Day 21 - Hamming it Up

 Its day 21 and today's painting features a fuzzy syrian hamster, hamming it up :) 

Now, I'm not a rodent aficionado, but from what I have seen, I think syrian, long-haired hamsters are some of the stinking cutest little dudes on the planet.. their little faces look like tiny teddy bears and their fuzzy bodies almost don't look real.. 

Beware though!  They may only be cute from a distance..  After I painted this guy, my daughter was admiring the paintings, but then went on to remind me of different long-haired hamsters she has known over the years, and she reminded me that they did not have particularly sweet temperaments!  Years ago, she worked in a pet store that sold different breeds of hamsters and she relayed the story that every time she would walk by their tanks, they would, well, stand up and hiss at her!  She wasn't terribly fond of handling them, as you'd expect.  And, I believe it was in 3rd or 4th grade, her class had a class pet.. and it was a long-haired hamster. Each student had the opportunity to take it home for a week to care for it, and when Meilea brought him home, he bit her. 

Oh well.. I still think they are stinking cute, even if they have a stinker of a personality :) And I promise, this guy won't bite you! :)

"Hamming It Up", oil, 8"x8", click here to purchase

Day 15 - Let's Celebrate You!

 I'm of the firm belief that it is good to regularly celebrate yourself.. You are an amazing miracle!  Being an artist, I get to meet so many people and, I find over and over that everyone has big and beautiful stories to tell about their lives, their pets and the love they have in their hearts.  I admire so many of you, so let's celebrate you today... and, this little mouse is here to help :)

"Let's Celebrate You!", oil, 8"x8", click here to purchase

Day 8 - Five Lost at Sea

This painting was inspired by yesterday's painting of the duck in the bowl-turned sail boat.. I decided to take it a little more literally and paint the chickadees in a more boat like bowl in an ocean like setting.. :) I am loving this concept and have a few more in store..

I started this composition by deciding the color scheme and what animals I wanted in the bowl.. I am enjoying the more muted palette lately so went with generally a muted but saturated triad (yellow, red, blue).  I also began with just 4 chickadees but it just wasn't right.. this story needed a hearty bunch of these fellas to complete the tale plus the design rule of thumb to try to use odd numbers of things in a composition was niggling away at me. So, I added another and felt better about things... 

my question is why are the chickadees in a boat, and are they really lost?

5 Lost at Sea, oil, 9"x12", purchasing details can be found here

The original design of 4 Chickadees in a bowl -  and also, before I added leaves.. See?  Not as good..

Day 6 - Bun Bow

 What can I say about this one?  I know the background in this isn't a traditional rainbow, but it is still a bow... and somehow I've now included rainbow-esque designs in 3 of my challenge paintings, and hope to do a few more.. So, as you'd expect, I've been thinking about rainbows, and I'm wondering why they are popping up in my paintings..  Here's a theory...  rainbows comprise all of the wave lengths of the electromagnetic spectrum that make up Light... In the northern hemisphere, we are currently in the dark part of the year, and, I know quite a few people who don't fare too well during the dark months... lack of light is known to affect mood.. I feel for those folks who get sad in the Winter due to lack of light.. And who knows.. I'm probably affected too, to a degree.  So, I'm thinking that rainbows are showing up in my work lately in an effort to bring a little light to the situation... a few more wavelengths.. 

And really, who doesn't love rainbows?  Every time it rains.. and then the sun comes out, even when it is still sprinkling just a bit.. I'm running outside to see if there's a rainbow.. It's a special thing to see one, really kind of magical.. So, maybe this is the start of a new series.. my magical rainbow paintings:)

Can't not mention the bunny in chucks with her ladybug companion.. I couldn't help myself. They're just too cute.. Painting this fluffy little bun, well.. she was just plain fun. 

All together, I hope this one makes you smile big and brings a little light to your day. :) 

BunBow, oil, 10"x10", Click here for purchasing details

Day 5 - Prismatic Contemplation

 It is day 5 of the challenge and today you will notice I'm experimenting with a more colorful background than is typical for my paintings... I enjoyed the little rainbow that the duck was sitting on the other day and decided to take another look, also continuing with a muted but saturated color color scheme, making the prism really pop against the black cat..

Why a cat with it's tongue sticking out?  Likely because, why not?  Honestly, I wanted to see how I would feel about it once I committed it to paint and, I think I like it.  For some reason, I can picture this painting surrounded by house plants near a sunny window.. scroll down to see for yourself if it looks good with plants.. :)

 Prismatic Contemplation, oil, 9"x12", Click here for purchasing details

And for some reason, I also see this cat as deep in a meditative state.. Have I seen some yogi somewhere meditating with his tongue out? Well, anyway, due to all of that, I've named this one Prismatic Contemplation.

Day 30 - Orange You Sweet

 Today is the last day of the Daily Artwork Challenge and I am always in a bit of shock that a month has passed and I've actually done it..  I think of artists that have dedicated themselves to painting every day all of the time.. not just a month here and there, but every month, every year.. 

No matter the challenges, each time I've done one of these I have discovered new things and gained so much in experience and ideas. This time the challenge also coincided with my Barktober specials so I was able to do some commissions along with my own work which was a lot of fun, and mixed things up a bit. 

Today's painting is titled "Orange You Sweet" and came about because of the painting I posted this past Thursday of the sparrow on a teacup full of cherries.  I thoroughly enjoyed painting those juicy cherries so thought it would be a good idea to explore fruit a bit more.  I am predicting even more fruit in future paintings because of how much fun it is.. the colors are irresistible and honestly, I can practically taste the fruity juice when I'm brushing on the bright reds, oranges and yellows.. more please!

Orange You Sweet, Oil, 8"x8", click here to purchase

Day 13 of the 28 in 28 - Do You Like My Hat?

 When I was a child and then when I had children of my own, I read a book titled "Go Dog Go" by P.D. Eastman.  It is one of my all time favorite young reader books.. In it there is a dog couple who meet several times in the story.  Every time they meet, the girl dog is wearing a different and very wild hat.  She asks the boy dog, "Do you like my hat?" and every time but the last time he says, "No. I do not like your hat." and he rides away in his little car.  I laugh every single time I think about that senario, and looking at this cow, it is exactly what I think she is asking us... "Do you like my hat?" :)

I've painted Cows (and donkeys, giraffes, rabbits and pigs) inside of teacups before.. but, I've never balanced a teacup on one's head.  A seemingly trite and minor thing to change up, but it does make all the difference in the end result!

"Do You Like My Hat?", 9"x12", oil on panel
to purchase, please click here