Day 28 - Colorful Broo

 Well, it is the end of another daily painting challenge and I will be sad to see this one pass.   I have enjoyed this one so much for a few reasons, one of which is that I got to do it with many of my artist friends from Art Plus Gallery in West Reading.  This month's paintings were an eclectic mix of animals and fantastic subject matter, and I thought that this painting was a good one to post on the last day.. Teacups often make it into the mix and so do cows and umbrellas... I thought that this bright rainbow umbrella pretty much sums up the brew and crew of imagery I painted, plus it just makes me happy.  I hope it makes you happy too. :) I love the black and white cow.. just something about the angles and contrasts, and letting her soak in some tea seemed right. Add in a tasty cookie and a corvidae and well... Mooahh ♥ ♥ ♥

 If you are one of the kind folks who has come to read my blog throughout the month, I want to extend a huge thank you for taking the time out of your day to check out some of the thoughts that run through my head on any given day.  It means the world to me!

THANK YOU!

"Colorful Brooo", oil on panel, 10"x10"
to purchase, please click here

Day 23 of the 28 in 28 - RhinOlive

 Ok, so this is not the smartest title in the world... I am typing this one at around 11 p.m. and my title brain is not functioning at optimal levels.. Be that as it may, I do love painting jars of olives. The muted greens and pops of red are saweet and painting them all squashed into a glass jar is even better. Add to the mix the fact that this was my first foray into painting Rhinos and this proved to be an all around fun painting to do :)  I can't say why jars of olives call for an animal atop, but I've painted them before with zebras, horses and even ducks, and it just makes sense to may aesthetic.  I'm not going to question this one.  Just let it be.

Check out the detail below for one of my favorite parts of the painting.
 

RhinOlive, oil on panel, 10"x10"
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One of the reasons I love painting is my ongoing love affair with color and brush stroke.  Sometimes magic happens and the color just zings and the juicy brushwork sings.. and that is what keeps me coming back for more.. ♥

Day 16 of the 28 in 28 - "Melodies Pure and True"

 I have an ongoing series based on one of my favorite Bob Marley songs, "3 Little Birds". When I hear that song, my blood pressure immediately falls and my breathing deepens...  the relaxation washes over me and I am thankful for Bob and his sweet crooning.  My 3 little birds paintings are an ode to this song, this feeling and this way of being.. sometimes it is best to let things go, not worry and know that ultimately, Every little thing is going to be alright.

Today's painting features 3 dark eyed juncos, which is a type of bird that I personally think are under valued.  Aesthetically, their feathers have a beautiful range of neutral colors from an inky black to soft white with subtle pinks, blues and ochres glinting through.  They used to be very common to see at bird feeders here in SE Pennsylvania, but I have read that their populations have dwindled in recent years.. while still considered a very prevalent species, this article from the Audubon society raises concern.  In any event, our feathered friends are a gift to the world and should be respected and protected, other wise, we may have some very big things to worry about...

To hear the song of the dark eyed junco and bring a little spring into your day, click here.

"Melodies Pure and True", oil on panel, 7"x14"
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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
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Day 5 of the 28 in 28 - The Joy of Slowing Down

Its already day 5 of this challenge which amazes me.  A reminder that time flies and if you don't paint, the time is still going to fly, so why not paint?  I find that painting helps to slow things down and makes me pay attention to the details... And in the best moments of paying attention, I find that this is where Joy resides...

Anyway, slowing my imagery down a bit, I went with a smaller painting today, this one titled “The Joy of Slowing Down”  I think snails (the small kind) are pretty cute, plus have the added bonus of being a fun challenge to paint. Their 'skin' is not like any other creature I've painted (fish come close but not quite) and their spiraling shells can be tricky. I wanted to pair this guy with some friends and after placing a green umbrella on his back, ladybugs seemed a natural choice :) read below for some snail trivia and thank you for visiting!

