Day 1 of my Holiday Painting Spree, Sale & Giveaway!

Wow! It is the beginning of the holiday season this week and here we go with my first every Painting Spree, Sale & Giveaway!  I am hopeful that lots of people will follow me through the next few weeks as I paint my way through the spree, offer deep discounts on my paintings and giveaway some of my favorites! Plus at the end of the spree, I will be giving away a FREE Pet commission! Very excited...

First, don't forget that I will be painting and posting a painting a day until December 17th!  They will all be for sale at 20% off my normal prices at my Daily Paintworks Site.  And, if you purchase one, it will be ready to hang the moment you get it!

This weeks giveaway painting is one of my 6"x6" long horn cattle paintings.  My 6"x6" paintings are by far my most popular, and I wanted to offer something that lots of people would appreciate.  This little guy, "Little Big Horn" has been around for awhile, and it is time that he be mooooving on to a new home!  I have always thought he was a cutie, and have always loved the brushwork in the painting... he just didn't find his forever home yet. But he will now, because on Saturday, I will be choosing a winner at random from all of the entries I receive at my website. The link to enter is RIGHT HERE.

Little Big Horn, oil,
to enter for a chance to win this painting, click here

Good luck to everyone who enters!  If you are the winner, you will be notified by email on Saturday, November 26th.  Your painting will be mailed on Monday the 28th!

Check back here everyday for my daily painting posts. :)

Collecting Fine Art

Growing up, everyone I knew collected something.  Sports cards, matchbox cars, stamps, coins.

Me?  I have always loved rocks.  I can remember enjoying the hunt for a piece of fool’s gold, or a particularly beautiful piece of granite and the thrill of finding what looked like gems to me in the Rock Run creek that ran behind my parent’s house.

Common Blackbird 1, acrylic, 8"x8"
Private Collection

As an adult, everyone I know STILL collects something! It would seem that collecting is in our nature…  As Mark B. McKinley, Ed.D. noted in The Psychology of Collecting article in The National Psychologist “During the 1700s and 1800s there were aristocratic collectors, the landed gentry, who roamed the world in search of fossils, shells, zoological specimens, works of art and books. The collected artifacts were then kept in special rooms (“cabinets of curiosities”) for safekeeping and private viewing.”  Our motivations to collect are many – some people collect for investment, to preserve the past, or as a way of expanding their social lives.   Like me, some people simply enjoy the quest for the next piece to add to their collection. And still others find pleasure in classifying our world.  

Common Blackbird 2, acrylic, 8"x8"
Private Collection

Most of all, collecting can be fun and enriching. And in this respect arguably highest among collectibles is art. The value of having original fine art to enrich and personalize your life can not be overstated and building a fine art collection can be hugely rewarding.   If you are new to collecting, you may wonder where to begin?  Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. First and most importantly ask yourself, what do you like?   I will let you in on a secret:  You can start your art collection without really knowing anything at all about art.  If you LOVE a piece of art, than it is worth adding to your collection!    

2.  Relax.  There is no rush.  Part of the joy of any kind of collection, is the search for the perfect next piece.  Whether you are looking for a particular genre, work by a specific artist, or something that will look good in your living room, don’t feel you need to rush it.  When you find it you will know it. 

Tuesday's Blackbird , acrylic, 8"x8"
To purchase click here

3.  Spend some time looking at all of the options.  Start local, if you can.  Searching galleries, art fairs and the like give you the chance to see the art work in person (the best way to view art!) and to know the artist and/or the story behind the artwork.  This will only serve to add depth to and enrich your collection.  If you like the idea of buying art from the comfort of your own home, a few reputable sites to browse fine art include  Daily Paintworks (which I sell through), invaluable and Artfinder.  These types of sites have several benefits – the diversity of artwork to be found is practically limitless, you often can read a little about the artist and sometimes find out what went into the artwork. 

4. Know your budget.  Depending on what you can spend at the time, your search can be narrowed.  Limited edition prints are a great starting place as these tend to be less expensive if you want to own something by a well known artist.  But original fine art can be found by lesser known artists for under $200, so don’t forget to search in smaller, lesser known venues. 

 5.   Do your research.  Most artists, well known or not, have a website, facebook page, blog or somewhere you can find out more about them and their artwork.  Find their bio page to see a list of exhibitions they have been in, prizes won for their art, where else they sell and any press they may have.  This kind of information may be the determining factor between two pieces you love equally, but can only afford one of them.

Friday's Blackbird , acrylic, 8"x8"
Private Collection

There are other things you can consider when adding to your art collection which you will learn over time, but thinking about these few things will get you well on your way to a beautiful collection.!

If you want to delve even deeper into how to start an art collection, check out this article from the blog “In good Taste” -    ‘How to Start a Fine Art Collection’

Cheers, and happy collecting!

