Brainerd’s Brushstrokes – Summer Sunsets: Part 3 – Country

Thursday, June 17, 2021 

Welcome to my Art Thursdays B.R.E.A.T.H.S. blog post where I invite you into my private art studio, Brainerd’s Brushstrokes. I started art blogging in May 2021, where I introduced some of my first pieces in my preteens with drawing and poetry, then large scale realistic watercolor flowers in my twenties. After a decade off from painting due to work and school priorities, I switched to mostly painting acrylic abstract creations on 16×20 canvas. This is when I got REALLY into social painting parties with my friends at Brushstrokes and Beverages scattered across several different restaurants located in Long Beach, California from January 2013 through August 2018. 

Brainerd’s Brushstrokes

Each week I am going to share my art creations in no order, but I will try to stick with a theme each week/month and include some behind the scenes sneak peeks of the process of my paintings from the blank canvas all the way to selling individual pieces. I have tried my best to keep track of all my work (just over 100 paintings), however, I have given away the majority of my work as gifts and I did not necessarily keep track of whom I gave the artwork to. This blog is my way of getting my artwork out there and perhaps reconnecting with some of my original pieces and their owners. 

Summer in the Country

I started off my June Summer Sunset Series with two pictures I created of LBC in the summertime. Last week, I shared two of my European city sunset acrylic paintings. This week I am choosing two different paintings from my art studio that I created in 2015 at two Long Beach, CA, restaurants.  

Cherry Blossoms 

January 13, 2015, Utopia, 445 E 1st St, Long Beach, CA 90802. For this acrylic painting, I used every color on the palette, and then some more (see pic above with different colors of paint on my hands). I only have one good background picture of this one so I put it all in one collage. The other similar paintings in the picture are the art teacher’s examples to use as a guide (teacher in the center pic, too). My paintings always took on a personality of their own quite different than their models.  I do not know who I gifted Cherry Blossom painting to, but if you are the owner, I would love to reconnect with both you and the painting.

Mixed Media Love Birds

March 31, 2015, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, 87 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802. My friend Barbara and I met often to paint, eat food, drink beverages, and enjoy one another’s company (See pic below). For this painting, you can see my brushstrokes as I started off with the center circle and worked my way around it for the background (see top collage). We added real sage leaves to our paintings to turn our acrylic love birds into, “Mixed Media Love Birds.” Notice the leaves are full in the pic below. The pic above, they are older, curling, and some are missing. I think I might still have this painting in storage and some of the leaves are still there! I will have to check to keep track of my art inventory. 

Summer Sunsets In The Country Conclusion

Both my country paintings were very colorful, as most of my paintings are. I spent the majority of my childhood growing up in the country and most of my adulthood living in the city.  My favorite things about both areas are the sunsets and trees. Next week, I will be sharing my summer sunsets palm series (my favorite type of tree). Stay tuned for more of Brainerd’s Brushstrokes!

Thank you for reading and viewing,

Dr. Jaime Brainerd, Ed.D.