Morning In Yarnell

oil on canvas, 14x18

This is painted from one of the pictures I took a year ago. For some reason I liked the composition even though it's somewhat unconventional. The perspective is good here.

I feel that, for landscape, the most important aspect is the composition. Whether there is a focal point or not is not as important, unlike a still life or a portrait where the source of light tells you everything.

Yarnell is a beautiful town about two hours of drive north of Phoenix. On highway 89 to and fro you can see cottonwood trees gather here and there along the creeks and mountains rising and falling in the distance and near. I love it's openness, crispy air and quietude. It's truly picturesque in every way.

***** 

Please email me if you have questions or visit my website 

to see other paintings.

*

To purchase this painting, please click here

Thanks for visiting!

Issak Levitan's Artwork

Issak Levitan, oil on canvas

Issak Levitan, oil on canvas

Isaac Ilyich Levitan (Russian: Исаа́к Ильи́ч Левита́н; August 30, 1860 – August 4, 1900) was a classical Lithuanian-Russian landscape painter who advanced the genre of the "mood landscape". (Courtesy from Wikipedia landscape search)

Today, while trying to find out where my favorite Russian painting site was, I bumped into Issak Levitan's many wonderful paintings. I felt very ignorant not having even heard of his name before. I thought I'd share them with you. His many other paintings are shown here:

http://www.adolphmenzel.org/artist-Levitan,%20Isaak-01.htm

Enjoy it!

Li Hua

p.s. 21 of my paintings are being shown and for sale at the Grinder's Coffee Shop at Central and Dunlap in Phoenix. Priced reasonably, they are great gift for any occasions! Thanks for your support!

A Land to Love

Oil on Ampersand Gessoed Panel, 18x24  Sold

It's been a while since I posted here. So far this year, I've taken three workshops, one from Kim English, another from Camille Przewodek and, lastly, from Marc Hanson two weeks ago. The quick pace of the workshops was the best way to learn what I didn't know. The part that I've learned is now being digested at home by painting, and painting. But along the way, husband Mark sent an excerpt of an article by George Inness about art. In it it says:

"...Art aims is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion of love, pity, veneration, of hate, of pleasure, of pain, but it must be a single emotion if the work has unity, as every such work should have...."

All of a sudden I realized that years of taking up workshops and classes to brush up my skill have made me forget the joy that I used to have when i picked up the brush to paint, when everything then was purely acts of love and passion. Now I'm going to combine the two, the skill and love. I'm in a fog right now, and I know that only by painting a lot will it reveal where it's going to take me.

***

Please come visit my new web site here.
Thank you for visiting!

"A Road Traveled"

Oil on Gessoed Masonite, 6"x6"

I have traveled near

And far, on a road that is

Yellow, blue, purple and at times

gray, a long time ago

Then I learn to love 

The grays, the sorrows

Mother of all

©Li Mahalik

I was trying out the newly bought burnt sienna oil stick, and got into painting this little piece. I added a little blue and transparent oxide red and lots of white. It's  spontaneous, and it's a good experience to help me paint looser in the future.

If you're interested in purchasing my paintings, please email me. 

To view my other work, please visit my other blog, or my web site. 

Thank you!

"Caroline"

Oil on Gessoed Masonite Panel, 11"x14"

I meant to paint this lady abstractly but ended up painting her this way. The intent, though, freed me up from being too careful like I often do when I paint real objects. The hands are the most difficult to paint. It took me a few hours to find out what I did wrong, but ended up learning a lot from the mistake. Looking at this now, I think I need to add just a touch of yellow orange to bring the right hand to life, which I'll do in the morning.

If you're interested in this painting, please email me. Or visit the Daily Painters of Arizona to see many more wonderful works. My website contains works in the last few years. 

Thank you so much for looking.

"Land of The Mescalero"

Oil on Canvasbord, 16"x16"

For my friend, Fourhawks. The world is kinder and more beautiful because of you.

"It's A Small World"

Oil, 6"x6"

I'm putting this painting I did a few weeks ago up just for fun because it does not exist any more. It had been transformed into "A Promise" (see it in my blog). I miss it, but I have it in my file.

A lady who came to buy our furniture advertised on Craiglist ended up commissioned me to do a 4'x4' abstract painting. I'm excited. I hope it'll turn out well....

Please contact me if you have any comments, questions or have something in mind for a painting. Or visit my website, and the Daily Painters of Arizona blog.

Thank you so much for looking!