Once Upon A Time

Oil on Gessoed Board, 12x12

Looking at the painting when it was done, I was reminded of a sensation I had when I was a kid, feeling that the teddy bear would become alive at night when all was still and start walking and talking.

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

If you're interested in purchasing this painting, the cost is $149 plus $7 for shipping.

Please email me for more information.

Thank you for viewing!

www.limahalikart.com

"Fairy Prairie" by Li Hua Mahalik

Oil on Canvas, 14x18

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This painting was based on a photo I took in yarnell that wasn't color correct because the printer sort of ran out of ink, but I thought it could be a nice exercise to see how I could make it work. 

While I was painting the bushy grass at the foreground, I suddenly realized why Van Gogh painted the landscape the way he did. The world is full of texture; how else can one paint, for example, the grass, to show how the wind had worked on it? The trees, and the winding roads.

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To purchase this painting, please go to my website;

or email me if you have any comments or questions for me.

You can also find Qiang Huang's workshop info on my blog.

Thank you for viewing my art!

"Roses and Bicycle VI" by Li Hua Mahalik

Mixed Media with Ink and acrylic, 12x9

Helen Frankenthaler, one of my favorite Color Field Artists, used acrylic for many of her important works after she famously painted Mountains and Sea in the 1950's with diluted oil paint on unprimed canvas. Acrylic is wonderful to use for abstract. I love how fast it dries, its overlaying effect and its fluidity, but I'm still reluctant to use it for the traditional painting because the color mixed can appear different when it dries. 

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To purchase my paintings, please

email me or go to Paypal through my web site.

You are also welcome to check out my blog to see other informations 

such as Qiang Huang's workshop in 2013 which I'm organizing.

 Thank you for visiting! 

"Roses and Bicycle V - Hello" by Li Hua Mahalik

Mixed Media with Acrylic, pen and Ink, 9x12

 I tried something new with this painting.

 But throughout the process I was mindful to preserve the composition which I was happy to begin with. The new techniques I learned seemed to work out all right. 

And I will talk more about them in a later time.

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To purchase my paintings, please

email me or go to Paypal through my web site.

You are also welcome to check out my blog to see other informations 

such as Qiang Huang's workshop in 2013 which I'm organizing.

 Thank you for visiting! 

"Roses and Bicycle - Homage to Time" by Li Hua Mahalik

Mixed Media with acrylic, ink and crayon, 9x12

Strangely, I'm fond of this painting and felt like writing a poem to go with it:

An Homage to Time

The greying sky,

Like the remnant of a fire,

Lingers on.

The space is empty 

Of your presence,

 

And soon will be filled with the drizzling rain,
Like tears of laughter.

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Thanks for visiting!

To purchase my paintings, please

email me or go to Paypal through my web site.

You are also welcome to check out my blog to see other informations 

such as Qiang Huang's workshop in 2013 which I'm organizing.

"Tequila and Bougainvillea" by Li Hua Mahalik

Oil on Hardbord, 11.5 x 12

My student, Marian, brought over a bunch of bougainvillea and a Tequila bottle which I'd never see before, to paint. The setting was beautiful. Marian started it very well. But it tempted me to give it a try after the class. The bottle was clear and the bougainvillea's got a hundred blossoms on one stem, and they wilted very fast. To avoid the blah due to the light background and a clear bottle, I added blue for a more painterly effect. As for the busy flowers, I concentrated on a few with light pink to dress up the petals.

 In a still life, especially, we don't really have to paint what we see but what we feel.

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To purchase my paintings, please

email me or go to Paypal through my web site.

You are also welcome to check out my blog to see other informations 

such as Qiang Huang's workshop in 2013 which I'm organizing.

Thanks for visiting!

"Roses and Bicycle III" by Li Hua Mahalik

Mixed Media with Acrylic and Crayon, 9x12

This painting, which is part of the bicycle series, actually started with the red of the roses, then the value, and then the whole composition, sort of following the flow. It's abstract. But I like the name that goes with it.

Interested in purchasing the painting?

please email me, or go to Paypal through my web site.

