September Challenge #11

Just a quick post. I'm running late this morning, so will wait to comment until this evening.

Update: This painting just gave me fits.  I was still working on it at 2:00 a.m. this morning. (That's why I overslept!)

I think there were two reasons for the struggle. The first problem that presented itself was my old nemesis, composition. I thought this arrangement looked ok, but once I got it on canvas, I wasn't happy with it - I need to do more work on composition. The other struggle was with the yellow color...maybe too acid. I use a simple five color palette and can mix most colors with it, but the mixed yellow for this painting wasn't what I was looking for.

I'm just whipped from not sleeping last night, so this evening's painting is going to be something simple...although that's no guarantee that I'll get it finished at a reasonable hour.

September Challenge #10

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These are zinneas and bluebeard from our garden. I'm continuing to use Julie Ford Oliver's fracturing technique, and I'm enjoying the process. It took me a long time to paint this, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

September Challenge #9

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These flowers were from our garden in mid-summer. I painted them from a sketch I had done in July. I usually don't do sketches, but I found it to be so helpful in working out the composition. I plan to do preparatory drawing from now on.  Another example of how a little preparation saves time in the long run.

September Challenge #8

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Today is the first day of week #2 in Leslie Saeta's 30 day challenge. So far, so good. Painting in the evening after work wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, although I confess, there are some little jobs around the house that didn't get done.

I'm continuing to use the fracturing technique that was created by Julie Ford Oliver. I find this style to be quite liberating. I still have a lot to learn, but I think it's an enjoyable way to paint.

September Challenge #7

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For day #7, I wanted to try a different painting style. One of my very favorite artists, Julie Ford Oliver, uses an interesting technique that she has developed, called "fracturing." Her paintings are to die for. They are so full of color and movement. Every piece she creates is pure poetry.

Julie created some instructional videos on fracturing. This week, I viewed them and decided to try the fracturing technique during the 30 day challenge. I have to tell you, I just had a ball painting these cupcakes. I'm going to keep practicing until I can become proficient at this technique. Fracturing adds a whole new level of fun to painting!

September Challenge #6

This oak leaf was lying in dappled sunlight when I picked it up from our driveway a few days ago.  This morning we're getting a much-needed rain, but I'm hoping the rainy season will hold off for a few more weeks. Autumns are so colorful until the rain washes away the leaves.

September Challenge #5

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September Challenge #5. This is an heirloom tomato. My co-worker gave me tomatoes from her garden, and they have been absolutely delicious. It's near the end of the season, so I probably won't be painting any more tomatoes this month!

September Challenge #4

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Here's painting #4. Another oak leaf, this time with a Red Bartlett pear.  Local fruit, grapes, melons, pears, etc, have been especially good this year. Maybe it's because we had an unusually warm summer - I'm not sure. It's beginning to cool down now, and I'm looking forward to a crisp, clear autumn.

September Challenge #3

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Day #3 of the 30 day challenge. This is the first work week in September. I'm up for painting tonight and that's a good sign. I think if I can make it through this first week, the following weeks should be fine.

As you can see, I'm looking around the house for stuff to paint.  The scattered oak leaves in the garden remind me of autumn, so I picked up some of them and plan to include a few oak leaves in my paintings.

September Challenge #2

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Today is day 2 of  Leslie Saeta's 30 day painting challenge. I enjoyed visiting Leslie's site to see what others are doing. There are about 325 participants, and there is some wonderful work being exhibited.

This challenge actually presents two challenges for me. The first is creating a discipline to paint every single day. Even if I don't produce a painting every day, I want to get into the habit of being at my easel on a daily basis. My second, and greater challenge, is the challenge of finding a painting subject. For some, this comes naturally...they are able to see many possibilities around them. Not so easy for me, so my challenge is to be open to new ideas for painting topics. I suspect the discipline of painting every day will help.

At any rate, this painting is my entry for day 2. The colors in the heirloom tomato and in the oak leaf herald the end of summer and autumn's onset - my favorite time of year.

September Challenge #1

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Today is the first day of  Leslie Saeta's  September Challenge. The challenge is to paint 30 paintings in 30 days.  I'm going to try to stick with it as much as I can. There are no rules; if you miss a day, it's ok - the idea is to get into the habit of painting often. 

