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"Like Moths" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic painting on Multimedia Artboard mounted on Ampersand Gessobord, 6" x 8". Copyright ©2011 Lesley Spanos, all rights reserved.

Like moths to a flame, they gather. This is another image from the Indiana State Fair balloon glow.

The unusual flat-bottomed shape of this hot air balloon hints at its purpose. It’s a promotional balloon shaped like a giant can of Pepsi.

This painting is available on Zatista, where I’m starting to list some of my originals. I like Zatista. They’re selective. They sell nothing but original wall art. Their artists are screened by a review board, so the quality is good. The site is small enough to be browsable, but large enough so you can find what you need. For buyers, the main difference is that now you won’t need a PayPal account to purchase my art. Any major credit card will do. Zatista handles the paperwork, and I’ll still be fulfilling the orders myself.

Here are some images taken along the way:

"Glow" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic painting on Multimedia Artboard mounted on Ampersand Gessobord, 5" x 7". Copyright ©2011 Lesley Spanos, all rights reserved.

My state fair features – weather permitting – a hot air balloon race, with a balloon glow on the racetrack infield the evening before. Before this night, I’d seen balloon glows from a distance, but this was the first time I’d ever walked through one. I was awestruck. What a difference it made, being under these fire-breathing giants, hearing them roar and feeling the heat from the flames. Photographers bumped into each other as they maneuvered with eyes glued upward. I managed to get a few shots for reference later in the studio.

That was almost five years ago, and now I’ve finally gotten around to doing my first balloon painting. I thought I’d bitten off more than I could chew, with all the crazy patterns and little people on a 5″ x 7″ surface, but I finally got through it. Here are a few images taken along the way:

"Rivalry" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic painting on Ampersand Gessobord, 5 x 7". Copyright ©2011 Lesley Spanos, all rights reserved.

Their trappings are bright and colorful, yet their faces are frozen in eternal screams. I can hear them when I paint them. Yet in all my hours photographing carousels, I’ve never seen a child shy away from them.

This is a warmup sketch for a larger painting. Lately my painting has been too timid and still, so my goal was to forget the preliminary drawing, throw some paint around, and have faith that in the end it would work.

Here are some photos taken along the way:

"Ragdoll Princess" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic painting on Ampersand Gessobord, 5 x 7". Copyright ©2011 Lesley Spanos, all rights reserved.

Some girls just know they’re beautiful. She goes by the call name “LB,” and she’s one of the prettiest cats I’ve ever seen.

"Gift Worthy" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic painting on Fredrix Watercolor Canvas panel, 11 x 14". Copyright ©2011 Lesley Spanos, all rights reserved.

Confession: I’ve always wanted to paint a gift wrapped up in shiny ribbons, but it’s an iconic subject for some artists, and therefore one I stay away from. If you want to see what I mean, check out Karen Appleton’s work. Or Carol Marine, who does awesome bowage. (My word.) When Carol offered The Gift Challenge on Daily Paintworks, I jumped in, because everyone will be doing bows this week so it won’t look like I’m copying someone else.

My usual package wrapping MO is to tie a ribbon around flowers in season, or dried flowers and grasses if it’s winter. I threw the gold ribbon on top so I could paint some reflections. I wanted to do a cute little square box, but couldn’t find such a box anywhere in the house. Until I stumbled on this little gem. If you ever saw the episode of Seinfeld called The Sponge, you can guess both the contents of the box, and the source of the title.

"Bumble Bee Bop" by Lesley Spanos. Acrylic painting on Ampersand Gessobord, 5 x 7". Copyright ©2011 Lesley Spanos, all rights reserved.

Bumble Bee Bop. I love that name! It sounds like something adult bees do to make baby bees. It’s actually a kiddie ride found in carnivals and small amusement parks. Those goofy, cheerful bees have been calling to my paintbrushes for some time now.

If you want to see photos of this painting in progress, hit the “read more” button.