@ambiancepaintings

A round of applause for those who participated in the final week of the #studyfromlifechallenge: @carolynannrogers @dfan.art @kasia_rz_art @karen.denny.395 and @malini_kundu. You all made such gorgeous work for the final round! And a huge thank you to everyone who participated in the challenge at any time. I really enjoyed seeing your beautiful paintings and discovering your individual styles. Above all, I am grateful for getting to know each of you! Today’s pic shows some of my paintings from the challenge. I feel that the themes were very helpful for me and actually boosted my creativity. They also made me take some risks that I might have otherwise resisted, like painting patterns. I’ve learned that it’s often helpful to paint within certain constraints, and it sure helps to have the support of a great art community! What’s next for me? Well, I really wanted to do the #stradachallenge but unfortunately I don’t think I’ll have the time. Among other things, I’ll be helping to prepare for the fall show of my local art group, and it will get busy. I am also thinking about how to work on my skills from different angles. Aside from painting, I also want to do more drawing, and I want to paint some master studies. I may not share everything I do here, but I’ll be posting as often as I can. Wishing you all a great and art-filled September! #artdare #artchallenge #paintingchallenge

Blocking in my next painting, which isn't done yet. During the school year I usually manage to complete a whole painting in one day, but over the summer I've had to work in shorter time slots. Today I only got to do the block in, but hoping to finish the painting tomorrow. #stillifeart #paintingprocess #blockin #artprocess #inthestudio #ontheeasel #oilpaintingprocess #oilonpanel

Here's the start of my process for my latest painting. My underpainting is in acrylic, and my canvas is completely dry. I use that first thin coat of oil paint to create a good base layer for the brush strokes of subsequent layers. #behindthescenes #artprocess #paintingprocess

This week will be the last theme for the #studyfromlifechallenge, and the challenge will officially end on Monday, August 29. Next month will be busy for both @garimaparakhart and myself, so we feel it is the right time to wrap things up. It’s been a great run and I just want to say a special thanks to each of you who have participated over the last 15 weeks, it has been a joy getting to know you through this activity. We’d like to end with a kind of retrospective, and invite you to choose TWO OR MORE THEMES to combine in your painting. Just to recap, the rule is to paint a themed object from real life, and then share photos of both your painting and your subject with the hashtag #studyfromlifechallenge, tagging @ambiancepaintings and @garimaparakhart. We also invite you to share your painting or process via reels! For today’s painting I combined three previous themes: patterns, white and green. “Dots” oil on canvas panel, 8 x 8 in. #artdare #artchallenge #paintingchallenge #canadianart #ottawaartscene #ottawaart #stilllifepainting #smalloilpainting #squarepainting #oilpaintingartist #capturinglight #perceptualpainting #impressionistpainting #allaprima

A round of applause for all the participants in the previous two weeks of the #studyfromlifechallenge: @artyyah @carolynannrogers @carowa11 @catiepowe @dfan.art @filipinapate [email protected] @leorawenger @malini_kundu @pamthorburtonart @sheilalongerbeam and @yellowopes_art! You all took off with the pattern theme and created some beautiful and inspiring paintings. Some of you also rose to the challenge of creating reels for the very first time, and they were great! This week will be the last theme for the challenge, and the challenge will officially end on Monday, August 29. Next month will be busy for both @garimaparakhart and myself, so we feel it is the right time to wrap things up. It’s been a great run and I just want to say a special thanks to each of you who have participated over the last 15 weeks, it has been a joy getting to know you through this activity. We’d like to end with a kind of retrospective, and invite you to choose TWO OR MORE THEMES to combine in your painting. Just to recap, the rule is to paint a themed object from real life, and then share photos of both your painting and your subject with the hashtag #studyfromlifechallenge, tagging @ambiancepaintings and @garimaparakhart. We also invite you to share your painting or process via reels! For today’s painting I combined three previous themes: patterns, white and green. See my reel for the setup! “Dots” oil on canvas panel, 8 x 8 in. #artdare #artchallenge #paintingchallenge #canadianart #ottawaartscene #ottawaart #stilllifepainting #smalloilpainting #squarepainting #oilpaintingartist #capturinglight #perceptualpainting #impressionistpainting #allaprima

This time I went for zebra stripes as part of the pattern theme of the #studyfromlifechallenge. I was unsure about how to paint these stripes. I usually paint dark to light, but I didn’t think it would work to paint white on black. So I decided to put in the light color first and then paint the black on top. Despite what is often said about painting in oils (that white taints everything so darks don’t stay dark), this process worked really well for me and it was actually pretty quick & easy. So instead of the stripes, the thing that gave me the most headache in this painting was the large blue cup. I am still not satisfied with it, but I can only bear to work on any painting for so long before it frustrates me too much to continue. If it just isn’t working, then it’s time to move on - hopefully the next one will be better. #613art #ontarioart #stilllifeart #smallpainting #oilpaintingart #oilstudy #representationalpainting #loosepainting #paintingfromlife #colorfulartwork #womenartists #paintdaily

