A Painting a Day for 30 Days

Done

 

I finished and I learned so much!  I paint faster and my brushwork is more decisive.  Set up, documentation and blogging are also easier. Now I know when I'm done and I no longer have the urge to overwork ( well mostly).  I have a few gems and a few that might just disappear but the whole process was fun.

What's next? I want to spend time on a few larger pieces, I already have two landscapes in the works. I joined Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and I start that tomorrow.  Sounds like the same thing but this one is a little more laid back.  Its ok to get a head start and its ok to take a day off and then catch up.  The main difference is that over 300 people have signed on to do this at the same time.  I am # 216. The point is to paint more and to have fun. http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com

 

"Mug Shot" 6x6 oil on hard board panel $100

 

This is number 30

The last one was the hardest to set up but the easiest to paint. 

These are my two favorite hand-made mugs.

 



East Coast Dunes

 

East Coast Dunes 5x7 oil $100

 

Day 29 of the 30 day challenge!!!!!

I started this last night - it was all off, I didn't like the composition

 and I had to remind myself to get the big shapes right first. 

 I wiped out sections at a time until I was left with a ghost image. 

 I decided to keep that as an underpainting and I painted this after work.

Orange and Ginger Jar

Orange and Ginger Jar 6x6 oil $100

 

Day 28

I set this up last night and sketched. 

I liked the composition with just a little of the jar showing.

Orange on Blue

 

Countdown - Day 27 of 30

"Orange on Blue" 6x6 oil $100

 

I worked hard for yesterday's arrangement, my fingers were sticky before I got it right. 

Today I placed the orange and wedge and it worked the first time.

It was just as easy to paint.

Orange Wedges

 

Day 26!

Orange Wedges 6x6 oil $100

 

I thought this would be easy - it wasn't but it was fun to paint.

Green Bowl with Apples

Day 25 of the 30 day challenge

"Green Bowl with Apples" 6x6 oil $100.00

 

I didn't know how I would paint today- first day back at work,

 meetings and a 5 o'clock appointment!

I couldn't imagine having the energy after such a busy day so

I painted this at 6 in the morning! 

It needs tweaking but I'm going to bed. 

 

Cape Neddick ME

 

"Cape Neddick, Maine"

5x7 oil $100

 

day 24 of the 30 day challenge!

 

I did this one at home from a photo taken this week-end. 

Nubba Light and Rocky Coast

 

"Nubba Light"

 

Day 22 of the 30 day challenge

5x7 Watercolors $100.00

 I painted this on the beach in York Maine with the new little watercolor

kit I made from a wooden box Chris found for me.

 

 

"Rocky Coast of Maine"

5x7 Watercolor $100

 

Day 23 of the 30 day challenge

 

I painted this in my motel room over morning

coffee from a photo taken the day before.

 

 

Morning Light

 

Morning Light 6x6 oil $100

 

Day 21 of the 30 day challenge

 

I didn't have a plan to paint this morning, maybe a pair

of peaches without the pitcher or a  single peach.

This is the sight outside my studio window just as the sun is coming up,

 I decided to give it a try. 

 

White Mountain Magic 5x7 Watercolor $100

 

I did this yesterday with my mini watercolor box. All the colors

fit in the palm of my hand and watercolor is so clean!

Peaches and Cream (3)

 

Peaches and Cream (3) 6x6 oil on hard board panel 100.00

 

Day 20 of the 30 day challenge

It didn't look like this would happen, by 8 o'clock I still hadn't started to paint. 

 Many arrangements and even more sketches.  Challenge angst set it and then I

 remembered how much I liked yesterday's block-in. 

 I could at least do a block in and post that.

Relief!

This is different for me - much looser and I'm having fun.  I think the looseness is a

result of starting with a toned surface - I am using sienna, the paint just glides on.

 

 

Today's block-in

Peaches and Cream (2)

 

This is the block in for today's version of Peaches and Cream

 

"Peaches and Cream"

 

Day 19 6x6 oil 100.00

 

This time I used artificial lighting - I started before the sun was up!

 

 

Peaches and Cream

Peaches and Cream

6x6 oil on hard board panel $100

 

I set this up in the early morning with a spot light for illumination and then worked

on other things.  At noon the sun came in the window and the colors started to dance.

It was fun to do and I plan to work more with natural light.

Quabbin

 

Quabbin Reservoir

 

Day 18 of the 30 day challenge

Pastel on Wallis Professional 5x7 100.00

In the 1930's several towns were flooded to create the water supply for Boston

causing much controversy at the time but a serene view today.

Quabbin is a Native word meaning "Place of Many Waters"

Sea and Sand

 

Sea and Sand 5x7 oil $100

 

Day 17 of the 30 day challenge

Another from my day at the coast.  This was later in the day when the sky cleared.

Low Tide on the Marsh

 

Low Tide on the Marsh, 5x7 pastel $100

 

Another from the Plum Island series.  It is almost time to go back to school and I spent some time on Thursday unpacking art supplies.  We have been disappointed with student grade pastels - our budget will not allow nupastels so this year we tried Dick Blick pastels in sets of 24.  I brought a set home to try out and I was very pleased with the results.  They are vivid, smooth, square and very easy to use - even after I dropped the box! I am used to hundreds of colors and I wasn't even tempted to go back to my big box.

 

Low Tide on the Marsh, 5x7 oil $100

 

This is today's daily painting - done before anyone else is awake!

 Number 16 of the 30 day challenge. It's getting easier.

To the Beach

Day 15 of the 30 day challenge

 

"To the Beach" 5x7 oil $100

Another from my trip to the coast. 

I enjoyed working on this. 

