Feb 22, 2016 | Art, Art For Everyone, Art Gifts, Art Holiday Gift, Artist, canvas art prints, custom Fine Art, Custom pastel paintings, Fine Art, Fine Art Giclee, Fine Art Giclee Prints, Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Fine Art Store, Floral Anniversary Gifts, Floral Birthday Gifts, Floral Giclee Prints, Floral Holiday Gifts, Floral Pastel Painting, home and decor, L.A. CLINE, Nature Painting, Pastel, pastel painter, Realism Art, Uncategorized
I am now creating a new sketch that will eventually be a large vertical Pastel Painting. So far I have been working on this sketch for two weeks now. This new Floral painting will have a white rose, white daisies and small white trumpet flowers as the featured spotlight grouping. The upper right section of the painting where the overlapping white daisy petals will be against the light background is where I begin drawing today. This white on white area is very difficult to draw and paint. There has to be subtle shading to distinguish between the forms and the background. However, once thought out and drawn in, the transparencies in this painting are going to be beautiful. I figure another week to draw all the details in the sketch for this painting. Then I transfer this sketch to heavy acid-free water color paper that will be mounted on acid free foam core as my working surface for my Pastel Painting. Finally, I can begin painting. To spend this much time on a painting my inspiration has to be a very strong one. The inspiration for this painting was the natural arrangement I created that I could not look away from. The way the flowers twist and turned left me breathless with the loveliness of these living beauties. Now they will live on with all their majesty in my painting. But, do expect to see this large piece finished before four months for the layering of the pastel takes time to achieve the forever beauty that I feel. I will periodically update with this blog with pictures of this...
Mar 21, 2015 | Art, Art For Everyone, Art Gifts, Artist, custom Fine Art, Custom pastel paintings, Fine Art, Fine Art Giclee, Fine Art Giclee Prints, Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Fine Art Stationery, Fine Art Store, Floral Anniversary Gifts, Floral Birthday Gifts, Floral Giclee Prints, Floral Holiday Gifts, Floral Pastel Painting, Floral Stationery, Giclee Gifts, Giclee Paintings, Giclee prints, Gifts, home and decor, L.A. CLINE, Nature Painting, Pastel, pastel painter, Realism Art, Uncategorized
When Spring is about to change our world, I think of the day I saw the most beautiful bright sun-kissed Yellow Cattleya Orchid. This incredible flower stood 10½” high and was truly magnificent. It was so bright I could see the Yellow color from about 100 feet away. This was a magical moment for me and something I had to paint. I was very surprised to see this Orchid that was in full bloom planted in an old pot under a tree with other empty pots. I started painting as close as I could to the orchid as not to disturb or move it. If you look at the painting, the dark green background symbolizes the dark area where this beautiful orchid was placed. There also an indication in the painting that there was a white plastic holder leaning against the bloom. The pink/orange part of the orchid allowed the orchid to bellow out with an even more vivid light yellow that at times had a translucent shimmer which made it even look brighter. The painting reflects the very same vivid yellow with the undeniable fantastic and beautiful shimmer that changes colors during the different lights of day. Floral paintings are a breath of fresh air. Mother Nature gives us the beauty of our world and if we surround our environment with flowers and their painted images the energy of this beauty makes anywhere a wonderful place to be. I have developed a process to make Giclee prints closely replicate the actual original painting by supervising the process and using the proper heavy acid-free cotton paper that the acid-free...
