Sunset (2010), 9 x 12"

This is a wild sunset! Not so sure I love the color scheme, but the original photo really does look like this!

SOLD! Available as a gicleé print--visit my etsy shop.

Prairie Grass (2010), 8 x 10"

Having lived in Illinois for several years, I have come to love visiting the local prairie reserve. The tall grass that sways in the breeze and the unusual wildflowers are quite beautiful. Prairie grass is a subject that I had wanted to paint for several months before I finally found the right photo. I spent a great deal of time searching the internet for a copyright-free photo that was both inspirational and compositionally fascinating. One especially important aspect is that I need to be able to visualize the finished painting when I look at the photo. I find many photos that are inspiring and have great composition, but feel are beyond my technical facility or would not translate well in my style. When I finally found the perfect photo, I painted it immediately.

I consider this painting to be one of my "spontaneous" type paintings in that there was no planning--no sketching and no photo editing--involved, and the painting was completed in one sitting. The paint was applied thickly directly onto the canvas using two small brushed and a palette knife. The finished painting turned out exactly as I had envisioned it...I love when it works that way.

SOLD!

Irises II (2010), 12 x 16"

THIS PAINTING HAS BEEN STOLEN. Please contact me if you see it anywhere.One of those tedious subjects I mentioned... :-) Based on a photo taken by my sister. This painting is currently hanging in my apartment. At times it looks so real--practically like looking out a window .

Field of Ranunculus (2010), 8 x 10"

I have a folder of "painting ideas" on my computer, and this painting comes from one of those photos. This was a really spontaneous painting, and finished rather quickly. I often do these small, quick-type paintings between really tedious, complicated subjects. I love how this one turned out.

SOLD!

Partially based on a photo by Erin Pettigrew found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/superfem/
Photo used under a creative commons license. Original photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/superfem/545345047/

Early Spring at the Arboretum (2010), 11 x 14"

This original oil painting painting is based on a photo I took at the arboretum on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The photo was taken in the evening as the sun was setting and the light was reflecting off the white-barked sycamore trees in a fascinating way.

SOLD!

Pink Rose (2010), 18 x 24"

This GIANT rose is based on a photo found on flickr.com and used under a Creative Commons Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/). The photographer audreyjm529 has an entire album of amazing rose photos.

For sale at my ugallery site.

2010 Boneyard Arts Festival!

Some of my flower paintings will be on display during the Boneyard Arts Festival, April 15-18. The display will be April 16th 8:30am-5pm and 17th 12:00-5pm on the University of Illinois Campus at the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music. The address for the Sousa Archives is:

236 Harding Band Building
1103 S. 6th Street
Champaign, Illinois 61820

Map:
http://illinois.edu/ricker/CampusMap?buildingID=4&target=displayHighlight

I will also have a display at the Champaign Arts Showcase at the Lutheran Campus Center. This coincides with the Boneyard. The date for this display is Friday April 16th from 7:30-10:00pm. Address:

909 S. Wright St.
U of I campus

Irises (2010), 11 x 14"

I've been wanting to paint irises for a while. Not quite Van Gogh, but still pretty nice!

SOLD!

Etsy shop!!!

Visit my new Etsy shop online at http://www.etsy.com/shop/AudrasOilPaintings

Water Lily, Allerton Park, IL (2009), 9 x 12"

This is my second water lily painting. I really like this subject. The rather odd color of the water is a reflection of the gray sky the day the original photo was taken.