"I Think I Love You"

"I Think I Love You"

6"x6"

Oil on Board

 

What a sweet couple, milk and cookies!  They have been together for a LONG time.  Everybody loves them.  Everybody wants to have them over for dinner....or after dinner. 

"Main Squeeze" *SOLD*

"Main Squeeze" *SOLD*

8"x6"

Oil on Board

 

Famous Couples Series...Day 2: 

Introducing that lovely colorful couple "mustard and ketchup"!  Making our lives tastier with every squeeze.  Internet perusal shows that the average person will consume 3 bottles of ketchup and 12 ounces of mustard each year.  So what's your favorite?

"Spread the Love" *SOLD*

"Spread the Love" *SOLD*

4"x6"

Oil on Board

 

Now that the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge is over, I've been thinking of different challenges I can do myself throughout the year.  The first one I want to do is to celebrate Valentines Day, so this upcoming week I'll be painting with the theme "Famous Couples".  One of the first great duos I thought of, of course, is peanut butter and jelly.  So many daily painters have painted this subject...primarily because Duane Keiser has done it so beautifully!!  I've always wanted to give it a go, but just thought it would be so hard that I never did!  (I really have to get over these irrational painting fears and just do it!!) 

 

More dynamic duos to come as we lead up to Valentines Day!  Thanks for looking!

Atlanta's Trinity School Spotlight on Art 2013

"Summer Glow"

24" x 30"

Oil on Canvas

 

I am so excited to be one of the artists participating in Spotlight on Art 2013 at Trinity School in Atlanta, Georgia!  Over 350 artists have work in this huge fundraising event.  Original art in all sorts of styles and prices will be available this week and 50% of the proceeds go to the school. 

 

It kicks off with an opening reception tomorrow night, February 4, from 6-9.  Then the market is open Tuesday through Thursday from 8:00-4:00.  On Friday, the market is open from 8:00-9:00 with a Cocktails & Canvases reception from 6:00-9:00.  The final day is Saturday, February 9, and the market will be open from 10:00-6:00. 

 

If you're in the Atlanta area, I surely do hope you stop by the school at 4301 Northside Parkway and support them! (Free admission and parking; please access the school via the North Entrance)

TA DA!

 

Here in one collage are all the paintings I did during the 30 Days Challenge.  (It took me almost as long to figure out making this collage than it did to paint a painting!) 

I have to say it makes me feel very good when I see them all together. 

 

This whole thing has brought me some wonderful experiences.  I've even made several new friends and realized through them that art can be very powerful.  It has the ability to touch our hearts and souls.  I'm so thankful that God has allowed me to be an artist.  It brings me so much joy and happiness. 

 

It shows me that beauty is everywhere and everything is made beautiful by the Light that touches it.



Day 30/30: "Safely Rest" *SOLD*

"Safely Rest" *SOLD*

6"x6"

Oil on Board

 

Well, here we are on the final day of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  When Leslie Saeta first posted about this, I thought, "hmmmm, sounds fun, but no way I would commit to that!"  I thought a bit more and then decided it was a great way to start the new year!  Introduce some discipline!  Challenge myself!

 

I started the new year off sick, but still got a painting in every day.  It was a busy month, too, preparing for several shows and competitions, but like any commitment we make in life, there are easy days and hard days. You just stick to it and the results are always worth it. 

 

So, this nightscape symbolizes the end of this little journey.  I have always been totally enamored with the full moon.  The way you can see shadows at night is just amazing.  I love to go out to the country near my house when we have a full moon and look at the fields all lit up in the night.  So when a friend challenged me to do a nightscape for the final painting, I knew immediately the way I wanted it to look.  The title is from Taps....or as we called it in Girl Scouts, "Day is Done"!

 

Thanks for looking at my paintings!  I appreciate it so much and the comments, too!

 

Day 29/30: "Journey's End" *SOLD*

"Journey's End" *SOLD*

6"x6"

Oil on Board

 

The sun sets on January and also on the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge! 

This has been a really great experience and I do plan to keep it up as much as possible. 

 

 I've stretched my wings a bit and learned a lot over the last 30 days. I've done exercises I've always wanted to do, planned to do, but somehow never found time for.  Being a self-employed artist, I am the one who has to crack the whip and challenge myself.  Of course, I do that to a degree, but there's much more I can do to push myself and learn and become the best artist I can be.   There's so much to learn and I'm so thankful that my job is to learn it!

Day 28/30: "Deep Greens and Blues"

"Deep Greens and Blues"

10" x 10"

Oil on Canvas

 

Another skyscape demo painting from the workshop I taught this past weekend.  I'm so glad I painted ahead in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, but I definitely want to paint something new tomorrow and come up with something special to paint or the last day.  Suggestions are welcome!

Thanks for looking!

Day 27/30: "Cloud Cover"

"Cloud Cover"

10"x10"

Oil on Canvas

 

This past weekend I had the pleasure of teaching a skyscape workshop at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.  What a wonderful bunch of artists!  They all did a great job on their paintings! 

 

I did three demos and this painting is one of them.  We worked with a limited palette of ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow lemon or light, cadmium red medium, transparent red earth or burnt sienna and titanium white.  It sure does help in getting those neutrals we see in clouds.

 

Thanks for looking!

Day 26/30: "Bowl of Berries"

"Bowl of Berries"

6" x 6"

Oil on Board

I can't believe there are only four more days in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!  This has been such a good learning experience.  I definitely will be painting more small pieces along the way.  