More on the psychology of collecting can be found here http://nationalpsychologist.com/2007/01/the-psychology-of-collecting/10904.html,

Day 20 - We Need to Talk

Today I am 2/3 of the way done this 30 in 30...  and let me tell you... I kind of secretly wish it would continue past 30 days.  It is a respite to think, "I HAVE to get up to my studio today", because of the challenge (even though there would be no repercussions if I didn't :)) I love doing the challenge even though it is a total juggling act... Anyway...
Rooster #3 in a series of (at least) 4.  This guy looks like he has something important to talk about, and now... I really like the head on shot of this one... enjoyed painting him!

We Need To Talk, acrylic and oil on panel, 6"x6",
To purchase, please click here

Day 15 - Rooster Time

Day 15... Yay!  1/2 way there!
I did a series of chickens about a year ago and sold most of them.... I thought it might be time to do a few more feathered friends... This guy struck me mainly because of his pose and the striking contrast between him and the back ground.  I pushed the colors a bit to make it a complementary color scheme... I think I will paint another of this same rooster in a different pose... Enjoy!

Rooster Time, oil on panel, 6" x 6",
to place a bid, please click here

Two to Row

I painted this one today and posted my progress on facebook during different stages of the painting.  That was a lot of fun, and turned out to be a great thing.. I posted it on DPW as an auction, and already have a bid on it!  Yay!  I love DPW (Daily Paintworks)  Such an awesome platform for selling your artwork through.  So, this one is an image to remind me that I need to take a day to just go hang out near a creek or lake.  Haven't done that in so long.. and it is so healing...  If you are interested in placing a bid on this painting, please visit my DPW site here. Thanks!

Two to Row, oil on panel, 6"x6"
click here to place a bid

Day 28 - Tagged

So, graffiti has a long and controversial history.  I myself can appreciate some graffiti.  Some would say all graffiti is a form of self expression and is therefore art.  I say, some graffiti is definitely art, and some graffiti is just plain stupid.  Just my opinion though.  Today's painting is titled "Tagged" because the graffiti behind the lady is what I understand to be tags, basically, the 'signature' of the person who wrote it there.  I have never cared for this kind of graffiti.  Much of it looks the same, slap dash and not well thought out.  Nothing artful about it.  However, when wandering around Prague on street view yesterday, I noticed more graffiti on the walls than seemed normal, at least where I am from.  It is literally everywhere... I was intrigued by this lady (who reminded me of my grandmother, how she always dressed impeccably) probably going home from shopping, with the graffiti covered wall behind her.  I almost titled the painting, "Turning a Blind Eye" because it seemed to me that perhaps she has walked down this street her whole life, but it wasn't always riddled with graffiti.  Now it is, and she has to walk by it everyday.... So she turns a blind eye.... Anyway, who knows.  That's what I love about painting.... the stories they tell.  Maybe you see a different story!

Tagged, oil on panel, 6"x6"
to purchase, please click here

Day 20 - East Fork Big Woods

Hello!  Today is a big day for me as I am delivering a commission in about a half an hour and am very excited... a bit nervous... I will be posting this painting tomorrow.
But today's painting is back in Idaho... a little place called East Fork, Big Woods River in Hailey.  I loved the dusky, muted tones in this picture and was drawn to the rolling hills in the background. Have a nice day!

East Fork, Big Woods, oil on panel, 6"x6"
to purchase, please click here

Day 13 - A River Runs Through It

Good evening....
So today was a busy, busy day.... Putting on a pot roast to slow cook for the day, a few hours of frame making in my basement and then out to the mall to dress shop with my beautiful daughter.. Finally to my studio and,  I actually got today'a painting done!  Another landscape..  I am thinking about finishing this challenge with just landscapes because I am having so much fun with them... And this just happens to be one of my favorites of this challenge so far.  We'll see if I can keep up the landscape momentum...  Because it is so late, I am cutting this post short and sweet.  Hope you have a wonderful night!

A River Runs Through It, oil on panel, 6"x6"
to purchase, please click here

Day 12 - Somewhere in Goias

Where?  Well, this here is another Google Street view inspired painting.  I can't travel the world right now, in the physical sense.  If I could, however, I most definitely would.  I guess street view is the best I can do at the moment.  So, this is, as the title says, somewhere in the state of Goias, Brazil, which, I had never even heard of before.  Pretty sad that my geography is so poor, but, alas, there it is.  I was attracted particularly to the beautiful, deep blue sky with the large clouds receding to tiny little puffs way back at the horizon.  Today in PA, incidentally, is nothing like this at all... rainy, gloomy, cold and freezing... Probably also why I was inspired to paint this one today!

