Artists of Texas State Blog: Nancy Medina art

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Spring Fever Pink Tulips was one of five class demonstrations during my workshop in the Texas Hill Country this weekend. Visiting Fredericksburg, Texas, is always a treat, and we were just on the verge of what may be the best bluebonnet bloom season in quite some time, thanks to the wet winter that is behind us now. Students from Ireland, Michigan, Colorado, and across Texas painted tulips, hydrangeas, sunflowers and French landscapes, fueled by fresh fruit kolaches and cookies made from scratch, courtesy of our talented multi-tasking energizer bunny hostess Jane!

I did emphasize to everyone our holiday theme, encouraging everyone to come up with a few bunny jokes, because, everybunny needs somebunny sometime, right? Take a peep at my new Web Site to a see a slide show of the students hard at work!

And here's a little joke for you!

What is invisible and smells like carrots? Answer - Bunny farts!

The classroom models take a bow!

Fredericksburg, Texas alumni 2015!

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Delphiniums and Zinnias - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina Art

Delphiniums and Zinnias

by Nancy Medina

20X20

Oil on Deep Gallery Wrap Canvas

Sold

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

The cold weather has truly arrived, so the pugs are piled atop one another around the easel, all in the same bed, despite there being four perfectly good beds available. I'm imagining you're on a beach right now, with a palm tree swaying nearby. Don't forget your sunscreen, for heaven's sake!

Thank you so much for all the kind notes about my Mom, she is doing a little better today. I talked to her on the phone and she told me "They got me a photo quilt!" I said, "I know!" Her appetite has picked up, also, which is a relief. Carlos made her a big pot of navy beans with ham and we bought her a can of her favorite cheese popcorn (Garrett's!) so I'm hoping she'll still have a great appetite when I visit her next week. How lucky I am to still have my Mama to hug!!!

Delphiniums swaying on the easel

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Warm Heart Sunflowers - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina Art

Warm Heart Sunflower

by Nancy Medina

14X11

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Warm Heart Sunflower is the newest painting in Flower Mound Studio as the new year arrives with a frosty greeting - congratulations to Karen Sharbo who won the original painting, New Love Hydrangeas, for my holiday giveaway. She and over 200 others shared their "best of" 2014 moments - there were so many amazing entries and stories, I could not pick just one, so three other ladies will be receiving matted prints of my art, also. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their thoughts and remembrances for the past year, may 2015 bring you joy and color!

Friday, January 2, 2015

Rush Hour Rooster - Paintings by Nancy Medina Art

Rush Hour Rooster

by Nancy Medina

10X10

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Rush Hour Rooster was one of the most colorful personalities I met while visiting San Juan Bautista Mission in Central California. He and his harem were in a quite a hurry when I nabbed a few photos - after all, the dinner bell was ringing! I can't think of a better way to show the new year has rushed in - can you believe it's 2015? Before we know it, it will be 2035 and we'll all be living on space pods with faux ocean breezes blowing in through our hologram beach scene windows! Hopefully warm beach scenes.....

I hope you have had a wonderful 2014 - I asked my art friends to share their favorite 2014 memories on my Facebook page this week, and the winning entry will receive an original 20X16 hydrangea painting. Some of the entries made me cry, some made me laugh, you can see them all right here. I'd love to hear from you. Thank you so much for joining me for this wild and crazy, artful and colorful year. May 2015 bring you incredible amounts of color and joy!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Roseate Spoonbill - Florida Bird Painting - Nancy Medina Art

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1641354

Florida Spoonbill Painting

by Nancy Medina

16X20

Oil on Linen

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

I've been wanting to paint a Spoonbill for some time, mainly because they are beautiful birds, and they are pink! Since I'm heading to Florida very soon to teach, it seemed a good time to unveil my Roseate fellow. Upon closer inspection, with his spoon shaped nose, perhaps he is does not cut the elegant silhouette of the Blue Heron, but I still find him very appealing, with his lemon yellow face paint and his scarlet feathers. Wouldn't it be kismet if I were to actually see one of these fellows during my visit? If so, you'll be the first to hear about it!