Feb 13, 2015 | Art, Art For Everyone, Art Gifts, Art Holiday Gift, canvas art prints, custom Fine Art, Custom pastel paintings, Fine Art, Fine Art Giclee, Fine Art Giclee Prints, Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Fine Art Stationery, Fine Art Store, Floral Anniversary Gifts, Floral Birthday Gifts, Floral Giclee Prints, Floral Holiday Gifts, Floral Pastel Painting, Floral Stationery, Giclee Gifts, Giclee Paintings, Giclee prints, Gifts, home and decor, Nature Painting, Pastel, Realism Art, Uncategorized
As an Artist, I am always looking for that beautiful inspiration to create another painting. Finding what you think is beautiful for a painting comes as a thought or vision that is undeniable and must be expressed. It is something you cannot get out of your mind. These types of aesthetic inspirations are very hard to find. There are so many different styles of art and what is beautiful to one is not to another. Not everyone sees beauty the same way that is what makes art so very interesting and personal. Beauty and art is a reflection of your personal taste. If you are drawn to a painting and would miss seeing the painting, you have made a personal emotional connection with the painting. Your space is your most personal part of your life. You live, work and relax in your home or office and it should reflect and be filled with images that bring you happiness. If you see a painting in a gallery or if you are working with the artist, request information or a letter from the artist that explains the point of view of why this was such an important image to paint. Once I bought I piece in California, and I asked the artist to write me some of his thoughts about the painting. When I received the letter, it brought me so much joy to read about the back story. Every painting has a back story. For example the painting you see here, “Flowers in Paradise” was created because of something I saw in Ocala Florida. I was meeting with a client who...
Jan 14, 2015 | Art For Everyone, Art Gifts, Artist, Fine Art, Fine Art Giclee, Fine Art Giclee Prints, Fine Art Stationery, Fine Art Store, Floral Stationery, Giclee Paintings, Giclee prints, L.A. CLINE, Nature Painting, pastel painter, Realism Art, Stationery, Wildlife Stationary
Writing this article is a joy because a very dear friend has been trying to have a baby for years and virtually gave up. She started Coach Erika Beauty Studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and decided that both her and her husband would concentrate on their careers. This woman went through so much that conceiving was a dream. Well surprise!!!! The dream came true!!!! She is having a girl she chose the “Enchanted Bloom” Giclee Fine Art Card as the stationery for her invitations to the Baby shower. My friend, Erika saw the original 38”X 38”, “Enchanted Bloom” pastel painting that I painted and just feel in love with its beautiful Light Pink Lavender Rose whirling round and round with very subtle petals encompassing the center bud that is about to unfold. I took the original painting and made small Giclee Reproductions on 80lb acid-free paper 5 ¼”X 3 ¼” Fine Art Stationery that has the most delicate deckled edge both on the end of the card and the envelope. Giclee pronounced (G-Clay) is the most accurate method of reproducing art. The term “giclee print” connotes a superior elevation in printmaking technology. Images are generated from high resolution digital scans and printed with archival inks. Having your own stationery that you personally choose gives meaning to what is important in your life or it just may be something you think is beautiful and would love to share. As an Artist who is constantly using my hands to create intricate pastel paintings these cards bring that feeling of the Artists touch to each Fine Art Card that also includes a...
Nov 19, 2014 | Art, Fine Art Giclee, Fine Art Giclee Prints, Floral Anniversary Gifts, Floral Birthday Gifts, Floral Giclee Prints, Floral Holiday Gifts, Floral Pastel Painting, Giclee Gifts, Giclee Paintings, Giclee prints, Nature Painting, Portraits from Life, Realism Art
I create art because I have to it’s in my blood. There is a deep commitment that comes over me once I have an idea. The main ingredients are a huge dose of imagination plus a little pinch of magic. After a painting is finished, I want everyone to see what I have been creating in seclusion for so long. An original can take me three or more months to paint. Since I work in pastel, all my originals blend 20 or more layers of pastel pigment to attain the magnificent color and depth in each legacy painting. Once the painting is completed, I bring the piece to very talented people who help me make art replicas known as Giclees. Giclee art is very beautiful and the match to the original is remarkable. These fine art prints are not mass produced like other printed art. I found a way to enhance these already gorgeous replicas with pastel that makes them look like an original pastel painting The reason these Giclee Paintings are so appealing is because of the personal application of pastel layers I apply on each Fine Art Giclee as it becomes its own original one-of-a-kind work of art. Creating my Floral collection took me over ten years, as I worked each piece between commissions. Now this collection of exquisite Floral beauties can be reproduced, enhanced and framed as the best gift idea for that very extraordinary person in your life. Giclees allow me to share my art with you and give you something personal and exclusive since every Giclee is slightly different. I am an artist who...
