Marsh Landscape Commission!

Kiawah Marsh Landscape

24 x 36 

Oil

Commission!

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

I was contacted through my Etsy store last week by a woman in Knoxville, Tennessee.  She commissioned me to paint her a Kiawah landscape with marsh view and palmetto trees.  It's for her 40th birthday present!  I love it when people buy themselves a nice gift.  Original art is an awesome gift that you will enjoy forever.

Encaustic Work

Magical Marsh

12 x 12

Encaustic on Board

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

Last weekend I took an encaustic workshop.  Oh, what fun it was!  I felt like I was back in elementary school art class.  Encaustic means pigments that are burned in using wax.  It's an interesting technique that I have wanted to try because I like the way you can manipulate the wax for all types of textures.  You begin with a birch board and you lay melted bees wax on the board all over. You do this for two coats and then you melt two coats of melted medium on the board.  Your palette is actually like a plugged in skillet and the paints are like bars of soap that you melt onto your palette for painting onto the wax board.  You have to keep the wax & board warm in order to apply the paint. You need very good ventilation for all of this burning and melting and you have to be careful not to catch anything on fire or burn yourself.  I felt it to be a really fun creative process and I loved how my 4 paintings turned out.  This was the last one I did.  Stay tuned for other postings!

SOLD! Washington Monument with Cherry Blossoms

Washington Monument in Spring

11 x 14

oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

This lovely painting is going to a repeat Etsy buyer.  A lovely lady in South Carolina.  I do hope she'll be happy with it.  There's nothing like Washington D.C. on a warm spring day when the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom.  Spring is my favorite season but we're heading into fall and then... yuck winter!  

Kiawah Commission Complete

Kiawah Beach Sunset

30 x 40

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

It's finished and my customer loved it!  So it will be shipped off to Georgia on Wednesday once it's completely dry.  I don't know what's going on but this is my fourth large commission this summer.  My first was 36 x 72, then two 36 x 48's, and one 30 x 40!  I think everyone must have much higher ceilings than I have!  My only wish is that more people would send me photos of them hanging in their homes.  I would love to see how they look.  Here's to more commissions!  I'm getting good at painting BIG and I like it:)

Kiawah Commission - Another Big One! 30 x 40

Example of Commission

30 x 40

Oil

I was commissioned to paint a Kiawah Island Beach Sunset Painting.  The client sent me this photo for the colors and gave me details of what she wants.  More sky, less dunes, more water and the sun setting on the water.  This will be a 30 x 40 oil painting.  I will be working on it this weekend.  I'll post of photo of the final product once it's finished!  Stay tuned.

Sold! The Lincoln Memorial

"The Lincoln Memorial"

12 x 16

Oil

© 2015 by Rebecca Croft

SOLD!  Having a good week.  Sold two paintings plus the commission.  This gem went to a man in Chantilly, VA so this is probably one of his favorite D.C. memorials.  I originally painted this for an art show that had to be paintings done in Arlington, Virginia.  I chose this view from the Virginia side of the Potomac River.  

Commission - Positano Italy

"Positano, Italy"

36 x 48

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

I guess "large paintings" are back in style as this is the second commission I've received this month that is very large.  My last one was 3 by 6 feet and this one is 3 by 4 feet.  It's so much fun to paint big!  I actually prefer it to trying to capture it all on a small canvas.  There is something so freeing about it.  Both paintings went to the San Diego area.  I have two more requests for larger commissions of Kiawah, Island that I may be working on soon.  Probably not quite as large as this one.  I love how this turned out.  I really captured the essence of the hillsides of Positano.  Here's to lots more commissions:)

Sold! Bald Head Island Marsh View

Sold!

Marsh View Bald Head, Island

Oil

12 x 16

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

Wow.  I've sold five Bald Head Island paintings this year.  People really like Bald Head.  I will keep painting it.  I spent a wonderful week there with family a few years ago.  If you ever have a chance to visit there you should take it.  It's been a busy week for me as I'm also working on a commission of Positano, Italy that is 3 by 4 feet!  It's almost done.  I will share it with you in a few days.

SOLD! Old Baldy

"Old Baldy"

Oil

12 x 16

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

This is the fourth Bald Head, Island painting I've sold this year.  It's quite a popular site!  I guess a lot of people go there.  I went a few years ago and painted the "Old Baldy" lighthouse but I had no idea how popular they would be.  I've now painted it four different ways.  Here's hoping for more sales!  This one is going to a new home in Virginia.

SOLD! Roses & Pears!

"Roses & Pears"

16 x 20

Oil

© 2015 by Rebecca Croft

I painted this painting in a workshop I took last year.  I loved how it turned out.  I don't usually paint still lives but that is what we worked from in the workshop to develop our color and brushwork.  I'm so happy that it finally sold.  It went to a new owner in Broken Arrow, Okalahoma!  One day I will have to go back through my records and see how many states I've sent paintings to.  