I love the idea. Painting is such a pleasure, but it's often difficult to find the time.  Usually it takes a commitment of several hours. If I want to paint often, I think I should organize my studio so that I can paint in short segments of time - maybe an hour before work and an hour or two after I get home. 

I'd like to paint more, but my time is constrained because of my job. I'm sure looking forward to retirement next June!

Baby Shower Bouquet

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We're so excited...we are expecting a baby granddaughter in November! My daughter's friends held a baby shower for her yesterday. It was so fun. The party was an outdoor luncheon and the decorations were bouquets of tiny pink carnations and miniature roses. The hostess gave me a bouquet to take home. It is so beautiful that I just had to paint it.

Melon and Strawberries

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Our favorite time to dine is on Saturday morning. This is the fruit plate that accompanies the cheese, herb, and mushroom omelette.

Jenny

I haven't posted for awhile. I've been working on this portrait of my daughter, Jenny. It was slow-going, but I enjoyed working on it. I like painting people, and would like to try my hand at more portraits. I just need to find willing victims (I mean, subjects)!

Happy Mother's Day!

This is pretty cute. Click below to see the videos.


Gas Pump Camera Ambushes Couple Whose Singing Lands Them on the Tonight Show | Celebrities

Beni

This is Beni, a shiba inu who belongs to a friend and colleague. A slow-dry medium was used for this painting and I was surprised at what a difference it made. I like to do alla prima, but am a slow painter and often find that the paint begins to dry on the canvas before I have a chance to finish the painting. The painting will take longer to dry, but that's ok...there's no rush.

Plein Air at the Alpaca Farm

I spent the morning at the alpaca farm, trying my hand a plein air. Even though my painting didn't turn out, I had a wonderful time - it was so beautiful outside. I'll just keep painting until I get it right!

The Sunbathers

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Let's pretend it's warm and dry, and the sun is shining...

Ginger Cat

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Ginger is one of the adoptable cats at our local Humane Society.

Lucia

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Graham

Graham Underpainting

This is the underpainting for a portait of my grandson, Graham. Graham just turned four in January. He has an infectious laugh, and loves to play. Superman is his favorite superhero. He's my sweet guy!

Apple

A Fuji apple.

Teacup with Flowers

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This painting was a bit of a bear to paint because of all the white. It took me a couple of days, so I am for sure out of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. That's ok, though. I think I'm going to spend more time on my paintings. It's enjoyable to have something on the easel that I can work on in my spare moments, and it takes the pressure off trying to produce something every evening.

Three Flowers

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I'm back from my trip to Bend and ready to start painting again. I got off to a good start with this painting but got lost about midway through. I'd like to try painting these flowers again, but with more attention to value and less to detail.

I've posted this to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, but I know I haven't got a prayer of catching up. The challenge is now on day 25, and this is only painting 19 for me...sigh. Well, who knows - maybe I can pull a miracle out of the hat.

Mums

Mums generally bloom in the fall, so I imagine these are hothouse flowers. It's too soon for spring flowers to bloom in our area. It's still cold, dark and damp. We're eager for spring to arrive.

Flowers and Kisses

I'm enjoying painting flowers. Next time I'm going to try a darker background.

Carnations

The same carnations. The color on this looks a little funky. I may try to photograph it again tomorrow in the daylight (that's assuming we have daylight tomorrow).

01/20/13: I updated the photo this morning. The colors in the photo are a little bit closer to the colors in the painting.

I'm going to attempt to catch up to Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. The challenge is on day 19, and I'm only on day 16 (3 down).  I've missed some posting days, but I think I might be ok if I post more than one painting in a day. It will be a horse race (I think I can, I think I can....).

Blue Vase and Carnations

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These carnations were given to me by a co-worker yesterday afternoon. A little hint of spring on a dark and foggy day.

I Got Nada

Well, I'm extremely griped. It's 12:30 a.m, I've been painting since 7:00 p.m., and all I have to show for my effort is a wiper. Dang it!

This throws me out of the painting a day challenge. I was already one day behind. Now it's two days, and next week I'll be out of town on business for three days. I'm disappointed and grouchy.

 Oh well. No big deal. I'm going to continue to paint every evening as often as possible. I learn something each time I sit down at the easel. I even learned a few things tonight.