Sep 29, 2014 | Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Floral Pastel Painting, Giclee prints, home and decor, Nature Painting, Pastel, pastel painter, Realism Art
Here’s a Selfie of me just beginning this new Pastel Painting. It is going to be a large and very brightly colored work of Art measuring right now at 32″X 28″. I say that because I never know just what happens as I create a painting. Sometimes the size changes and I decide to add more and sometimes I need to reduce an area. Besides the dynamic bright red rose in the center there are flowers all around in Bright Purple with Yellow centers and red berries too. To make this painting even more exciting there will be a Monarch Butterfly and maybe another type of butterfly. I am not sure yet. However I have planned to put in Bumble Bee’s and a lady bug. This painting is all about the beauty of our world. The world we should protect and enjoy forever more. So you will have to keep touching base with my blog and see this masterpiece develop before your eyes!!!! L.A....
Sep 6, 2014 | canvas art prints, custom Fine Art, Custom pastel paintings, Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Floral Pastel Painting, Giclee prints, home and decor, Nature Painting, Pastel, pastel painter, Realism Art, Stationery
The technology of Giclee printing accurately duplicates all the tonalities of the Original Paintings. That is why Master Pastel Artist, L.A. CLINE uses these high quality prints and then adds a second step and embellishes each Giclee with layers of pastel to look like the original Pastel Painting. This Artist’s touch gives each Giclee its One-of-a-Kind status. Once enhanced the Giclee becomes a Giclee painting a work unto its own so each client can have their own creation. Sometimes clients request certain colors to be emphasized which give the piece a different dimension yet still in keeping with the original. It’s great that each client can have their own special work of art with each piece looking like the Original Pastel Painting. The Giclee’s that Artist L.A. CLINE enhances are both Stretched Canvas Giclees enhanced with layers of oil and Fine Art Heavy Cotton Water Color Paper Giclees that are mounted on Acid Free foam core enhanced with layers of pastel. The Floral collection is a great place to start when you look at the site, “Flowers in Paradise”, “Hidden Beauty”, “Bellissima” and “Wandering Impatiens” are in the Fine Art Store for your viewing. You can also personally see this beautiful collection that is now being exhibited at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida at Neiman Marcus, 2nd Floor in Gift Galleries. Their are other frames available. For a personal consultation please call 954-850-1056 to set up your own appointment to meet with L.A. CLINE and see the collection up close and personal. There is always that very special person every season you want to find a perfect...
Oct 18, 2013 | Floral Pastel Painting, Giclee prints, Nature Painting, Pastel, Realism Art, Stationery, Wildlife Paintings
L.A.C. Fine Art is now giving away 10 Fine Art Note Cards worth $40 free with no shipping cost! These beautiful Fine Art Note Cards are Giclee’s printed individually on 80lb, acid-free paper. Every card has a deckled edge along with the envelope. The images on the Fine Art Cards are from L.A. Cline’s Nature Collection. You will receive a variety of images hand selected by the Artist. These stationery art cards are perfect for that personal, loving note you want to send. Just fill out the Contact Me Form, sign in and then like us on Facebook to tell all your family and friends. The drawing will be on October 31st and the announcement of the winner will be on November 1st. The winner will be announced on L.A. Cline’s Facebook page! The winner will have the opportunity to submit a guest blog post for review on L.A. Cline’s Fine Art Blog! Once you sign up for the Giveaway, you are automatically a member of the L.A. Cline, VIP Fine Art Club. With membership, you will receive special offers and deals on exclusive art collections at great prices. The best part about the VIP Fine Art Club is Membership is free! Fall has swept itself into gear with the Fall Give Away Campaign. The Holidays are right around the corner and these stationery art cards are ideal stocking stuffers for the art lover. We look forward to hearing from...
