30-day painting challenge day #3

"Poppy Landscape" ACEO/ 3.5x2.5" watercolor on paper

Here is a website explaining ACEO click --> HERE

I am challenging myself to just paint daily for 30 days.  I won't be painting a finished piece but I will paint something everyday which I don't do.  Well some days I take pictures all day or read an art book or peruse art websites but those too get in the way of creating.  So I painted this at 11:50PM last night lol  But it was done at 12:30 - I love that panic button!!!  This is a monthly challenged in Wetcanvas miniature group.  I had never participated in any of that before, usually I just go to the image library.

This video prompted me to do the 30-day deal from email my brother and sister sent me.  By the way this painting is day #3

http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

DPW Old Mill and Tools challenges, etc.

"Neglected, but not Forgotten" 3.5x2.5 watercolor on paper

I'm surprised this painting fell together in an hour.  I had an hour to produce something before I had to fix dinner but I still went ahead and grabbed a blank ACEO watercolor paper (btw a gift from a dear friend Barbara Ann Spencer Jump).  She was kind enough to gift me a variety of watercolor papers in 2.5x3.5 format! This is equivalent to winning the raffle ticket for me because I can only cut trapezoids for some reason!  Check out the submissions "Paint What You Paint With Challenge"

I felt SOOOO challenged by the DPW Old Mill challenge!  It's not so much that the reference photo was low resolution and dreary.  But I admit, I'm not a landscape artist and I'm especially not used to painting with a with a make-believe prettier picture in my head HAHAHA  So I submitted anyway, such as it was....

"Solo Mio" 7x5 watercolor on paper

Finally, I took a picture of myself....rather, I happen to like this one picture I took recently of myself so I thought I'd paint it for the DPW All About Me challenge.  I started painting it before Romel Delatorre workshop, but I think was a mistake not to finish what I had started before the workshop because I was simply dying to paint when I got back!  It would have behooved me more to paint something on a blank canvas.  My saturated brain was not ready to go backwards.  So I'm disappointed in this painting.  I'd like to start painting with more subtlety.  We'll chalk this one up to painting while I'm in transition but I am sharing it here as starting point (fingers crossed).  We'll see where I go from here :)

"Departure" oil on linen 6x6 inches

Umm here is the reference photo don't laugh!  I am the only one allowed to laugh!  Oh of course you can laugh! :D

Had a productive birthday! :)

"Friendly Play on a Sunny Day"

11x12 watercolor on paper

A couple hours ago I celebrated the anniversary of my 29th birthday :)  The week has been busy with my appointments and with storms and tornado warnings so there was no point in making definite plans to go out.  My husband had an bit of emergency work to do for the morning but he hurried home to cook us a nice brunch which allowed me to keep on painting for a change!  It's been a busy week with not enough time for focused painting so I was pleased to stay home :)

 "Thanksgiving Orchid" 

ACEO 2.5"x3.5" watercolor on paper

This piece was also some sort of a celebration - a new bloom from my orchid Scott bought me last Thanksgiving!  I was both cheering the new bloom and the fact I've kept the plant alive this long!  I was painting from life,so with the orchid sitting under a light it had completely opened up by the time I finished the painting!

I received tons of birthday greetings on Facebook so I was very flattered and happy that over 120 people took the time to greet me especially with the holidays and families getting together this week!

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to my friends and readers!

DPW Chicken and ACEO still life

"Puck Puck Puck" SOLD
9x12 watercolor on paper

This week's Daily Paintwork's challenge was brought to us by Carol Marine.  The challenge was simply to paint the photo of the chicken she provided or use our own reference.  I chose her photo because I felt like dealing with the challenge of painting something white.

These next ones are ACEO 

 "Simply Iris" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor on paper

Usually after I paint my small format art like the ACEO, I like to press the painting between two pieces of wood overnight.  I painted the sunflowers the other night... just to seize the day and before the flowers was about to be offered to the birds. As I was supposed about to press it, I was surprised by the iris painting I had in between the woods.  I think it's been at least 2 years...probably more.

"Sunflowers" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor on paper

I think I enjoyed painting this looser piece.  Painting tight was probably what made me stop painting them before!

I have been redesigning my blog.  I hope to get done with it soon because it sure eats up my art time!