You are also welcome to check out my blog to see other informations 

such as Qiang Huang's workshop in 2013.

Thanks for visiting!

"Roses and Bicycle II" by Li Hua Mahalik

Mixed Media with Acrylic, Ink and Oil, 9x12

When I was a child, I didn't have a bike, all I could do was ride the adult bicycle sideways, crossing my right leg through the triangular area to reach the other peddle. I was happy as a bird riding up and down the streets. Near by the grade school there were children's bikes for rent, but I didn't have any money. I remember looking at them like candies in my eye. They looked so fun even though they were all beat up.

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If you would like to purchase my paintings, please

email me or go to Paypal through my web site.

You are also welcome to check out my blog to see other informations 

such as Qiang Huang's workshop in 2013.

Thanks for visiting!

"Iris in the Wild" by Li Hua Mahalik

Oil on Board, 9x12

Starting with the thought of painting it abstractly, I painted this one fairly quickly and it turned out not that abstract, but I like it. I'm beginning to feel comfortable stretching the values a bit more; using the very dark and the very light, from about 2 to 9 in the value scale. Soft edges can make peace for the meeting of the two extremes.

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Please email me if you have any questions, or visit my blog

to see my other paintings.

 

To purchase this painting please go to my website.

Thank you for visiting! 

"Two Bottles" by Li Hua Mahalik

                                              Oil on Board, 12x9

There are quite a lot of things I learned from painting this: there can't be light without the dark; the translucent light alongside the bottle could be done straight from the tube of the right value and color (which I didn't have, I had a hell of a time making it look even close. I mixed white with light green and cobalt blue but only made it opaque or dull looking. Light turquoise would have been good); green pepper is not that complicated to paint, it just takes a little patience; backgrounds are fun to paint, just don't paint what you see if they are too busy; 

don't put too many cherries on the table. 

( I'm taking reservation for Qiang Huang's workshop in 2013 here in Scottsdale. 

If you're interested please click here to see the flyer in my blog.)

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Please email me if you have any questions, or visit my website or blog

to see my other paintings. 

Thank you for visiting!

"Lily In A Glass Vase" by Li Hua Mahalik

oil on board, 14x11

After a while, I thought I must have been nuts to paint such delicate flowers. Sunflowers are a lot easier; with many little petals, a few quick brush strokes with different shades of yellow will do the job. But a lily has only 5 petals and each has very delicate colors and design. Painting them made me feel humbled. 

I have also learned a lot about painting a plate. The edge of the plate going from the dark side to the light side is one continuous line. The transition from dark to light is a little tricky as it takes a lot of patience and steady hand to get it right. The temperature change is delicate and you need to clean the brush often. Since I didn't, it made me a bit frustrated. And so I learned.

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Please email me if you have questions, or visit my website or blog

to see other paintings. 

 

Thank you for visiting!

"Morning In Yarnell" by Li Hua Mahalik

Oil on Canvas, 14x18

Yarnell is a beautiful town about two hours of drive north of Phoenix. On highway 89 to and fro you can see cottonwood trees gather here and there along the creeks and mountains rising and falling in the distance and near. I love it's openness, crispy air and quietude. It's truly picturesque in every way.

This is painted from one of the pictures I took a year ago. For some reason I liked the composition even though it's somewhat unconventional. The perspective is good here. 

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Please email me if you have questions, or visit my website or blog

to see other paintings. 

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Thanks for visiting!

"Untitled T1" by Li Hua Mahalik

Oil on Wrapped Canvas, 24x24

My recent reading from an amazing and wonderful site, www.khanacademy.org, inspired me to do a triptych and here is the first one. I probably could name it "Limit I". It's also a happenstance. 

Kindly,

Email, Website, Blog

"Iris In Blue" by Li Mahalik

Oil on masonite, 12"x12"

Iris has a very nice, bony face. I loved painting her.

Next weekend, December 2 - 4, my three painter friends and I are having a studio art show and sale in Scottsdale near Scottsdale Road and Camelback Road. If you're looking for something different to do, stop on by! Please visit my blog for more information. Hope to see you there....

Please email me if you have any questions or comments, or visit my website to see other paintings.