"MC-12"

My latest aviation art is this commissioned "MC-12" I just finished. I really have been enjoying painting these awesome aircrafts! The original size is 20"x 40" shown in the bright green below.  Hand-painted acrylic on canvas.  Available for purchase.. check out my etsy shop or   tifsheppard.com for ordering information.  Lots of different sizes and color options soon to be available...

Colors available: 

Vintage White

Vintage Grey

Bright Green

Black & White

Rustic Red Christmas

My "Rustic Red Truck" Print was highlighted here on Etsy:  Check it out! 

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NjI3Mjg1MHwyNzIzNjEwMjE2/rustic-red-christmas

G-5 over DC

Here is my latest commissioned piece, a G-5 Gulfstream flying over Washington DC's National Mall.  Original painting is 30"x40", acrylic on canvas.

Available in 3 different color options shown below:  

See: tifsheppard.com for ordering information

Jedi

"Jedi" 22"x28" acrylic on canvas, ceramic stucco

My sister-in-law recently asked me to do a painting of her 12 year old happy-go-lucky dog named "Jedi".  Knowing that it's easier for me to connect to the subject I'm painting with a more personal connection, Marcia told me story after story of Jedi.  After finding out his love for running through the timber and chasing deer, rabbits and geese, I knew I had to paint him in just that setting.  The fall colors really inspired me.  Living in Las Vegas right now, I can only imagine what the rest of this country (where there's much more luscious trees) is like.  So to help my frame of reference, I turned on my awesome white noise app "Relax M.P." on my iphone and listened to the sounds of rain, campfires and birds chirping in the wilderness.  I guess that's what you gotta do to pretend you're not in the desert, when in actuality it's still getting up to the 90's here!  What gives?!  Good thing I can escape to the wonderful world of painting to help my sanity when it comes to beating the heat.  All in all I'm so happy with the way this painting turned out.  It came so easy to me, and I owe that to the beauty of Jedi and his amazing spirit.  Thanks for giving me the opportunity to do this, Marcia :)

My Barn Board Decor

This is what I decorate with to remind me of Iowa & my parent's tree farm :)

Beautifully Cracked & Chipped- Re-finishing Furniture- My Newest Obsession!

My new found love for re-finishing furniture has become a new passion of mine.  I love giving an old piece of furniture new life & finding it's functionality again.  On the other hand my house is getting full of painted furniture, and it's almost starting to look like a store in some rooms!  Well, it's not that bad, but you get my point :)  Below are a few projects I've done.  The first is this console / bookshelf that seriously just seemed sad.  I had just gotten done with my "Murmuration" mural with a black skeleton tree on it and thought how sweet it would be to paint a tree up the side of this console table.  Here are my before and afters... check it out:)

After:  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- Barcelona Orange & Graphite (mixed with white & a bit of country blue to soften it up)... finished with both Chalk Paint's clear wax and dark wax.

dresser: before

dresser: after

New Aircraft Paintings Complete!

Well I think it's about time I post some new blog entries!  It's something I always seem to forget, and my goal is to post my work more frequently on here.  Below are images of my most recent aircraft paintings in several different color variations available for print purchase.  The first picture is an MQ-9 Reaper... I love how the colors turned out:

Shown below is my "MQ-1 Predator" shown in all my color options:

A Beautiful Flock of Energy

"Murmuration at Sunset" 5'x8'x1.5" Acryclic on Canvas

by: Tif Sheppard

I'm fascinated with murmurations.  So much so that I decided to paint one... on a monster sized canvas. Well 2 monster sized canvases to be exact!  The total size of this baby is 5'x8'... but with the spacing it's more like 8.5 feet tall by 5 feet wide.  

For months & months I had it in my head that I would someday try to paint this magnificent swarm of energy.  The idea of the birds connecting as a "group soul" or collective thinking amazes me.....leaves me breathless & brings me peace at the same time.  So a few weeks ago I decided to tackle my idea & just see what happens.  Now the finished piece hangs above our staircase and I see it every day I walk down them.  It's also on our west facing wall, so it's perfect to always see the sunset, anytime of day.  The tree in the painting was inspired from my parents backyard.  They have the most beautiful sunsets in Morning Sun, IA & I just remember when I was a little girl sitting out on the back brick patio.  I would just stare at the bright orange and pink skies, with the outline of the black skeleton tree & be in awe.


For those of you who aren't sure what a murm is it is a collection of starlings who fly at dusk.  Check out this video:

Interesting article on the biology of this behavior: Audubon