art for sale – Adele Lassiter Creative

Sisley’s Dream Impression

March 12, 2023 ynpgal77

Continuing my theme of ‘Chasing Impressionism’ I enjoyed creating a vibrant Impressionist scene showcasing the majesty of the mountains as spring takes flight.

I named this painting ‘Sisley’s Dream’ as it was loosely inspired by the brushword used by renowned Impressionist Alfred Sisley, although the scene is my unique design. You can purchase the original here or prints here.

I love the way Impressionism allows you to represent the feeling of movement and color in a painting that captures the essence of real life in a tangible way even if it is not strictly realistic.

If you stand in a valley looking at the mountains in the distance you often notice the mix of burnt oranges and yellows coupled with vibrant green grasses and a mix of wildflowers.

At first the landscape may seem dull – if you just notice the burnt browns and yellows and ruddy dirt, but the more you pause and reflect on the nature the more the colors come alive.

My process:

This painting took three hours to complete and was a lot of layering.

The sky is meant to be bold and dramatic, because in the mountains you often witness these ‘God painted skies’ where the sky seems to be on fire with color.

I used a mix of acrylic paints including:

Naples Yellow, Indian Yellow, Burnt and Raw Sienna, White hues, Phthalo Green-Blue, Hookers Green and more.
I don’t use one paint brand religiously but have found my favorite acrylic brands are:
- Liquitex Basics or Heavy Body Acrylic
- Golden Paints
- Sennelier (the paint company used by Monet and Van Gogh) – their Abstract pouring acrylics are great
- Lukas
- Soho (Jerry’s Artarama Brand)
I do recommend investing in quality (non-student grade) paint because it will be easier to paint with and actually last longer (more bang for your buck) – which is great when you are on a budget (aren’t we all? 🙂 )

If you want to support my art…consider purchasing an original on adelelassiterart.com or one of my prints or other designs on fireholecreative.com

All the money earned goes directly into paint supplies!!!

Chasing Impressionism

Sleeping Bear Dunes Impression

March 5, 2023March 5, 2023 ynpgal77

I’m merging my love of Impressionism and our National Parks with my latest 9 x 12 acrylic canvas work…Sleeping Bear Dream…

Inspired by a trip I took to Lake Michigan and Sleeping Bear Dunes in 2021, I sought to capture the formidable windswept dunes and the crystal clear inland sea in this landscape painting.

Lake Michigan is one of the largest lakes of the world and I was stunned at the grandeur of the space. Having grown up near the coast of North Carolina…I’m used to the ocean and dramatic waves, but had never seen a lake so vast.

My process:

I used a mix of unbleached titatanium and raw siena to create the base layer. Acrylic paint works better when you have a base layer of Gesso and other Acrylic paint. Acrylic sticks well to other acrylics, the base layer sets the foundation.

I think worked to build layers of burnt sienna and other ruddy browns and yellows to create the sand dunes. The dunes are pristine, but have layers of driftwood, sandstone and other elements that can create some deeper color constrasts depending on the layer or type of dunes.

I did adjust the reference photo a bit, using my memory with slight imagination to create the coastline.

We had calm waters during our trip, but I studied other photos that included the rough crashing waves against a blue sky.

The painting took about three hours to paint. It was not without frustration…

One tip for any artist, you have to give yourself grace. The middle of the painting can often look terrible – muddy, undefined and you are tempted to give up – but I challenge you to keep adding layers and building out the values and colors. This is part of the process.

Also don’t be afraid to start over on certain sections if it isn’t yielding the initial vision you had. I changed the coastline a bit and am glad I did.

Painting is meant to be fun and it is okay to experiment and take your time.

I invite you to take home this seascape of Lake Michigan…Prints are available here or you can purchase the original on adelelassiterart.com

A few Lake Michigan photos I took in 2021

Thanks and until next time…

Art Blog

Chasing Impressionism Series:

March 4, 2023 ynpgal77

As I launch my new retail website on adelelassiterart.com (originals and gallery prints) and print on demand site (for mugs, puzzles, totes and more!) I’m excited to debut the first pieces in my new Chasing Impressionism Series…

As an artist I don’t ascribe to one specific style and enjoy learning and growing in my craft across boundaries of ‘style.’

That being said, a part of my heart is love with Impressionism – the bold and bright colors, use of innovative value and perspective – it makes the soul feel alive.