Detail from Roseate Spoonbill

Step by Step Sunflower Painting - Little Joys Sunflower - Nancy Medina Art

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1640321

Little Joys Sunflower

by Nancy Medina

14X14

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Little Joys Sunflower is presented for you step by step on my art blog - and was named very late last night after a very long day. The hubby had to go to the ER today, but is doing much better now. It's the little joys, the thankfulness of having love and a loving partner in life, that make it all worthwhile....

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Violet Sky Sunflower and Going to the Birds - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina Art

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1639813

Violet Sky Sunflower Solo

by Nancy Medina

14X14

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Violet Sky Sunflower Solo was one of a few new paintings progressing in Flower Mound Studio, including a rendition of one of my favorite birds, the Roseate Spoonbill. I love these birds because they are...pink! I'm still working on this little feathered fellow, right now he looks a bit like he's just survived a hurricane, so his plumes need combing and his legs need a shave, too, while we're at it! Today the hubby came home from work with a bug, so I've been nursing hubby, obeying the pugs, and painting. At least I'm getting my exercise, not to mention reacquainting myself with that room I rarely enter, the kitchen. There's a big white square thing with fire coming out of it, I'm pretty sure that's the stove. Thank goodness they invented the microwave, though. I shudder to think what would happen if I turned on that thing that produces actual flames.

Roseate Spoonbill, in need of a bit of grooming....

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Abundance Poppies - Poppy Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1639406

Abundance Poppies by Nancy Medina

30X40

Oil on Deep Gallery Wrap Canvas

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Abundance Poppies is the newest floral in Flower Mound Studio, finished on Christmas Day - I'm warming up my poppy brushes for poppy bloom in Tuscany in June. Mom and I had Christmas cookies for dinner last night, and this morning we had Christmas breakfast with friends. Carlos is in the kitchen doing what he loves best, cooking - and I have requests for two more plates of holiday cookies before the week is done. I hope you are doing something you love today, with loved ones nearby, and you have much abundance coming your way for the New Year. Holy cow it will be 2015 before we know it!

Warming up the red brushes on Christmas Day!

Detail from Abundance

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Holiday Poinsettias and Wishing You Joy - Nancy Medina Art

Wishing you all the joy of the holidays

from Carlos and I and the pugs.

May all your dreams come true

and may your mocha coffee

have scandalous portions of

whippy creme on top in 2015!

www.nancymedina.com

Saturday, December 20, 2014

How to Brighten Reds and Yellows - Rainy Day Poppies - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1637477

Rainy Day Poppies

by Nancy Medina

14X14

Oil

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Rainy Day Poppies is a two-part approach to the flowers that will take center stage in my Tuscany, Italy, workshop in June - I'll be teaching there during the peak of poppy bloom season, and can hardly wait to see fields and fields of these reds - and after all those pink peonies these past few weeks, my brushes were begging for some warmer colors! I finished three small paintings yesterday - 14X14 size each, and today I brightened the clouds a bit on Rainy Day Poppies by adding Brilliant Yellow by Richeson (Shiva Series). I do love that stuff. If you want to brighten a red, yellow or orange, add brilliant yellow (or naples yellow light) instead of white. Remember, white dulls and grays - white is the color killer. There are much better options for brightening those expensive cadmiums. You can learn more about this approach to achieving your brightest, most exciting colors in my painting workshops.

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1637001

Rainy Day Poppies by Nancy Medina

14X28

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

Diptych (Two Parts)

Touch of White Winter Tulips - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1636377

Touch of Winter White Tulips

by Nancy Medina

16X12

Oil on Linen Panel

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Touch of Winter White Tulips is the daily newbie in Flower Mound Studio today, I found a bundle of fresh tulips at the grocery store this morning, I should not have been grocery shopping, I was supposed to be at the gym, but the new gym my hubby and I belong to is not in the best part of town. Usually I feel pretty safe there, but this morning when I pulled up at 8:30 am, I knew I didn't want to walk through the crowd by the front door, so I kept right on going in my pug-mobile.

