An Artist's Journal:Paintings by Felicia Marshall

6"x6" acrylic on masonite This was a picture that I couldn’t wait to paint and I’m glad I finally got around to it. The painting turned out just as nice as I thought it would. We purchased this sea monster for our trip to the lake this past summer, so I guess I should have entitled it “Lake Monster". I thought the bright color and green pattern would make a great painting. My niece in the painting had a lot to do with the painting's success. You can’t stage cute.

6"x 6" acrylic on masonite We took one of our vacations this summer to Sea World. That evening we stumbled upon the dolphin pool where you could lay against the edge and touch the dolphins as they swam past. This is where my image was captured. I get the feeling I am not finished with this one, well see what happens tomorrow .

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite This image was taken while on vacation last year. We passed by the little train depot several times throughout our trip and on the final day we stopped just long enough to take a couple of photographs. I was drawn to the simple little museum like wooden structure that someone has seen the importance of keeping up even if not the relics scattered around the yard circling the building. Though I have never ridden on a train myself I do share an appreciation for them and their dying form of transportation. After initially completing this painting I looked at it and was not pleased. It felt stagnant , boring and I even questioned what the purpose of painting it was anyway. I sat it aside but kept it close for several days before I put it back on my easel and added some brush strokes. This really gave the painting the energy that it lacked. I am pleased.

6x6 Acrylic on Masonite Once a year we drive to Illinois to visit relatives, usually in the summer. I was able to capture my husband giving canoe rides early one morning. I hadn’t realized the complementary color scheme in this painting until it was almost complete. I guess you can call it a subconscious attraction. This was a great exercise in painting things I usually avoid like reflections in water. I find painting nature overwhelming and I probably would have continued to avoid the subject altogether had it not been for an art director who commented on how beautifully I painted trees.