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 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

Day 27 of the 30 in 30 - Darned Drowsy

I'm not going to lie.  I am on day 27 of the 30 in 30 painting challenge I've set myself and I am pretty  tired. I'm not complaining, honest!  But painting this yawning fox seemed so appropriate right now because today...  I'm feeling it!  However... as happens when you do a 30 in 30, lots of new ideas come and spawn even more new ideas ... and after painting this guy, inspired by my fatigue...well, now I want to paint more yawning critters! :) 

So this painting is a smaller one - 8"x8" -  and is also a continuation of my series of critters perched on top of spools of thread.  I've learned that I really do like things that come in tons of colors (think converse sneakers, vw bugs, bathtubs.. :) and spools of thread slide perfectly into this category.  Plus their classic shape (a cylinder) and the fact that nearly every human on the planet has at least seen a spool of thread, make spools a favorite thing of mine to paint.  I love it when I can put something many people can relate to into my paintings.  Art for everyone, I say! :)

Darned Drowsy, 8"x8", oil, click here to purchase

Day 23 of the 30 in 30 - Tyger Tyger

An American cartoonist once said that Van Gogh would have sold more than one painting if he'd have put tigers in them (the internet attributes this strange statement to Bill Watterson)

I don't know about the wisdom of this and I'm sure I don't know why Bill said that. I guess I'd have to hear it in context.  I do find it utterly amazing though that Van Gogh only sold one painting during his life time.  According to the website Van Gogh gallery, the rest of Van Gogh's more than 900 paintings were not sold or made famous until after his death.

This painting, however, is not at all about Van Gogh, but... knowing the above fact instills solemn gratitude in me. I am grateful for every sale of my artwork, and thankful for all of the loving support I receive because I know that being true to your dream can be a lonely affair...

Anyway, THIS painting was partially about my recent obsession with White on White. It is challenging to paint images that read well that are also composed of  many similar values.  At least it is for me.  And its the challenge that keeps me coming back for more...

I was also specifically inspired to paint a tiger because the poem "The Tyger" by William Blake has come into my consciousness several times in the past few weeks... two very different books I recently finished.. both coincidentally and prominently featuring Tyger Tyger in the protagonist's thoughts and a random reading on the internet that led me to another reference to this poem...  And it got me thinking about Tygers and what Blake was talking about. In it he ponders creation.. and the creator... the question he posed in prose is, can a God who created something as fearsome and beautiful as a tiger also have created the lamb?

And what about teapots and corvidaes?  I have not the answer.. just the painting... :) Please see below for the entire poem. 

Tyger Tyger, Oil, 10"x10", Click here to purchase

The Tyger

William Blake - 1757-1827

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Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Day 21 - Rabbit ears

 Following the theme of yesterday's painting - a shameless visual idiom, I give you Rabbit Ears :)  Don't you just love that vintage TV?  The color of the glass tho... ♥♥♥

Is it nostalgia or has product design become less interesting?  The lines, shapes and colors of everyday, useful things from the 50's ad 60's, like tape dispensers tvs, cars and telephones attract me over and over. There is a solid and natural quality that felt good in your hands, and pleasing to the eyes. Or maybe it's just me.. :)

Regardless, a rabbit on a vintage TV speaks of time past when TV's needed big antennas and took up undeniable space <3

Rabbit Ears, oil on gessoboard, 11"x14", click here to purchase

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