"The Joy of Slowing Down", oil on panel, 8"x8"
To purchase please click here

Snail trivia :)

Fun fact #1 - Snail shells almost always spiral clockwise. But...true story - not too long ago, a common garden snail named Jeremy was discovered who had a shell that spiraled to the left.  He he became famous. (to scientists anyway...) was studied and there was even a worldwide search to try to find him a girlfriend (turns out his left twisting shell prevented him from mating with righty snails..)  If you are fascinated and want you can read more about Jeremy here.

Cool fact #2 -  Pre-Columbian Americans saw snails as a symbol of rebirth and Joy as they believed the shell represented the circle of life. (Tis where I got the title idea... :)

And, a few more nifty tidbits - snails have an extraordinary sense of smell due to their near blindness and inability to hear... and, yes, they are indeed the slowest animals on the planet..

Day 19 of the 30 in 30 - Ewe Are Loved

 If you have seen my artwork, you know I have a thing for stacking animals and other things on top of each other.  Surprisingly, I've never painted a sheep before, but when I saw this sweet face, I had to paint her.  What to stack on her head?  A tiny piglet finished off with a wee butterfly seemed the perfect things.  The sheep's expression is so loving and it is what inspired the title.  But, I speak the truth... You are loved.  Don't forget it. :) <3

One of my favorite things about this painting is the texture in the sheep's wool.  I used a special white paint by Gamblin called flake white replacement.  It has a thick consistency that was perfect.  

Ewe Are Loved, 8"x8", oil, Click here to purchase

Day 14 of the 30 in 30 - Hang in There

 Of course I love the tiger ...and the balloon, but this painting is equally about the background.  I like to experiment balancing subject with background. I find myself sometimes with such a strong subject (remember the bunny on the soup can?) and then am stuck not being quite sure how to approach the background.  Ah well.  This is another attempt at something different.  I wanted to stay neutral with just that pop of red and orange and play with the concept of abstraction meets realism.

Anyway..have you ever seen the inspirational poster of a kitten hanging onto a branch that says "hang in there"?  That's what went through my mind when I was thinking of a title :)  

Hang in there everyone. :)  

Hang in There, oil, 11"x14", to Click here to purchase

Detail of "Hang in There" 

Day 13 of the 30 in 30 - Little Buddy

3rd in my mini-series of retrievers, I of course had to paint a chocolate lab. :)  I've only met a handful of chocolate labs in my life, but all have been so gentle with such kind personalities.  This guy looks like he too is filled with love and ready to be someone's little buddy, so, naturally, that is the title of this painting.  His eyes say it all!

Dogs can be our best friend, our therapies, our medicine, our heart. They are angels sent to help us through life.  They are teachers sent to help us learn unconditional love and compassion.  They are companions sent to help us learn to love. <3

Little Buddy, 7"x7", oil, click here to purchase

Day 4 of the 30 in 30

Good morning! I'll hop right to this one... :)  About a month ago, the image of 3 wolves came into my head and wouldn't leave me alone. I had to paint it... It was a painting of healing and strength, 2 things I was needing to contemplate.  After painting that painting, I immediately had the image of 3 hares come into my head, and like the wolves, they aren't leaving me alone either.  And that is how this painting came about. I'm not sure what these guys represent, or why some images just won't leave me alone, but the number 3 is very important in art.  For instance, if you have the choice of having 3 items in a still life or 4, which do you think most artists would choose? To read more about the ubiquitous number 3, check out this article.  

I have also been experimenting with mediums lately and in this painting, I used an oil based primer made by Zinsser and tinted it with my oil paints to do an under painting.  I know, this may sound outside of the box... but I am in the mood to play and have read a lot about artists' love for Zinsser.  I've experimented with it before and do agree, there is something about it worth exploring.  Plus I am looking to achieve a certain atmospheric effect that the zinsser underpainting seems to benefit.. 

Splitting Hares underpainting

But the Zinsser has a very matte finish, and I didn't quite want that.  So, after this dried (in about an hour - the zinsser dries fast!) I coated it with my medium (linseed oil, stand oil and gamsol) and finished it off. Now that I look back at this earlier stage of the painting, I wish I would have kept some of the looseness, but on the other hand, I wanted the rabbits faces to have more realism. Here is the finished painting :)  

Splitting Hares, 10"x10", oil, 

to purhase, please click here

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

August 30 paintings in 30 days!