Desert Landscape

"Desert Landscape"

36 x 72

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

Saturday I received an email from an Etsy customer asking me if I could paint this commission for him in the size 3ft by 6ft!  At first I looked up stretched canvas's for that size and how much it would be to ship and thought yikes!  You have to ship something that large freight and it's hundreds of dollars.  So I asked if I could paint it on rolled canvas and he could have a framer stretch and frame it. My next hurdle was how was I going to paint it when my easel isn't nearly large enough!  So I taped the canvas to a wall and drew in the landscape and did the underpainting.  Once I liked that I painted over with thicker oil paints.  It looks just like the picture he sent.  It will be challenging shipping it as it has to be totally dry before rolling or it could crack.  Hope he likes it!

The Lone Cypress Tree

"The Lone Cypress Tree"

11 x 14

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

I lived in Monterey, California once for a couple of years.  In my opinion the northern California coast is one of the most beautiful places in the world.  The seventeen mile drive from Monterey to Carmel is stunning.  One famous landmark is this lone cypress tree.  I found an old photo of it and decided that I had to paint it again.  I really like how this turned out.  It will be available in my etsy store soon!

SOLD! Old Baldy, Bald Head Island, NC

SOLD!

"Old Baldy"

11 x 14

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

Sold this painting of "Old Baldy" which is a light house that resides on Bald Head, Island North Carolina.  People love this light house.  I think this is the third painting of Old Baldy that I've sold in my Etsy store.  It's a wonderful island if you ever have the chance to go.  No cars just golf carts and you take a ferry to get to it.  Hope the man in Burlington, NC enjoys this new piece.

SOLD! Masai Mara Kenya Landscape

SOLD!

Masia Mara, Kenya

12 x 16

Oil

© 2012 by Rebecca Croft

I painted this after a safari trip to Kenya.  We had a breakfast pick nick along the banks of this river one morning until a lion pride decided to interrupt us.  It was back in the jeep lickity split for us. Then we stayed around to observe the lions for awhile.  I wanted to paint this river because I found it captivating with the lovely sky and trees.  It's gone to a home in Washington, D.C.  I hope the new owner enjoys it.

Santorini!

"Santorini, Greece"

12 x 12 

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

I was getting a little bored with painting landscapes, France, and Italy so I decided to go back to a wonderful place I visited on my 20th anniversary - Greece!  I loved everything about Greece, the weather, scenery, food, and people.  The colors are so vibrant in Santorini.  The sea, the buildings,

the flowers, and the sky.  I couldn't wait to get home to my paints and put some of my memories to work.  The roofs of the buildings are this vivid cerulean blue that almost match the sea.  I hope you like this rendition of a dome topped building that I captured.  For sale in my Etsy store!

SOLD! Sunset Over Georgetown

Sunset Over Georgetown

10 x 20

Oil 

© 2015 by Rebecca Croft

This painting is making it's way down to one of my favorite places - Charleston South Carolina!  I sold it in my Etsy store yesterday.  I hope it makes it's new owner happy.  Maybe they attended Georgetown University and it's a memory for them.  We never get to know the story of why someone buys one of our paintings.  We paint, they are sold, and then they are in new homes.  Sometimes I wish the new owner would send me a photo so I can see where they land.  It's kind of like sending one of you're children out into the world and not hearing from them again.  I always hope that they make the new place a cheery one!

Sold! Tulips!

"Tulips"

Sold

12 x 16

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

Spring is blooming everywhere now and I guess someone was in the mood for flowers!  I sold this beauty yesterday from my Etsy store.  They also ordered two large prints of original landscapes.  I enjoyed this painting because it really is an impressionistic version of tulips.  I love to paint as loose as possible and I really liked how this one turned out.  I hope the new owners are as happy with it once they receive it.  Happy spring!

Sidewalk Cafe

"Sidewalk Cafe"

11 x 14

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

There's nothing I like more than to recreate my travel experiences than in my paintings.  I especially love to paint Italy & France.  This little painting of a French Cafe depicts perfectly the sidewalk cafes you find everywhere in France.  The beauty of the colored shutters, awnings, flower pots and tables put you in the mood for relaxing before you even sit down to order anything.  I can't resist thinking about a cappuccino and croissant or a lovely glass of wine on a hot summer day when looking at this painting.  It immediately takes me back to the vacation like music can take you back to a moment in time.  I will never tire of painting my memories of trips I've taken.  

Spring!

"Washington Monument with Cherry Blossoms"

11 x 14

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft Studios

While I have yet to get down to DC and up and close to the Cherry Blossoms I have admired them from the Virginia side of the Potomac!  Our weather has been so crazy this spring that the blossoms probably feel schizophrenic.  Hot cold then hot then cold.  These poor blossoms don't know what to do!  Millions of people flock to Washington DC in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the Japanese blooms.  We are so lucky to have them here.  I love to paint our beautiful city at different times of the year but spring is definitely my favorite season!  I hope you enjoy my rendition of the Washington Monument in spring.

SOLD! View of Kiawah Island

"View of Kiawah Island"

16 x 20

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

Sold this lovely landscape to a lady in Tennessee.  It now has new home.  Kiawah Island seems to be a popular subject matter.  People probably buy them to remind them of vacations there.  I know I really enjoyed it when I went there last year and painted "Plein Air".  