I am concentrating on making every brush stroke count.

Rainy Day at the Beach

The Beach in Rain 5x7 oil $100

 

I spent yesterday at the beach.  It is beautiful in the rain and almost deserted.

Marsh Impressions

Day 13 of the 30 day challenge

Not my lucky number!  I decided to do something easy - I had this marsh scene all sketched out and my panel prepped with a layer of acrylic terracotta.  I had seen others do it that way and I imagined a few well placed brush strokes and I'd be done. 5 hours and 5 wipe outs later, after my reference photo fell in my palette I took out my pastels. Again I imagined a few well placed strokes.  I'm done for the day - maybe I'll revisit this tomorrow.

Yellow Plums

"Yellow Plums" 6x6 oil

Day 12, 30 day challenge

 

I saw these yellow plums at Bolton Farms and thought they would be fun to paint.

They were not! If I had more time they would be a wipe-out - I will try again later.

Braeburn

 

"Braeburn" 6x6 oil

Available through Sullivan Fine Art Gallery, Bedford NH

 

Day 11, 30 day challenge

I like these.  Apples make me think of fall.  The weather has been fall-like lately. 

I go back to school in two weeks.

 

Redwork

"Redwork" 6x6 oil NFS

Day 10 of 30 day challenge

 

One third of the way through the 30 day challenge and I have already learned a lot.

My brush work is looser and painting seems easier.

Photographing and documenting are also easier.

I am still second guessing myself but I am losing my tendency to overwork.

The Work Horse

Day 9, 30 day challenge

 

6x6 oil, The Work Horse $100

 

Another tractor from Shaw farm in Dracut.  It was
parked in the barn and looked like it did all the work.

I didn't think I would like doing this one especially after working
on the primary colored tractor. 
To my surprise this was primary colored too - just a whole lot more subtle!

Primaries

 

Primary Reflections 6x6 oil $100

 

Day 8 - 30 day challenge

 

Stuart Ober does an exercise with his beginners class. 

He sets up a still life with a metal paint can and primary colored cloths. 

 I have wanted to try it since I first saw the results.  This is my modification.

I am also trying to keep my brush work fresh and play with lost and found edges.

 

I am only at day 8 of the 30 day challenge and I have already learned so much.

 

My blog is out of sinc with dailypaintworks because sometimes I paint more

 than one a day - that will change when I go back to work!

 

 



Pitcher with Fruit

 

Pitcher with Fruit 6x6 oil $100

 

#7 of the 30 day challenge

 

This was an experiment in close cropping for a more abstract composition. I got this little pitcher at the Salvation Army thrift store.  It is stamped "made in japan" with the appearance of a factory made piece.  On closer inspection I could tell that it was hand made on a potter's wheel with slab additions.  I love the way the colors in the glaze are only slightly controlled and echo the colors in the grapes.

 

Plein aire, a first!

6x6 oil, "The Little Island in Little Island Pond" $100

My very first plein aire painting - if you don't count the one I did at the beach as a kid when the wind dumped my painting in the sand, or when the same thing happened to this one!

I set up the little French easel that my daughter gave me. To sit in the shade I had to get my feet a little wet. I remember reading that you have to act fast; what attracted me to the scene was the very blue water and the reflections.  As soon as I had the paint mixed up the light changed and the water became a light silvery blue. Patience payed off as the reflections eventually came back.  This was a lot of fun, maybe next time I will venture further from home.

Teddy Bear Tea

 

6x6 oil on hardboard panel $100.00

 

I tried to tell myself this was too complex for a daily painting but I wouldn't listen!

I've had this tea set since I was a child. The cherries were in the fridge on their last leg.

I had a break through of sorts - I noticed that I try to see the whole form when I need to look for the shapes of the colors instead.  I experimented with lost and found edges and had fun painting this.

August's Gifts

 

Day 5

Available through Sullivan Fine Art Gallery, Bedford NH

 

I realized that I can't plan ahead for my daily paintings,

I just paint what I feel like at the time. 

My garden is full of these black-eyed susans and purple cone flowers.

I thought they looked just right catching the sun in this little canning jar.

30 Day Challenge

 



 

5x7 oil "Seconary Triad" $100.00

8/5 Day 4

 

I didn't feel like painting this morning so I went out to the garden instead.  When I saw these beautiful greens and purples I thought they should be joined by some orange. Then I spotted these salad tomatoes!  This is by far the loosest painting I have done and I enjoyed all the brushwork!

 

6x6 oil "Nerves of Steel" $100.00

8/4 Day 3

Mowing beside the runway at Lawrence Municipal Airport while

student pilots practice take-offs and landings

 

 

 

6x6 oil "Primary Tractor" $100.00

8/3 Day 2

I saw this by the side of the road and it looked like a toy in its bright primary colors - maybe it is!

5x7 oil "Guarding the Marsh" $100.00

 

8/2 Day 1 of the 30 Day Challenge

"I think I can, I think I can..."

I proved to myself that I can paint and post 30 paintings in 30 days

and now I will try to paint and post everyday for 30 days!

The Marsh revisited

I worked on both of these on Day 3 of the Carsten workshop. I did an under painting on both and used an alcohol wash.  I wanted to let the wash show through in places but I may go back and add more color to the golden version. Robert's suggestion "Every few inches, something should change"
I found the advise to change the temperature, the stroke, the color etc. very helpful.

These are both 6.5 by 10, matted to 11x14. $100.00 ea.

Merrimac River Watershed

 

11x14 Pastel on Canson paper in a terra cotta color.

This was the first day of the workshop with Robert Carsten.

The scene is a section of the Merrimac River watershed.