30 Paintings in 30 Days--Can a Busy Person Do this Challenge?

Acrylic with a Palette Knife, 8x10"

This post is for all artists out there, especially the particularly busy artists wondering if they can possibly participate in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta.  I have participated in all but one of the Challenges, and I have a full-time job.

 I am recycling an old post, below, that was originally entitled, "How to do the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge When You Also Have a Full-Time Job."  I am also recycling the above painting, because it is one of my favorites, and I never would have been painted it had it not been for the 30 in 30.  OK, here it is, the recycled post (and I'm doing this because some of my artist friends have expressed anticipating stress, and, oh do I know that feeling!).

From September 2014:

 "Someone asked me in a comment how I am managing to do this challenge with a full-time job.  Here's my tips, some practical, some about attitude:

1) Above all, focus on having fun.  I never would have joined the first 30 in 30 (I've done all 4) if Leslie had not said, "the only rule is to have fun."  I can live with a rule like that.

2)  From the very start, let go of any expectation that you will complete 30 paintings.  Don't expect that of yourself, don't intend for it, and don't try for it.  In other words, do not set yourself up to feel bad about yourself in any way.  And do not set yourself up to spend a month creating paintings you're going to feel crappy about.  Let go, paint as much as you can, post when you can.

3)  In the end, be proud that you painted more paintings than you would have had you not taken on this challenge.  And remember the other benefits:  you will learn, you will see lots of great art, you may develop new artist friends, and you may discover new favorite artists (I already have!).

4)  My new method is to hit the studio and do a few starts.  Loose ones, with no intention of taking them to completion.  Then over the next few days, I can choose one to work on.  Or work some on more than one.  Again, no pressure to complete anything!  Don't ruin your love for painting or your particular painting over anything external to yourself...it truly is not necessary to post to your blog or Leslie's blog everyday, especially if the pressure is making you unhappy.  Be happy and enjoy yourselves, artist friends!

5)  Frankly, I am losing sleep over this challenge, but that is when I am becoming engrossed in a painting and energized to stay up to complete it.  I am NOT losing any sleep over completing a painting in order to make a quota.  

If I think of any other tips, I will let you know in future posts.

Thanks for Watching!  Take good care of yourselves, everyone.  I think that's the main thing I am trying to say...."

Back to the present:  Thank  you to my artist-blogger friends who responded to my question yesterday asking who is planning to participate.

Again, I ask, "Who else?!"

Looking Forward to 30 Paintings in 30 Days

SOLD this month to a good friend. Thanks!     (Acrylic with Palette Knife, 10x10")

This one was painted the summer before this past one.  I sat in a cemetery near my house, probably with a dog, and painted the view across the road.  I paint there often, but I remember this time well, from looking at this painting.

I am posting this painting because I paint more than I post, and I want this painting to be a reminder to me to post, don't just paint!  With the 30 Paintings in 30 Days coming up, I want to get more into the habit of posting to my blog and DPW.  I don't know if I ever posted this one to my blog, but I am quite sure I never posted it for sale on DPW.

30 Paintings in 30 Days begins January 1, and I would like to ask my artist friends if they are participating.  I have a new local artist friend who is going to be joining us.  At last check, she did not yet have a blog, but I am sure she will have one by the time the challenge starts.  I am sure my online art buddy Carol will be there.  I don't think she has missed one yet.  

Who else?

My goals for this Challenge are simple--I will be using acrylics and oil pastels and I will be experimenting with techniques I have in mind for both.  I will be making life a little easier for myself by allowing myself to use photos from Paint My Photo.  Up till now, I haven't wanted to use other peoples' photos for reference, but I am finding it liberating.

One reminder--I always say I am "along for the ride."  I have no intention or expectation of painting a full 30.  Between having a full-time job and other consuming (art related) projects I am focused on, I am not going to put that kind of pressure on myself. 

The idea is to get into the studio more, experiment, and have fun!  No pressure, including no pressure on myself to paint a certain number.  

The other intentions I always have for myself are to meet new artists, see great art and to be a cheerleader for friends, old and new, who are participating!

Best wishes, everyone...

Using Photos by Other People as a Springboard for Painting Looser

"Night Light"

Acrylic, 6x6"

Bid in the DPW Auction

Loosening up and finding freedom in using a photo supplied by someone else.  

I always thought it was the wrong way for me to go to paint from a photo I didn't take myself.  How much fun I was missing out on!  It's a change of mindset for some reason--I feel less concerned about re-creating what I see and far more interested in using the image as a springboard to explore certain elements of art.

