Day 20 - Upsy Daisy

 Good morning :)  Another edition to my Ducks in Chucks series - titled Upsy Daisy,  this time the duck is an Indian runner (one of my favorite kinds of ducks) and he is sporting vintage Chucks, toting an oversized daisy. From what I can tell, these are one of the very earliest versions of Chuck Taylor sneakers and were a brown canvas with what looks like a hard rubber sole.. Scroll down to see a picture of one :)

Upsy Daisy, oil, 8"x8", purchasing details here

If you'd like to read more about the evolution of Chuck Taylors check out this article :)

Day 15 - Stepping Out

 Every now and then a little duckling in Chuck Taylors shows up in my studio asking to be painted.  And sometimes, a patron makes a special request for one!  This guy is the result of the latter :)  I started painting Ducks in Chucks a few years back and was amazed to find that I may have been the first person to think of pairing these two up.. Chucks are such an iconic shoe and many people love them, including myself.  I have owned quite a few pairs of these and still have a few pair that I break out when I'm feeling it.  Today's duckling is sporting a classic pair of black hi-tops and has a bowtie and umbrella for a bit of extra cuteness. He's definitely stepping out for some special yet fun occasion! This guy is already spoken for, but if you'd like a duck in chucks all your own, you can contact me here :)

"Stepping Out", oil, 8"x8", reserved for purchase

Day 15 of the 28 in 28 - Duck Chuck Illuminated

 Another cheerful duck in chucks for today's entry.. In this one I was specifically thinking about one of Pantone's colors of the year, "Illuminating".  (see picture below)

Pantone usually chooses one color to be the thematic color of the year, but 2021 warranted 2! Illuminating is a bright, sun shiny yellow that is meant to heal, give hope and energize.  I love that!  This little duck is also meant to be a bright spot, hopefully bringing a smile to your face :) the other color, ultimate gray, can be seen below too.

Duck Chuck Illuminated, oil on panel, 6"x6"
to purchase please 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

Collage of all the paintings from the 2018 30 in 30 painting challenge

The finale of every 30 in 30 includes creating a collage of all of the paintings I created during the challenge.  In the past, it would take me sometimes hours to do this, because I typically painted on a variety of sizes of canvas or panels and I had to figure out how to get them to all fit nicely .  This time around, save for one painting (the plein air I did around the middle of the challenge), I painted on all square panels or canvas.  This made it a relative snap to collage them all in a nice organized way.  I say relative because there was still finagling I had to do.  But it was much easier this time round... 

If you read my first post from this challenge, you will see that I wasn't sure how things were going to work out for me. My son was just getting over a 2 month illness, during which I had spent little or no time in my studio.  I wondered if I would be able to paint every single day... but I decided I neede to do this to push me to get up there!  Things were going great, and then, mid challenge and for a variety of reasons, we decided start my son in cyber school.  I once again wasn't sure what would happen, because I knew that my life was going to be in upheaval for awhile while he transitioned into this type of schooling. I can say this, some life difficulties are hared to work around. But if you have the will and the ideas, you can generally find the time to create.  There were days I didn't get up into my studio until after dinner and painted until 9 or 10.  I didn't care for that at all.  But I wanted complete this challenge with all 30 paintings this time so, I forced myself to do it.  I am so glad I did!  Below is the collage of all the paintings and I love seeing them all together!

And finally, credit must be given to my husband who always picks up on the chores and cooking that I can't do because I'm designing a painting or actually painting the painting... or I'm just too tired! Thanks hubby... <3

And thanks again to you for reading this and following me through this challenge.  All the positive feedback has been wonderful!  

Day 6 of the 30 in 30 - Duck Norris

Well, yesterday's painting sold fresh off the easel!  I thought there may just be a need for some karate ducks after all, so I painted a sequel today. :)  I love painting these ducks and am so grateful that there are people out there who appreciate them right along with me.  There is an interesting story behind these two guys, and if you'd like to read more about them, you can check out my blog post from yesterday :) 

Duck Norris, oil on panel, 6x6, to purchase click here

Day 5 of the 30 in 30 - Red Chuck Kicking Duck

It can be hard to come up with titles sometimes!  Especially when the painting is just plain silly like this one.  When painting this guy today, I was thinking of a few things...the Eagles big time win, of course, and also my daughter who has her black belt in taekwondo.  She practiced endless kicks and punches and I know it played a big role in who she is today! This duck is confident in his red chucks, kicking butt and being cute...

There is another side to him that I'd also like to share. First, let me show my painting for today which is available for sale at my Daily Paintworks site.  Link to buy is under the pic...

Red Chuck Kicking Duck, oil on panel, 6"x6", to purchase click here

So, the idea for this painting was 'borrowed' from another painting I did last year.. I had to paint this duck again.. just in a slightly different pose with different colored chucks.  

A good friend and avid collector of my art (we'll call him Q) commissioned me awhile back to paint him a pair of Chuck bedecked ducks.. He had a specific purpose in mind - His ducks were to be wearing turquoise and pink chucks, and have the ribbons indicating prostate and breast cancer.  Below is the pic of the finished commission... 

Don't Mess With This, oil on panel, 9"x12", SOLD

You see, Q is a 2 time cancer survivor!  He found out a few years back that he had prostate cancer.. Thankfully, he went through treatment and is in remission for it... but then a year or so later he found out that he had breast cancer.  Yes breast cancer! He went through treatment for this, and thankfully again, he is in remission!  Wow!  So, first of all, men have breast tissue too, and second of all, they can get breast cancer... And lastly, Q told me that men who have had prostate cancer actually have an increased risk of getting breast cancer!  They are linked, apparently.  So, PSA - if you are a man, get checked for prostate cancer, because it can happen to anyone!  And, if you are a woman (or a man who has had prostate cancer), get your mamograms! (Q calls these man-o-grams if you are a guy... :)  Among other great things, Q has a wonderful sense of humor and passion for life that is inspiring!