Wine with Apple and Walnuts

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I'm an Oregon girl, so it stands to reason that my favorite wines would be pinots - the grapes grow well in the Willamette Valley and the wines are heavenly...but, to quote my brother-in-law, "I've never met a wine I didn't like." This is a cab-merlot that tastes quite nice on a cold winter evening.

Cyclamen

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For the most part, I'm happy with the way this turned out. I spent more time mixing color and trying to match values than painting. I'm learning a lot by painting every day.

Rosie's Eyes

This is my daughter's cat, Rosie. Rosie's eyes are an amazing color - I wasn't able to do justice to them in this painting.

I'm one day behind on the Painting-A-Day Challenge. I was hoping to catch up this weekend, but painting always takes me longer than I anticipate. Since we have 48 hours to turn in the paintings I'm still within the timeframe, but I'll need to crank it up because I've got some stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks that will keep me away from the easel.

Maddi

This is a painting of my grandson's dog, Maddi. She's an Australian Cattle Dog mix and has the sweetest disposition. She's a love.

Peppers

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Painting #9 for  Leslie Saeta's Painting a Day Challenge. Keeping pace so far. I think I'm going to spend some time experimenting with different shades of grey for background colors. This one is a mix of ultramarine blue, cad red light, yellow light and titanium white. 

Pitcher

Another one done! Only day 8 and I'm beginning to have trouble finding items to paint. 

Lemon and Orange with Cranberries

d

Whew - another day, another painting. I wish I had the whole day to paint - painting after work is a bit tough sometimes. I have plans tomorrow evening so won't be able to paint. I'll get two done on Saturday to make up for the lost day.

Orange with Pear and Grapes

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I like the colors in this painting. I've had a hard time getting my colors right and still tend to paint what I think I see instead of what I see. Tonight I also changed the lighting a bit, and took off my glasses. I think that helped!

Red Pear

The photo appears more bright than the painting. On the easel, the colors looked a little more subdued.

Grapes

This gets me back on track with the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Only 26 more to go...!

Apple with Grapes

Yesterday was a pretty busy day and I wasn't able to get to my easel, so I'll try to get two paintings done today in order to stay in the "30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge." I think there is a 48 hour window, so I may still have time to post this one for yesterday.

Total Domination with Peanuts

Here's another kind of brew. "Total Domination" is an IPA from "Ninkasi," a local Eugene brewing company. It's a favorite.

Morning Brew

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Day one of Leslie Saeta's Painting-a-Day challenge. Pretty fun!

Pear with Lemon Slice and Cranberries

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Warmest wishes for a Happy New Year!

Raised Doughnut and Glass of Milk

Getting into the painting-a-day groove.

Pink Ladies

Leslie Saeta has posted a "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge. The challenge begins on January 2nd, and runs for the month. This is just what I need to get back into the daily painting habit. I love, love, love to paint, but often find reasons why I don't have time. The truth is, we always have time to do the things we think are important, right? I've decided that painting is important enough to me that I will find the time to paint everyday.

Santa's Pocket Watch

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Warmest wishes for a magical holiday season. 

Waiting for Santa

This painting is for a gift exchange at my husband's office. As a rule, I'm not fond if mice, but I kind of like this little guy!

Daisy

This is Daisy! Isn't that a perfect name for this little girl?

Weston Touch Up

SOLD

Here's Weston again. The painting didn't look finished to me. I reworked the eyes, lightened the background, and did some general clean-up. I like this version better.

Ginger

SOLD

This is Ginger, Ellie's companion. The shadows look more purple in the photo than they do on the panel. I plan to let this painting rest for a day and then will look at it again to be sure that it's the camera's interpretation and not the painting itself that looks so purple.

Ellie

SOLD

I was surprised when I realized that I haven't posted for over a month. It's been a busy summer with guests and activities and DIY home improvement projects. Recently I've been painting walls rather than gessoboard panels...not nearly as much fun.

I was happy to have a reason to get back to my oil paints. This painting is one of two that I'm doing for my brother as a gift for his lifelong friend. I'll be starting on "Ginger" tomorrow.

When you've been away from it for awhile, it's easy to forget what a joy it is to slap paint on a panel!