Thirty Paintings in 30 Days Chicken Collage

Here they are.....30 of 'The Fairest Fowl'!

Learned a lot from these chickens and had fun painting them. I hope you enjoy them and congratulations on your Thirty Paintings in 30 Days!

New Work

Along with the Thirty Paintings in 30 days for September, I have been getting ready for the Bragg Creek Art Festival. A large art show and sale at the local community centre, outdoor painting events and lots of musical entertainment are all part of the week long event. 

I was finishing off some larger paintings for the show and sale - painting edges, varnishing, photographing and the list goes on. It was a great weekend for the arts in our community and always exciting to share new work at these events.

'Fall Skiff'
24"X30"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas

'Indigo Skies and Prairie Gold'
24"X24"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

'Fall at the Marsh'
20"X20"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Chickens...

Well, didn't make a chicken a day for the thirty days of September.....but, I do have thirty chickens finished October 1!

Just too much going on, but I am still excited to have '30 Fairest Fowl' to add to my collection.

Many thanks to all of you who took the time to check them out and leave a comment - your feedback is always appreciated. And to all of you who participated in the September Thirty congratulations on making time to paint.

'Sparkle'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel
Day 26

'Frizzle'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel
Day 27

'Violetta'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel
Day 28

'Henny & Penny'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel
Day 29

'Radcliffe'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel
Day 30

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 25

Say hello to the lovely Lemon!

'Lemon'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel
 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 24

'Lottie'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel
 

Maybe not the diva of the hen house, but Lottie's 'life experience' probably makes her pretty close to the wisest hen in the coop.

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 23

'Paloma'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 22

Ahhh, yes....the lovely Carmen - the diva of this flock! At least on Day 22....

'Carmen'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 21

This 'guy' has been waiting & waiting & waiting to get into the lineup. As you can see he is a bit put off, but deep down he really is just a big softy!

'Herb'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 20

A 'fashion runaway' or some of the most beautiful plumage you have ever seen. The world of exotic chickens offers endless variety that you couldn't possible make up in your wildest dreams! Delia is fashioned after a French breed of chicken known as the Mottled Houdan. Her extravagant feathering at times obscures her eyes but she doesn't mind as she feels it adds a touch of mystery to her personality.

'Delia'
5"x5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 19

I haven't said a lot about the chickens - they have presented their challenges but I am really enjoying painting them! I have been trying to vary their 'poses' and hope that it has provided some variety. Someone asked me if I was running out of ideas and the answer to that is  .....NO!! There are so many different chickens out there and so many different colour combinations to be explored - besides I think this group of 'Fairest Fowl' are enjoying their not so typical plumage. Most of all I hope you are enjoying these '30 days of Chickens'!

'Amber'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 18

Hmmm.....not quite what I had envisioned....but these 'chicks' seem to have a mind of their own!

'Sal'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 17

'Cinnamon'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Back on track with the daily painting. The chickens are great for practicing a variety of things - colour theory, underpainting, mark making, composition, design, 'practicing' drawing (never do enough of that!) .....but... they really are just fun to paint!

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 16

'Bunty'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 15

'Brown Betty'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 14

'Ming'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas
 

Lot of leftover paint from Day 13 and just couldn't let it go to waste! Limited palette but there it is - less is more. Ming was not planned just a very rough sketch on the canvas and let whimsey do the rest. Touches of 'vermillion' and soot black - materials an ancient Chinese artist might have used and perhaps a feather brush! Maybe a place of honour at an artist's table offering inspiration and encouragement.....Only Ming knows....

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 13

'Pepper'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

The next 3 weekends are going to be a bit of a crunch....3 day workshop starting tomorrow (abstracting the landscape - certainly a departure from chickens), plein aire festival next weekend and then the last weekend of September is our local art festival....lots of music, food and an art show and sale. I really have been spending too much time on the chickens and not enough on the larger pieces for the show.....I just can't help myself.....'must paint a chicken' seems to be a bit of a mantra in my studio these days.

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 12

Hmmm.....I think someone found the purple rinse.....again!

