Thursday, September 26, 2013

119. On Hold


'On Hold'
6" x 6"
oil on gessobord

Just my old phone again. :)
Had a little fun with the colors of the shadows.
Thanks for viewing my work!

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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

118. Rain on Your Parade


'Rain on Your Parade'
6" x 6"
oil on gessobord

Hey gang! Yes, I'm still painting. ;)
 Clearly, I will most likely not reach my goal of 20 paintings in the 30-day challenge, but I am oh-so-ok with that. :)

'Creating' has always been life-giving to me; it spurs me on like nothing else. Because of that, I feel infinitely blessed that I get to chase this dream from the comfort of my home. And, because I'm also immeasurably blessed to have a family, the balance of all these things requires an ebb and flow, win-some, lose-some, one day at a time approach. This day (and the last several), I'm taking it easy. :) We're all a little sick, we're all still adjusting to the school schedule (okay, maybe that's just me), and I'm trying hard to choose my bed over my paintbrush. It's been good - my blood pressure monitor is thanking me. :)

Ok, this little guy - I took this photo several years ago while visiting family in New Hampshire. It was early November, it was rainy and it was lovely. I've yet to visit New England at the peak of fall color - would LOVE to. I get serious east coast envy at this time of the year. ;)

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Thursday, September 19, 2013

117. Umpqua Light


'Umpqua Light'
6" x 6"
oil on gessobord

I love lighthouses. 
I tried hard to choose a unique composition for this light - didn't feel like making any ol' lighthouse painting. And, hey, why not make the sky a little on the turquoisy/teal side while I'm at it. I am an artist after all. ;)

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Tuesday, September 17, 2013

116. Shady Bug


'Shady Bug'
6" x 6"
oil on gessobord

Hey!
So, this was a major challenge, probably mostly because I was really trying to hurry and finish before prime 'outdoor photographing hours' disappeared. In fact, it's thanks to my husband that I actually have something to post. ;) He stopped me from wiping away the entire thing out of sheer frustration. Instead, I took a break, enjoyed a beautiful sunset, came back and wiped away everything except the car. And then everything was so much better. Simplify, simplify, simplify. :)

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Monday, September 16, 2013

115. Reserved Parking


'Reserved Parking'
6" x 6"
oil on gessobord
(My no. 10 in the 30/30 challenge.)

This private parking spot is directly outside our front door. :)

Bikes and trikes really cast some great shadows -- this one was very fun to paint. This photo is from a couple of months ago when sun and shadows were in abundance. I miss you already, summer!

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Thursday, September 12, 2013

114. Hang Up


'Hang Up'
6" x 6" 
oil on gessobord
(My no. 9 in the 30/30 challenge.)

I haven't painted my old phone for a while - so here she is. 
 Well, half of her, anyway. ;) 
I had fun trying to squeeze as many colors as possible into the 'black'.
Thanks for checking out my work!

sold

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

113. Amber Waves


'Amber Waves'
6" x 6"
oil on gessoboard
(My no. 8 in the 30/30 challenge)

I have a small collection of old shaving mirrors that I really like. 
They're simple, utilitarian and shiny. Vintage bling, if you will. :)
Today one of my favorite mirrors is reflecting a favorite pattern.  I've painted this tablecloth before and I always love that wavy pattern, but this time, I think the folds steal the show.

Thanks for viewing my work!

sold



Tuesday, September 10, 2013

112. It's (SO not) a Snap


'It's a Snap'
6" x 6"
oil on gessoboard
(My no. 7 for the '30 in 30' challenge.)

Ok, so just because you don't see me here doesn't mean I'm not painting.
Yesterday, I painted and then wiped off one and a half whole paintings before getting to this little guy. UGH. Monday. Sometimes you can't just make it work, no matter what Tim Gunn says. 

It's a new day and things are going much better. :)
I've painted these snapdragons before with a blue (t-shirt) background, and this one was just as much fun. The blue one is still available, btw, just look for it in my Daily Paintworks gallery.

Oh, speaking of Daily Paintworks, they have a new monthly contest with cash prizes and my entry 'Peeling Potatoes' (below) for last month was one of the judges picks! Yay! I get a free month's membership and all the work I post this month will be up near the top of the page. Better get to painting!