I was recently laid off of my ‘day job’ in software sales and find painting impressionistic scenes to be healing and provide hope in the storm.

I decided to dedicate an entire series to Impressionism. Many of these works are inspired by the talents of my favorite Impressionist and Post-Impressionistic artists like Monet, Hassam, Cezanne, Van Gogh and more…

The original paintings are for sale on adelelassiterart.com…I’m also excited about the print on demand collection because…

Impressionism’s colors are idea for prints and fabrics
Many of my clients don’t have wall space for additional art, but do enjoy a notebook with my art on the cover or a small print for their desktop…

Painting Impressionism…

I was careful to sit and study the art of Monet, Bonnard, Van Gogh and others in detail during my various museum travels. Seeing the art in person helps to learn how artists like Monet were able to capture the light and movement in a scene through brushwork. I can take the lessons from these artists to inspire my own artistic vision on the canvas.

My process:

Many are surprised to learn how long it takes to paint in the Impressionism style. It can appear fluid and effortless to the eye as if it was done ‘in the moment’ as an impression – which at times it is…but truth be told painting in this style takes skill and patience.

The colors need to be properly layered to tell the story and ensure the image shines, but does not blind you with color and imagery.

This painting is inspired by a trip I took to Venice – I realized painting the detail of buildings like St. Mark’s Basilica on canvas paper would be difficult and not capture the essence of the city I wanted to convey. I leaned into Monet’s paintings from his one trip to Venice and created my own Venetian dream.

The prints are available here.

This painting – ‘Chasing Color’ inspired the collection. I studied Bonnard and Monet to create my whimsical vision. Original and prints available on adelelassiterart.com

This painting is modeled after one of my favorite artists – Cezanne! (also my cat’s name) It is not meant to be perfect, but instead capture the light, shadow and color of a landscape. Purchase here.

I also have leaned into Impressionism in this work, where I studied the brushstrokes of Pissarro (his field worker paintings) and developed my own brush style as well.

I look forward to continuing this and my National Parks Collection throughout the spring.

In other news:

I am going to be launching a podcast in April – Art Expeditions (part of my American Nomad Traveler series) – and will dive into the best of art museums and art history. Looking forward to it!

I ask that you please consider purchasing my art. I am leaning into it as my main career right now and every sale makes a difference.

God bless YOU

Art Blog

Spring Impressions – Playing with color

March 27, 2022March 27, 2022 ynpgal77

Spring is blooming in North Carolina and I have enjoyed playing with color in a series of impressionist paintings.

I love color and taking time mix colors and build layers upon layer of color.

If you take time to study nature – you’ll notice how the subtle colors of grass against clay and rock is real life impressionism.

As an artist I encourage you to not be boxed in by one style – you can find a style you love and lean into it – but don’t be afraid to try something new or paint in multiple styles depending on your painting mood. I love impressionism and the spring colors have me playing homage to Monet and fauvism (Matisse) – but I also enjoy taking time to learn how to build deep realistic paintings.

Whether I’m focusing on creating a realistic interpretation or impressionism/abstract style – I always lean into value.

Value defines how light or dark a given color or hue can be. Values are best understood when visualized as a scale or gradient, from dark to light. The more tonal variants in an image, the lower the contrast. When shades of similar value are used together, they also create a low contrast image

Value is all around us – and I encourage you to observe and take notice of different contrasts of light and dark and how colors appear in nature. Sometimes I paint something that seems counterintuitive to what I would assume because the reference photo has a different value. ex: I know the mountains are grey and green – but they appear blue so I paint a cool blue based on the value and representation of color in the photo.

Once you start studying value – you are also able to ‘auto-correct’ as needed based on the science of value. Ex: establishing where your light source is helps you to identify hw to build shadow and contrast in the image.

Ricky Allman does a great job explaining value and painting to value in his Great Courses class. You can sign up for a trial and He is AMAZING.

I always try to paint to the value – whether I’m being ‘wonky’ and colorful with impressionism or painting realistically because it helps to establish cohesive and attractive paintings/art.

You can purchase all my art on Etsy or via my Facebook Shop

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Fresh Art- March Collection

March 10, 2022 ynpgal77

This spring I am continuing my ‘Painting the National Parks’ collection as well as adding in fun floral prints and abstracts. Fresh art is being added to Etsy weekly.

Please support a working artis by purchasing through Etsy or via direct message.

My goal is create beautiful, fun and relaxing art that is affordable and accessible to art lovers.