Thursday, January 31, 2013

Day 73

 
Sea Star
Oil on Gessobord
6 x 6
 
Another painting from the Mom's Getaway Weekend.
There were several star shape bowls around the kitchen.
I was in the midst of painting it before I realized it was supposed
to be a sea star. Makes sense since we were on the beach. Fun bowls.
If our cabin wasn't the size of a postage stamp I might consider
getting one.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Day 72

 
The Day After
Oil on Ampersand Gessobord
5 x 5
 
The house we rented had some lovely blue glass vases in
the windowsills. While I was pondering how to use the vases in a painting,
I happened to notice the lovely amber drink my friend Jodie was holding.
Then I started to think about other rehydration drinks the gals
had brought for the weekend and a still life was born!

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Day 71

 
Winter Afternoon in Snohomish
Oil on Ampersand Gessobord
5 x 7
Plein Air
 
 A lesson was learned painting this picture. I am not cut out
to paint a winter sunset. I was so cold after painting this
that I considered giving up plein air painting in the winter all
together. It's actually pretty tolerable if you can situate yourself
so your standing in the sun. Once that sun goes down though -
brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!  

Monday, January 28, 2013

Day 70

 
Mom's Weekend Away
Oil on Amperand Gessobord
5 x 7
Sold
 
I just returned from a wonderful weekend away with my
Mom's Group. We rented a beautiful house on the water
just north of Bellingham. The weather was grey, cold,
windy, and wet or I'd have to say - perfect. Perfect that is if you
are sitting in a lovely home with lots of windows overlooking
the sound, a fireplace, good friends and lots of yummy
things to eat and drink. Lucky me!
 
 
The view from my bedroom. I sat up in bed Saturday
morning to see three eagles outside the window.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Day 69


Melissa's Boats
Oil on Canvas
6 x 6
Sold
 
I painted this a little while ago when I was first testing
out the waters for daily painting. I tried doing a painting a day for
about a week or so to see if it would be a realistic goal or not.
The painting is based on a photo I took at one of my favorite
campgrounds near LaConner. These boats were beautiful catching the
light of the setting sun. Aaaahhh summer, I miss you.


Saturday, January 26, 2013

Day 68


Return to Oils
5 x 7
Oil on Ampersand
 
I've been experiencing some long term throat irritation. Horror
of all horrors, I thought my oil paints might be the cause.
That is one reason you've seen so many watercolors lately.
After my throat finally felt better, I tried this painting.
I've been watching a video by Quang Ho. Wow, what
a painter! This is more or less the same color scheme he
used in his demo. I really liked the bright red against the
greens and warm neutrals.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Day 67

 
Megan - the middle
watercolor
5 x 7
 
If you paint one daughter you absolutely have to paint
the other one. They'd be happiest if you painted both
at the same time. Honestly though, it wasn't a trial
 painting Meg. This is from the same photo shoot as Anika's painting.
It will be turned into a much larger painting some day.
I wouldn't consider this one finished either.
I just needed something to post this evening. Maybe I'll
get it finished at the "Mom's Getaway" this weekend. :)
 

Anika - the middle
 
This is the same painting I posted a couple days
ago just further along. Which one do you prefer -
the earlier one or this one?
 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Day 66


Elizabeth's Choice
watercolor
5 x 7
 
 
Well here's a spot of color on a grey winter's day! I hope
you enoy it. Thank you Elizabeth for arranging the still life for
me. It's really nice having an eye as skilled as yours
make the design decisions. The orange scarf was my idea.
Did I put it over the top?


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Oops Day 64


Anika - the beginning
Watercolor
5 x 7
 
Sometimes you surprise yourself. I started this one evening
while sitting with my mom. It's based on a photo I took
this summer in preparation for a major piece. Never did
I expect this quick study to come out so well in that it
actually resembles my daughter! This is a beginning stage.
Weather permitting, I will take a photo of it's current state
tomorrow. Sometimes the beginnings are the best . 

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Day 65! 300 to go

 
Pears
Watercolor
6 x 6
 
What is it about pears? I think if you looked at the top most
painted fruit, pears would probably be number one. I love paintings
of pairs. I own a beautiful painting of a golden pair by local artist Nikki Wheeler.
Pears are very anthropomorphic.  This, I believe, is the reason for their
universal appeal. Who do these pears remind you of? 
 
 
 

Monday, January 21, 2013

Day 63

A Whole Lotta Blue
Watercolor
5 x 7

It never ceases to amaze me how what appears to be a simple
composition can take me hours to paint. In some cases the 
less there is the more there is to see. Reflected light becomes very
noticable. I find reflected light much easier to paint in oils then
watercolor. So of course this took me hours to paint.

