Day 23 of my Holiday Painting Spree - "Summer Lovin"

It is sleeting and snowing here in Pennsylvania. But this dog taking a jog at the beach helped to brighten my day as I was painting him today.  I wonder what it would be like to live at the beach (a warm beach, mind you) year round...  :) Ah well, a few more months of cold, damp fun for me. 

Summer Lovin', oil on panel, 6"x6"
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Enter at my website, www.karenweberfineart.com

Day 14 - Walking Meditation

I photographed this woman down at Wildwood, NJ this year.  She just happened by and I luckily had my phone handy.  I loved her flowy clothes and her gingerly taken steps as she walked up the beach from the water line.  Capturing her careful movements and, believe it or not, her feet, was a study in exact brush work and value.  Yes her feet.  Painting feet and hands are very difficult to get just right as their angles and planes are very particular... one little dot can throw them off, making them unrecognizable!  This painting makes me want to go back to the ocean just one more time before it gets cold, though..

Walking Meditation,  oil, 9"x12"
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Day One of the January 30 in 30 - Anegada Da Vida

Happy New Year!!! I am so excited to be starting this year with a goal of completing 30 paintings in 30 days... Happy happy happy!!!  Anyway, I first want to wish everyone a blessed and healthy New Year, and I want to thank you for coming here to read my posts!  I need to add in that I am terrible at posting unless I have a challenge going on, which I am resolving to get better at also.

Today's painting is a big one (for me..)  It is 24" x 24" and it also represents a very different style.  I call this a Stripey, as I base the design off of horizontal lines of color.  I also am experimenting with a different medium mixed in with oil paints called cold wax.  I like the quality of it when it is dry... a bit more matte than straight oil, plus there is more body.  Oh, and I added in some marble dust to also increase the body.  A good friend of mine suggested I title this one "Enegada Da Vida" as it reminded him of sailing around the British Virgin Isles (an experience I have not had the good fortune of having... but he obviously has...) and I thought, Yes!  The colors I chose came from a photo I took at the beach of some colorful umbrellas, the sand, sea and sky... so he was pretty close.  Just that my beach was OCNJ, not the BVI's... oh well....

"Anegada Da Vida", oil, cold wax and marble dust, 24" x 24",
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Here is what this painting would look like in a room...

Close up.... there is a lot of  paint on this guy... lots of surface and texture 

14 - Zahaira

Today I revisited yesterday's theme.. but focused on just the one woman... She was my favorite part of yesterday's painting (Leaving the Beach) and I just wanted to explore her some more.  I decided to use a triad color scheme of red orange - blue green - and red violet but I started it  by painting an under painting of largely complementary colors... I included pictures of the different stages of the painting below... I have done something similar to this on several other paintings... and then leave some of the underpainting showing through in the final painting.  I like the effect of this technique, and think I need to experiment more with it!  Btw... look up the meaning of the name Zahaira... (you can find it here) it just popped in my head when thinking of a title for this one... I like what it means...

Zahaira, oil on canvas, 12" x 24"
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Day 13 - Leaving the Beach

I took this photo down the beach this summer.. It was late afternoon and these ladies were packing up, getting ready to go.  As an artist, you have to pick and choose what to include in your painting.  You certainly don't have to, and probably don't even want to include everything in the scene you are looking at.  There are reasons for this.  Not everything makes a nice composition, for one, and some things just aren't necessary to convey what it is you want to convey.  I highly edited this one, because all I cared about in this scene were the beautiful ladies!  The one putting her hair up was dancing a little dance and they all were dressed in beachy wraps.  I will include the original reference shot so you can see just how much I took away, and changed.  Enjoy!

Leaving the Beach, oil on panel, 6" x 6", to place a bid click here

Reference picture for painting

Day 1 of September 30 in 30

Long time no post.... Geeze.. this summer was a busy, busy summer and I just kind of slacked off with my posting during July and especially August!  I am so sorry to those of you who loyally follow me through all of my paintings and challenges I take part in .  But good news!  I am doing Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge!  I have considered what I could do for a theme... but haven't really come up with anything.  I enjoy figurative work, and perhaps will focus on this...

Today's painting is of my daughter, a favorite subject of mine. The reference shot was taken the last time we went to the shore, at sunset.  She had just gotten a new hair pin and was putting her long tresses up in a bun, holding the pin in her mouth... The way the sun glinted off her hair and made her skin glow was captivating to me... but challenging to paint!  I also opted to paint on a RED ground just for something different.  I was thinking it would help impart an inner glow to the whole scene.  Red is such a strong color, I am not sure if it overwhelms the whole thing or not.  Something else to explore. So, thanks for coming here to read more about my paintings.  Come back tomorrow, as there WILL be a new painting to see!  If you are interested in purchasing this painting, I have it up for auction at my Dailypaintworks site.  Click here to go to my DPW site.

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Beach Ride

My family and I recently took a beach vacation... One of my favorite sites are all of the beachy bikes that people get around on... The colors are so pretty and they are made for cruisin'.... enjoying the sites.  I snapped a few pics of them and now I wish I would have snapped more because they make great subject matter!  This is my first go at painting a beach ride and I have another planned out... Well, now I have an excuse to take another day or so in the sand and the sun!  I have titled this one "Beach Ride" and it is for sale at my Daily Paintworks site.

Beach Ride, Oil on panel, 6" x 6",
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This is the original photograph I took... My next painting is of the same bike, different crop. 

Day 25 - The Red Beach

Sometimes you think something is going to be simple and it turns out to be elusive and unexpectedly difficult.  Today's painting turned into one of those times.  I was initially drawn to the image I found on Morguefiles because of it's strong S composition and pretty pastel colors contrasting with the red beach.  It didn't seem as though there was a whole lot going on in the water area and I thought I could  easily solve the problems of painting the reflecting sky, sea foam and the red sand showing through in some areas.  Well... lets just say, I struggled with this one today.  However, after careful observation... I think I resolved the problems I was having and am pleased with the final results.  This painting is available for auction on my Daily Paintworks site.  If you are interested in bidding, please click here.

Red Beach, oil on panel, 6"x6'
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Day 22- Good Fortune

This little scene reminds me of the many times in life that I have literally or figuratively rounded a corner, only to be pleasantly surprised by what I find.  I consider myself to be 'lucky', or to lead a blessed life, or to have good fortune, or.... maybe I just appreciate my life abundantly... I don't know which of these it is, but really it doesn't matter.  I love the little (and sometimes big) surprises life hands to me sometimes, even if at first I am a bit shocked.  Things always turn out for the best and more often than not, I find hidden gems when I least expect them!

Good Fortune, oil on panel, 6"x6"
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Day 3 - 30 in 30 challenge

When I started collecting ideas for the 30 in 30 challenge I am taking part in I thought about possible themes for my 30 paintings to fall under. (It can make it easier to come up with ideas if you choose a theme...) I had a few that seemed likely, but never really settled on an idea.  Well, so far, the general theme seems to be....."Summer stuff"... I know, really esoteric..... Can't help it!  I took lots of pics this summer whenever I went places and low and behold....those are the images I am looking at now.... so, yeah.  

The 3rd installment in my 30 in 30 set is a beach scene taken on the oh so short beach vacation I took with the kids in July (when the water was a chilly 52 degrees)  Just happened to catch this pretty little girl and her
Dad.  Glad I did!

At the Beach with Dad, Oil on panel, 6"x6", $75, unframed