Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 7

The end of week 1 and a small offering for day 7. Some collage, stencilling and then using a small brush to add the plant detail. Added the red spatter to give it a bit of spark. Not sure how I feel about still life after doing several this week. But I think I will continue on with a few more and see how it goes. Hope you had a good week 1 and are looking forward to week 2.

6" X 5"
Collage, acrylic
on Canson 140lb watercolour paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 6

Today's offering.....went through several 'lives' ie layers of paint and this is finally what ended up on paper. Having trouble getting going on these paintings. Think I am not using enough random paint/marks on the start and then trying to get to some imagery too soon. Anyhow....want to send a special thank you to my wonderful painter friends who left words of encouragement yesterday I appreciate you all very much! Best wishes to you all as the thirty days continues!

11" X 7 1/2"
Acrylic Mixed media on
Canson Mixed Media Paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 5

......Not one of my best days in the studio :(  
Nothing was clicking and in the end I went back to a smaller more abstract landscape. I have done a couple of still life paintings, but not sure if they really reflect 'me'. If you are an artist you will know exactly what I am talking about. So here is day 5 such as it is.

5 3/4" X 5 3/4"
Acrylic mixed media on
140lb hotpress Arches

Here are a couple of quotes I came across after a 'long' day in my studio.....

"Blocks are part of an artist's natural cycle, and mine come whenever I reach a plateau. I'll feel bottled up with negativism, but when I blast through the garbage, I find I've emerged as a better artist." Nick Payne Artist

"I'm not running out of ideas, just trying to push myself into better ones."  Mike McQuade Graphic Designer & Illustrator

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 4

Put some thought and a bit of planning into day 4. Went for a 'simple' palette - several blues, a couple of greens and yellows, white and black. Blue has always been my favourite colour. I haven't used it for while and I am glad I used it today. 

8" X 8"
Acrylic mixed media
on printmaking paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 3

If you haven't already guessed - I am not a realistic painter. I like to take things and reduce them down and allow the eye and the imagination to fill in some of the details. I like still life paintings that are done from a more abstract point of view - especially the idea of flattening the space. This painting isn't exactly what I was hoping for but there are still 27 more days to have a go!

8" X 8"
Acrylic mixed media on
printmaking paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 2

Our winter wonderland!

We are back in the deep freeze again. A rather cool -28 this morning. We had almost 2 weeks of temperatures pushing into the -30's the beginning of December. Seeing -15 on the outdoor thermometer was a welcome sight. Felt positively balmy! Maybe today's painting will convey a bit of that cool arctic air. Is a very neutral painting and not a lot of value contrast. Have a great day and stay warm!

8" x"8
Acrylic mixed media
on printmaking paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 1

The first day of the New Year. No resolutions, but I am going with trying to do 'more'.  More painting, more walking, more healthy eating - you get the idea. Who doesn't want to do more of what they like. Some creative scheduling and a bit of commitment and we'll see where we end up. Starting it off with Leslie Saeta's Thirty Paintings in 30 Days. I did my first 30 in 30 this past September. Wasn't sure how it would work but I did accomplish the 30 paintings. Was such a great feeling. I didn't pick a theme just painted. For this go round I am going to try to work bigger, push myself to experiment more with my materials and subject matter. More 'reductionist' landscapes, some still life and whatever else appears in my sketchbook and on paper. Looking forward to sharing with the other artists and painting, painting and painting!

...and Happy New Year! May you have a year filled with the best of everything!

'Vases and Pots 1'

5 /12" X 7 3/4"

Acrylic mixed media

on printmaking paper

.....how many vases and pots can you see?