Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Thirty

Day 30! The final painting for Leslie Saeta's 'Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days' for September 2016. To everyone who participated - congratulations! Thank you for generously sharing your work - what a feast for the eyes. Such a variety of mediums used and subject matter. So, would I do this again? Yes and I plan on continuing with a 'painting a day' as much as possible. My painting has grown in leaps and bounds since the September start. I have received comments from people who have seen my work previously and the over all comment is my painting has gotten stronger. So grateful for the support. I think the painting I am posting today is one of the best. Has lots of rich paint, line work, collage and glazing. I feel like I was building up to this over the 30 days.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit my blog and to those who left comments - thank you very much for that! Best wishes to you all in your artistic endeavours and hope to see your work in another 30 in 30!

Day 30
Acrylic mixed media on
Arches 140lb cold press paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Twenty-Nine

Second last day of the 30in30. Can't believe just one more painting to go. Another beautiful fall day here - so another landscape. Lots of paint, lifting, glazing and mark making. Love this time of year!

Day 29
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on
Arches 140lb hot press paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Twenty-Eight

Not sure where the day went! Trip to town, appointment, errands....back home....This is my offering for Day Twenty-Eight of the Thirty in 30. Perhaps a reference for a future painting? This painting is more reminiscent of some of my mono-prints. Not that good a composition but - it is what it is. Hope you are having a good day!

Day 28
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on
Somerset printmaking paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Twenty-Seven

I started this painting at Joan Fullerton's workshop. I have 4 other paintings that are in various stages and am looking forward to working on them in the days that follow. Joan wanted us to have multiple paintings to work on during the five day workshop. That way you were less likely to overwork any one painting. Having said that, I think this is a bit overworked. Still not entirely happy with the colour.......will leave it for a bit and revisit it at a later date - or not!

Only 3 more days left of daily painting. Having stuck with it I am finding it quite natural to head up to my studio at some point in the day and even if I only have an hour can still do a small painting. This has been such a great habit to cultivate! Hope you can find some time in your day for a little painting.

Day 27
12"X16"
Acrylic mixed media
on birch cradle board

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Twenty-Six

Here is today's offering. This was painted using the same palette as yesterday's. Had squeezed out quite a bit of paint and had to use it up! I am tired after my 5 day workshop. But it was so worth it. Will spend the day unpacking and tidying up my studio and will be ready to go with my offering for tomorrow's 30in30. Will also spend some time today checking out the great paintings that other artists have been posting. Thanks again to all who have stopped in and taken a look and left comments. Happy Painting!

Day 26
5"X5"
Acrylic on Arches 140lb hot press paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days Day Twenty-Five

Last day of my workshop with Joan Fullerton. Five days (for me) is along time to be painting away from home. When you paint on your own, sharing space with 18 other artists can be overwhelming at times - but it is also good. Different styles and approaches to subject matter, differing opinions, questions I hadn't thought of, connecting and exchanging contact info, being pushed out of my comfort zone of home - just a few of the benefits. And of course the big one is having access to the artist/instructor - in this case Joan Fullerton! Wherever you are painting - enjoy yourself and just go with the flow!

Day 25
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on
Canson mixed media paper

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Day Twenty-Four

When I started the 30in30 I didn't pick a theme for my paintings. Sometimes when I pick a subject/theme I end up stifling myself and making it harder for me to paint! At day 24 I it is pretty clear to me that landscapes became my subject of choice. Hope you are enjoying painting your chosen theme or just leaving yourself open to whatever inspires you. Enjoy the day.

Day 24
5"x5"
Acrylic on Stonehenge printmaking paper

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days - Day Twenty-Three

Made sure to paint extra last week so would be able to keep up with the 30in30 while I am attending Joan Fullerton's workshop. Enjoying the workshop and being around other painters - such a great opportunity to see how others work and interpret the instructions for some of the exercises. Joan is a great instructor - love watching her paint. Such an interesting person.

A monochromatic, mostly 'cool' palette - for me very calming - I love blue!

Day 23
5"X5"
Acrylic on
Arches 140lb hot press paper

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days - Day Twenty-Two

Fall will officially arrive here in about an hour. And the rain and probably some snow too! Our sunrise is beautiful this morning - this is one of my favourite times of the day. Off to feed our horses and then to my workshop with intuitive artist Joan Fullerton. So glad I have been participating in the 30in30 - what a difference it makes going to a workshop having been painting daily! Hope the sun is shining where you are - have a wonderful day!

