Day 16 - Do You Have Some Time For Me

Today's painting is of a little duck in a different but equally iconic style of shoes, Mary Janes.  A classic shoe, I've found that ducks look just as cute in them as they do in Chucks.  This little one needed a balloon to balance things out.. a red balloon :) When thinking about what to title this painting, I was reminded of the song 99 red balloons by Nena.  It was a popular song when I was a teenager and I remembered it begins with the line "Do you have some time for me?" And so the title was born.  

Naturally I had to look the song up and then watch the video.. and and then read a bit about it too.  It has an interesting history and is actually popular in 2 languages, English and German. If you'd like to read more, check out this link 

Do You Have Some Time For Me?, Oil, 8"x8", Purchasing Details click here

DAy 25 of the 28 in 28 - Moove over Andy.. and what keeps me coming back...

I know this is a pretentious title, but it is what came to me.  I would never deign to say that my paintings could come close to replacing Andy Warhol's iconic work.. but.. there's a cow in the teacup, man...  I had to!

In addition to exploring my foray into painting Tea Cup Critters, I continue to consider the balloon motif.  In my RhinOlive post the other day, I mentioned how much I love color and brush work.. and that is what keeps me coming back.  Well, I also love that I can just take motifs and follow them wherever my brain wants to take them... I've now paired the balloon with birds, a fish, a cat, a rabbit.. some ducks, and now a cow.. and each iteration carries with it completely different connotations, feelings and if nothing else, visual interest.  So, THAT... that keeps me coming back for more too.. :)

"Moove Over Andy", oil on panel, 9"x12"
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Day 20 of the 28 in 28 - 3 Little Kings

 Today's painting is a continuation of my 3 little birds series, inspired by the Marley song of the same title. This one features 3 little brown birds known as wrens.  Wrens are secretive by nature, so we don't always see them, but they are also the focus of a folk story that elevates them to the king of all birds. The story goes that the Wren won a contest to see which bird could fly the highest in the sky because she cunningly hitched a ride on an Eagle's back..  Was she cheating, or was she just smarter than everyone else?  Your call, but if you'd like to read the whole story, click here. :)

3 Little Kings, oil on panel, 7"x14"
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Day 18 of the 28 in 28 - Find Out How Far

Soon after the idea occurred to me, my daughter and I hashed out fun possibilities of Hawking's snail trying on new and different shells.  She suggested "a fishbowl", which I heartily embraced :)  this painting is tailored from that idea... Fish bowls are, by nature a strange thing.  Perhaps I can imagine a good kind of strange, though, if Hawking's snail is looking after them... 

The title? From a T.S. Elliot quote worth considering: "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go"   Could be..

"Find Out How Far", Oil on panel, 8"x8"
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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 11 of the 28 in 28 - On Call

Simply put, I love painting sleeping cats on phones. I've visited this subject before and for some reason, am not bored of it yet... a series within a series, it started with me exploring the concept of visual idioms - I painted Cat Call, Duck Tape and Rabbit Ears.. Then, the subject of a sleeping cat on a phone called me back again, and I painted another, thinking it would satisfy me.  But, not yet.  To me, there is much more to explore here. This one was my try at a black cat on a white phone. I love the challenge of painting black animals as their fur has so many hidden colors... the same can be said about white objects, particularly white shiny objects.  I was captivated by all of the reflected colors in the phone and how they interacted with the 'hidden' colors in the cat. :)  

The hardest part of the cat call series if naming them!  "On Call" may just be a temporary title until I come up with something a little more interesting.

Scroll down to see the 1st two in the series and thank you. ♥

On Call, Oil on panel, 10"x10"
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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"
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Day 7 - Viva L'amor

Today my husband and I are celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary. ♥  I painted this painting in honor of love and the day he asked me to marry him.  That day, I was outside, working on my old junker of a car, a Nissan Sentra..(yes, I used to do that too...)  my arms were covered in black grease and I was a dirty mess.  It was a cold winter's day, mid January, and he came driving down my parent's driveway in his Ram Charger that we called the Big Blue Living Room.. he walked over to where I was as I leaned into the engine compartment, and stood there a minute. He finally spoke up and said.. "So... will you marry me?"  

My response...?

"Viva L'Amor", oil on panel, 6"x12", 
To purchase click here

"Are you kidding me?" I straightened up and looked at him carefully to make sure he wasn't pulling my leg.  You see, we had only been dating for around 2 months at that point...had only really known each other for a few months more than that.  So.. yes, I thought he was actually kidding... 

But he was not.  And he asked me again.  

And I said yes. :)

♥

Viva L'amor

Day 6 of the 28 in 28 - Let Nothing Stand in Your Way

As I am sure many artists can say, I have been asked where I get my ideas..  It is a curiosity even to me, sometimes, when imagery pops unbidden into my mind.. this one is kind of like that. 

I am a Capricorn, and as such, I admire goats, so painting a goat is not a stretch.. Plus, the curly horned variety fascinate me.  I can't get over those horns! (see detail of the painting.. I LOVED painting the horns...)    I've also always had a fascination with Pysanka. In fact tried my had at making some years ago.  I found it to be extremely tedious and very time consuming, but love the end result.. Believe me, painting pictures of pysanka is much easier than creating pysanka designs on an egg.  

These two facts don't explain why I pictured putting a Goat and a pysanka together though... That and the elegant, starry teacup.  Sometimes it just feels right and I just go with it.  It turns out I am liking the strong design and focused results of stacking these three together. :) I love it when my hunch works out. Goats are known for their tenacity and ability to scale steep cliffs.  Balancing the delicate egg on her head seems to me to represent a great deal of focus.. And, as if the goat spoke... the title appeared...she said, Let Nothing Stand in Your Way... with tenacity and focus, you can achieve your intentions...

Let Nothing Stand in Your Way, Oil on panel, 10"x10"
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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 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, 

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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

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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