Crossword

Crossword, Acrylic and Collage on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 29

Another collage. This one ties into my love of crossword puzzles. I tore up one of my crossword puzzle books and then added lots of crossword symbolism - lines, squares, grids, etc. This painting is less nuanced than the last few but it is still fun and cheerful. Learning and trying things out.

All The News...

All the News..., Collage and Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 28

The idea for today's painting started with the quote that appears on the New York Times' masthead, "All the news that's fit to print." I tore out a bunch of bits of print from my local newspaper and glued them on with gel gloss medium. Once that was dry, I started adding paint. I don't think this painting is quite as strong as yesterday's, but it has an interesting rhythm and pop. I'm enjoying this exploration of collage and abstraction, and the jumping off points are a hoot. I see a word or quote and I'm off - what fun!

Hot Rides

Hot Rides, Collage and Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 27

Another collage. This started with a bunch of photos of old cars in the local newspaper that ran with the title, "Hot Day for Hot Rides." I used parts of the car photos and the Hot Rides header and went from there. In the end, the cars were less important than the wonderful colors and shapes. I like it.

Calendar

Calendar, Acrylic and Collage on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 26

Something totally different today. This is a collage. I used bits of newspaper for the some of the words and numbers. I added the black lines to form the grid we are all familiar with when we think of calendars. Then splattering and areas of color, then more lines on top of that. Lots of fun. I can see where more time to think through the elements would result in a stronger composition, but I also like the spontaneity and randomness that results from not over-thinking things.

Geranium in the Spotlight

Geranium in the Spotlight, Acrylic on Crescent Board, 10"x10", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 24

Another attempt at making this idea work. I love splattering and stamping (I took a workshop earlier this year that used these techniques), and generally letting the paint make interesting and unexpected passages and shapes. I am still figuring out what to do with this beyond just creating a silhouette to define the subject. So, in my mind, this painting is unfinished until I figure out what else I want to do. My guess is that there is a lot more that I can do to increase the impact of this painting. But for now, this is as far as I've gotten.

Whimsical Cyclamens

Whimsical Cyclamens, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 23

Play day today! Random paint and splashes, then a fine brush with black paint to make the drawing, then a neutral background. Lots of fun.

Wetland Trees

Wetland Trees, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 22

Trying something a bit different here. We live close to Lake Champlain in northern Vermont. As with many large lakes, there are significant expanses of swamps and wetlands along the edges of the lake. So you can see through clumps of trees and grasses to areas of open water and, frequently, a line of islands or the far shore beyond - it is visually complex and endlessly fascinating. This painting is a very, very simplified view of this landscape.

Autumn Trees

Autumn Trees, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 20

Fall foliage - it's almost here. A tree or two, here and there, has started to turn, but mostly we're still enjoying the last of summer. This is not one of my favorite paintings - I noticed that I appear to have ranked the trees by size after I was done and had taken the photo. It's amazing how different a painting looks on the computer screen. So I may revisit this one after the challenge is over, or I may just sand it down and start over. Anyway, we're two thirds of the way through the 30 Day Challenge, and I'm still happy with my decision to go for it once again.

Winter Trio

Winter Trio, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $125

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 19

I took another go at the clump of trees. I left out a couple of the small background trees that I thought detracted from the overall composition. The colors in the bark of the trees is a bit more muted in this painting - another day, a different mix on the palette knife.

Snowy Trees

Snowy Trees, Acrylilc on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $100

30 paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 18

Back to landscapes today - and a preview of winter. When the leaves have fallen and with snow as a backdrop, the textures and colors of the tree trunks are on full display.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen, Acryllic on Watercolor paper, 6.5"x6.5", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 17

I engaged in a little cheating today - I made this painting a few weeks ago when I was experimenting with stamping and splattering, and negative space. A few of the lines are a bit heavy here, but otherwise a fun piece.

Pear - Autumn Colors

Pear in Autumn Colors, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 16

I am ambivalent about this painting - I like the pear, I think, but I'm not crazy about the foreground and background. Still, this is it for today - Fridays are errand days and I didn't have much time for painting today.

Cantaloupe on Green

Cantaloupe on Green, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $100

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 15

Half way there! In this painting, I wanted to try a different color combination to see how well the orange slices would pop. These greens and blues make a really good contrast to the oranges in the melon slices, in both temperature and value.

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Cantaloupe

Cantaloupe, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $100

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 14

Now we're making progress! I did this painting with my trusty palette knife and I like what I got a lot better than the previous attempts. For such simple shapes, painting this amazingly difficult. I expect to try another one with the intention of making it more impressionistic - we'll see how that goes.

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Cantaloupe for Two

Cantaloupe for Two, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 13

Another stab at the cantaloupe. I think I got the idea of the melon, but the plate with its shadows and edges is a bit harder. Also, I'm not in love with the paint application  - too flat. I obviously have more work to do if I want to be proficient at this sort of painting. Maybe I'll go back in with a palette knife after the challenge is done  - it will be interesting to see what happens if I add texture and lost edges.