Day 22
Acrylic mixed media on
Canson mixed media paper

Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days - Day Twenty-One

I have plans to visit Drumheller, Alberta in the next couple of weeks. My father's family farmed and ranched in this area and were some of the early homesteaders. I have fond memories of visiting relatives here as a child and when I was older helping roundup the cattle for the spring branding. Looking forward to visiting the ranch and driving through the farm country - especially with harvest in full swing. Day 21's picture is not exactly like the scenery in the Badlands area, but it will do in pinch!

Day 21
5"X5"
Acrylic on
Somerset printmaking paper

Badlands near Drumheller, Alberta

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Twenty

I did quite a bit of painting yesterday and I am starting to notice some differences in how I approach the whole process. I am selecting less colours for my palette and mixing more neutrals and tones, my brushstrokes are much more confident, I don't mind covering up that 'special' spot and painting on and my mark making is looser and seems to flow more. And sometimes (not always as often as I would like) I know when to stop! I give credit to participating in Leslie Saeta's Thirty in Thirty for September. I have two workshops coming up - one this week and the other the beginning of October. Having done all this painting prior to the workshops I am feeling much more confident and looking forward to the opportunity to paint with these artists.

Day 20
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on
Arches 140lb hot press paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Nineteen

Haven't had a lot of spare time to view all the art on the 30in30, but the days I have viewed....WOW!! Such a variety of subject matter, mediums used and techniques. Is so inspiring.

The colours are changing quickly here and if the wind visits the leaves are quick to fly. I love this time of year - the light, the colour....and in the cool mornings there is a beautiful stillness. Have a wonderful day wherever you live and if you are painting for the 30in30 - thank you for sharing.

Day 19
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on
Canson mixed media paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day EIghteen

Kept today's painting simple. Chose some different colour mixes and I am happy with the end result. At the start of the 30in30 I would never have tried this! So glad to be participating!

Day 18
5"X5"
Acrylic on Canson mixed media paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Seventeen

Trying to get a few paintings ahead for the challenge. I am enrolled in a 5 day workshop with Joan Fullerton next week. So excited to have this opportunity to take a workshop with her. So I need to get going on these small paintings. I think this will be a good thing as it will force me to paint faster, work looser and not be so picky over the small things. Have posted the before and afters of todays effort....not sure how I ended up at the 'after' - hmmm should you admit that?! Have a wonderful weekend and if you are painting 30 in 30 looking forward to seeing your paintings.

Day 17  'Start'
5"X5"
Acrylic and mixed media
on 140lb hot press watercolour paper

Day 17 'Finish'

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Sixteen

Wasn't sure if I would get time for Day 16. Our weather has been incredible the last few days and it makes it so hard to be indoors. After a wet summer we are finally being rewarded with some hot days.

These are not my usual colours but thought it was worth a try. I always have a pile of 'fresh' paper that has been cut or torn into different sizes. So at the end of a painting session, if I have any left over paint on my palette I will use up the excess paint on these pieces of paper and I sometimes use them to lift paint while I am painting. I like working this way because I have a piece ready to go, with a lot or a little paint on it (not 'intimidating' white). With this image I was trying to be bolder with my mark making and have a few more neutral areas. Some parts work, some not so much but I am giving myself permission to experiment.

I sometimes scan these papers before working on them. It is a great way to see where you started and where you ended up.

Day 16 'Start'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media
on Somerset printmaking paper

Day 16 'Finish'

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Fifteen

Mostly neutrals today, with a touch of some transparent red iron oxide. I participated in Jane Davies' online workshop on advanced colour. It was a lot, a lot of work - mixing, matching, colour swatches and more colour swatches. But, it was well worth the time and effort! I figure if I keep mixing and experimenting with the lessons from that workshop things will eventually begin to become second nature. I have a long ways to go! Hope all your painting is going well.

Day 15
5"X5"
Acrylic

Hmmm - when you take a 'step back' and look at it in this format needs more line work and going back in with some coloured pencil or crayon to punch it up a bit. Still can.....

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Fourteen

Apologies for late post! I had to take my Mac in for repairs and without asking they updated my operating system to the 'El Capitan'....latest version. I had chosen not to update to this version given the less than glowing reviews. So... neither one of my scanners now works. And, yes we have contacted Apple support and there is little they can do. So.....apologies for the picture quality - here is today's image.