Enjoying the View

"Enjoying the View"

8 x 10

Canvas Board

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

I'm now painting my landscapes using the technique of transparent colors first and then adding opaques.  It makes for such a "glow" in the painting.  I like this little gem.  The weather has turned to spring but I'm already thinking of the summer days on the beach.  Just back from a week in Mexico I had to paint a beach painting.  Hope you like it.  It's for sale in my Etsy store.

Sold! Sold! Sold! Sold!

A very busy week for Rebecca Croft Studios!  I sold these four paintings in my Etsy store last week while away on vacation.  Two of these the French Cafe and the Tuscan Vineyard I painted since I've been working on my on-line course.  Clearly, people like the technique.  I'll be finishing up the class this week and working on many more new paintings using it.  I think the transparent colors really shine through in them.

Commission - The Washington Monument

"The Washington Monument"

20 x 24

Oil

Commission

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

I was contacted Friday by a woman who found me on Etsy and she commissioned me to paint this landscape of the Washington Monument.  It is going to hang in her DC office's conference room.  I'm hoping the employees get a lot of enjoyment out of it!  They can daydream while enjoying a little piece of my art.  

SOLD!!!!!! Three Paintings!

"Pumpkin Patch"

"Fall Savannah Mid-Day"

"Day on the Beach"

I sold all three of these paintings yesterday on Etsy!  Yeah.  They are going to Dallas, Texas for an art auction to help cancer victims.  I'm so pleased that my little pieces of art will have new homes and benefit a worthy cause.  

Blue Honey!

"Blue Honey"

12 x 12

Canvas Board

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

I'm in week 5 of my on-line Dreama painting course.  I really feel like I"m learning so much.  I think my colors are more vibrant and my strokes more deliberate.  This one turned out so good!  The flowers are singing and the jar is gorgeous.  I'm so happy.  Now I have to figure out how to translate this technique into my landscapes.  I will keep working.  Let me know what you think.  It's for sale in my Etsy Store.

Reaching to the Sun

Reaching to the Sun

12 x 12

Canvas Board

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

I started an on-line painting course by Dreama Toll Perry a few weeks ago.  This is the second painting!  I really love her technique of using transparent colors to block in the drawing and then go back with opaques and layer on top.  They are so vibrant.  I'm practicing the technique with my landscapes as well.  Having fun!  Available in my Etsy store.

Bald Head Island, NC

Sold

Marshes of Bald Head Island, NC

9 x 12

Oil

© 2011 by Rebecca Croft

I've sold two Bald Head, Island North Carolina paintings in the last couple of weeks.  This is the second one.  Seems to be a popular place so I decided to paint another one!

Old Baldy

11 x 14

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

The lighthouse on Bald Head Island is called Old Baldy.  I'm not sure why but it's one of the landmark's on the island.  I've sold two paintings of Old Baldy so far so I thought I would paint a new version with spring flowers.  Hoping this one sells quickly too!

Modern Abstract Valentine Painting

Happy Valentine's

18 x 18

Acrylic

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

Valentine's Day is just around the corner.  Buy your sweetie a piece of original art!  This beauty is for sale in my Etsy store.  It just looks like joy & love!  A modern abstract interpretation.  

SOLD! Modern Abstract Landscape

Abstract Landscape

12 x 12

© 2014 by Rebecca Croft

My pretty abstract landscape has a new home in California.  I sure do send a lot of paintings to that state!  I was happy that this one got a new home as it's always been one of my favorites.  I'm taking an on-line painting course and the first week was all about making your space where you paint inviting.  I really got my studio in order!  Some new tables, rug, organization containers, etc.  I am SO motivated to create in that space now.  Keep an eye out for new art to come....

Winter in Central Park NYC

"Winter in Central Park, NYC"

16 x 20

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

After all of the hype of the upcoming blizzard earlier this week I was inspired to paint a "snow" painting.  I found this photo of Central Park and it called to me.  I sit here tonight with over 27 inches of snow on the ground and it's still coming down!  I am grateful for power and heat.  I will have to paint some Washington D.C. snow paintings soon.  Stay safe out there in this blizzard.

SOLD! Fog in the Vineyard

"Fog in the Vineyard"

12 x 16 

Oil

© 2015 by Rebecca Croft

I had a customer contact me via Etsy that lived in the Washington D.C. area and she came to my home studio to look at paintings.  She loved this one of the Italian Vineyard.  She also wants to commission me for a much larger painting.  Here's hoping for more sales!  January is working out well.  Happy New Year!

SOLD! Old Baldy - Bald Head Island, NC

Old Baldy

12 x 16 

Oil

© 2016 by Rebecca Croft

2016 has started off with a bang!  First I had this commission right after New Years for a lady in Richmond, Virginia.  She had seen my paintings of Bald Head Island on my website and was waiting to commission me.  She got some extra Christmas money and contacted me to paint this one for her.  I spent a week on Bald Head, Island a few years ago.  It's a lovely spot in North Carolina.  I'm so happy for her.