Snow Day

Posted on March 15, 2016 by janellmithani

After a winter visit to Oregon, I felt inspired to paint a snow scene with trees. I am still thinking of a title…

Oregon Bliss

I am thinking “Oregon Bliss” as the trees around my sister’s cabin were my inspiration. She certainly lives in a blissful place!

I had a wonderful time on my trip, visiting with family and enjoying all the beautiful scenery. I came home to 80 degree weather, here in Southern California. It’s amazing the difference in weather with just a few hours plane ride. 🙂

Have a wonderful, creative, day, Janell

DOE, My Last Painting in 2015

Posted on January 6, 2016 by janellmithani

DOE is the last painting I did in 2015, and she is here to wish you a wonderful, lovely, prosperous and creative New Year!

DOE, Acrylic on Canvas, 30″ x 24″

She is the oldest of two fae sisters who lives in the woods and loves animals, especially sweet little fawns who have strayed away from their mothers. She gently brings them back to their mother’s side.

If you would like to see a post with pictures of my process on this painting, visit this post:

https://janellmithani.com/2015/11/05/doe-painting-in-process/

Have a wonderful, creative, day, Janell

DOE painting in process

Posted on November 5, 2015 by janellmithani

I am still working on my painting, “DOE.” but I thought I would share a few pictures of my progress.

Here is the final sketch from my sketchbook. It is 8″ x 10″.

Here is my sketch enlarged on a copy machine and pieced together. I wanted to paint this one pretty big, so I bought a 24″ x 30″ gallery wrapped canvas.

Here is the canvas with the last coat of tinted gesso. I was thinking I wanted to go with a lighter background, but you will see that I changed my mind…

And here is the painting with the main subjects blocked in.

Now I started feeling the Fall weather and began getting some darker shades worked into the painting. I always rotate my canvas around on my easel when I am painting certain parts. I especially like to paint the tips of my hair sideways. Anybody else do this when they paint or draw?

Here is the whole painting sideways on my easel. I darkened up the background and added texture that gave me the feeling of bark on a tree.

And here it is, right side up with the my progress, so far.

Hope you have a wonderful, creative, day, Janell

Pansy Flower Painting

Posted on October 28, 2015 by janellmithani

Pansies were my favorite flower when I was a little girl. They had such large petals and wonderful rich colors. My Aunt Helen, who worked at a greenhouse, introduced me to them. She brought a large pot full of their showy blooms to set on my grandparents porch. I thought they were so pretty and instantly fell in love with them.

Pansy, A Little Girl’s First Love, Acrylic on canvas, 20″ x 20″

Now I have many favorite flowers, but pansies will always remind me of being a little girl and the first flower I discovered. Painting this pansy was such a fun walk down memory lane. The paint just flowed onto my canvas.

I hope you have a wonderful, creative, day, Janell

Birds and Fairies…Finished Painting!

Posted on September 30, 2015 by janellmithani

WOO HOO! I finished my bird and fairy painting today! I have had a lot of fun painting this piece. I giggled a lot when I painted the fairy and the birds next to her. After much deliberation with a few girlfriends, mom and sis, I decided on a title: “Morning Chit Chat”

We had quite a few really good titles texting back and forth, so it was pretty hard to decide. Here are a few other names I considered: “Night out on the branch,” “Rumor has it…,” “Got any gossip?,” and “Any news from the fairy realm?”

Some were pretty funny, like “I thought we owned this branch, is she paying rent?” or my mom remembered a line from a song “May the bluebird of happiness fly up your nose!” (I have to say that one gave me a whole new idea for another painting. ) 🙂

My second choice was “Birds of a feather flock together.”

Here is a picture of me finishing up the details on the fairy. Note the paint on my middle finger…it’s my “other brush” that I love to use.

Here is the painting on my easel. (Please ignore the messy studio surrounding it!)

And another view…

And here is another picture of the finished painting…

Morning Chit Chat, Acrylic on canvas, 18″ x 36.”

I would love to hear what you think of this painting and other title ideas. I finished it just in time to put in a group art show on Saturday. I also think I will make art prints since I love it so much.

Have a wonderful, creative, day, Janell

Birds and a Fairy In Process

Posted on June 24, 2015 by janellmithani

“Excuse me, but this is our branch!” I still have quite a bit to do on this painting, but I thought I would share my progress. I have had a lot of fun with this piece and find myself giggling every time I look at the bird next to the fairy.

Life was being much too serious lately, so I decided my art needed to lighten things up. 🙂

This painting evolved from combining a group of sketches and then I drew in the branch. Once I started painting, I decided the birds should all be the same kind. I think the little fairy was thinking she would blend in with her blue hair and they wouldn’t notice her! 🙂

I was hoping to have it finished last weekend, but I have been distracted by “stuff” that has to get done! Hopefully, I will get time to finish it this weekend.

Have a wonderful, creative, day, Janell

A Collage of Three of My Fairies

Posted on March 25, 2015 by janellmithani

Yesterday, I entered a call to artist that required a very specific size of art for the entry. So I created a collage of three of my fairy paintings for the entry.

Fae of the Earth collage by Janell Mithani

Fae of the Earth, collage of three paintings by Janell Mithani

Have a wonderful, creative, day, Janell

MOSS Painting

Posted on February 3, 2015 by janellmithani

This is my first painting for 2015. Can you tell I’m already thinking of spring? 🙂

Moss, acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 24″

I’ve been thinking a lot about the “WHY” I paint what I paint lately. I’ve always loved fairies and nature. I grew up out in the country and spent a good share of my childhood, hiking in the woods. In my paintings, I reflect on those moments and feel that my feminine characters draw strength from the trees, wind, and nature that surrounds them. One of the things that inspires me the most, is the strong stillness I feel when I am alone and surrounded by nature.

“Moss is a feminine character who draws her strength from the moss-covered trees that surround her. She came to me in my dreams, found her way into my sketchbook and inspired me to paint her with one of her beloved trees.”

Have a wonderful, creative day, Janell

What’s On My Easel Today…

Posted on October 15, 2014 by janellmithani

This is the painting I am working on this week. I am pretty tired of all this hot, dry weather. So, I have created an ice cold place for my fae character to live. Now, if I could just figure out how to jump into the painting. 🙂

Have a wonderful, creative day, Janell

A Tree Fairy Painting on Austrailian Paper Bark

Posted on August 27, 2014 by janellmithani

I love painting tree fairies and I have been experimenting with painting them on the bark of the Australian paper bark, Melaleuca quinquenervia trees. We have a lot of them here in Southern California. I love the organic shapes and the textures and feel painting on a natural piece of bark fits with my art. The paper-like bark peels right off of the trees and it doesn’t hurt the tree to harvest the bark.

This is an ancient art tradition of the Aboriginal people of Australia. They created wonderful dot paintings, often times telling the stories of their dreams. I found out about this style of art a few years ago when I was researching the art of different countries to teach in my art workshops for teens. It is still a popular art style, and I found many beautiful paintings on the internet. It has also become one of my most popular summer workshops.

I posted the sketch of my tree fairy a few weeks ago. The tree bark can be really smooth on the back side, but I really liked the front side of this piece of bark. Since it had a lot of texture, I decided to re-create my sketch to size, cut it out, and glue it to the bark as a beginning for the painting. I also applied a coat of gel to seal and smooth out the bark.

I attached the bark to my easel with a clip and began painting. I love the light in this picture. I have a wonderful south-facing skylight that lights my easel over my left shoulder. It was my husbands idea when we built the studio and I just love it.