Update...my husband was finally able to get things working - only took 3 hours or so!! This is the real post!  Showing what the progression to the finished image....




The start and then what I thought might be a 'finished' image - but I just didn't feel it was done.

So, kept going and feel much happier with this being the 'final' image.

Day 14
5"X5"
Acrylic Mixed Media
on Canson Mixed Media Paper

Much happier with this being the 'final' image. Hope you think so too! Have a wonderful day painting.

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Thirteen

'Hit' the reset button today. Needed to 'shake' things up a bit and freshen up my painting 'mind'. I don't find cruciform paintings easy to do - mine always seem to end up looking extremely stiff - like this one! This definitely was a challenge to paint but glad I gave it a try! I've been working on this off and on and think it might be done. Think I'm ready to go back to some semi-abstract landscapes now!

Day 13
9"X9'
Acrylic mixed media on
140lb cold press watercolour paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Twelve

Late posting today! Getting back into the 'regular' routine - running behind, but it all eventually sorts itself out.

Enjoyed painting this image. It is on birch panel and I really like working on the panels. I like going back in with palette knife, dried out pens, wood skewers, etc and the wood will take the process of making those marks really well - not so paper as you can imagine. I do coat the boards before starting with a couple of layers of GAC100 - helps to prevent the lighter areas of paint from yellowing over time. This is caused by the lignin in the wood. I really like this piece - it looks deceptively simple, but there are several layers of paint and lots of 'drawing' back in using the above mentioned tools. You do have to take a close look to see some of the lines, but I think it is worth a second look. The mountain ranges seem to go on forever here - row after row is how I would describe the view from on high! Have a great day and happy painting.

Day 12
6"X6" on Birch Panel
Acrylic mixed media

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Eleven

I keep going back to horizontal lines and stripes. One of our assignments for Jane Davies' on-line workshop '100 Drawings On Cheap Paper'  was working with stripes. This was one of the most challenging assignments for me during the 10 week workshop. I am also focusing on seeing the landscape as a series of horizontal shapes, sometimes irregular and at other times symmetrical. For this image I limited my palette to raw umber, titanium white, cerulean blue and hansa yellow deep. I wanted to experiment and practice mixing more neutrals. There is not a lot of value change between the tones mixed using the acrylics in this composition. The Caran D'ache does help to add some 'brighter' bits of colour.

Day 11
4"X4"
Acrylic, Caran D'ache watercolour crayon
 & Graphite pencil on Canson Mixed media paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Ten

For today's painting I decided to start with some collage and see where it would take me. I haven't been using much collage in my work, maybe the odd piece of plain paper but not papers that have been 'decorated'. I was very fortunate to attend a workshop with Ann Bagby a few years ago. We made a lot of papers alla 'Ann' and I learned a lot about acrylics and how to glaze to get rich, rich colours and papers with lots of depth to them. I have Ann's dvd's (which are excellent) but nothing will come close to that workshop. I enjoyed using collage for this piece, it's good to change things up. I had forgotten about glazing and how rich it can make things look. Oh and I still have some of my papers from Ann's workshop - I just can't bring myself to 'tear' them up - maybe they should be framed? Have a good day and keep creating!

Day 10
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media
on Arches 140lb hot press watercolour paper

Collage papers from
Anne Bagby workshop
Acrylic on dry wax deli paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Nine

Went with a limited palette for this picture - a couple of blues and yellows, a brown and titanium white. Added some line work with Caran D'ache watercolour crayons. I started using the Caran D'ache in the early 90's. I was attending a monotype printmaking workshop with artist and instructor Jeremy Mayne (was a life altering 'art' experience for me - a post for another day!) and he used these a lot before and after printing. He showed us how to heat up the metal plate (our substrate) with a hair dryer and then draw/mark make with the crayon. We would also heat up the crayon and rub and blend them on the plate. The crayon printed beautifully. I still have one or two crayons left from my original set of 10.

If you are participating in the the challenge I hope you are finding it rewarding to be doing a painting day. Although I can't believe it is only Day 9!

Day 9
4"X4"
Acrylic, mixed media on
Arches 140lb hotpress paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Eight

Driving home from the city this week, you can see the harvest has started. A lot of the fields are hay, but there are some grain crops. Variations of yellows and greens and they seem to form horizontal lines as far as the eye can see. I am very fortunate to live in some a beautiful part of the world.

