Study in Blue

Study in Blue, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $195

In this painting, I decided to try a different palette.  I like the impact of the cool blues in the shadows and the bright white in the light.  I struggled with the photograph, though; I had a lot of trouble getting the blues right (in the actual painting, the foreground has a slight greenish tint to the blue, and the highlighted side of the front garlic has more nuance in the colors.) 

Today is Day 7 in the 30 in 30 Challenge.  I am getting into making a painting each day, although I admit that I almost hit the panic button yesterday afternoon when I was trying to decide what to do next.  I am learning a lot about paint handling, color choices, and composition, so that is definitely a good thing.

To purchase this painting, please go to the 30 in 30 Challenge page on my website.

This Way and That

This Way and That, Acrylic on Gessoboard, 6"x6", $195

Another garlic painting.  I am "working the composition."  The idea is to experiment with the arrangement of the bulbs, the lighting, the aspect ratio of the substrate (length vs.width), and the colors to find the most interesting compositions.  I like this arrangement, but I think I might try it again with the front bulb more to the right so that more of the rear bulb shows. There's always more to learn.

Today is Day Six of the 30 in 30 Challenge.  Doing the challenge forces me to paint every single day.  I generally paint most days, but I don't always finish what I'm working on, so the challenge is shaking up my habits a bit.  Needing to finish something every day also means revisiting subjects or even working in a series because it takes too much time to create an entirely new design with new subject matter every day. So, this month, I will probably be doing quite a few garlic paintings although I expect to intersperse them with other stuff (like abstracts.)   

To purchase, please go to the 30 in 30 Challenge page on my website.

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice, Acrylic on Paper, 9"x10", $250

Abstract today.  I have been trying my hand at abstraction.  In this one, I started with a red-orange under-painting, and after it was dry, I used a palette knife to add the blues and grays allowing some skipping to show the red underneath.  Then I used a squeegee to lift patterns out of the top layer, exposing the reds and oranges.  The final step was to add more oranges and reds to some of the curved patterns to make them pop a bit more.  What a lot of fun.  The hardest parts are trusting my intuition on the composition and knowing when to stop. 

Day five of the 30 in 30 Challenge.  Even at this early stage, I am finding it challenging - I guess that's part of the point, isn't it?  Yesterday, I was prowling around the studio trying to figure out what to paint next, knowing the clock was ticking.  

To purchase, please go to the 30 in 30 Challenge page on my website.

Purple Medley

Purple Medley, Acrylic on Paper, 9"x10", $250

Day Four.  This is another of my experiments with color, shadow, and composition.  I used all purples, pinks, and blues on this one.  The hardest part was getting the photo right.

To purchase, please go to the 30 in 30 Challenge page on my website.  

Hot Garlic

Hot Garlic, Acrylic on Paper, 9"x10", $350

I have been experimenting with setting up a still life in a box lined in white  I use a really bright lamp to get strong shadows.  Then I introduce various backgrounds and bottom colors to see what happens.  In this painting, I set up garlic on a creamy colored paper with a hot orange-red background. Then I moved the light to create really dramatic shadows.  I like the effect.  

Day three of the Challenge.  So far, so good.  I started out this challenge by working ahead.  I find that works better for me than trying to catch up once I have fallen behind.

To purchase this painting, please go to the 30 in 30 Challenge page on my web site.

Gone South

Gone South, Acrylic on Paper, 10"x9", $150

A few years back, my husband and I were out on a hike in late autumn and discovered a bird's nest in a shrub filled with red berries.  The birds were long gone.  I don't know if the berries just fell into the nest or if some enterprising rodent decided the nest was a wonderful storage place for a winter cache.

Today is day two of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  To see the works of the other people doing the challenge, see Leslie Saeta's Slices of Life Blog.

To purchase this painting, please go to the 30 in 30 Challenge page on my website.

Make it Red

Make it Red, Acrylic on Paper, 10"x9", $250

Happy New Year!  It is day one of Leslie Saeta's new 30 in 30 Challenge. In this challenge, those of us who have signed up attempt to paint 30 paintings in 30 days during the month of January.  I decided to sign up in spite of my dismal performance in the last one I tried back in September - I figured there was no where to go but up.  

This is my first painting of the new year.  I am working on integrating abstraction into my paintings.  So, on some works I am starting with something representational and adding abstract elements; on others, I am starting with pure abstraction and adding representational elements.  In this one, I just went for a purely abstract design. 

To purchase:  If you would like to purchase this painting, go to the 30 in 30 Challenge  page on my website.