'Vi'
6"x6"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 11

.....A little barnyard gem...

'Pearl'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 10

I've been asked if I would like to have chickens.....short answer...Yes.....but after sober second thought - no. Several families in our area do raise chickens and are very successful at it. I buy my organic eggs, produced from 'real' free range chickens, that graze on greens, insects and flowers. I can pick my eggs up and get my 'chicken fix' and go home and not have to worry about feeding, cleaning and protecting against predators. But....I might be tempted if a 'Rufus' showed up on my doorstep!

'Rufus'
5"X5'
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 9

'Blanka' seems a fitting name for this little hen....

'Blanka'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 8

Have been to a couple of agricultural fairs over the years (great fun) and discovered the world of exotic chickens - they are amazing.....some a little odd, but for the most part beautiful and very unique looking birds. The inspiration for Dilly came from the Silkie breed of chickens.

'Dilly'
6"X6"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 7

I think this little chick is 'cloud gazing'.....

'Pip'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas 

Still haven't decided if I will leave the background as is and there really isn't a rush to decide. I ran out of the small birch panels and used what I had on hand. Had really planned to do all the paintings for this challenge on the small, square birch panels but things do happen for a reason.

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 6

Not your momma's 'little red hen'....

'Dixie'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 5

I think her name pretty well sums it up!

'Gabby'

5"X5"

Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days Day 4

I almost feel like I should be writing bios for these chickens......

'Albert'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 3

Still in the barnyard - check'in out the chicken coop.....

'Toots'
6"X12"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

Landscape Experiments

Trying out some new ideas and experimenting with some different approaches to landscape painting. Purchasing the canvas packs from Michaels - makes them less precious and gives more of a 'go for it' approach to painting. Not everything works but you don't know until you try!

'The fields are harvested and fall has arrived'
8"X10"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas 

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 2

Love the exotic chickens! Their feathers, the colours - no shortage of inspiration when looking at these birds!

'Rusty'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

Thirty Paintings in 30 Days - Day 1

It's here....the September thirty paintings in 30 days. Didn't think I had the time to participate but decided would be good 'practice' and 'warm-up' before working on some larger pieces..... will see how that works out?! No real plan, other than to keep them small and perhaps a month of chickens?

'Penny'
5"X5"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

Hitting My Stride

It has taken about two weeks to get back into the routine of painting. That is what I figured it would probably take and I feel like I am finding my rhythm again. September will be busy. I wasn't going to participate in Leslie Saeta's  30 Paintings in Thirty Days, but I figured I will be painting anyhow so a daily painting would be a good warmup of sorts to get me going on some larger work. Can't believe that September will be here in a couple of days!

This painting is one of the 'dailies'. Can't stop painting those dogs!

'Sadie'
8'X10"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel 

The panel was painted with a mix of manganese blue and anthraquinone - cleaning the palette - and I drew a rough sketch and started painting. Have always thought about using a black background and this was the first attempt.

Back to Painting....Again

It has been a long break from painting, posting, commenting. I needed it - was feeling overwhelmed with social media, had just finished an intense two week open studio workshop the end of June (I know.....that was months ago!!) - totally drained and not sure which direction to go with my painting. Still not completely sorted out, but gradually getting back into the routine. A one day workshop in July - 8 interpretive landscape paintings (10"X10" each) in a day! No more than 8-10 minutes for each painting, which was a good thing altho' it is still possible to 'overthink' in that short a time! A busy fall so whether I like it or not back to the easel - and it is good to be 'getting back'!