I extend my thanks to Viacheslav on Paint My Photo for the reference photo which was the inspiration for this painting. What an amazing feeling to paint from a photo provided by a photographer in Moscow!  Since I opened my mind to other peoples' photos, the world is literally opening up for me...

When a Painting Style Evolves

"Do You See What I See?"

Acrylic, 6x6"

Bid in the DPW Auction

Opening Bid $45

This painting was inspired by a photo by Mark Muir on the Paint my Photo site.  Until recently, I have painted from life and from my own photos.  They say that an artist should paint from their own photos, because without direct experience of the subject matter, the artist cannot have a genuine emotional reaction to the reference.  Perhaps...  

However, I found it very liberating to paint from a photo someone else created.  I was able to focus on color, form, effect, without being so tied into what was "real."  I was able to play with my materials and bring something out from within me that may not have been possible had I been having a genuine emotional reaction to my own reference photo :D

Beginning January 1, Leslie Saeta will be hosting another 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I believe I am in!  I want to continue to explore this new way of working.  I'm interested to know which of my artists friends are joining in, too...

And, as an aside, a very Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother!! 

Blue Ridge Fine Arts Guild Exhibit, "Renaissance of the Family Farm"

"Hearts Wide Open," Acrylic, 12 x 12"

$425 framed (plus shipping)
Contact Me Here for Purchase

This painting is in a group show with the Blue Ridge Fine Arts Guild.  The show is at the Design Gallery in Burnsville, NC until August 31.  If you can get to the show, there are some amazing paintings there.  The opening was last night, and it was quite well attended.

The show is called the Renaissance of the Family Farm.  Twenty one artists are participating, and we were each challenged to visit local farms and paint something that spoke to the essence of the farm.

I owe a huge thanks to Kate and Kevin Lane of Homemade in Marshall for opening their farm and family to me!

Here's the painting framed:

Thanks for Watching!

"Emerging" Acrylic Painting

Acrylic, 6x8"

$95 plus shipping

Purchase Here

If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you may have seen this painting before, because I have posted it before, I think in November.   It's making an appearance again because I decided to sell it through Daily Paintworks.

Is everybody digging out?  I couldn't resist the temptation to post a reminder of warmer, steamier days ahead!   I actually think artists around the blogosphere are beginning to feel the same way.  I was delighted to receive a notification from a new artist friend, Patricia Powers, who posted a painting of a surfer, probably just as I was writing these words about trying to remind us all of warmer days via this painting!  Gotta love it! (P.S. to my Mom and sisters, don't you just LOVE her blog name???  Check it out!)

"Impression: Winter" Acrylic Palette Knife Painting

Acrylic with Palette Knife, 6x6"

$55 opening bid

Place Bid Here

I wasn't planning on blogging tonight, because I have a headache, but my poor mother has been marooned for weeks in her home in the Northeast and is bored to tears, so I had to post a painting for  her.  However, I am afraid this painting isn't going to be much help chasing the winter blues away!

I couldn't resist painting my reaction to winter as opposed to a view of an actual winter scene.  As with the last post, this painting was created with no reference, just my emotion to guide me!  Brrrrrr.....!

My mantra these days seems to be "all is calm, all is bright," and I hope the same for all of you.

Thanks for looking!

"Lone Tree" Soft Pastel ACEO

Soft Pastel, 2.5x3.5"

Purchase Here

In December, I did a number of soft pastel paintings, and I will call them soft pastel paintings to differentiate them from the oil pastel paintings I did in January during the 30 in 30.  For those who don't know, soft pastel means the dusty kind.  And most soft pastel artists just refer to them as pastels. 

This tree was painted from my imagination, which makes me very happy!  And my Finale! painting from the 30 in 30 sold in a DPW auction, which was really fun, so I am putting this one up for auction, as well.

Thanks for Watching...

30 Paintings in January 2015 - Collage, Completed by a Great Friend!

Thank you, dear friend

I want to thank my dear friend, Carol Edan, who actually took on the challenge of creating my collage for me after she had already done two of her own, one for her 30 in 30 paintings and one for her reference photos.  You can see her collages on her blog.

Carol knew I wasn't planning to make a collage this time.  I just felt I had put enough time into the challenge and now it was time to clean the house and focus on family.  Carol and I have met only via our cyber art world; in fact, she lives in Israel...but she is a  constant support to me, and I just loved the art she created this past 30 days.  She did scenes from a spa she goes to and used a form of artist crayons (Neocolor I Wax Pastels to be precise--different than my oil pastels) as her medium.  Check her out and say hello!

