday, a friend has a commission for a jester, and so we thought it would be a good place to get some information. If you live near here you probably think you already know everything about Mardi Gras! Still the next time you have out of town visitors....take them, and go too. It was an informative tour and I did learn some interesting things. They have lots of old photographs and some wonderful pen and inks of very early parades. Definitely worth the five buck admission.

I have always been ambivalent about masks, and so it was especially fun to paint these. They are such a symbol of theater, and also they are sort of extreme emotion personified,which is both intriguing and a little disconcerting.

Lydia

pie in the sky. Lydia Host daily

Another pumpkin pie set up. I have tried to paint eggs in the past, and been frustrated with the result...these eggs I didn't really even think about, and I like them....funny. Lydia

Making pies. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x8

I have always wanted to make a pie from little baking pumpkins. I love to make pumpkin pies, and then eat them, I sort of feel like they are healthy...not much sugar or fat etc. Yeah right!

Lydia

Truth Beauty Knowledge. Lydia Host 11x14

This was a painting that I started for the show at the library...but didn't finish in time. I love symbolism in paintings, and even though I don't usually make that a priority, it is something I'd like to explore a little bit. One of my favorite paintings that is filled with symbolism is the 'The Annunciation ' By the Master of Flemalle (Robert Campin?) it is the center panel of the Merode Altar piece. It is positively filled with symbolism from the shape of the kettle hanging in the background representing the womb, to the lilies on the table representing the purity of Mary...almost every item in the painting represents something! Fascinating. Lydia. pomegranate; Fertility, abundance. Roses of this color; love,gaiety. Lemons; longevity and friendship.

Make mine a manhattan. Lydia Host

This is a comission, I thought I'd share it with you anyway! Thanks for all of your thoughts and suggestions about my puppy....I have begun a morning walk (was already doing evenings ...mostly). Also wanted to share this info; a friend Joanne, suggested antler's as chews, they don't smell or get yucky and when they get too small you throw them away...brilliant suggestion...never heard of it, and can't wait to try it. Hope you have a happy weekend. Lydia

Home grown. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x8

Home grown peppers are so pretty, they are always tempting to paint, usually its a big pile which becomes complicated, so this time it was nice to have a manageable amount. I didn't feel overwhelmed.

We have a new puppy,he has been around for about a month. He is the most strangely destructive dog I've ever encountered (well, owned)...the total so far is thus: rung of chair (that was made in the coal camps of West Virgina), Back door ( about four square inches), 40 dollar gallon of paint (spilled thankfully in my studio/concrete floor), corner of my big expensive easel, tube of fancy new 'golden glow' paint and tube of yellow zinc paint (it was old and dry at least) I called poison control about it....he apparently will be no worse for wear. ( he did have a bath in Murphy's oil soap to get orange glow off). And of course countless empty water bottles, rawhide chews, Kong toys and stuffed animals!

I think I understand why his last owner dropped him off without a collar to run loose in the streets! (not that I am considering that...today).

Lydia

Cheers. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

I am working on another large painting of this subject, and so I just painted my daily from the same set up. I think that martini glasses are easily cliched and I tried to avoid that.

Cheers!

Lydia

Storytime. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x8

Wow, have you eaten an apple lately? They are spectacular right now....crisp sweet a little tart. I love a good factoid, and supposedly the 'apple a day.....' is not a myth and it really is a superfood, well especially the peel...you probably already knew that! Lydia

Collective. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

I painted with Joan E. Whitespunner again this morning, she had these persimmons with their stems and leaves still attached which made a simple and yet beautiful set-up. I put both of our studies up, because I think its always fun to see what two artists do with the same subject. In this case I decided that hers (the top image) looks like a 'painting' and mine (below) looks like an 'illustration'. And that is okay....as artists we have to embrace our 'hand' because its what makes us who we are in paint! Not that we don't all strive to be better than what we currently are.

Lydia

The best of times....Lydia Host daily.

I painted this watercolor for a show at the local library called 'The Art of Reading'. I immediately had this image in my head. My lovely friends posed for me. I am happy with it in the sense that it is my realization of my vision. I think it is a little looser than it appears on screen, but still pretty much an illustration, which is not a bad thing, just not quite the vibe I wanted. However, I love all the curves and how they echo and link. Happy weekend to you! Lydia

Bell trio. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

Adding bell peppers to certain meals makes all the difference, for instance; what would gumbo be with out bell peppers? Certainly chili is not the same with out them. They give such a deep smokey flavor to those dishes. These were bought at the local fruit and veggie stand, and will be cooked down with onions to make a delicious topping for bratwurst. Yum! Lydia

Happy Buddha. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

A happy Buddha, and persimmons which represent health and happiness in eastern philosophy. They also represent knowledge because they start out green and bitter and become rosy- peachy, sweet and delicious as they age. Lydia

T.G.I.F. Lydia Host daily painting a day12x12

I love the routine and mystic of mixed drinks. Plus if you read this blog, you know I love me some shiny stuff. Cheers, Lydia

Coffee and cake. Lydia Host daily painting a day8x10

I have to get the most out of a baked good around here. I don't know if you've noticed, but I have a new paint color in my box...its windsor deep yellow (by Windsor Newton) it is almost an orange, but I've been having fun using it to give a warm glow to my highlights. I think it would also be the key to painting realistic brass. I have a very supportive family and the most recent example of this is my Mother bragging about me to a reporter in my home town of Hemet Ca. which resulted in an article in the local newspaper. Here is the link: (its short and sadly contains no pictures...but hey I thought my marketing director would want me to share!). Press Enterprise article Lydia

I wanna wish. Lydia Host daily painting a day 12x12

My little guy turned Four on Saturday. I made him his favorite cake: carrot cake, and he helped me frost it. I feel a little funny putting him on the internet, but I don't think anyone could snag him from this goofy photo! This is a patently fake smile, but it made me laugh. I couldn't wait to eat and then paint this cake.

This is painted on one of those cheap pre-framed pictures that I bought a while back. They were printed upside down for the original print which said something like ' coffee is my friend' ....oh wait, it didn't say that or I would have kept it. The down side is that you are stuck with this frame, however it is pretty inoccuous.

Lydia

Angel to watch over you.. Lydia Host daily painting a day 4x12

I think that it helps me when I miss my children, or just feel love for people that are far away to paint an Angel. To sort of soak in that moment of pure and deep love you can feel for those you care for.

Lydia

Perfect Mason. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

I saw this on a friend's counter and fell in love with the golden light coming through the jar. It was fun to paint, curious shapes and colors. I wonder what else in a jar would be an interesting subject....I'm thinking red peppers, okra....hmm. lydia

Orange glow. Lydia Host daily painting a day 8x10

Today I painted with my friend Joan E. White Spunner-Dixon, in her light filled mid-town studio. It is always fun for artists to paint together, it is a really great feeling to be productive and get that connection with someone like minded. Making art can become an isolated type of work if your not careful. Check out Joan's beautiful work by clicking on her name above. L.