Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Sunflower #27

Sunflower #27, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 10"x9", NFS
Day 30 of the Challenge.  I made it!  This is the last sunflower for a bit although I do plan to go back to some of the ones I did to see what I can do to them to make them better.  There's nothing better than a little time and a fresh look to find ways to improve things.

A big thank you to everyone that followed my journey.  I think I learned a lot and some of what I learned will surely find its way into upcoming work. 

Monday, September 29, 2014

Sunflower #26

Sunflower #26, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 10"x9", NFS
Day 29 of the 30 Day Challenge.  Today I tried Julie Ford Oliver's idea for spurring creativity (look for her post here.)  It's a great idea but obviously requires a bit of practice to get to work really well.  This is my second attempt today - the first one went in the trash.  This one worked reasonably well but I think it would have worked better if I had made the value pattern a bit lighter - the one I made overwhelmed the subsequent layers of paint.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Sunflower #25

Sunflower #25, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x8", $150
Day 28 of the 30 Day Challenge.  I took another shot at this composition but used a palette knife this time. I like this rendition quite a lot. 

Two more days of the challenge and then a short break. I am finding September to be a lot harder than January for a 30 day challenge, although life intervenes in January, too. 

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Sunflower #24

Sunflower #24, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x8", NFS
Day 27 of the 30 Day Challenge.  Almost there.  In this painting I thought that a different aspect ratio might help with the composition, and I think it does. But I clearly haven't thought through all of the parts of the concept.  So I am putting this aside until after the challenge when I will have a bit more time to think about options and how they might affect the overall result.


Friday, September 26, 2014

Sunflower #23

Sunflower #23, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 10"x9", NFS
Day 26 of the 30 Day Challenge.  This painting isn't as fresh as the last one but the composition is better. Maybe I can combine the two attributes in the next one. I'm enjoying the looseness of the look of this paintings even as I curse the unforgiving nature of the technique, although I have to admit to using some gesso to give me a little more flexibility.

I've been in crazy mode this week - contractors are coming to install some new windows early next week and since it is too late in the year to paint windows once they're installed, I have been doing them in the cellar. I'm sure you're familiar with the drill - tape, prime, paint the first coat, paint the second coat, remove tape, scrape paint off glass - very time consuming. Then I have to clear out the flower gardens under the windows to give the contractors access to some bare ground for their ladders. The result is great looking windows but no painting yesterday.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Sunflower #22

Sunflower #22, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 10"x9", NFS
Day 24 of the Thirty Day Challenge.  I like this painting for its looseness and energy.  Plus it's just plain fun - fun to do and fun to look at. It does have some compositional and execution problems though.  So I plan to revisit this idea again.  To get the color effects I used more of a watercolor approach to applying the color. It's very transparent, so no room for rethinking anything.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Sunflower #21

Sunflower #21, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 7"x14", $100
Day 23 of the 30 Day Challenge. I'm a little low on time and energy today, so I went for something simple and cheery.  Tomorrow I'll go back to experimentation.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will find yourself on the 30 Day Challenge page on my web site.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Sunflower #20

Sunflower #20, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x7", NFS
Day 22 of the 30 Day Challenge.  Today I started off with the idea of just playing off the center of the sunflower. As I was working this emerged - instead of petals, I got the sepals of the dead flower head.  I will probably revisit this painting after the challenge is over to make some tweaks. Nevertheless, I like what I got and I think I will do some more with the seed heads. Since we got a frost earlier in the week, we have lots of them.



Sunday, September 21, 2014

Sunflower #19

Sunflower #19, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 10"x9", NFS
Day 21 of the 30 Day Challenge.  Today I decided to try to push the abstraction.  I like how this turned out but I know that I can do better so I plan to try again. I'm still trying to get at the essence of "sunflower" without actually having to draw it out.  For me, this seems to be a really hard thing to capture.

Because this painting isn't quite where I want it to be, it is not for sale. 

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Sunflower #18

Sunflower #18, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x7", $150
Day 20 of the Thirty Day Challenge.  I am still trying to push myself to go more abstract.  The main part of the challenge is over-riding my discomfort with the results I get.  Ironically, a lot of the time I like what I've done when I look at it later. It's during the doing that I have my doubts.  That said, I still think I want to push further to see how much more I can do with the sunflowers as I strip more of the realness from them. I have to say I like what happened in this painting which leads me to think that I have more room to move yet.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will find yourself on the Thirty Day Challenge page of my web site. 