'Henry'

7"X7", acrylic mixed media on paper

'The south country is parched'

10"X7", acrylic mixed media on paper

'Ageing Gracefully'

8"X8"; acrylic mixed media on paper

'Ginger'

12"X12"; acrylic mixed media on canvas

A Trip off the Back Forty and Something New

Ah yes, the 'back forty'....we really are off the beaten track, can still see some of our neighbours homes but with an acreage we are well insulated and can choose how much interaction we want to have with others.  I am not sure if it is the spring weather but I have felt a need to connect with other artists and for me the best way to do that is in a workshop. I signed up at the spur of the moment for a one day workshop with Calgary artist Connie Geerts. I wasn't really clear about what we would be painting, I was more interested in the workshop description - I know, I know....so was a bit surprised that trees were the subject matter. Don't get me wrong I really do like trees - all that they offer to nature and what they represent but I just don't like to paint them. Remembering to keep an open mind and focus on the learning of new techniques it ended up being a lovely day. Connie works with colour - straight from the tube colour, lots of underpainting and layering, stressing variation in spacing and shape, and the use of pixelation (she worked as a video editor in a past career), lots to think about.  Not only is she a talented artist but a very giving one as well! When I returned home with my 'masterpiece' and showed my husband - his reaction was exactly what I expected. The phrase 'you painted that!?!' was repeated several times - the fact that it was readily identifiable as 'trees' and not something more abstract was the appeal. I have actually stopped asking him what he thinks about anything I paint now - but remember we are painting for ourselves....right!!

10"X20"
Acrylic on canvas

'Workshops are not about making paintings - workshops are about making progress'

                                                            Canadian artist - Brian Buckrell


On another note we have a forest fire burning (out of control) approximately 16km from our home. Seems a certain irony after spending a day painting trees to come home and find out they are burning not that far away. We are separated by a river from the burning area but are expecting high winds and unseasonably high temperatures today. We have had a few years of below average precipitation in the winters & summers so it hasn't been a matter of 'if' but 'when' a fire would occur. We are situated next to a large area of provincial recreational land - campers, off road vehicles, hikers, bikers, etc all make good use of the area and for the most part are respectful of the regulations, but unfortunately it only takes one to start a fire. Rain is in the forecast in the next few days so optimism is high. We are extremely grateful to the fire crews that are out there working in dangerous conditions to get the fire under control and protect our homes and community.

The Art of Practice

I am a convert of the practice of daily painting! Having said that - I haven't been doing the quick paint/sketch the past couple of months. I am painting but working on bigger pieces that are somewhat labour intensive and really stretching my creative 'muscles'. Don't get me wrong I enjoy working on these larger pieces but I find doing the smaller, less time consuming painting gets my creative juices flowing - 'what ifs', experimenting with colour and mark making - just so much fun, is freeing and there is no right or wrong!! This practice helps keep my larger studio work fresh and exciting. It certainly boosts the energy level that I bring to the canvas.

All of the sketches are 8 1/2"X11" and are acrylic mixed media on 90lb paper. All painted today. Not a lot of detail and not 'pretty' but I am trying to capture a feeling of freedom and energy in these studies. Something that I think has been missing from my work lately.

More Spring!

12"X12"
Acrylic mixed media
on birch panel 

Love the organic bits that start showing when the snow is melting. Mother Earth is waking up!!

Spring Fever

Spring is finally here! The snow is almost gone and whispers of green are appearing in the aspens and willows. I have spring fever (not enough of one to spring clean!) it just feels so good to be out in the sun and feeling the warmth. The birds are singing and we are seeing more of our summer wildlife residents - loons, blue herons, osprey, canada geese and ducks galore! Such a beautiful time of year.

'Spring Melt on the Prairies -
filling up the sloughs'
18"X18"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

'Tagging'

'Tagging' some canvas and birch panels today. Spray paint, stencils and masks - building up a rich surface to paint on - some of the original marks might be visible or will be painted over and more will be made as the painting process moves forward.

24"X24"
Acrylic mixed media on birch panel

16'"X20"
Acrylic mixed media on canvas

Saturday's Palette Cleaner

Purely for fun!

I remember my Grandmas and Aunties with their pearls and curls - hair tightly curled, pearls placed just so and more often than not a lovely rinse of iris blue or perhaps ultramarine violet in their hair! I just might have to add a 'rinse' to this auntie's hair. Fond memories of times past.

'Pin Curls & Pearls'
8"X8"
Acrylic mixed media on printmaking paper