127. Feeling Blue

'Feeling Blue'

6" x 6"

oil on gessoboard

It's a jar. A blue jar. :) 

With a little bit of drama in the lighting. 

Makes the blue jar all dark and moody and stuff. 

Now I better go clean up before the door knockers start coming, -- my seven-year- old suggested we just block the view of the mess with our bodies when we answer the door. I better go put on my mattress costume. ;) 

Happy Halloween!

sold

126. Through the Park

'Through the Park'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

I took my oldest boy to our dentist last week, and after his appointment we took advantage of the crazy-awesome weather and spent a few minutes by  Lake Sacajawea, easily the prettiest spot in Longview, WA. 

The lake is surrounded by elm trees which are gorgeous year-round, but, now, when they are absolutely lit from within -- amazing. I took a bunch of photos under the warm, glowing canopy, and I've tried desperately to translate a number of them in paint since then. SO hard! 

This is attempt number four, and I think I finally have one that I'm happy with. Or, I'm just exhausted and never want to see a turned leaf again. ;)

sold

125. Yellow Rose Twice

'Yellow Rose Twice'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

After blowing all my free time yesterday on a painting that bit the dust, I am so happy to share these roses with you today. I love the challenge of painting objects that are yellow - tricky, tricky! 

I learned a little more - and, I had a great time. :)

Happy Friday!

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124. Fill 'er Up

'Fill 'er Up'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

Another well-used mode of transportation from my front yard. 

'My car', according to my two-and-half-year-old.

It's amazing how much noise is created when this plastic car is pushed rapidly down the sidewalk. :)

My littlest noisemaker and his car. :)

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123. Movers and Shakers

'Movers and Shakers'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

Shake it up, baby.

I brought my shiny shakers out in the bright sunshine to find some dramatic shadows. I love the sun. And the shadows she makes. 

I s'pose us northwesterners get a little annoying when the sun is shining; we just really, really don't take her for granted. :) 

And, there's a full week of her ahead. Yay. :)

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122. On Your Mark

'On Your Mark'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

We thoroughly enjoyed a warm, sunny weekend, and this little fella (along with numerous other trip-hazards) got a chance to dry off and move around a bit, thanks to my boys and their cousins. Isn't it the best when great weather coincides with the weekend? 

I took advantage of the beautiful sun and snapped some shots of the retro-style Radio Flyer in all his red, white and rusted chrome glory. So many great lines and I love the way the shadows fall on the white-walled tires and spokes. This one just makes me smile. :)

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121. October Sun

'October Sun'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

This sunny little scene was captured a year ago here in our small town, and we're enjoying similar weather today. A welcome change from the ginormous amounts of rain we've had recently. :)

I tried painting this several times last year, but it was sort of a nightmare. :)  Now that I know the joy of painting on a black ground, this sort of scene works so much better. I'm kinda lovin' it. 

Photographing it, though, - well, that was not as much fun. Those purply tree shadows just get waaay too blue and glow-in-the-dark for some reason, but with the magic of photo editing (completely accidental 'let's try this' kind of editing) I got them to look very close to reality. Whew! 

Oh, also, Blogger has decided that all photos need a little extra saturation, so the image is actually a tad more accurate on Daily Paintworks and my Facebook page. That is, according to my monitor. Ha! 

Now that I've spent nearly as much time on the photo editing as I did on the painting itself...tgif! 

Have a great weekend!

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120. Mason Jar Trio

'Mason Jar Trio'

6" x 6"

oil on gessobord

I've been in a bit of a painting rut -- I had a really great start on one at the end of last week, but I couldn't get it to come together. So, I tried again on Sunday. And Tuesday. And today. Guess what! It still won't work! 

Reminds me of that Einstein - attributed quote about the definition of insanity. Not Einstein, by the way. As Abraham Lincoln once said, 'The problem with internet quotes is that you can't always verify their accuracy.' ;)

Anyway, all that to say, I (finally) wisely moved on to something else. 

I love these old jars and took a different approach with them today - it felt good to stretch in a new direction. And, my rut feels like it might be getting a little shallower. :)

Thanks for viewing my work!

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September in review...

The 30 paintings in 30 days challenge is over! Yay! ;)

Although I didn't even come close to thirty, I'm really happy with what I did accomplish. Fourteen! Whoohoo! All done in the same month that school and Sunday school resumed -- so, sort of miraculous for me. :) 

I s'pose I could have squeezed in one or two more if I really tried, but then my boys would have been wearing dirty clothes to school. ;)

I really appreciate the motivation and encouragement that this challenge provided -- thanks again for spurring us on, Leslie Saeta! A lot of the artists are linking collages like this on her blog - it's really cool to see the whole month's work all in one shot. Very satisfying. :)

I think I'll continue to that at the end of each month.

Oh, and eleven of my fourteen sold or currently have bids -- that gets an even bigger YAY! 

Thanks, all!