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Friday, September 6, 2013

111. Mine is the Morning


'Mine is the Morning'
6" x 6"
oil on gessoboard

Six daily paintings in a row. 
Don't expect to hear from me over the weekend. ;)

I'm not giving up on the '30 in 30' challenge, just taking a break.
Kudos to all of you that are trucking on through. 
When I paint this frequently, I sorta get more and more critical of each piece; - I start to think, "Oh, the next one will be better, the next one I'll be so much faster!" (I prefer to think of it not as overly critical; instead, I'm an eternal optimist!) 
Anyway, in trying to achieve 'better', I then choose more difficult reference photos as the week goes on, and pretty soon I'm spending every free moment of the day on one painting! 
(You can imagine what my house looks like right now.)
Sheesh. Gotta chill out. :)

Back to the painting: This morning scene was captured last fall, just around the corner from our house. One of many mornings that I rushed back to the house to get the camera after dropping off my son at school.

Thanks for sticking with me this week - I gotta go order a pizza to feed my family. :)

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Thursday, September 5, 2013

110. Your Porch or Mine?


'Your Porch or Mine?'
6" x 6"
oil on gessoboard

Day five in the '30 in 30' challenge! Whew! This one about did me in. 
And, then, trying to get a good picture of it - not easy! 

This little scene is from one of the quaint hilly streets in Astoria, Oregon. 
I love cruising around Astoria on a sunny day, admiring all the charming houses perched perilously on hillsides.
Astoria is one of the oldest cities on the West Coast, and a large portion of her first immigrant settlers were from Finland, the land of my forefathers. I get a kick out of seeing 'Suomi Hall' (now a retail store) and other Finnish names around town - makes me feel at home. ;)

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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

109. Another Pretty Face


'Another Pretty Face'
6" x 6"
oil on gessoboard

Four for four! And, it's only Wednesday!  
Painting daily is super beneficial - I'm excited to see how I grow and stretch during the rest of the month.

It seems I'm on a bit of a floral kick - see, I'm stretching myself already! And, it's pink! I'm not typically a fan, but this pansy face got me. It was one of those that seem like a wiper almost all the way through, but, just near the end, it came together and I'm happy with the result. 
Thanks for checking out my work!

sold

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

108. Third Day in the the Sun!


'Day in the Sun'
6" x 6"
oil on gessoboard

Yahoo, three in a row for the '30 in 30' challenge!

This was another really fun one to paint - and who can resist a backlit sunflower? This one is growing in my sister's front yard - so warm, sunny, summery, warm ;) ...love it. But, to me, they also give off the first sneaky feelings of Fall...which I also love, but not quite yet! 

Speaking of Fall, today was the first day of school for my boys -- here they are all ready to go! (Second grade and kindergarten.) It is so cool to see them grow and experience these big milestones. I'm so blessed. :)



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Monday, September 2, 2013

107. Aloha to day number two!


'Aloha'
6" x 6"
oil on gessoboard

I'm two for two in the '30 in 30' challenge. On a roll! ;)
And, there is no Hawaii in my future, it's just the name on this sweet little vintage trailer. So cute. :)

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106. Two Black Eyes and 30 paintings in 30 days


'Two Black Eyes'
6" x 6"
oil on gessoboard

Hey guys! Missed ya. :)
We packed a whole lot of fun into our last two weeks of summer vacation, and I'm actually looking forward to the boring ol' routine that the school year brings. Let's just keep the warm temps here for a while longer, k?

So, the super-energetic artist Leslie Saeta has issued another 'thirty paintings in thirty days' challenge and I have joined the fun. The challenge runs for the month of September, and thankfully, there really are no rules, other than to attempt a daily painting as often as you can and then link it up on her blog.  Thirty in thirty is a HUGE stretch for me, but I'll do my best. Who's counting, right? ;) I'll post a link to her blog frequently - it's fun to see what everyone is coming up with! And, if you like that, be sure to check out Daily Paintworks (where I sell my work), - they post a new crop of paintings every single day. 

Oh, about this painting - black-eyed susans. One of my very favorite flowers and thankfully, one of my neighbors has a nice little bunch. 
This was just plain fun. :)

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