The life of an artist is not a dull one, the life of a small business owner is really a story about working seven days a week, but the beauty of this situation is twofold - you set your own hours, you get your personal tasks done, then you dive into your business (painting! *sound of harps*) with a sense of reward at the end of the day, with a bundle of white tulips you had not even realized you would be purchasing that day. All good things happen by design, I simply don't believe in accidents, do you?

Blue Delphiniums and Peonies - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1636955

Blue Delphiniums and Peonies

by Nancy Medina

12X16

Oil on Linen Panel

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

I have buckets and buckets of fresh flowers in the studio, but the delphiniums won out over the white tulips this evening, since they're hanging on by a .... petal! The tulips might give me one more day if I pour a little flower food in their water and whisper compliments into their little petal ears. The peonies - surprisingly - are still going strong! Although I did buy a new bundle the other day. These peonies may seem especially colorful, since Jill at the flower market told me they are from Chile. It's like a bilingual parade of blossoms around here! Ole!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Powdered Sugar Pink Peonies - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1635093

Powdered Sugar Pink

Peonies

by Nancy Medina

14X11

Oil on Cradled Hardboard

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Powdered Sugar Pink Peonies is dedicated to my kitchen counters, kitchen floors, and the tops of my tennis shoes today, since all were covered with a fine layer of powdered sugar by the time the Russian Teacakes were cooling. Only one of the pug herd discovered the delights of licking powdered sugar off the floor, confirming my suspicion about the general IQ of the noble little round breed. Their entertainment and snuggle skills, however, outweigh such a tiny imperfection.

The studio models take a bow and a dip!

Monday, December 15, 2014

Pink Halo Peonies - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1633527

Pink Halo Peonies

by Nancy Medina

16X20

Oil on Cradled Hardboard

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Pink Halo Peonies was one of my class demonstrations in North Texas this weekend. It's so nice to have a house full of fresh peonies after painting them in class. Tomorrow it's time to make Christmas cookies, since Mom has requested her favorite for my visit on Wednesday. I'll be making Russian Teacakes, from the Betty Crocker cookbook. My Mom's Betty Crocker cookbook falls open to that page, we've made it so often over the years!

Saturday, December 13, 2014

French Dream Tulips and a North Texas Workshop - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

French Dream White Tulips

by Nancy Medina

Class Demonstration

14X14

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

Sold

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

French Dream White Tulips was one of my six classroom demonstrations in my final workshop of hte year. It's likely a symptom of pre-menopause, that just thinking about this being the last workshop of the year made me a little sniffley and teary-eyed at the easel! Fortunately I held it together long enough to help devour the French picnic lunch we had today, courtesy of my chef husband Carlos, and the cherry cheesecake also helped assuage the tears! What a fabulous year it has been, thanks to my gracious and oh so talented and inspiring students and collectors, and art friends from around the world. I hope each of you has a beautiful, incredibly blessed holiday season! Rest, relax, and surround yourselves with color, flowers, friends, family, four-footed babies, and all that you love! The new year is just days away! Next stop - Orlando, Florida!

Oo - la - la - all dressed up for a French picnic!

