Coming Right Up - 30 in September 2014!

Acrylic with Palette Knife, 8x10" unframed

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Here we go again!  30 Paintings in 30 Days, courtesy Leslie Saeta, convener of the challenge and host of Artists Helping Artists blog talk radio show (AHA).   If you are an artist reading this, you, too, can join the challenge.  Even if it's already started.  Even if you know you will never actually paint 30 paintings in 30 days.

Like me...I like to say I'm "along for the ride."  My schedule simply does not allow me to complete a painting every day.   I am at peace with my limitations, and Leslie is kind enough to say there are no rules, except to have fun.  If you are just discovering this challenge and we're already half-way through September, you can still join!

So, I promise to have fun, I promise to learn, I understand I will be seeing lots of great art throughout the month, and maybe I'll even make a few more friends.  

Leslie has recommended we all have a theme for our 30 Paintings.   After a lot of soul searching, I realize I will possibly pull my hair out if I limit what I paint.   Oh, I will envy those artists who have a theme and will come out of this thing with a cohesive body of work and an amazing collage at the end, to boot.  But I know myself.  I could declare a theme today and I wouldn't stick to it, anyway!

I heard the late, great Robert Genn say on his interview with AHA radio, "I think the only question artists should ask themselves each day is, 'What do I want to do today?'"  I think Mr. Genn would approve of my not having a theme.  But the most important thing is, I approve. 

So, my only plan is to start with the palette knife and see where I go.  What fun!.

Oh, and one change from the other challenges--this time I plan to put my work up for sale, at least some of it.

The above painting was completed during the January 2014 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge.  At least, I thought it was completed.  The other day, I had another go at it.   I made some small changes, and I think they are improvements.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure.

30 in January 2014, Is it really possible to sum up this amazing experience?

I have already stayed up way too late trying to create this collage, so will hopefully be brief and will get to bed soon.  The issue with the collage, created at PicMonkey.com, was that the site kept wanting to change the format (shape) of my paintings.  This was a compromise I could live with, but it took forever!

I am filled to the brim with gratitude to everyone who participated in this challenge--what a privilege to see all your wonderful work,  meet new artists via our blogs and Facebook, deepen relationships with artist friends I already had, and learn so much more about myself as a painter.   I am so proud of all of you and look forward to seeing your work on an on-going basis. 

One of the artists who contacted me through the challenge is actually fairly local to me and is part of an artist guild that I am going to join.  I am so excited that my world of in-person artist friends is about to expand, and some of them will even go out plein air painting together!
 
I painted way more paintings than I imagined I would, WAY more than I have ever completed in any of the previous two challenges!  I serendipitously began the use of the palette knife with my acrylics and find that this is a method I want to continue to explore.

I found an area I want to continue in a series, namely, the little legs in tights above.  I have another one on my easel that I was not willing to rush to finish tonight,  just to have one more completed painting.  I will show it to you in its right time.  If anyone has photos they are willing to send me to work from--little toddler legs in interesting tights, clothing, or shoes, I would love to increase my file of references for this series.  THANKS!

Thank you to Leslie Saeta, our wonderful leader and convener of this challenge, for giving us all the gift of this opportunity!

Finally, a question for the artists in the group--does anyone have any ideas on how to continue the community we have developed here, along with the obvious idea of continuing to visit each others' blogs?

Five Things I Know So Far about Acrylic Palette Knife Painting

Acrylic with Palette Knife, 8x10"

 "You can't hurry art..."  Like this one--this one took two days of my spare time to complete.  I've actually painted from this photo before, with brushes, oil paints, and the help of a teacher.  Yesterday, I was staring at the GOBS of leftover paint I had on the palette from doing the quilt painting.  I recognized that the palette was perfect for this reference photo!  Of course, I couldn't find the earlier version of the painting until today, so I didn't have the benefit of what I had learned the first time until round two, today.

This kitchen belongs to one of my blog readers.  Extra points to you if you figure out it's yours!  Don't worry, though, if you don't figure it out.  I just got my artistic license, and I used a lot of it with this painting...

I missed a few days of the 30 in 30.  I wasn't feeling well, and needed downtime with my family.  But don't feel bad for me--I'm not mad at myself or anything.  In fact, yesterday I bought myself some presents as rewards for what I have accomplished so far.  I am now the proud owner of a new ArtByte from DPW and two out-of-print art books from Amazon.  I respond well to rewards!  I'm so encouraged, I'm going to continue to paint--maybe I'll deserve even more...

This is the most ambitious palette knife painting I have completed.  Here is what I have learned so far about Acrylic Palette Knife painting:

1) Use medium!  I am still experimenting to determine my favorite medium--what I do know for sure is that medium adds body to the paint, which makes the paint behave better for palette knife painting.  As a bonus, the medium really stretches the paint!

2)  The paint stays wet a long time.  I have to learn to use wet-on-wet techniques, for at least part of what I am doing.  I am used to wet-on-dry!

3)  And when the paint does dry, those palette knife ridges can sometimes get in the way of what I need to do next!  I don't mind any of the ridges once the painting is complete--the ridges are just a function of having used a knife.  But the ridges can be tough to work with when I still want to do some overpainting.

4)  Sometimes I want to use a brush in the middle of the palette knife painting.  So I do.  And that's ok.  Except when it's not.  And then I can fix it.  

5)  I have a lot to learn about Acrylic Palette Knife Painting, but am so excited to practice and learn.

Thanks for visiting and Watching!