The making of Esplanade Beauty

I thought I'd do something a little different today and post some photos of my painting process, well - at least one of them. Depending on what I'm working on, I have several methods of working on a piece. I have so much inspiration from our recent trip to New Orleans. We stayed on Esplande right where the French Quarter ends and the Marigny District starts. We spent most of our time eating and listening to Jazz on Frenchmen Street. I came back with some beautiful photos to paint from.

 

I prepared several canvases at once by choosing some colors and blending the paint. At this point I had no ide what I would be painting on them, but had some New Orleans scenes in mind. I chose one of the canvases and sketched out my scene, a building on Esplandade. Then I started adding paint to an 11" x 14" canvas.

 



 

Some pics of the progress.

 

 

The above photo is when it was almost finished.

"Esplanade Beauty" (sold)

 

I added the final details in this photo. I still think I have a few things I want to do before it's "done". Then my hubby will add a gallery style framing to it. I had a purchaser following my facebook page see my "in progress" photo, so this painting will be shipped of early next week.

 

I hope you enjoyed my "view" into my studio today. I'll be posting a few step by steps in the next few weeks of some mixed media. Check back often and don't forget to "like" my facebook page, Melanie Douthit Art Studio, or follow my in twitter at DouthitArt to see peeks of new art.

 

Thanks for stopping by! 



Mardi Gras Dachshund Art Love

My hubby and I spend a three day weekend in New Orleans for our 25th wedding anniversary (yes, I said 25th!!). I remember when my parents reached this milestone thinking - wow - that's a long time. LOL. Now that it's our turn, we realize that it isn't really that long at all. We found a sweet place on Esplanade with a balcony that was just perfect.

We spent most of our evenings on Frenchmen Street dining and listening to Jazz music. It was a nice alternative to the touristy crowded places in the French Quarter. Enjoyed it so much, we are already talking about our next trip. I would love to take our bicycles and ride everywhere. Maybe we will.

While I was gone, I had a few collectors send me some pics of when they received their Mardi Gras Dachshund art. How fun!

I recently had some people contact me through my blog asking how to order a custom Mardi Gras Dachshund painting like they have seen in Mimi's Cafe's. I did the first paintings for Mimi's Cafe 10 years ago and have been pleasantly surprised to date that people still see the paintings and look for how to get one. I usually have a custom painting listed in my Etsy Store here, but when I'm filling several orders, I may not have one up. Feel free to email me at the contact info page on my Website and let me know you want one if you don't see a listing.


As much as we loved our trip, it was so good to be back in my own bed. It's really true, there's no place like home.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!