Where Does this Blog go from Here?

My last post was my "Celebrate" and "Congratulations" post, so for this one, I want to address where do I go from here.

I am feeling much more committed to regular blogging than before this challenge, so you will be hearing from me on a regular basis.  Probably not daily though :-)  But at least weekly.

I will start with showing you the soft pastel paintings that I did in December and never blogged about.  Meanwhile, I want to take what I have learned with the oil pastels and expand upon it.  For one, I will be painting more oil pastel paintings.  Secondly, I want to see how concepts I taught myself with the Oil Pastels can be applied to acrylic painting.

 Artistic Freedom

I have also made a wholehearted commitment to myself that I will not pigeon-hole myself or put myself in a box with my art. An artist is "supposed to" create one cohesive, identifiable style.  So, I'm going to be going against the grain for awhile; there is a shift happening.

I will create what I feel inspired to create each day, even if I'm working in various "styles."  It's all still me.  Perhaps I will eventually settle back down to use one medium, one subject matter, or one "look," but I am not seeking that kind of self-definition unless it just happens.

I stated at the beginning of this 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge that my theme was "Artistic Freedom." I did not foresee, but I know now, that once you grant yourself that kind of Freedom, you never want to let it go!

Lots is brewing around in my mind...I am off to the studio today and hope you are following your heart, too, wherever it may lead.

"Finale!" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in 2015

Oil Pastel, 2.5 x 3.5"

SOLD (thank you!)

Celebrate!

Congratulations, everyone!  We made it!!  Time to celebrate!!  Clean our houses!  Renew our connections with our loved ones!

Thank you for being such an important part of my month.  If you are reading this, I absolutely include you in my thanks, even if this is your first visit to my blog.  I appreciate every single person who comes here, artist or art-appreciator, whether you ever let me know you are here Watching or not.

 I want all the artists in the group to know that I have been so uplifted and inspired by seeing your amazing art each day and so honored to have met some of you through our mutual blogs.  I do hope we keep in touch.

And special thanks to Leslie Saeta for convening this challenging and motivating us every step of the way!

Note About the Auction

I haven't used the DPW auctions much, so I thought it would be fun to do something different for my Finale! Painting.  If you want to bid, just click on the link directly below the painting at the top of this page :-)  You will be taken to the auction page on Daily Paintworks.

The auction will end on Tuesday, February 3, and if I have arranged things as intended, it will not re-list if there are no bids by the end of the auction.  If the painting doesn't sell at auction, I am going to put it On Reserve--meaning, it will not be available immediately for sale with a PayPal link in my DPW gallery.

(also, if you want to bid, please note the actual dimensions, listed above, are teeny!  I have made this painting as large as I could on the blog, for effect!)

Personal Note about the Collage

Leslie encourages us as the final step to create and post a collage showing all our work together in one image.  I am wanting you to know I may skip this part of the challenge.  I haven't decided for sure, but I am leaning towards feeling the time it would take me to create the collage is time I would rather spend with my family and away from the computer.  Possibly...we'll see.

"Where Will You Go From Here?" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 3x4"

$30 plus shipping

Purchase Here

The title of this painting is my question for all of us:  "Where Will You Go From Here?"  

We have had a great run with lots of ups and downs, and as this 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge comes to an end, there is a risk of feeling like we are losing something.  Which is always a possibility.  

But so much potential exists for gaining something!  New art friends, new painting methods, new studio habits, and in my case, even a new painting medium...

Let us keep the best of this Challenge going indefinitely and let go of what does not serve us (the pressure to perform).  Let us stick together and continue to support each other as we have through these 30 Days.  

I will look forward to seeing where you all go from here!

Personal Painting Note

I wanted to tell you what happened to me with this painting.  The past few days, I have been very weary of the Challenge and noticing the same happening to many other 30 in 30ers.  I had a migraine last night, so I used one of my "paint-ahead" paintings for my post for yesterday and fully expected I would do the same for the final two posts, today and tomorrow.

Once I released myself from the pressure of having to come up with two more paintings, I did some cleaning at my house and then headed...to the studio!  Where I painted not only the above painting, but also another for the final day's post.  It seems I personally do better when painting feels like a "want to" not a "have to."   Letting myself off the hook brought me right back around to my art!