I'll  certainly paint more strawberries as they are beautiful, very interesting and challenging to paint AND they smell great....don't you wish you had smell-a-vision?  

Thanks for looking!

Day 25/30: "Strawberry Fields Forever"

"Strawberry Fields Forever"

6" x 6"

Oil on Board

One of the reasons I really enjoyed painting these is because, under the hot lamp in my studio, they smelled so good!  It was a pleasure!  More strawberries to come I'm absolutely sure. 

Today and tomorrow I'm teaching a skyscape workshop at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and I have a wonderful group of students!  They did such a great job!  I did paint two demo's today, but they are still at the museum so I'm glad I had painted ahead to keep up with the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge posts.  So, I am ahead of the game now with a couple in the hopper.  I still will do at least one a day, though, until the end of the month!  

Day 24/30: "Three's A Crowd"

"Three's A Crowd"

10" x 10"

Oil on Canvas

I went to grocery store in search of some nice produce to paint a few days ago and came home with not just sunflowers, but also pears, apples, jalapenos and strawberries!  Learning a valuable artistic lesson ..... don't buy more than you have time to paint!  I could have painted several paintings of jalapenos, but I jumped to sunflowers, etc.    Now the jalapenos are, uh, unpaintable.  

My eyes weren't bigger than my stomach....just bigger than my calendar!

Thanks so much for looking and have a great weekend!

Day 23/30: "Sun Protection" *SOLD*

"Sun Protection" *SOLD*

12" x 6"

Oil on Canvas

Painting my sunflowers before they become a memory!  So....this included my glass challenge, my flower challenge....and, today, limited palette challenge!  I had the paints on my palette that I have asked my students to bring this weekend to the skyscape workshop I'm teaching (cadmium red medium, cadmium yellow lemon, ultramarine blue, transparent red earth and titanium white).  Since it was already on my palette, I thought I'd be lazy and give it a whirl!  

Thanks for looking!

Day 22/30: "Sitting in the Sun" *SOLD*

"Sitting in the Sun" *SOLD*

16" x 12"

Oil on Canvas

Since I am challenging myself with glass - and the new additional challenge of flowers - I thought I'd try this set up of primary colors.  I did something similar at a Qiang Huang workshop in the fall and I really liked it.  The canvas I used is Fredrix Dixie Cotton and I just love it!  When I felt it I thought, "Oh, no, this is going to tear up my brushes!"....it seems really rough....but I love the texture!  I'll be ordering more of this!

Thanks for looking!

Day 21/30: "Hot Stuff"

"Hot Stuff"

6" x 6"

Oil on Board

It's c-c-c-cold here today, so here's something warm to think about!  I put these peppers on a small beaded plate and as I painted it I thought it gave it a little "sombrero" feel.  Unintentional at the beginning, but it was neat the way that happened.  

Thanks for looking!

Day 20/30: "Tulip Toss"

"Tulip Toss"

14" x 11"

Oil on Canvas

It feels like early spring here today and it was a joyful thing to paint a bunch of beautiful tulips!  These are the tulips I mentioned in my last post - the ones that were on the chopping block at the grocery store.  About to be thrown out because they were too old.  Here's to aging gracefully!!  :)

Thanks for looking!

Day 19/30: "Pink Tulip"

"Pink Tulip"

6" x 8"

Oil on Board

I had a hard time coming up with a title for this. Now that I think a bit more, I probably should have named it "Tulip Toss" or "Redemption" because this beautiful bunch of tulips was on the cart to be tossed at the grocery store yesterday. The florist assured me that they had at least one day left, so I bought them and guess what? They still look great! I think I may be able to get another painting or two out of them this afternoon if I work hard!

Day 19 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Day Challenge is in the books.

Tomorrow may bring another tulip painting!

Day 18/30: "Hold My Hand"

"Hold My Hand"

6" x 6"

Oil on Board

 

Figure painting practice again today!  I can't wait for some sunny and warm days to take more photos of unsuspecting family members. ;)   I love seeing interesting shadow patterns and playing around with those in paint.  I've done these types of paintings mostly on a small scale, but I think I'll venture into something larger soon!

 

Have a great weekend & thanks for looking!

Day 17/30: "The First Cup"

"The First Cup"

6"x8"

Oil on Board

 

Coffee...wonderful coffee....helping to get me through the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!

 

The still life brought a few challenges.   I had the usual reflective surfaces (the mug and the silver spoon) to work with, but also an almost totally white group of objects.  My students always freak out when I mention an all white still life.  It can be daunting, but it is a wonderful way to learn to see color temperature.  It is really fascinating to me to see all the variations of white.  The more you look at the objects, the more variations you see.  Fun stuff!

 

Thanks for looking and Happy Friday!

Day 16/30: "Kisses" *SOLD*

"Kisses" *SOLD*

4" x 4"

Oil on Board

 

Cute little kisses.  They look so harmless, don't they?  The little creatures are hard to paint!  That crumpled up foil....arggghh! 

 

The next time I will really try to simplify a lot more.  The problem is, I think, that you can divide light and shadow - as much as you can for a highly reflective surface - and try to eliminate detail, but it's the detail that gives "the kiss" its characteristic look. I'd love to hear what other artists have to say and how you may have tackled the problem.

 

I do have a WHOLE BAG of kisses now....paint 'em, eat 'em, love 'em!

 

Thanks for looking!