Friday, September 19, 2014

Sunflower #17

Sunflower #17, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 10"x9", $100
Day 19 of the Thirty Day Challenge.  Today I went back in for a close-up.  I used a palette knife to apply shades of yellow and orange in an interesting shape, then added the center to make it into a sunflower.  I'd still like to go more abstract; maybe I'll see how far that can go tomorrow.  The only way to find out is to try it.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will be switched to my web site which has all of the Thirty Day Challenge paintings as well as many others.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Sunflower #16

Sunflower #16, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 13.5"x7", $150
Day 18 of the Thirty Day Challenge.  Progress is being made! Yesterday I felt like I was in the third day of a five-day workshop when you are so overwhelmed and frustrated that you sit there berating yourself for having spent all that money to attend when you were so obviously unqualified to be there.  Things looked a lot better this morning. I decided that I was attempting to do too many things at once and it was time to back up a little, take a deep breath, and take a fresh look at what was working and what was not.  I decided I really like what is happening with the sunset, so I took another shot at that.  I also like the idea of the tall sunflowers against the vibrant sky, so I kept that, too. I still need to do more work on the lines and how they are used.  All in all, this is a fun painting.  So I'm declaring victory and moving on.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will be transported to my web site to make your purchase.  You can also find cards and prints and other paintings there.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Sunflower #15

Sunflower #15, Acrylic on Paper, 8.5"x6.5", NFS
OK. Getting a little stressed here.  I am counting this as number 15 in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  It is the part of what I did today that can be considered kind of presentable.  I have a concept I am trying to get and elements of it are working, but I got in a pickle and just started applying paint - a very bad idea.  Ordinarily when I get stuck like this, I put the painting away for a few days while I work out the solutions in my head.  Tomorrow I will try again.  And just so you can see what happens, here is the entire piece.


 

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Sunflower #14

Sunflower #14, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14"x8", NFS
Continuing on my exploration of the intersection of abstraction and representational painting.  In this painting, I created a sunset using a square brush making sure that the colors extended to all areas of the paper -orange in blue and green, and vice versa.  Then, I added the sunflower design in black lines , filling some of them afterwards.  I like the effect.  I do have to do some more work on this concept - I didn't get the silhouetted flowers quite the way I wanted them, nor the light struck ones.  Overall, though, the concept worked.

Because I am not completely happy with the craftsmanship on this one, this painting is not for sale.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Sunflower #13

Sunflower #13, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x8", $250
Day 14 of the 30 Day Challenge.  I decided to go for a bunch of flowers this time.  I wanted to give them a loose and kind of wild appearance and I didn't want to get too fussy about the petals and such.  I think I got that.  A happy painting on a gray, gloomy day.

To purchase this painting, please click here.  You will find yourself on my web site where you can make your purchase.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Sunflower #11 and Sunflower #12

Sunflower #11, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 8"x8", $100
Day 13 of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge. It's been a little crazy around here, so I didn't get a painting done yesterday.  This painting is a little more conventional than the last few (I'm planning to return to pushing the boundaries tomorrow.)  I used a photo of one of our multi-branched wonders growing out in the garden.  We had a lot of wind in the last few days and our nine-footer lost a lot of branches and flowers. They're pretty brittle; it doesn't take much for a large branch or a cluster of flowers to break off.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will be transported to my web site which is set up to handle sales.

The following painting constitutes a catch-up painting for the one I missed yesterday.  Since I don't regard it as one of my better pieces, it is not for sale.
Sunflower #12, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6"x8", NFS

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Sunflower #10

Sunflower #10, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x14.5", $350
Day 11 of the Thirty Day Challenge.  This painting is all about shape, color and mood.  I wanted to go almost entirely abstract without losing the idea of a sunflower.  Instead of starting with the center, I began by creating the patterns and color around the sides.  Then after adding the yellow sunflower form, I went back in and broke up the edges to integrate the two areas a bit.  Lots of fun.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will be transported to my web site which is set up to handle sales. 

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Sunflower #9

Sunflower #9, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x14.5", NFS
Day 10 of the Thirty Day Challenge.  In this painting, I started with the idea of identifying what exactly says "sunflower" to me. I decided that in my mind's eye a sunflower is large, has a big, brown middle, and has yellow petals.  So I set out to do that.  I will probably revisit this painting after the challenge is over, but this is a good start.