August has just about arrived and I can't believe it.  My aptitude for blogging is truly lacking and I see the last post I wrote was so long ago that it certainly qualifies as another lifetime...especially factoring in everything that has been going on in the world in 2020.  So, since the blissful post of yore, where I was painting away in a covid-free world (or so I thought), it is almost laughable to say -  things have changed. Artists (and frankly everyone) around the world have felt the ramifications of covid and, we all know it, so, I am not going to go into any details about that here.  (if curious though, see my past 3 newsletters here, here and here to read some of what I have been doing since January...)

As I was saying, it is the last day of July, 2020 and after mulling it over, I have decided I need to do a 30 in 30 again, where I paint and post 30 paintings in 30 days...I'm feeling the yen for just that kind of thing. So, stay tuned future selves..  I'll be starting my August 30 in 30 on Sunday, August 2nd and I am excited! I will be posting here every day, as well as on my facebook, Instgram and dailypaintworks pages.. Woo Hoo!  Hold on to your hats... :)

Day 29 of the 30 in 30 - A Shining Affirmation

White... is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black... God paints in many colors; but he never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when he paints in white. 

-Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Shining Affirmation, oil, 8"x8", on hold

I painted this while working in Art Plus Gallery today. I love my gallery!  And, a huge plus of this job is when I am in the gallery I get to sell art and make art... where is the flaw? :)  It is an affirming thing to be an artist, even on the hard days. I am truly grateful to be able to do what I do. <3

Day 26 of the 30 in 30 - "Spool of Gold"

Did you know that juncos are in the sparrow family?  There are 5 types of dark eyed juncos and they range across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.  And they form monogamous relationships... meaning they are one of those rare breeds that mates for life. :) One last little interesting nugget of junco info - They are often called the 'snowbird', as in the eastern U.S. they appear at the start of the winter and then flies north again in the spring!  So, Eastern U.S.-ers... enjoy them while you can, because they'll be gone soon!

Spool of Gold, oil, 6"x6", to purchase click here

Day 25 of the 30 in 30 - "A Good Attitude"

Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while you wait.  This golden Labrador retriever is definitely practicing patience... Just don't ask how I got her to pose long enough to paint this picture... All I can say is that some dogs have patience in spades...  :)
For purchasing details, please click on the link under the picture.

A Good Attitude, oil, 8"x8", to purchase click here

Day 21 of the 30 in 30 - "Time Flies"

Time really does fly... I have been doing Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 and I can't believe that we are now past the 2/3's point! So happy and thankful (feeling blessed...)  for all of the love and support I have gotten through the past 3 weeks :) Painting birds with various things that I find interesting (not necessarily bird related) has been my primary focus with this challenge.  When thinking of what to pair my bird friends with next, I was inspired to pair some with old clocks.  Amusingly, I didn't realize the obvious metaphor of 'Time Flies' until I was midway through painting this one...and then my logical brain caught up with my creative brain.. I had a genuine "Aha!" moment as I was painting along and idly trying to think of a title... Funny, is all I can say...  

Time Flies, oil, 8"x8", to purchase click here

Day 20 of the 30 in 30 - "Unconditional"

I am entering this painting into a local show put on by the Berk's Art Alliance, that is themed "Aspects of Love."  The opening for the show is this Sunday, February 25th With all of the birds I am painting lately, I tried to imagine how birds might show their 'love' with each other.  I would think that the duty and love that parent birds show when they are feeding their babies with untiring consistency is encouragement for any parent who might need Inspiration from the natural world. 

I used acrylic paint for this painting instead of oils. As acrylics respond VERY differently when using them in a painting, I have developed very different techniques when painting with them.  I tend to use matte medium and paint layer upon layer (commonly called glazing) to create depth and the feeling I am looking for. Here is my take on Aspects of love. <3

Unconditional, acrylic, 12"x12", on hold