"Lavender Farm Red Variation" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 2.5 x 3.5"

This is a variation of yesterday's painting, and I have a couple more to show you coming up soon.  These are actually the first oil pastel paintings I did.  I have learned so much about oil pastels since these first ones, including be careful how you remove the paintings from your board--wash your hands first!  You can see how I boogered this one up in the upper left corner while removing it from the drawing board.  I'm going to try to fix this one up before I offer it for sale.

How to Remove Animal Hair from an Oil Pastel Painting
These Oil Pastel Paintings are never really dried or  hardened.  If you have purchased one of mine, I encourage you to get it behind glass as soon as you can.  Especially if you have pets in the house.  If an animal hair gets on it, it will seemingly stick.  If you  need to remove the hair, the best way I have found is to use the corner of a piece of paper almost parallel to the painting.  Just try to get the corner to move the hair or to go under the hair slightly.  Once it pulls away from the painting, you can lift it up.  Using the paper corner is far preferable than trying to use your fingers or a tweezer--both will potentially dig into the painting and change it!  If you use patience and the corner of a piece of paper, I think you will have the best results.

Kudos to the 30 in 30ers
My congratulations to you all!  I am so proud of you and hope you are proud of yourselves.  Some of you faced other challenges in addition to painting 30 Paintings in 30 Days, such as trying to paint around a full-time job (like me), painting with health challenges, painting with heavy-duty family responsibilities, and other challenges I am failing to mention.  You deserve so much credit!

Blogger Question and Tip
I am posting this on Thursday morning around 9:30 am, so I am imagining those of you Watchers who are subscribed will receive the email of the post around 9:30 pm EST.  Up until now, I have been doing my posts the night before and scheduling them for 12:30 a.m.--that's why you have been receiving notifications around noon, EST.  The question is:  Why does Blogger wait about 12 hours to send out notifications of a post?  Blogger is able to handle everything else instantly, why the delay in the notification email?

And artist bloggers, here's a tip:  If you are not already subscribed to your own blog, you might want to consider signing up.  It's very enlightening to receive your own email notifications and see for yourself exactly when they are being delivered.

Thanks for Watching...I'm off to paint--well, I may clean for awhile first :-)

"Lavender Farm" Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel, 2.5x3.5"

Happy Birthday, Jackie!

To be very honest, this is one of my paint-ahead paintings.  I did paint today; in fact, I went out plein air painting on my lunch hour in my car, while it snowed!  And then, when I got home from work tonight, I had to leave my car in town and walk up the hill I live on outside of the town...because the hill will be too dangerous to drive on first thing in the morning when I need to leave for work.

Anyway, my plein air painting is at the bottom of the hill, in town, in my car.  Not that it was ready to show you.  It needed tweaking, but will have to wait.

The one above is from a photo from another plein air trip I took with the Blue Ridge Art Guild to paint at a lavender farm.  I have used this composition a number of times, and you may see a version or two this week!

30 in 30ers across the blogosphere are exhausted and in need of a break.  I say, take that break if you need it!  30 Paintings in 30 Days is just an exercise...to get us all in our studios more.   Please, friends, do not allow this exercise to make you never want to see your studio again!  Far better to take a break and preserve your joy in painting than to make yourself literally paint 30 but burn yourself out! 

As I said in this post  "...I have come to realize that this 30 Paintings in 30 Days gig is more about opening hearts than counting paintings!" 

 

Please take care of yourselves, artists!  And everyone in the northeast of the USA, hope you are warm and safe and well-prepared for this storm...

Oil Pastel Version of "Long Hair" - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 7x5"

I'm repeating myself!  This is the Oil pastel version of the painting I did yesterday using Acrylics.  I am trying to rule-out/rule-in methods and materials I want to continue with, and one way to differentiate was to repeat this painting using the Oil Pastels.  I did sort of make it hard on myself by painting from the first painting rather than from the reference photo.  Since OP's give such different effects than Acrylics, I ended up having to make some Oil Pastel "moves" in order to find resolution to this painting--different than what it took in Acrylics.

I should have mentioned yesterday, I was happy with what I did with the painting because I used the reference photo only as a suggestion for composition and value.  The colors in these paintings are nothing like the reference photo, the setting is completely different (made up/abstracted) in the paintings.  I truly feel more satisfied as an artist when I feel I'm creating rather than copying a photo.  Maybe that's why yesterday's process was more satisfying than today's...

Everyone, please take care, try to get good sleep, and remember to uplift each other...