Day 8
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media
on 140lb hotpress watercolour paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Seven

Here is Day 7's offering. It is a chilly 3 degrees Celsius (37 degrees Fahrenheit) here this morning. Even though the sun is shinning I can feel the damp in my bones! Had to turn the heat on - a sure sign at our home that fall is here. This picture makes me feel a bit warmer.

Day 7
4"X4"
Acrylic & Caran D'ache watercolour crayon
on Somerset printmaking paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Six

Had to play a bit of catch up for the 30 in 30 this weekend but have gotten back on track. Struggled a bit with a couple of paintings - but on to the next. I am enjoying the challenge - great excuse to be painting and not doing the mundane day to day....you know what I'm talking about - laundry, vacuuming, dusting, dishes, etc, etc..... If you are participating in the challenge hope you are enjoying the time in your studio. 

Fall is here - although not officially. The morning air is crisp and cool and the grass is heavy with dew. The leaves are starting to change colour and fall to the ground. Mother Nature is letting us know that it is time to get things ready for the winter sleep. This is one of my favourite seasons - everything is so fresh out and the colour...well the colours are amazing. In the next few weeks it will be spectacular - as long as the wind doesn't blow too hard! This is having a big influence on my painting. The rich earth tones and the little pockets of green that refuse to give in to the change. And the skies - ever changing and spectacular.

Day 6
6"X6"
Acrylic, Caran D'ache watercolour crayons,
Derwent Inktense Pencils on
140lb rough watercolour paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Five

Over the last year my palette has changed quite a bit. This picture revisits some of the colours that were very much my go to! Magentas, purples, quin's ( 'red' and 'purple' hues). There are parts of this small painting that I think are successful and others not so much. In the past this would have bothered me a lot and I would have either painted over those parts or relegated the whole painting to the 'circular' filing cabinet! I now keep all these studies. Going back and looking at some of my rejects they actually don't look so bad. And what a great reference to have. This 30 in 30 challenge is pushing me to step out of my box, practice and grow as an artist. Happy painting to you all!

Day 5
30 in 30 Challenge
4"X4"
Acrylic, collage, Caran D'ache watercolour crayons
on Somerset printmaking paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Four

Was able to spend a bit of time outdoors yesterday and did a quick watercolour sketch. Our weather has been very wet this summer and there haven't been many opportunities to paint outdoors. I wish I had taken a 'before' scan of the painting - came home and added a few more things - the lines and making a few of the colours a bit richer using acrylic paint. Again it is all about the practice and experimenting with anything and everything!

Day 4
30 in 30 Challenge
8"X8"
Watercolour &Acrylic on 140lb coldpress
Watercolour Paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Three

Day 3 of the 30 in 30. I have a BSc in Agriculture and one of my degree requirements was to take at least one course in Soil Science. We looked at a lot of soil profiles - both in class and on field trips - lots of vertical and horizontal structures and I seem to be reflecting back on that time with these images I am creating now. I like the play between light and dark and the richness with the layering of paint. I am going back in with just an HB pencil to bring out some of what I imagine to be the 'soil structures' present  and a bit of writing as while - '...what lies beneath, so much more than just a 'simple' profile'.

Day 3
30 in 30 Challenge
8"X8"
Acrylic and pencil on BFK Rives Printmaking paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day Two

Painting #2 in the 30 in 30 Challenge. Painting more from a memory of place rather than a photo reference. I seem to be leaning more and more to this reductionist style. It is surprising though how it does capture the actual image. This is a view from my window. Loosely interpreted of course. Lots and lots of layers of paint. I am getting better at using more paint. Makes the images so much richer. Need to get braver with my mark making though! On to number 3!

Day 2
9"X9'
Acrylic on Arches 140lb hotpress paper

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day One

I have signed up for Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge for September. Yes! 30 Paintings - 1 a day for the month. Not looking for a finished piece of art (but you never know), for me it will be about the practice and making time to paint. I haven't picked a theme (some artists have), but have decided to work small (4"X4" up to 10"X10"), on any support I want and using any medium. We are moving into fall here so am thinking this will be a strong influence. If you are interested there is still lots of time to sign up. So here is my painting for Day 1.

Day 1
30 in 30 Challenge
4"X4" Acrylic on birch panel