Holiday Pink Peonies - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1632329

Holiday Pink Peonies

by Nancy Medina

20X16

Class Demonstration

Oil on Linen Panel

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Holiday Pink Peonies was one of my class demonstrations in North Texas today. Tomorrow we paint French landscapes - oo la la! I can hardly wait, since this also happens to be my end of year party, everyone in class is going to get a big surprise! The handsome Frenchman has agreed to come to serve us lunch. I'm going to be sure he wears a beret, too, whether he likes it or not! (he is my husband, do you think anyone will notice he is Hispanic rather than French?) Here are a few important things we learned in class today:

Eating eight mini cupcakes is equal to less than half of one traditional sized cupcake
When teacher eats 8 cupcakes in class, everyone agrees NOT to tell teacher's husband
Women need the thermostat set at a balmy 50 degrees year-round please and thank you
If you proclaim you NEVER win anything, the WINNER sticker will be on the bottom of your chair

Thanks to Mother Nature (and the market)
for giving us these fresh flowers today!

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Night Shine Stargazer - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1586860

Night Shine Stargazer

by Nancy Medina

12X12

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

I couldn't bear to leave the studio this week without painting these fresh stargazers at least one more time. If there is any color that sings to me lately, it has been fuschia-pink! People ask me if I have a favorite flower, and really for me, it's about a favorite color, and my color moods swing through different spectrums at different times. I'm sure this is all tied to biorhythms, hormones, whether Venus is aligned with Mars, or if I've run out of Dove chocolate, for sure. This weekend we'll be painting yellow tulips, red roses and white hydrangeas in my Spring, Texas workshop. Don't be surprised if I come home with a new vase or three, all those cute little boutiques and gift shops within walking distance of the Gallery will be calling my name!

The studio model takes a bow!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Dusted Pink Hydrangeas and a Dallas Arboretum Workshop - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1584349

Dusted Pink Hydrangeas

by Nancy Medina

16X20

Oil on Gallery Wrap Canvas

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

My new DVDs

Dusted Pink Hydrangeas is the newest painting in Flower Mound Studio. I couldn't resist this bucket of fresh flowers at the market yesterday. Yes they're out of season. Yes it's a little late to replant them in my garden (though I shall give it my best try!). Really though, could you walk by these pink flowers at the market and buy spinach or green beans instead? I mean, what do they take us crazy flower folks for, health nuts??

My final Dallas Arboretum one-day workshop is coming up on October 25. It's a beautiful time of year to visit the gardens, with their famous 1000-pumpkin display in all its grand glory calling to us outside the classroom windows. The pansies also beckon, and the vanishing pools and koi ponds and rose gardens, too. I hope you'll join me there! Read more about that by clicking this thingy ma bob...

In other news I'm reviewing my newest DVD today - Sunflowers and Strawberries. My favorite fruit, my favorite flower, with a few daisies thrown in to keep you smiling. Coming soon to a DVD player near you! Stay tuned to my art bloggy flower friends for news on when it will be ready for pre-order, plus all the flower news to come!

The studio models take a bow!

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/page/5185/videos-and-dvds

Sunflowers and Strawberries, coming soon to a DVD player near you!

Friday, October 10, 2014

Sun Spark Lily Solo and a Spring, Texas Workshop - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1580945

Sun Spark Lily Solo

by Nancy Medina

15X11

Oil on Archival Panel

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

My new DVDs

France, Italy and the US - Flower Painting Workshops

Sun Spark Lily Solo was one of my class demonstrations, one of the children of Berries and Creme Lily Trio from earlier on this bloggy. I got home from Kansas City, Missouri, yesterday to much pug fanfare and howling and yelping and commotion. My greeting committee was glad to see me, but let's face it, it was also Lunch Time!

My next workshop is in Spring, Texas, north of Houston and just up the road from one of my favorite places in Texas, The Woodlands. I love teaching at Davis & Company Gallery, Melissa and her helpers always make us feel so welcome, and how many times have you been to a workshop where the hostess serves the students wine in the afternoon? It's definitely a great way to paint loose, fun, bright florals! South Texas, here I come!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Provence Breezes Sunflower Garden - Flower Paintings by Nancy Medina

http://nancymedina.fineartstudioonline.com/page/1929/workshops

Provence Breezes

Sunflower Garden

by Nancy Medina

24X18

Oil on Canvas

Sold

My new DVDs