No. 379 My Mom and Don's Still Life

My Mom and Don's Still Life

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x 7"

Click to view auction.

Don placed a bunch of tomatoes in this bowl while cleaning up the kitchen the other day. It caught my eye as I walked by a few hours later. Ah ha! My next still life prop. I love it when that happens! The bowl was made by my mom, who passed away in August. So it is a dear little bowl to me.

I've finished the 365 painting project and today is the last day of Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge. Phew! I am going to take the next few days off and enjoy my 20th wedding anniversary with Don.

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog. Have a great weekend!

Don and I were married on a Windjammer sailing ship in the British Virgin Islands. Can't believe it's been twenty years!

No. 378 The Allium Collection No. 4

The Allium Collection No.4

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

Click to view auction.

Trying out a different type of composition. A beautiful thing about daily painting is one tends to be more willing to experiment and take chances. If today's painting doesn't work out there is always tomorrow. And boy that's a good thing because I've had some spectacular failures. :)

Starting a daily painting practice Step No. 9 Sell It

It is really, really nice to have someone tell you how much they like your work. Take it up four or five notches and that's how it feels to have someone buy your work. For someone to give you some of their hard earned money and find a place in there home for something you created, it's the ultimate compliment!

 I'm not a expert, unfortunately, but I can tell you where I sold my work last year. Aside from friends and family (whom I'm eternally grateful for) my sales have come from the website www.dailypaintworks.com and a booth at the local farmers market. Etsy.com and Ebay are two other online places to sell. I'm thinking about trying both of those. Also, I'm going to take a stab at a couple of art fairs this summer. Oh yes, there are always galleries too. 

No. 377 Rwandan Basket with Onions

Rwandan Basket with Onions

Oil on Linen Panel

5" x  7"

Click here to view auction.

The basket pictured here was hand woven by a woman in Rwanda. She is part of a company called All Across Africa which is dedicated to improving the lives of the poor and marginalized in Africa. They have a great website I would recommend visiting - www.allacrossafrica.org.  I only purchased the one basket but now I am wishing I had gotten at least one, two or possibly three more!

No. 376 The Japanese Doll with Amaryllis Flower and Scarf

Japaese Doll with Amaryllis Flower and Scarf

Oil on Linen Panel

7" x 5"

Click here to view auction.

Still playing with dolls! :) I was hoping that backing up from the subject would give me more of the effect I was after. Hmmm, I'll keep working on it.

Steps to creating your own daily painting practice: Step #8 Pick yourself up when you fall

Lets face it, having a good strong goal is very important but the chances are very high there will be a day or two you will simply not able to get that painting done. Is that a good reason to quit? Absolutely not. Probably the hardest thing to do is regroup and continue. My original goal was to complete a painting every single day for 365 days and post that painting on my blog. In the end it didn't happen quite that way. So I didn't finish a painting every single day. However, since I started my project in November 2012, I have finished a little over 365 paintings and sold almost a hundred of them. I'm pretty happy with that result. :)

No. 375 Pear and Red Scarf

Pear and Red Scarf

Oil on Gessobord

6" x 6"

Click here to view auction.

A newly acquired silk scarf (gotta love those thrift stores!) and a lovely blushing pear. When you are in a hurry or inspiration isn't striking, a pear is a terrific go-to still life prop. It's seemingly universal appeal never ceases to amaze me.

No. 374 Still Life at Suzy's

Still Life at Suzy's

Oil on Canvas Board

6" x 6"

Click here to view auction

In my quest to find new and interesting props to paint, I have had the help of many friends. A HUGE thank you to everyone who lent me new subjects and even let me invade their home in my search. You guys are the best!!!

Creating your own daily painting practice - Step #7
Okay, if you thought step #6 was scary just check out this one...
Make it Public
There's nothing like having someone watching to keep oneself accountable. So tell everyone you are doing this, friends, family and co-workers. It's actually a kick because most people are impressed that you are willing to attempt this. Another way to go public is to have a blog or post on Facebook. Of course, since you are reading my blog you know this. :)

No. 373 The Amaryllis Collection No. 5

The Amaryllis Collection No. 5
Oil on Gessobord
6" x 6"

Click here to view auction.

Well, unbeknownst to me I created a Lucky Chinese New Year painting! While trying to find the name of these small white flowers I also came across this tidbit about red,

"At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children "lucky money" in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which according to legend can drive away bad luck." In 2014 the Chinese New Year falls on January 31st. What a great excuse to paint with more red!

The little white flowers are Chinese Sacred Lily and are a type of narcissus with an intense fragrance. I purchased the bulbs before Christmas to force in my kitchen windowsill. I'm totally sold on this whole forcing bulbs thing to help get through the gray days of January, February, March and April. :)