To view the auction on this painting click here.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Day 62

Longing for Spring
7 x 5
Oil on Ampersand Gessobord

I really enjoyed painting these irises. I enjoyed painting
the crinkles in the paper sleeve and the glowing stems
all the way to their tips. The flowers were a little tough. There
was a lot going on so they were a bit difficult to simplify. Overall
though, I'm pretty happy with this painting!

Click here to see the auction on this painting.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Day 61


 
Fog Rising
Oil on Gessobord
5 x 7
Plein Air
 
We have had some amazing fog around here lately. This is from
the morning I mentioned earlier when I headed down to Snohomish
and the fog was beginning to lift. With a cup of hot chocolate in my had, I watched
the fog fade from the hillside and frost melt in steamy tendrils.  It was wonderful.
Today, even on top of the hill, it hung around all day. So it seemed a
fitting time to post this.
 

Friday, January 18, 2013

Day 60

Single Iris
watercolor
6 x 7 1/2

I headed down to Snohomish for the second day to take advantage
of this beautiful sunny but very cold weather we've been having and
do some plein air painting. For the second day I was surprised by the fog.
I need to find a webcam somewhere so I can check on this before I 
pack up and head out. Yesterday I was actually able to do a painting
 of the fog rising. Today is was as thick as pea soup. Ah well, better luck next time.


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Day 59

Megan's Sugar Bowl
Watercolor
6 x 6


Sketch of Megan's Sugar Bowl
Previous to starting the Daily Painting Adventure I was doing
a fair amount of sketching. Books, teachers, the web, they all say how
important it is to draw as much as you can. So I've decided to add a
drawing element to my daily painting. I will draw for at
least fifteen minutes before I begin to paint.
If nothing else, this blog keeps me accountable.
As a result, you will be sort of forced to look at my drawings.
 Plein air painting is the exception as the light is changing so rapidly.
Thanks for hanging in there with me! 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Day 58

 
Watercolor
6 x 8
 
Here is another scanned watercolor. The image is a
little fuzzy and the blues are much more intense. If you
can get it to work, scanning is definitely the way to go.
 
I mentioned a artist's blog talk show yesterday.
This is the description from the website:
 
Welcome to Artists Helping Artists, the #1 Art Show on Blogtalk radio! Join in each week as your host Leslie Saeta discusses how to market and sell your art, along with interviews with guest artists, gallerists, and others sharing their knowledge of the business side of art.
 
If anyone is interested I'd recommend giving it a try. I've enjoyed
the talks I've listened to. A nice accompaniment to a painting
session. Click here to check it out.
 

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Day 57


Apple and Grapes
watercolor
4 x 6
 
Another attempt at a daily watercolor. Sunday I listened to a blog
radio clip of another daily artist Lisa Daria. She paints in acrylics. So
 her routine is to paint at 5:30 (yikes!) in the morning and then
(being it's acrylic it's dry) she scans it at night. How beautiful is that? No setting
up a stand for the painting or putting Don's camera on a tripod or making sure
everything is level, in focus, and the white balance correct . Then removing the card
and uploading the image. So if I had to struggle with a quick watercolor
at least I could try the scanning thing. The colors are a little off
but not too bad. Hmmmmm...

Monday, January 14, 2013

Day56

 
Watercolor with Mussel Shells
5 x 7
 
I have the great good fortune to study watercolor with
master watercolorist Elizabeth Kincaid. If you haven't seen
Elizabeth's work you're missing out. Click here for her website.
 
This painting was started in class last week. I'm accustomed to
taking a good 40 to 50 hours to complete a watercolor. So this
painting-a-day in watercolor is very new to me. There's a lot
of grumbling and stomping around the house right now
while I figure this out. Oh, you can throw some serious
pouting in there too. My poor family.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Day 55


Oil on Canvas
5 x 7
Plein Air
 
 
This morning I woke up to find it had frosted so hard
it almost looked like snow. It was so pretty
my first thought was, "I should go out and do a painting
of some of that beauty!" My second thought was, "Dang,
it looks REALLY cold out there." So I stayed in my cozy,
warm house. In the afternoon I did buck up and head out to paint.
I returned to my new spot near Snohomish. The painting above
is from my first excursion there. Unfortunately, today the sky
was blue everywhere but over the mountains.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Day 54


Why Not Limes?
Oil on Ampersand Gessobord
5 x 7
 
I often see really lovely paintings with glowing
lemons and oranges. Limes are a different story.
What, I ask, is wrong with the innocent lime?
In Mexico the best dish served in the family home
I lived in was chicken soup with a good squeeze of lime.
So this is my little ode to the lime. I almost painted it
without the tomato but couldn't resist putting a little red in.