"Long Hair" Acrylic - 30 in January 2015

 Acrylic, 8x6"

Now I've done it!  I've gone and ruined any semblance of unity my end-of-the-30-in-30-Challenge collage was going to have.  Throwing Acrylics into the mix after all those Oil Pastels!  Wasn't it enough that I was using all different dimensions, let alone all different sizes?  Couldn't I have been smart like my good friend Carol, who is using not just all squares, but all squares of the same size????  I may not even be able to make a collage work, with all these different dimensions (it has happened before!). (btw, I think I said something similar about my friend Sharon's collage last year.  I missed her terribly during this 30 in 30.  She couldn't join us this time, because she was too busy running her own art gallery, the River Run Gallery and Fun Art Studio in Carrollton Kentucky).

Why did I do it?  Oh, yeah, remember my theme?  Artistic Freedom?  I had a yearning...for my acrylics...so I made space for them today...and opened up the Pandora's box of my heart.  Because as I have said before, what I really want to paint is people.  So, here I go...I hope!

Not putting this one up for sale, because I need it as a study.  Happy to show it to you, though...

This was my first time painting in Acrylics in two  months,  I realized, because I have spent the past two months with gouache, soft pastels, and oil pastels.  Acrylics and I need to get reacquainted.  It is not like riding a bicycle, at least not for me.

Thanks for being here, everyone, and hang in there 30 in 30ers...

"Edge of the Road" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 4x6"

$40 plus shipping

Purchase Here

Right now, I am happy I finished this painting and am presently waiting for Daily Paintworks to finish some temporary maintenance so I can complete this blog post and get some sleep.  I seem to be in the habit of sleeping early in the evening and then getting up to paint until I really should be...sleeping.

While we are waiting for DPW, I would like to bring up a critical subject for all you 30 in 30ers out there...what are you going to give yourself as a gift for taking on this challenge?  You are going to get yourself a gift, aren't you?  You certainly deserve something wonderful! 

Ok, here's DPW, back on-line...I'm going to wrap this up so I can wake up and move on to the next...

Thanks for watching!

 

"Grace" Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel, 5.5 x 5.5"

$45 plus shipping 

 Purchase Here

Hello, Watchers!  This painting represents for me a breakthrough process.  I am excited and thrilled actually at how this one came together!

I painted it on my lunch hour today from a scene I saw hours earlier on the way to work this early morning. No reference photo. It makes me very happy to have created from my mind's eye, memory only! A very freeing process...

In real life, the blues of the trees of this painting are much richer and the orange is lighter, calmer, and not so contrasty--the orange knows its place in the real painting.  

I am using Picasa to edit these OPs and am about ready to decide to keep this new computer.   When I decide for certain, I will move my Photoshop Elements license to this computer and then hopefully do a better job of photo-editing.

Anyhow,  thanks for being here to hear about my breakthrough...and to all my artist friends, Happy Painting!

"Imagined" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 3.5x2.5"

This piece was for two experiments:  scratching to create trees, and working on black.

I am happy to report to those who read yesterday's post that I now have clean socks!  Thank you  kindly for your concern...

Lovely day here in the mountains...we enjoyed near 60 degrees today!

Happy Painting, and thanks for Watching...

"Friends" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 2.5x3.5"

$15 plus shipping

Purchase Here

I am out of clean socks.  And now I need to go to sleep.   You 30 in 30ers will know exactly what I mean!

I'm going to have to talk more about open hearts (see yesterday's post) another time.  Right now, we're talking socks.

Before I bid you a goodnight, I want to comment that this image looks a lot like the actual painting--never let it be said that I missed an opportunity to not complain about a photo of one of my pieces!

And to all, a goodnight... (literally falling asleep at the computer here)

"The Valley" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 4x6"

SOLD (thank you!)

The good thing about my not knowing what I am doing with these Oil Pastels is that nobody else could possibly know what I am doing, so no one can really tell me that I  am doing it wrong--unless one of you happens to figure out what I am doing... :-)

Thanks for being here...I love you guys.  And I have come to realize that this 30 Paintings in 30 Days gig is more about opening hearts than counting paintings!

"Open Arms" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 4x4"

SOLD (Thank you!)

This is the one I talked about yesterday, that appeared horrendous when I scanned it.  Today I photographed it.   I would say the photo is marginally better.  I actually really like this little painting...not so sure about the photograph!

I am really glad I have a blog--for most of you, it is the only way I would ever be able to show you my art.  But times like these I really wish I could say, "Come on over to my studio and let me show you what I've been doing."   Ixnay on the digital images!

