Day 27 of the 30 in 30 - "Morning Call"

I have a penchant for vintage things.. particularly product designs that are found in the 1950'5.  This tea cup is a cup made by Lu-Ray and was in their pastel dinnerware line. Lu-Ray made this line from 1938-1960 and if you like clean, simple, soft lines, elegant design and pastel colors... this is the dinnerware for you.  The baby chickadee sitting on the edge of this cup is singing a joyful song, maybe for his breakfast.. or perhaps a cup of oolong tea?  

Oh, and thank you to my hubby for the title. :)

Morning Call, oil, 6"x6", to purchase click here

Collage of the paintings I completed during this 30 in 30

Well, another 30 in 30 has come and gone! The last image we always create at the end of every 30 in 30 is a collage of all of the paintings we created during the challenge.  It is really a great thing to do, as all the paintings always have such impact when viewed in this way.
This challenge was a little different for me as I had so much else going on in my life that I didn't get to paint all 30 days.  That's ok though. I must admit, I was disappointed the first day or 2 that I missed painting.  I do like to challenge myself and finish 30 paintings. But, in reality, looking at the work I did complete, which amounts to 20 paintings, I can say, Let it Go, Karen! 20 paintings is not too shabby.  

If you followed me through out this challenge, you may be wondering what happened to my Glimpsed paintings.  The Glimpsed paintings are a series of 20 of the world's most visited cities all painted on very long, narrow, vertical panels that measure 4"x 18".  I completed 11 of these so far.  What I found during the challenge was that these paintings are very time consuming to design and research and I definitely need to devote more than one day to each of them. I am still pumped about the idea as I really love the concept and results - My intent is to provide an image that gives a fleeting glimpse of one of these 20 places in the world, as if you are driving by an area and catch sight of a beautiful scene but only for a fleeting moment. Anyway, there will definitely be 9 more of these to come to complete the series, but as I said, I will be taking more time to find the images and design with care.  Thanks for everyone who followed me and gave such wonderful, positive feedback through the intensity and fun of the 30 in 30!  Love you!

January 2017 Collage of Paintings

Day 26 & 27 - Learning to Waddle

This 30 in 30 has been much more of a challenge for me to get up to my studio and to paint every single day.  Some of that is just life keeps happening... doctor's appointments, sick kids, work, dinner, laundry... And some of it is that I also make all of my own frames, and have been doing that lately... But part of it is that I just enrolled in a design course which I am hoping will teach me the lost art of composition... knowledge that was well understood by masters such as Michelangelo, Van Gogh and Rockwell, but has been largely forgotten during the past century with the rise of abstraction and conceptual art.  I can tell you this. I have a degree in fine art and went back to college to become certified to teach art to kids k-12.  In all the years I spent in college, I never had one course that taught me what I am beginning to learn with this course.  So, anyway..

The 2 paintings I am presenting today are almost the same... Same subject, colors and almost the same composition, with some seemingly minor differences.  I call them "Learning to Waddle" (probably should include 1 & 2) I guess because it's what I feel I am doing right now with this course.  I am learning the basics again and feel somewhat that I am starting back at the beginning.  Looking forward to sharing my progress!

And if you feel inclined, would you leave a comment telling me which of the 2 compositions you like better?  Thank you!

Learning to Waddle 1, oil on panel, 9"x12"
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Learning to Waddle 2, oil on panel, 9"x12"
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Day 15 of the 30 in 30 - "Tall Tale"

Could a giraffe wear sneakers?  I doubt a giraffe would stand for it actually, but I sure like the look of this guy in a pair of red All Stars.  It is fun imagining and anthropomorphizing animals. (I think this is a word!). I would suspect most of us have given animals human traits from time to time... I know I do!  Just something that makes me smile. If you have read my recent posts, you know I have been experimenting with a very different sized composition - 4"x18".... It has been challenging but extremely enjoyable coming up with interesting compositions within this format.  The Giraffe seemed like a natural fit! The title seemed a natural fit as well... :)

Tall Tale, oil on panel, 4"x18"
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Day 14 of the 30 in 30 painting challenge - "Look Before Crossing"

I believe the weekend should be about slowing down and smiling more often, if possible.  So, in an effort to help this cause, I present today's painting.  Look Before Crossing is the latest in a series of more whimsical paintings I have painted.  This one combines two of my favorite things to paint, birds (cute ones actually) and items of nostalgia.  Have any of you ever owned a pair of Mary Janes or T-bars, as these shoes are apparently called?  I am pretty sure I had several pairs when I was a kid and I know I bought a pair or two for my daughter when she was little. I love the RED color of these too..

After painting her and just looking at her for a bit, I thought she looked like she might be readying to cross the road.  Hope all turns out well... Enjoy your weekend!

Look Before Crossing, oil on panel, 6"x6"
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Day 8 of the 30 in 30 - Brown Duck, Green Chucks

The response I got when painting my other fowl in footwear last month was surprising!   So many people loved them and in fact, I sold all of them almost before they were even dry.  And I love painting them... they combine two of my favorite subjects, and really, I love to make people laugh, which apparently these do. So, I present to you another fowl in footwear painting - "Brown duck, Green Chucks"

Brown Duck, Green Chucks, oil on canvas, 8"x8"
to purchase, please click here