Day 53

 
Narcissus with Vase and Cup
Oil on Ampersand Gessobord
5 x 7
Click to bid on this painting
 
An unexpected perk of doing this painting
challenge is I feel totally justified in buying flowers.
And if they just happen to brighten up my kitchen
while they wait to model for me, who am I to complain?

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Day 52



Brass Pitcher with Red Bottle and Grapes
Oil on Ampersand Board
 
I have a feeling I probably should've posted this one
closer to Valentine's Day. Ah well, I couldn't wait that
long. I'm feeling better about painting on Ampersand
Gessobord. I think with this painting surface you either
have to be very bold with your paintbrush or
very delicate. Inbetween doesn't work very well.
I do really like the fact that it is an archival product
that is ready to go should someone decide they want it.
Happy Valentines Day a little over a month early!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Day 51


Oil on Canvas
5 x 7
Plein Air
 
We had a fine but thoroughly saturating, sideways driving rain
today - all day today. Definitely not a good time for taking photos of paintings.
So we are going to return to a sunnier, warmer time.
This was painted back at the U-Pick farm in Snohomish just off
Springhetti Road. What a great name for a road. I was driving
through there during our recent little sunny patch of weather
and discovered a great new place for plein air painting. It's
away from traffic and has a spectacular view of the mountains.
Although it didn't come out as well as I hoped, I will post the
plein air painting I did there soon.


Monday, January 7, 2013

Day 50!


Grape Study
Oil on Canvas
5 x 7
 
I have to say this is the first time I have made an effort to
really study how light effects grapes. I can now see
why they are painted so often. They are fascinating
to look closely at. The normal rules of shading don't apply here,
I'm guessing due to their transparency. Grab a grape the
next chance you get. Notice which part is lighter and which part darker.
Which part is a warm green and which part is a cool green.
It might surprise you.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Day 49


 
Brass Pitcher with Snowberries and Madrone Leaves
Oil on Canvas
6 x 6
 
I spotted this pitcher in the Whidbey thrift store and immediately
fell in love. What a shape! Then I looked at the price and almost
had a heart attack. Thirteen whole dollars! By far the most I've
ever spent on a still life prop.  I couldn't leave without it though. :)
 
A huge thanks to my husband Don for hanging yet another shelf
for me today. This one is specifically for still life set ups. Now I
have my art desk back. I saw the idea in a library book I checked out
yesterday. You never know what you'll find at the library!
 


Saturday, January 5, 2013

Day 48


Oil on Ampersand Board
 
So I've been keeping an eye out for interesting fabrics
to use as backgrounds. It recently occurred to me that
my clothes closet could be a source of new still life
material. The background in this painting is an
old skirt of mine. The patterns are fun but ended up
being very time consuming to paint. Maybe not
 the best subject for a daily painting. :)

Friday, January 4, 2013

Day 47

 
Japanese Jar with Snowberries and Moss
Oil on Canvas
6 x 6
 
I picked this wonderful jar up at a great thrift store on
Whidbey Island this weekend. I then painted this in our
teeny, tiny cabin trying really hard to stay out of
everyone's way. The snowberries and moss were
collected just outside our cabin door. Those berries
have always fascinated me so it was I was kind of
excited to have an excuse to paint them.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Day 46

 
I'm sorry there is no picture here. Blogger must be having technical
difficulties because it won't let me upload photos from either one of
our computers. So instead I posted the photo on my business Facebook Page.
To view the painting:
 
 
While you're there you're more than welcome to "like" my page (wink, wink).
 
The piece you will see was painted in plein air on New Years day
 on Whidbey Island. We have some acreage and a teeny tiny cabin there.
When I say a tiny cabin I mean tiny, all 300 square feet. It gets a little
tight with four in the family but we make do. It was my first day
in a long while to get outside and paint due to all the rain we've had.
 Boy was I in heaven!

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Day 45

 
Three Fingers Mountain in January
Oil on Canvas
5 x 7
Plein Air
 
Sun, glorious sun! One thing about people from the
Northwest, we appreciate sun! After weeks of rain
and gray skies we've finally gotten a break.
So today I headed out to a favorite plein air
haunt near my home. The mountains were showing
off their beautiful, bright, new coat of snow. It was fantastic!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Day 41

 
Bowman Bay
Oil on Panel
8 x 10
Plein Air
 
I have five brand new paintings I could share with you.
I just need to take photos of them. We got home from the
island too late today to take photos outside. It really does
seem to work best to take the pics outdoors with the
equipment I have. So I'll wait one more day.
 
In the meantime this was painted last spring at my first
Plein Air Washington Artists paint out. Bowman Bay is a really
beautiful park. If you can manage to get a reservation
for a camping spot there, you are in for a real treat. It's a small
campground with beautiful beaches and several nice hikes.
 
After reviewing several of my latest posts I noticed I skipped
Day 41. So we are going back in time today. :)