Anyhow, I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the 30 Paintings in 30 Days.

I am blessed to have people who follow and comment on my art.  Today, I would love to encourage everyone to go check out the offerings from the rest of the 30 in 30 artists on Leslie's blog.  Perhaps you would be willing to go find some new art you love and go let the artists know on their blogs. I think the other artists are already checking each other out, so I am mainly talking to my non-artist friends.

At the bottom of Leslie's posts, each of the artists in the 30 in 30 posts a small thumbnail of their painting for the day.  The later in the day you go to Leslie's blog, the more paintings will be there (obviously!).  You get to the blogs by clicking on the thumbnails.  If you are in Firefox, like I am, a new tab will open with the artists' website, blog, or FB, whatever they put in the link on Leslie's blog.  A few artists don't put links, so clicking their painting won't get you anywhere.

And, as always, I thank you for being here...

"Winter's Exhale" Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel 5.5 x 5.5"

Well, for the sake of the 30 in 30, I am showing you this one, but I just cannot bring myself to sell it until I can get the image accurate enough to the painting.  I tried three different photo editors!  So, I give myself credit for trying, anyway.

This is an extra one I painted the other day.  I was looking forward to showing you the one for today, but the scan was SO OFF, that the above one actually looks relatively accurate!  

Apparently, using the scanner for Oil Pastel Paintings is going to be a bit more iffy than using it for Acrylic Paintings.  I will be looking for a Plan B.

Happy Painting, everyone!

"Tree Dance" Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel, 3.5 x 2.5"

$15 plus shipping

Purchase Here

Now that we are "over the hump," I want to ask my artist friends, "How are you doing?"  Is everybody ok?  Still taking good care of yourselves, body and soul?

How are you doing with your painting?  Are you painting what you really want to be painting?  Taking risks?  Learning new things?

Are you giving yourself the freedom to be the painter you truly want to be?

These are the things I've been wondering...

"Forest by Moonlight" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 3.5 x 2.5"

SOLD (Thank You!)

I am now utterly fascinated with this incredible medium of Oil Pastel.  I know I'm a beginner, but I have a tip to share.  If you're going to scrape with a razor blade like I do, put some tape on the holding end before you start.  Once you start using the blade, it gets dirtied by the colors and it's hard to know which side is the sharp side if you put it down and pick it up again.  I have a bunch of teeny little cuts on my blade holding finger.

I said little cuts, Mom!  No blood involved...

And now, with my mother hopefully sufficiently reassured, I bid you all a good night's sleep and Happy Painting!  And as always, thanks for Watching...

"Sunburst" Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel, 3.5 x 2.5"

$15 plus shipping

Purchase here

I just LOVE painting these teeny ones.  I highly recommend anyone learning to use oil pastels (or soft pastels) try painting these minis!

This just in:  I have learned that no one in my family understood the significance of yesterday's image!  All these years, I thought it was a shared memory, that we had witnessed this miraculous even together...I mean, my niece glowed!  Apparently, I'm the only one who noticed...

Happy Painting, fellow 30 in 30ers...

"The Child Glowed" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 8x6"

I hope my family will recognize this moment, because it is a moment I will never forget!

I created this piece on what many artists would consider one of the best surfaces for oil pastels and soft pastels--sanded art paper.  However, for my methods, sanded paper is one of my least preferred surfaces for oil pastel painting, at least at this time in my development with the medium.  I realize this image deserves another go on another surface.

Even though the results were less than what I was aiming for, I still feel accurate in saying that at least on my screen, the photo doesn't begin to do justice to the painting!  The contrast is off and there are color subtleties that aren't even showing.

Anyway, this is my offering for Day 14 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days, January 2015.  All is calm, all is bright...

Happy painting, everyone!

"Moonlit" Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

 Oil Pastel, 6x6"

$50 plus shipping

Purchase Here

Did you all see that big moon the other night?  This painting was actually inspired by a morning view from my office. 

It's getting so I can't paint without a razor blade (oil pastelists may know what I mean).  Pretty soon, I may need a heat gun!  Watch out!

Happy Painting, everyone!

Thanks for visiting...

Magenta Forest Oil Pastel - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 6x6"

$50 plus shipping

Purchase Here

Well, I'm back in the saddle again after my computer crashed a few days ago.  Thank you all for returning to visit after the interlude.  I purchased a new (used) laptop.  You could say it's on borrowed time right now...I have 30 days to decide whether to keep it.  That should at least get me through the rest of this 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.