This is a melon that grew in my garden. It is actually a volunteer that came up among the types I chose to plant and, amazingly, it tasted really good. Maybe the commercial melons are planted in such large single crop plantings that their seeds actually produce good melons rather than melon-squash-cucumber mixes with tough flesh and no flavor. Anyway, this one was excellent.

Cantaloupe Slices

Cantaloupe Slices, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 12

Something different today. After waiting all summer, my cantaloupe melons decided to ripen this week - all at once. We went from buying them at the farmer's market to having six in our refrigerator overnight. Obviously, I had to paint one. I haven't figured out how to do that yet, though, so this is the "figuring out what they look like" painting (and therefore, not for sale.)

Change of Season

Change of Season, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $125

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 10

A change of pace - and season - today. I am still exploring trees, using a palette knife, and generally trying to allow myself the latitude to play with the paint to see what happens. I love the way the trees change color here in the Fall. The impact is actually higher when there are fewer leaves so sometimes the biggest "wow!" moments are when you come upon a single branch or small group of trees in full color when all around them is gray. This painting, although about the foliage, is also about the patterns of the trunks and the "feel" of the bark.

To purchase this painting, please click on the Daily Paintworks icon at right.

Lily Pond

Lily Pond, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 9

It's late and I'm behind. I started this painting this morning and only just finished it. I have to admit that I really don't like it. I didn't get the sense of depth and light that I wanted. Tomorrow's another day.

Moonlit Trees

Moonlit Trees, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $125

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 8

As promised, I added trees to this moonlit scene. I like the effect. The bare foreground trees push the spruce stands back and help create a visual path around the painting. As a note, the spruces and reflections on the left have a bit more green in them than is apparent in the photo. I have a really hard time getting the truly dark greens to look green instead of just blue.

To purchase this painting, please go to Daily Paintworks (icon at right.)

Moonlit Pond

Moonlit Pond, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", $75

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - Day 7

This is a quick study of nighttime reflections on a still pond. I used two rows of spruces to create the background. I like the effect. I may try this one again with some ghostly snags standing in the water to see how that changes the perception of distance and light.

To purchase this painting, please click on the Daily Paintworks icon at right.

Late Day Reflections

Late Day Reflections, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", $125

Day 6 of the 30 paintings in 30 Days Challenge

I love this painting! I used the one from the other day as a starting point. And, actually, I made some changes to that one which I am showing below (it is much better now that the ambiguity in the tree trunks has been resolved.) This painting is darker but the reflections are richer and the dead trees have more pizzazz.

Here's the other painting:

Autumn Pond, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", $75

To purchase either of these paintings, please click on the Daily Paintworks icon at right.

Party Line

Party Line, Acrylic on Crescent Board, 4"x6.5", NFS

Day 5 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Just a quick study today. I wanted to capture the flying party that the barn swallows engage in just before they migrate. With their young grown and gone, they have the time to catch up with what's been happening in the 'hood. They sit on the wires in small groups and chitter and preen. In another week or two, they will be gone until next year.

Autumn Pond

Autumn Pond, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", $75

Day 4 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

I have always been fascinated by the reflections in beaver ponds and other partially overgrown bodies of water. I like the way shapes are broken up and the colors become deeper and richer viewed in the water. In the autumn, this effect is enhanced by the colors of the foliage and grasses. So here's a first attempt at capturing that magic. I am sure to revisit this.

To purchase this painting, please click on the Daily Paintworks icon at right.

Swamp Spruce

Swamp Spruce, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", NFS

Day 3 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

I am trying to push the envelope (for me) on the level of abstraction to find the point between representational and abstraction that gives enough information about the scene without totally defining it. I have been playing with this idea for a while, making progress in fits and starts.

Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce, Acrylic on Crescent Board, 6"x10", $125

Day 2 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

This painting is one I started quite a while ago and never figured out how to finish. This time, I looked at it and saw a possibility, so I went for it. When I began I envisioned canning jars with an assortment of fresh vegies arrayed in front of them. I think I was trying to do too many things and it didn't really work. I decided that I really just liked the jars, so I eliminated all of the extraneous stuff and just let the painting be about the jars.  The foreground and the jar lids are a bit greener than the photo shows.

To purchase this painting, please click on the Daily Paintworks icon at right.

Late Summer Sunflower

Late Summer Sunflower, Acrylic on Watercolor Paper, 6.5"x6.5", $75

Day 1 - 30 paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Time for another 30 Day Challenge. I have been playing hookey for most of the summer, so this painting is a little rough around the edges. I also haven't gotten my act together on the theme question, so I am winging it until I think of something.

This painting started out as a random pattern of colors on a piece of gessoed watercolor paper. Once it was dry, I drew the sunflower using black paint. Then I painted using a palette knife and a squeegee. I basically like how it came out - it is interesting and not too stiff.

To purchase this painting, please click on the Daily Paintworks icon at right.