This painting is not for sale at this time, but I may have other paintings you might like.  Please see my web site or Daily Paintworks Gallery for more options.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Sunflower #8

Sunflower #8, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14"x8", $250
Day 9 of the 30 Day Challenge.  Sharp observers will note that I just skipped a day.  I spent the day yesterday helping hang an art exhibit at the Bryan Gallery in Jeffersonville, VT.  A group of volunteers, including yours truly, put up about 100 paintings for the Land and Light and Water and Air Juried Show.  If you are in the area, stop in and see the exhibit. It was definitely worth skipping a day of the challenge for.

This painting is an attempt to capture the deep reds of the Moulin Rouge sunflowers in my garden. I actually started this painting on Sunday in an effort to work ahead a little bit (that would have covered yesterday's trip to the gallery), but it didn't cooperate.  I painted an abstract pattern and started adding the sunflower over it.  I didn't like what I had so I took the squeegee to it and wiped it out.  At that point, I had a great big orange-red smear down the center of the sheet of paper.  I left it overnight and went back to it Monday morning before heading to the gallery. As I was working I realized what I wanted to do with this piece - the center of the flower is what identifies it as a sunflower; the rest can be abstract. This morning I was ready to tackle that realization.  The result is a fairly abstract flower with a well-defined center.  I expect to keep working on this concept as the month progresses.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will be transported to my web site which is set up to handle electronic sales.  Please note that the reds are a little darker and more orange in the original; the camera has a hard time handling some colors.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Sunflower #7

Sunflower #7, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 8"x14", $100
Day seven of the 30 Day Challenge.  In this painting, I just went with the lines. I put a transparent acrylic wash on gessoed watercolor paper and then drew the sunflower with black paint using a round brush. I like the textures and sense of form that can be achieved through lines - I guess it appeals to the engineer in me.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will be transported to my web site.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Sunflower #6

Sunflower #6, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x8", $100
Day six of the 30 Day Challenge.  A little whimsy today.  I've been wanting to play with lines and dots and flowers and whatever.  It is surprisingly difficult to make a good composition out of something like this. And where do you stop with the dots and lines and stuff?  So, not a bad effort for a first try.  Definitely something to revisit, maybe even tomorrow.

To purchase this painting, please click here.  You will find yourself on my web site.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Sunflower #5

Sunflower #5, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x8", $100
Day five of the 30 Day Challenge.Another experiment using lines and pattern.  I'm not sure I like this one as well as some of my other attempts, although I got some good elements.  That just means more work is needed - and some fresh thinking.  In this painting, I used the squeegee for texture, lines to create the actual objects (leaves and flowers) from the abstract areas of color, and small random elements inspired by the work of Britt Freda (just to see what they would look like.)

To purchase this painting, please click here.  You will be transported to my website which is set up to handle sales.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Sunflower #4

Sunflower #4, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x7", $150
Day four of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I'm still exploring ways to capture the beauty of the sunflowers in my garden.  In this painting, I used Julie Ford Oliver's fracturing technique.  I made good use of my squeegee and painting knives, creating a broken pattern of color all over before zeroing in on the flower itself.

To purchase this painting, please click here.  You will be transported to my website which is set up to handle sales.

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Sunflower #3


Sunflower#3, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 10"x9", $100
Day three of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I almost blew it yesterday.  I was working on a new sunflower painting and got myself hopelessly lost in the weeds.  I found myself carefully painting every single petal and sepal of my chosen flower - exactly what I do not want to do.  So I threw that painting in the trash and started over.  I want to explore the boundaries between abstraction and realism.  This is a much better effort in that direction.  I'm trying to find the essence of "Sunflower"; what is needed and what is not.  Once I figure that out, I can go to the next step.

To purchase this painting, please click here.  You will be transported to the September 2014 30 Day Challenge page on my website which is set up to do sales transactions.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Sunflower #2

Sunflower #2, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x6.75", $250
Day two of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  In this painting, I used the drawing that I used yesterday and applied a lot of color to it.  I wanted to see what would happen if I put random patches (OK.  They're not totally random.) of color and then used black lines to pull out the form of the flower.  Pretty cool.

To purchase this painting, please click here. You will be transported to my web site which is set up to do sales.  

Monday, September 1, 2014

Sunflower #1

Sunflower #1, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 14.5"x6.75", $100
Day one of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.When I am exploring a new subject (or any subject, really), I generally start with drawings and a study or two to familiarize myself with the the shapes and colors of the object(s). I started making drawings of sunflowers a couple of weeks ago in preparation for the challenge.  This study attempts to capture the "real" colors of a sunflower from my garden.

To purchase this painting, please click here - you will be transported to the September 2014 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge page on my web site.