I did continue to paint while I was off-line.  Not sure how to catch you up on those.  Maybe I'll do a post with them or maybe skip them so these can be in synch with my DPW and Leslie's blog. 

This oil pastel painting is another one that started totally and completely different than what you see here.  What you see here is kind of what the background of the original painting looked like.  I decided I liked the background effect best, so I lost the foreground.  These OPs are amazing for making alterations, that's for certain.  

This is one of those occasions where the photo simply will not do justice to the painting...I guess that's one thing that hasn't changed from the last computer!

Anyhow, new computer, no bookmarks, hope I can find you all again...thank goodness for Feedly...

Happy Painting, everyone!

Computer is About Gone!

This computer is about gone...last night I couldn't get it to come on to post a painting.  And very strange things were happening to the screen.  This morning, since it has let me on, I am scrambling to let you (and a couple other on-line places I frequent) know why I won't be able to post for awhile.  I'll keep painting...I'll really miss seeing everyone else's work.

When I'm back on-line, I'll try to catch up!

Meanwhile, happy painting!!!   I'll miss you...

Meredith

"Around the Bend" Oil Pastel Painting - 30 Paintings in January 2015

Oil Pastel, 7x5"

$50 plus shipping

 Purchase Here

I am in a state of very tired....this painting was one of those that did not head where I thought it was going.  I did something with it I really liked, and was actually putting away my supplies, when I just had to touch it one more time.  I get carried away with this oil pastel medium, because I enjoy the process so much.  So I tried to add "just one more bit" of some color that didn't work where I put it, threw the whole thing off, made me lost the effect I had worked for quite awhile to achieve.  That one color did all that.

At first I was sure that a little scraping would do the trick, as it has other times this week.  Not this time.  Deciding the painting was lost, I decided to trash it, in my own way that I call, "going off on a painting."   Something I tend to do when a painting is lost--mess with it in ways I wouldn't if I thought it were going well, to see if I can at least learn something. 

At one point in the process of going off on this painting, I felt a balance again...  I perused the painting.  Yes!  This will do!  This gives me the feeling, the essence of the place when I was there.  Never would have thought that would happen from a totally lost painting

And the more I look at it, the more I love it and the more I wish I could show you this one in person.  It is softer and less "contrasty" in real life, and I, for the life of me, cannot get it to look correct using Photoshop Elements!



Now, to leave it alone.  I literally had to remove the painting from my access to make sure I didn't get caught up in the cycle again!



Is is still art if you almost threw it out?

30 Paintings in January 2015 - Country Charm Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel, 5x7"

Interesting thing about the 30 in 30...you find out things like:

Who really cares if you remember to eat?

Who really cares enough if you remember to eat that he suggests pouring cashews into your mouth while you continue painting?

Any of you have anything like that going on in your life?  Must be hard to be the spouse of an artist during the 30 in 30!

OK, About the Painting!

I learned SO MUCH from painting this one.  I taped out a white border around it, and the parts in this image that are white (at the bottom) are where the tape pulled off some of the paper when I removed it.  I kind of like it though, and it looks better when you can see the white border.  

For some reason, with oil pastel, I really like seeing some of the white edges showing into the image (rough edges), maybe because the oil pastel is so thick, it brings some lightness in.  Not to mention, Wolf Kahn himself often left white showing around the edges of his pastel paintings (did you miss the quotes from his book Pastel that I mentioned in yesterday's post?).

I have to admit, I resorted to adding in some of my old friends, the trusty colored pencil, to this one...

Happy Painting, everyone!    

30 in January 2015 Pink Forest Oil Pastel

Oil Pastel, 5x7"

SOLD (Thank  you!)

I have just completed reading Wolf Kahn's book Pastels and immediately turned around and started reading it again.  I love his work, and I really appreciated getting insight into his views on the artistic process.  I want to highly recommend this book to my artist friends, no matter what your medium.

Here are a few quotes I found deeply meaningful:

"The practice of art should have an effect not only on the public, but even more importantly on the artist himself, by enlarging his sphere of freedom." (p. 16, paragraph 2)

"The moment you know how to do certain things, you should by rights stop doing them.  You would be ceasing to search and starting to perform."  (p. 18, paragraph 1)

Points to ponder...