Feb 12, 2013 | Animal Paintings, Animal Portrait Artist, Animal Portrait Painting, Nature Painting, pastel painter, Uncategorized, Wildlife Paintings
This pastel painting I have created of two Grevy Zebras experiencing their “Tender Moment” may look finished, it is not. Now that all the stripes are in place, and the forground and background have been painted the finishing process begins. It takes many layers of different Pastel color pigments to make the background color complimentary, the stripes the right amount depth of color with contrast and the foreground colors that indicate a base line so that the animals look weighted down on the ground. The finishing process takes me about a week or more to complete. This is where I use a magnifying glass to look at all the intricate patterns to make sure they are as they should be. I will move from right to left looking to correct details and perhaps add a few more. After I finish this process I look at the painting in all types of lights: morning, noon, evening, sunny and cloudy days and in different rooms, this way the lighting will not be any issue in most every day and evening settings. I will also finish my spraying so the pastel stays in place. It’s hard to finish a painting but after working so long with pastels you just know when it’s time to stop and if you know when to stop then you have finished the painting. This painting will be available as a Fine Art Giclee Print . The painting reproduction will look exactly like the original pastel painting and would be a masterpiece work of art for any home or office. The original painting without a frame measures 33″ Wide X 22 1/2″ High. The painting reproduction will be very close to those measurments. One of the main reasons I painted these magnificent animals is for everyone to be aware that Grevy Zebras are an endangered species. The Grevy Zebras are the largest of the African Zebra’s nearly 7...
Jan 23, 2013 | Animal Paintings, Animal Portrait Artist, Animal Portrait Painting, Nature Painting, Portrait Paintings
This animal portrait painting of Zebras is very technical as far as the placement of the stripes. Since every Zebra has their own stripe pattern and each stripe identifies that particular animal, this painting of a mother and her offspring is just as intricate as my portraits of people. Using pastels to create the stripes is a time-consuming and intense process. Many layers of pastel have to be applied to finally get the crisp lines of the stripes. Even the colors have to be built up from medium to dark so that the end color has the layers of color that will give a rich natural look when the painting of the Zebras is finished. Right now I am very happy to have gotten the mother and her babies face in place. The face and the legs of these animals are the most complicated areas of the body because of the intricate striped pattern, so to paint this original portrait, moving slowly is key. While painting this piece, I cannot jump around and paint different areas. I have to concentrate and do each area next to the most recently completed one, as some stripes connect to others in their overlapping bodies. As a rule, after one year the dark brown zebra stripes generally turn to the familiar black; however, this mother still has some dark brown on her face and neck, while the rest of her body stripes have already turned to more dark black tones. Her foal, of course, is mostly dark brown with some areas of black. As an animal portrait artist, waiting is the game you play...
Dec 12, 2012 | Animal Paintings, Commissioned Portrait Paintings, Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Nature Painting, Pet Portraits, Portrait Paintings, Wildlife Paintings
Pet Portrait Artist Sketch of Two Grevy Zebras by ©L.A. Cline After finishing a Memorial Pastel pet portrait Portrait Painting of my clients’ beloved Blue Point Himalayan cat entitled, “Mr. Madison Blue”, I decided to continue with animal portrait theme as my first Masterpiece painting for the New Year 2013. I created the new pencil sketch above of two Grevy Zebras shows a beautiful connection between Mother and her offspring. The Mother decided to lie down to rest on a hot summer’s day and her little offspring is approaching either for a loving nudge or perhaps reminding Mom it’s time to eat. This is a natural endearing exchange; a beautiful moment to capture in a fine art rendering. Drawing the different striped patterns of each zebra was very complicated, especially because of one zebra being in front of the other. Every zebra has their own pattern and it is their signature of recognition. The Grevy Zebras are an endangered species – the largest of the African Zebra’s being nearly seven feet tall, with the Males weighing almost 1,000 pounds. The foals are browner in color and turn black as they become a year old. As I studied these beautiful creatures for my artist rendering I noticed that the Grevy Zebras have unique characteristics such as: large heads; long necks; big rounded ears; and smaller, more delicate striped patterns, with more distinction between the black stripes. Their stripes end to expose their bellies – where there are no markings. Lastly, there is a stripe that runs from their head mane all the way to down their tails. They now are considered to live in the northern areas...