Surprise! I am offering this little gem as an auction at my Daily Paintworks Page!  If you are interested in bidding on this painting, please click here to visit my DPW friendly auction page

Somewhere in Goias, oil on panel, 6"x6"
to bid on this, please click here

Day 11- Street View Mystery and 3 lessons I learned in my studio today

Happy Day of the Sabbath...
I would like to say I rest on Sundays, but it often works out to be a day of doing chores and errands and of course I painted today also....
Sooooooo....  As I have pointed out on MANY occasions, I am constantly learning new things about painting (and life itself, but that is a topic for a different blog) Anyway, today was definitely one of those days.  I mentioned yesterday that I have been struggling with the tactile qualities of my oil paint... It seemed to be drying out too quickly, getting tacky and unworkable and generally just pis... well, angering me.....
I have to say, it takes me awhile sometimes to figure out problems.... but, I figured it out today and it has everything to do with humidity.  With the onset of frigid weather, I have been using a space heater in my studio which obviously has dried the air out considerably, enough to make my oils dry way too quickly.  I added a humidifier to the mix today, and voila.... problem solved... Thank the Lord.... because I was ready to fling things..... In my defense, oils are, well, made of OIL... I really didn't think humidity had a whole lot to do with dry time.  Wrong.  So lesson #1 for the day, if you are an oil painter and having similar difficulties, put a humidifier in your studio and see what happens.  Hope this helps....

Sorry about the looong post, but I have more to say...
I have also been playing around with color palettes and today, I decided to go with the very limited palette that a well known artist, Kevin MacPherson, uses.  It consists of only 4 colors - Alizarin Crimson, Cad Yellow light, Ultramarine Blue and Winsor Green (which I used Phthalo Green because it is the same thing and that is what I have) and then Titanium White.
I must say, I love a limited palette when I use it, I am always happy with the results and I don't know why I don't just stick with it.  I actually do... I love color and really can't resist all those tubes of juicy colorful paints.  But I should restrain myself and try to just stick with the limited palette for awhile to learn a little more about color mixing.  So, lesson #2 for the day.... Limited Palettes rock...

Last bit of blab for today's post....
I had too much fun on Google Street View last night... (yes, that was how I spent my Saturday night...) I have read of artists using screen shots of different google street view pics as references for their paintings.  I decided to give it a shot.  Street view is just about the coolest thing out there, and if you have several hours to burn, just start street viewing different areas of the world.   I do love it and I even came across a herd of elephants crossing the road in South Africa.  So cool.  Anyway, today's painting came from a screen shot I found last night somewhere in Northern Normandy, France.  Using the limited palette, having increased humidity in my studio and being excited about my street view reference made for a really great day painting in my studio.  So, there, lesson # 3 for the day... if you are feeling un-inspired and need a pick me up, start roaming the world using street view and your problems will be solved....

With no further ado or blabbing, here is my painting

Somewhere in Normandy, oil on panel, 6"x6"
to purchase, please click here

Day 10 - A Spectacular End to the Day

Good evening... Can't believe I am a third of the way there in completing this 30 in 30.  I have to say, this challenge is a bit more challenging than the first one I took part in for a variety of reasons, one of them being the extreme cold.  My studio probably doesn't get above 55 degrees, and I am learning that oil paint does not care for cold, dry air... at all.  I have been learning and adjusting to this atmosphere and it definitely has been a process.  Anyway, there is always something new to learn as an artist... always.  And that is why I continue to chip away at being one!
Today's painting came from a photo I found on the Morguefiles but I have definitely seen skies just as amazing in my life!  The sky provides endless ideas and material for paintings and I could probably paint a sky a day and not get bored... (hey.... that's not a bad idea!)

A Spectacular End to the Day, oil on panel, 6"x6",
to purchase, please click here

Day 4 of the 30 in 30 - Together

Today's entry into the 30 in 30 is of 2 sweet birds... I have posted today's entry on my Daily Paintworks site as an auction (like yesterday's), and this auction starts today! Click here to check it out and place a bid.  Thanks for looking!

Together, 6" x 6", oil on panel
Click here to place a bid

Day 29 of the 30 in 30 - Thankfulness

The day before the last day of this challenge.... I can't believe it!  I am so happy that I have painted almost every day.... and so thankful that I have been able to do it.  That is the origin of my painting for today.  While perusing the morgue files, I came across a picture of this awesome stone Buddha who looks very thankful and very happy.  Had to paint him...

Thankfulness, oil on panel, 6"x6"
To purchase, please click here

Day 24 of the 30 in 30 - Luv Bug

I spent the day gallery sitting today at Art Plus... always a nice day.   I can bring my painting supplies to paint while I'm there and I often do, as I did today.  A few paintings ago, I painted a VW bug and happily, it sold!  Shortly there-after I was commissioned to paint another Beetle painting with some other things going on it the painting.  While designing the image for the commission, I decided I needed to paint a 3rd one... because good things should happen in 3's, don't you think?  So here's today's 24th painting in this challenge and it is titled Luv Bug.