And, as we are in the midst of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge, how about this reminder from Wolf Kahn (also from Pastel, p. 25 paragraph 2):

"The artist must beware of trading places, even momentarily, with his public.  He follows mental pathways in which audience-conscious esthetic judgments such as 'interest' have no place.  The intimacy of his personal relationship to the work at hand has to remain inviolate."

Watchers, I think that is another way of saying "Paint Like Nobody's Watching."   In his profound way, Wolf Kahn is telling us what to focus on while painting (the creation of the image) and what not to focus on while painting ("will it be good enough for my blog?  good enough for Leslie's blog?  good enough for DPW?").

Paint Like Nobody's Watching, friends....and as always, I do thank you for Watching!

Patch of Blue Oil Pastel - Day 4

 Oil Pastel, 3.5 x 2.5"

In the spirit of the Challenge, this is the one I did on my lunch hour Friday.  This piece was completed in about 20 minutes, and someone was talking to me almost the entire time I was painting it!! I'm also having a terrible time getting a good photograph or scan of it, so I'm not putting it on DPW. 

No New Art Supplies!

One of my self-imposed rules for this challenge is that I am not allowed to purchase anything new until at least January 20.   My "theme" is artistic freedom, more of an intention than a theme.  I am exercising my freedom for at least the beginning part of the challenge, by using oil pastels, a medium I had long ago put away.

Using any kind of pastels is seductive towards your wallet, because as a pastelist, you never feel like you have the color you need.  So you keep looking and buying.  And there's always new supplies you hear about to make your artistic life better--new papers, solvents, storage units, etc.

I figure by the time I get to January 20, I'll have a better idea of what I REALLY need, if anything.  I purchased some ResNGel, a non-toxic solvent, right before the challenge began, but other than that, I have stored pastel paper, mat board scraps, enough oil pastels to get a good start, etc.  

Thanks for Watching!

 

 

30 in January 2105 - Patch of Green Oil Pastel - Day 3

Oil Pastel, 3.5 x 2.5"

$15 plus shipping

Purchase Here

I must admit, this is one of my "paint ahead" paintings.   Leslie Saeta  (the hostess of this 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge) said it's perfectly ok, in fact recommended, to paint ahead for the challenge.  Luckily I did, because although I painted another version of this one at my lunch hour today using alternate colors, I left my camera at work.  And I really feel too tired to mess with the scanner right now.  So here you have it, a paint-ahead.  I'll show you the painting I did today another time.

This is a view on my regular dog walk.  It has caught my eye for a couple weeks, so I was happy to sit down and paint it and intend to work with the same composition using various color schemes.

I have visions of saying really interesting things and giving you some cool quotes from books I am reading, but apparently that is all going to have to wait till the weekend...

Thanks for being here....

Mountain View Oil Pastel - 30 in January 2015, Day 2

Oil Pastel, 5x7"

$50 plus shipping

Purchase Here

 

My Intention for the Challenge

Welcome again to the 30 Paintings in January 2105 Challenge.  My computer seems to be behaving better than it did last night, so I can give you a more of a welcome/intro than I did yesterday.  

Leslie Saeta, convener of the challenge, encourages us to have a theme for our 30 Days.  By theme, I think she means subject matter.  I have altered the call for a theme, just a bit.  Instead of a theme, I have an intention--Artistic Freedom!  

Why Artistic Freedom?

Artistic Freedom, because there are too many boxes in the other areas of my life!  Artistic Freedom, because as Robert Genn said on his AHA Radio Show interview, "I believe the only question an artist should ask is, 'What do I want to do today?'"  

  

The Challenge is to Play!

 So, I will be playing with mediums besides my usual acrylics.  I expect you will see oil pastels, pastels, gouache, and some combinations of the above.  Fun at all costs, friends!  Here at Paint Like Nobody's Watching, we are going to mix media that maybe aren't even supposed to be mixed!

I am quite interested in Oil Pastels right now, so if I start feeling I am getting the hang of it, I will share what I learn in case other artists out there might want to try them.

For now let me just say, they are a totally, completely different animal than soft pastels!

Thanks for being here, and Happy Challenging to the other artists out there...glad we're in this together.

30 Paintings in January 2015 - Happy New Year!

 Oil Pastel 5.265 x 5.265" (to be precise!)

$45 plus shipping

Buy Now

Happy New Year, everyone!  Today is the first day of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta of the Artists Helping Artists Radio Show.  I am having a terrible time with computer tonight, so better sign off now, while I can.  I will be painting....not sure I'll be able to be blogging...depends on how my computer behaves!

Bright times for you all for 2015...

Thanks for Watching!