Nov 30, 2012 | Animal Paintings, Commissioned Portrait Paintings, Corporate Portraits, Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Nature Painting
1. First of all, you must love the Artist’s work. Look at as many pieces as possible, and don’t be shy about calling the Artist or the organization you like the most. 2. When you decide on a portrait, whether it be Corporate, Family, Pet, Sports, Entertainment portraits or a special Landscape Portrait, ask about the process. When I first spend time with a client, they usually specify what type of portrait they would like. I then explain how I create a detailed pencil sketch to scale, prior to creating the actual painting. By doing this, my clients can see the face, body, and details of what will become a final product – in the actual size of the painting. We can then all critique the sketch and make corrections, if necessary. I find this process is relaxing for my clients, and it makes the creation process even more fun. 3. After speaking with the Artist and providing all the detailed information necessary, the next question is where to display the completed painting. The Artist should physically see where the space – whether a room, courtroom, business or other area – and understand the lighting, size of the space, et cetera. This helps also guide the conversation about frame size, shape and color. I have longstanding relationships with local framers, who I work with when the time comes. Since my portraits are pastel paintings, special care is required to create museum-quality environment for these Masterpiece works of art, and I personally supervise the framing process to ensure this. 4. Paintings take time to create so there is usually a contract...
Dec 10, 2010 | Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Nature Painting
“Enchanted Bloom” is Signed and Finished!!! I have completed the last step before the actual scanning of the Original Pastel Nature Painting. All the chalk has an even appearance which means that all the many layers are blended over the whole painting. This is critical step because it will scan and reproduce as a very fine duplication of the original. You can find my signature on the left hand side at the end of a petal. For the next four to five days I will be spraying the piece in preparation for the scanning and framing. I have already selected a very unique frame that will compliment the piece. It is a solid wooden frame approximatley 5 1/2″ wide with a continuous flow and no corner seams in an off-white textured finish. It is a custom frame and will take about four weeks to be made. Meanwhile once the scan is complete the image will look even better and closer to the original. I have been taking shots with my camera so you can see my progression as I painted this creation. My camera is a great however a more true image will be captured using the powerful and sensitive scanning machine. This beautiful painting is essentially finished. I now hand my original to very competent technicians I have worked with many years for the scanning and framing. I do supervise the piece through these finishing steps. Join me after the Holidays for the creation of a new painting. Sincere Wishes to you all for a very Happy and Healthy Holiday Season!!!!! L.A....
Nov 20, 2010 | Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Nature Painting
Finally the canvas is completely covered with chalk. The nature painting of the flower is alive with depth and softness. It has a dewy touchable feeling. This piece measuresabout 28’X28” and the subtle colors gives an exciting whirling sensation with petal spiraling round and round. For all purposes this painting looks finished however it is not. Now I have to go back in and extenuate the lines of the petals and smooth out edges. Then I spray the painting with a semi-fixative because it seals the many layers of chalk. The spraying takes me about three to four days and I touch up after each spray. Spraying is a difficult task. It must be done many times and the mist must be light and the spray cannot be to wet or it will damage the painting. Waiting for each layer to dry is very important. After the painting has been touched up and sprayed the piece has about 15 to 20 layers of chalk. I carefully have the piece scanned so I can make the best Giclee Reproduction closest to the original. Even though you may feel the piece of this nature pastel painting looks great now after the final touch ups and spraying the art will be much more beautiful. Just think about when you are going out and your hair is great, your dressed to impress and you put on the finishing touches a piece of jewelry, shoes or a tie that one thing that brings it all together and POW! BEAUTIFUL!!! The next time you see “Enchanting Bloom” it will be finished ready for viewing on My Blog and on my website. “Enchanting Bloom”...