Just thought I'd share one of my daily rituals, mixing paint! I do it a bit differently...#behindthescenes #inthestudio #artprocess #mixingpaint

Do you like working in a series? One of the great things about being part of a biweekly challenge is that it pushes me to develop a series of related paintings. We’re in the middle of the ‘pattern’ theme for the #studyfromlifechallenge, and this is my second stripes painting. I have to admit, the current challenge has required some extra courage for me, because I usually stay away from patterns. I’ve found them to be very challenging, because they change with the light and perspective, and all that complexity feels too time consuming and intimidating. But having faced patterns this week, I’m discovering that they are also a really great addition to a painting. They add so much interest! I’ve enjoyed working on them more than I expected, and now I’m excited to paint some more! #madeinottawa #ottawaart #barrhaven #ontarioartist #myottawa #ottawabusiness #stilllifestudy #oilpaints #patterns #floralpaintings #floraldesign #flowersinart #perceptualart #looserealism #paintfromlife #vibrantart #mamawhopaints #artcollector #originalartwork #artforsalebyartist #artforyourwalls #idealgift #paintingforsalebyartist #originalartworkforsale #kitchendecorideas #affordablepainting

I painted stripes again, inspired by our pattern theme for the #studyfromlifechallenge. After I was done painting, the realization hit me. I had painted almost the same picture two months ago (minus the stripes)! Which one do you like better? #madeinottawa #ottawaart #barrhaven #ontarioartist #myottawa #ottawabusiness #stilllifestudy #oilpaints #floralpaintings #floraldesign #flowersinart #perceptualart #looserealism #paintfromlife #vibrantart #mamawhopaints #artcollector #originalartwork #artforsalebyartist #artforyourwalls #idealgift #paintingforsalebyartist #originalartworkforsale #kitchendecorideas #affordablepainting

A big hand to everyone who participated in the “metal” theme of the #studyfromlifechallenge: @algasume @artyyah @carolynannrogers @carowa11 @christi.artspace @dfan.art @filipinapate @irma.vandam.art @karen.denny.395 @leorawenger @malini_kundu @maria_paints_etc @robsdeadnow and @svet.art.canada. Once again I was so inspired by your beautiful and creative paintings! The theme for the next two weeks is: PATTERNS. Some people love ‘em, some people fear them! Which one are you? Personally I’ve been more on the fear side, and I have tended to avoid patterns in my paintings. But for the next two weeks, I will be tackling them head on. It’s good to face your fears, right? What’s more, @garimaparakhart and I would like to invite you to submit your entries via REELS this week. It’s not an absolute ‘must’ but do give it a try, especially if you have never published Reels before! Just to recap, the rules are to paint a themed object from real life, then share photos of both your painting and your subject with the hashtag #studyfromlifechallenge, tagging @ambiancepaintings and @garimaparakhart. We will comment on your post and mention you in our final roundup, and I will share your post in my stories! “Lemons with pink stripes” oil on canvas panel, 8 x 8 in. #artdare #artchallenge #paintingchallenge #patterns #canadianart #ottawaartscene #ottawaart #stilllifepainting #smalloilpainting #squarepainting #oilpaintingartist #capturinglight #perceptualpainting #impressionistpainting #allaprima

Now that Instagram has decided to turn into TikTok, I'm going to be posting more reels. It's not that I love the changes (I don't) but I do realize that there's no stopping them, and if I don't adapt then my account will lose visibility. So here goes... This is my final painting for the metal theme of our biweekly #studyfromlifechallenge. Watch for a new theme on Monday!

After a few days off with family, I got back to the easel today with renewed energy. The #studyfromlifechallenge is still on a metal theme, which inspired today's painting. I experimented with two colors which I never use otherwise: cad yellow medium and ultramarine violet, and I completed the entire piece using only those colors and white. #613art #ottawaart #ott #canadianartists #stilllifeart #smallpainting #paletteknife #oilpaintingart #oilstudy #limitedpalette #complementarycolors #representationalpainting #paintingfromlife #loosepainting #originalpainting #thickpaint

This week’s challenge theme is green (full rules in Monday’s post). I wanted to get another painting out of these lovely pink peonies, but my take on them today is very different from last time. Here, they are backlit with a rather dim light. This lighting made for an entirely different mood, and I thought it was an interesting challenge to paint. The #studyfromlifechallenge continues going strong and new paintings are being added every day. To check out all the latest works, just click on the hashtag! “Peonies in evening glow”, oil on canvas, 8 x 8 in. #613art #ontarioart #ottawalocal #canadianartists #handmadein613 #stilllifeart #smallpainting #oilpaintingart #oilstudy #flowerspainting #peonies #springart #paintedflowers #springblooms #representationalpainting #loosepainting #paintingfromlife #colorfulartwork #womenartists #paintdaily #originalpainting #homeaccessories #artforinteriors #mydecorvibe #shopartonline #homedecorart #interiordesign #giftforher