Luv Bug, oil on panel, 6" x 6"
to purchase please click here

Day 22 of the 30 in 30 challenge - Everything's fine

I spent a lot of time today preparing for tomorrow as I am going on my first ever plein air painting expedition with some artist friends of mine.  Plein air simply means that I will be painting outside in nature, instead of in my studio.   I have been planning and studying all about plein air painting for some time now and over the past month or so, with the help of my husband and many online examples, I have designed a plein air easel to take with me tomorrow.  I was going for simplicity, light weight and usability.  I finished things off today by cutting my pallet so it will hang nicely on the tripod (which you can see in the picture below) and making some wet panel holders for easy transportation of finished paintings.  When I finished with all of that, I didn't have a lot of time left to actually paint a painting.  I had originally wanted to try the system out outside.  But it got too late, so I tried it out in my studio, using a reference photo, instead of the real McCoy... (a.k.a. nature...)  I used a photo I took awhile back of a many layered landscape with some pretty interesting color shifts.  Below my painting I included a picture of the easel.  

Everything's Fine, oil on panel, 6"x6",
to purchase please click here

Amazing plein air easel system my husband and I designed
Love how everything came together...

Just want to say, I love the easel as it fits all of the requirements I was going for, and more! And I want to thank my awesome husband for doing almost all of the work to design and build it!

Close up of inside paint storage area.. Can also see how the pallet attaches to the tripod.

Day 20 of the 30 in 30 - Celebration Roses

Today's painting is of some roses that were part of my daughter's 16th birthday bouquet... I can honestly say, roses are not my thing to paint.  Such a challenge with all of layers and delicate shading.  I have watched countless you-tube videos of people painting roses who make it seem effortless.  I assure you, it is not... Celebration Roses is my take on such a common, yet difficult subject to paint.. Enjoy!

Celebration Roses, oil on panel, 6"x6"
to purchase, please click here

Day 18 - Janies Frog

Don't have too much time to post now and will elaborate later... Todays painting in the 30 in 30 challenge is a frog  that my aunt in law sent a pic of last night.  Love this guy!  Thanks Janie!

Update... a word about photographing my artwork-
I posted the bottom image last night and had to do it quickly as I needed to leave for work.  Consequently, I snapped a picture in my studio under my studio lights, which happen to be LED daylight bulbs.  I knew then that the colors weren't quite right and I would have to re-take the picture today outside.  Artwork is best photographed in natural light. That being said, it is not always easy finding the perfect spot with just the right light.  Sometimes the light is dappled by shadows. Direct sunlight is too harsh.  Shade sometimes alters the color of the painting by what ever is causing the shade (i.e. a green tree).  I have found the the perfect spot to photograph my paintings is in a west facing corner of my house that has a white wall and white gravel on the ground.  But, as I found this morning, it also is best in the late afternoon... Although the colors are correct in the top photo this one shows quite a bit of glare, which I couldn't seem to avoid, no matter how I turned my painting.  Yes, the painting is still wet, but in the late afternoon, it is as if there is a sweet spot of perfect lighting to photograph my paintings.  Maybe I'll take another one later today and post that to compare!

Janie's Frog, oil on panel, 6"x6",
to purchase, please click here
Photographed in natural light

Janie's Frog, photographed under LED lighting

Day 17 of the 30 in 30 - This Little Piggy

I started out today thinking I was going to paint a bunny... and mid-way through sketching it on my panel, this pig called out to me to be painted instead.  That happens sometimes, and you just have to go with your gut.  This guy was painted from an image I got from a website called morguefile.com which I just discovered.  It has free stock photos for use by all creatives in the world... check it out!
Anyway, This little piggy just looks so happy and seems like he is begging for a pat!  Won't you stop and say hello?

This Little Piggy, oil on panel, 6"x6"
to purchase, please click here

Day 16 of the 30 in 30 - Happy Birthday! (Almost...)

16 years ago today, I was in major labor...  and had been for over 24 hours.  It was a long, tiring birth, but she came out healthy and strong, and still is to this day.  Yes, my beautiful, talented, amazing daughter is turning 16 at around 2 a.m. on September 17th.  16 years old!  Such a big milestone...  I wanted to paint her something special because she is one of my biggest fans and I love her so much!  So, this cupcake is for you, Meilea!  Happy almost birthday!

Happy Birthday!, oil on panel, 6"x6"
Not for Sale

Day 15 of th 30 in 30 - Yellow Bug

If someone offered me an old VW Beetle... I wouldn't turn it down.  I am sure that by today's standards it would be pretty uncomfortable and, well, not very safe.  But I think they are one of the best looking cars ever made.  So, yeah.  I'd drive it...here and there.  :)

Yellow Bug, oil on panel, 6" x 6"
to purchase, please click here

I love to paint impasto (really thick paint).. The secret is in the brush... 

Yellow Bug Juice