Day 3 - Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows

Today's painting is titled "Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows" and she was inspired by the many little ducklings wearing shoes that I have painted before.  But more than that, I am currently reminded of my childhood.  

I remember as a kid, whenever I had to go to the doctor there would inevitably be a lollypop (or if it was the dentist, a little rubber animal!)  at the end of the visit… we all looked forward to that little lollypop, and in fact, to me, it was the most important part of the visit! Those were the good ol’ days and, I think it’s safe to say, we aren’t in lollypop land anymore... 

I have doctors on my mind because I've recently been to the doctors quite a bit myself, and, over the past few days had my son to several doctors as well.. and while there are no lollypops to help sweeten things after a shot or when you are feeling sick, I've found that most of the nurses and doctors are sweet enough to make up for things.  In this time of heightened medical awareness, this little duckling with her cheerful spiral lolly is for all the nurses, doctors and other medical staff who are doing their best to brighten your day, even while they are seeing patient after sick patient themselves, and even if they can't give us lollypops anymore..  Thank you for all you do!

This gal is for sale on my daily paintworks site. For purchasing info, please click the link below.

"Sunshine, Lollypops and Rainbows", oil on panel, 8"x8", click here to purchase

Day 16 - Do You Have Some Time For Me

Today's painting is of a little duck in a different but equally iconic style of shoes, Mary Janes.  A classic shoe, I've found that ducks look just as cute in them as they do in Chucks.  This little one needed a balloon to balance things out.. a red balloon :) When thinking about what to title this painting, I was reminded of the song 99 red balloons by Nena.  It was a popular song when I was a teenager and I remembered it begins with the line "Do you have some time for me?" And so the title was born.  

Naturally I had to look the song up and then watch the video.. and and then read a bit about it too.  It has an interesting history and is actually popular in 2 languages, English and German. If you'd like to read more, check out this link 

Do You Have Some Time For Me?, Oil, 8"x8", Purchasing Details click here

Day 10 - Put Your Best Foot Forward

Every now and again a little duck wearing chucks shows up in my studio :) This guy came along today, putting his best foot forward and dancing to his own rhythm.. ♥ 

I find that doing these daily painting challenges is a way to practice putting my best foot forward.. by day 10, I start to feel the burn and the challenge gets real.  :) This guy is here to cheer us on!

Put Your Best Foot Forward, Oil on panel, 6"x6"
to purchase please click here

Day 29 of the 30 in 30 - Dixie Chick Goes to School

There are many kids heading to school right now and things are quite different for them and their families.  I know it is a stressful time for a lot of them, but I also know that a good sense of of humor, patience and empathy for everyone involved are all important ingredients for success. This little chick is ready to go and excited to learn and I bet most of the kids going back are ready to be learning again too.  

I was inspired to paint this little painting for a few reasons... One, because I wanted to acknowledge all of the back to school vibes flying around right now, and two, because these little ducks are kind of a tradition for me.  The past few 30 in 30's I've done have all featured a few ducks in Chucks or Ducks in Mary Jane's and I couldn't let this one go by without painting at least one. :) These little guys waddle into my consciousness and are just too cute to not paint!

So, back to school is hitting close to home right now.  My son is going into 9th grade and his school will be totally cyber to start... but for him, it won't be much of a transition as he has been cyber and/or a blend of cyber and onsite for the past several years.. I feel lucky and thankful that we don't have any anxiety about his schooling this fall because his school is already set up to do cyber. I also feel for those school districts that are going completely cyber for the 1st time and for the kids who are navigating this new world along with them.  It'll be hard for sure, but be patient... it'll all be ok. <3

Just a quick note about cyber school... as I mentioned, my son is in cyber school.  He was in a traditional brick and mortar public school up until 6th grade and unfortunately, his needs were just not being met.  In short, he was bored out of his mind.  He is a bright kid and his style of learning was just not matching up with his district's methods.  I was skeptical about cyber, but circumstances were such that there was no other option at the time.  I gave in and decided to let him try cyber (which he had been asking to try for years..)  And I'll never regret the decision.  Cyber school has turned out to be a blessing and the answer to all of the problems he was encountering in traditional school.  So, to all the parents and kids out there worrying about cyber.. I say, give it a shot.  It may wind up not being for you, but be patient and open minded.  You may find that there are many benefits to cyber you had never realized.  Good luck and best wishes to everyone going back to school!

Dixie Chick Goes to School, oil, 7"x7", click here to purchase

Day 16 of the 30 in 30 - No Prob Llama

 Well, I've gotten on the Llama train and painted a Llama. :)  And... fell in love with these frankly adorable animals. <3 There is no hidden meaning to today's painting..  Instead, No Prob Llama was purely for fun.   Llamas are too cute and Chickadees are one of my favorite birds to paint and I wanted to continue exploring white on white (something that has been a bit of an obsession this challenge).   I love the sweet expression on this guy's face and how the chickadees all seem to be watching each other.  

Check out the pics below too for a peek at how it would look framed, and a close up of some juicy brush strokes.

No Prob Llama, Oil, 10"x10", click here to purchase

Day 2 of the August 30 in 30

What a glorious way to start August.  I am so happy that I dove into this challenge and am doing it!  Today's painting is an example of some experimentation I have been doing with backgrounds and painting techniques.  I really enjoy artwork that has an atmospheric and moody tone to it and have begun playing with this idea..  "Elephriend" evolved from this sentiment.  I built this painting around colors and textures, painting the background first, which is opposite of how I often go about a painting.  I typically paint the focal points and subject of the painting, starting with the darks, and get all of the 'things' in the painting blocked in before I even touch the background.  But it was important to me that I pay special attention to the background in this painting.  After getting the feel I was looking for,  I then used the same colors from the background to paint the elephant, which helps to provide harmony and a sense of unity.  Of course, the elephant needed a friend, so I added a happy little corvidae, hitching a ride on her back. :)  I hope to experiment more with the methods I used here during this challenge, because, after all, that is part of what the 30 in 30 is all about... experimenting, playing, learning :)

Elephriend, 10"x10", oil on gessoboard, $225

To purchase, please click here

Don't forget to check out Russ's progress!  Yesterday's painting is beautiful... a peek into his latest trip to Maine.  You can find his work here: www.russellslocum.com