Frogs and Toads

I hadn’t planned on painting a series of frogs and toads, but here we are. I’ve done four small (6x8) oil paintings so far and will likely do a few more. Only one has been a complete disaster, and I’ve learned lessons from the rest that I’ve managed to continue building on. And then I remembered how it felt after drawing enough human faces from enough different angles that there were things I just knew about the forms. Things I had to be careful not to draw automatically unless I was deliberately applying my own shorthand, but they were already solved puzzles that got me to where I could start working on new puzzles. I’m still working on depicting the textures of amphibian skin, particularly at this size, but I had a lovely breakthrough today on how subtle the line of the mouth can be when it’s closed.

Anyway, I think these little dudes would fit well with a local art show that’s been announced. The deadline for submission is July 1, so I need to get some proper photographs taken next week. That also means that the pieces will be for sale, so I need to come up with an appropriate price. Weirdly, I’m feeling ok about that. Maybe because I don’t want a house full of paintings of amphibians? Especially as they continue to improve and it gets more difficult to look at the older ones. (She says from the distance of less than two months of paintings the things. Ha.)