Sep 15, 2010 | Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Nature Painting
NOW the pastel painting is starting to take hold! Some of the new petals that have been painted in this nature painting reach the left hand border and the bottom border of the painting. The color palette built on warmer tones in the center now have a more cooler quality with pinks, greys, slight blue touches with a pearlescent top finish. The middle bloom is the center point however the soft folds of the extending petals really gives this piece a serene dreamlike feel that is very beautiful to the eye. Even within the soft colors you can still feel the three-dimensional quality as the petals whirl around the flower folding downward to expose “Enchanted Bloom”. This whirling feeling will become more apparent as the other petals start to be painted in. Keep in mind that I use pastels and each color is built on many shades of colors, layer upon layer, until the right shade and color tone is reached for each part of each petal. Once I have the whole nature painting image painted I then go back into the work diligently building the chalk giving the creation more depth and dimension with the finishing touches. That is when the painting really comes alive! By the next time you see this beautiful Rose image it should almost be complete ready for the finishing touches. If this is your first time viewing this image of this new painting be sure to go back to my earlier posts to see this painting from the beginning. Looking forward to your comments!!!!! Regards, L.A....
Aug 16, 2010 | Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Nature Painting
Since my last post on July 27th I have been creating yet another new color palette for the Pastel Nature Painting “Enchanted Bloom”. The center bud uses colorations that combine cool tones with warm tones. Most of the warm tones are present within the Rose’s budding center. This new color scheme for the outer petals will bring in cooler tones of lavenders, blues and pearlescent whites blended and layered. I started painting a long petal on the left side as you can see in this image. On the right you can see I also started to paint the petals on the right side with the darker cooler tones. As I create the outer petals I will go back into the painting to build and blend the new areas with the areas already painted that will eventually give the flower that over all delicate powdery soft finish. It usually takes me about 20 layers of chalk to accomplish this overall look. The finished Original Nature Pastel Painting will be light with beautiful natural hues blending into each other. Even though the painting seems to be slow moving there are a lot of preparations going on behind the scenes to keep progressing to the next area. Especially since I am creating another painting one that will be the same size, same colorations with a different Rose image. This pair will capture the birth of beauty. Read my other Blogs posted in March and July to catch up!!!! Your comments are always welcome. L.A....
Jul 14, 2010 | Fine Art Pastel Paintings, Nature Painting, Uncategorized
Family Matters Like all families there are the good times and the tough times. This has been a tough time for us. For any family who has lost a loved one this is for you. Mary, better known as “Greenma” was a wonderful 94 year old woman who I met about five years ago who recently passed on. The story goes that her young Grandchildren could not pronounce Grandma so Grandma became “Greenma”. “Greenma” and I met at family functions and there was an immediate connection between us. We really adored seeing each other and could not stop chatting when we did. I still can hear the sweet Southern tone of her voice. She dressed so modern yet it suited her. Even at 94! she looked like an elegant perfect Southern Lady. She was slim wore little or no makeup, was beautiful with light blue eyes and striking white hair to her chin all one length parted on the side with a lovely wave. Even young women were envious of her glamorous look. She will always remain my idol. She had an adoring family and an extraordinary Daughter who was the main caretaker. Her other loving Daughter also pitched in when she was in town. She was so loved by her Grandson, Granddaughters and Great Grandchildren. I feel so lucky to have met her and spent some of my life knowing her. She is forever in my spirit. It is her life that I am celebrating with the two new nature paintings I am now creating. Both new pastel paintings are Florals dedicated to “Greenma” for she loved Flowers. As...