Father's Day ACEO watercolors

Back when I was a prolific "Ebay artist" I painted mostly ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals). They are baseball card size which is 2.5x3.5 inches. I painted them mostly in watercolors or occasionally used acrylics or oils. Those were the days before Ebay simply took the joy of creating and selling without worrying too much about making a good living out of painting. Here are three of my favorite Father's Day themed ACEO.

"Baby's First Man!" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor on paper

"Summer Fishing for the Boys" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor on paper

This last one is close to my heart as it is Lori Andrew's men. I fell in love with their matching chins! Thanks Lori!!!

"Chin Club/ Belong" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor on paper

Fathers are very special especially for little girls! I hope nobody forgets to tell their dad they love them. I wish I could call my dad but he passed away in the mid-80's . However, I'm pretty sure he knew he was loved :)

I am currently in a group show that opened June 9th and will end July 3rd at the Art Center of the Ozarks. Now I'm just busy doing commission pieces until my next group show around the end of summer. I hope to jump back in DSDF again more regularly, but we'll see ;)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the good men who go out of their way to bring up wholesome children by giving them all their loving support! It's not an easy job but it makes a big positive difference in the long run!

Watercolor Cat's Cradle Akiko Watanabe

"Her Cat's Cradle" 2.5x3.5 inches watercolor

This a deal that developed during the DSDF Portrait project. I have always admired Akiko Watanabe's work - it's nothing short of EXCELLENT. Her attention to details that is always done with such care and impeccable skills. Her love for animals is always manifested through each one of her creations. Here is her website http://www.akiko-watanabe.com/index.html and here is her blog http://artbyakiko.blogspot.com/ prepare to be knocked over :)


So I see Akiko as an angel, most especially cats. This is why I thought I'd paint her with wings. And a pair of hands with the cat's cradle string position to symbolize that cats find comfort with her. I tried with my limited knowledge of cat shapes to paint 15 cats on her shirt. This number symbolizes an important figure to her which I will let her own. It's a miniature piece of art, but it's the biggest hug I can send right now and made with love for dear Akiko xxx

By the way, a note to my email subscribers. I didn't realize the printing some text in blue in my previous post was not a good thing since it's hard to read oopsie sorry about that!

NFAC Bunny Got (Christmas) Tree ACEO

"Bunny Got (Christmas) Tree" ACEO

This jolly folk art bunny is my lovely entry for the NFAC (NibbleFest Art Contest). I think he may have come out of my holiday spirit hahaha! This month's theme is "Christmas Tree".

This reproduction is based on a painting I did on some folk art I see around my area, so you might say it's a product of my environment. I did a series of Bunny which still cracks me up today so I might just decide to revive him and his happy personality :)

This item, as the rest of the NFAC listings start at 99 cents.
VIEW HERE TO BID

My other Bunny Art (not included in this auction)

"Bunny's First Christmas", "Mz Bunny Got Pet", "Bunny Got Snow" and "Mz Bunny Got Baby" (as always, click image to view bigger version)

Dutch Iris Flower Challenge

"Dutch Iris" 2.5"x3.5" watercolor

This format is also known as ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals). I took the reference photo 7 years ago so I'm glad to have finally painted from it for my watercolor group's flower challenge. This iris was simply begging to be painted with the its beautiful contrasting colors of yellow and purple along with the ridges on the tips of its petals that fold along the tips for added feature.

I paint a lot of this small format art which I tend to sell in auction sites like Ebay, Etsy, and Ebid. I enjoy painting them because they allow me to be extremely portable in my productions and also because I can effortlessly ship them anywhere the buyer might be. Because of this my work is owned worldwide which is quite exciting!

Tonight I will be attending a pastel figurative demo by Leslie DeMille. He is a guest artist and this year's Ozark Pastel Society's juried show judge. It's been since the 90's that I watched a pastel portrait demo done in Fine Art style (I mean versus a typical amusement park portrait that tends to be more of a caricature). It should be fun; I'll be attending with my art gurls :)

Barbara Jump, who is one of my talented watercolor colleagues in my WnW group (Watercolors Wet and Wild), was kind enough to cut down some of her multiple brands of watercolor papers so I can explore them.

I painted all ACEO or 2.5"x3.5" formats. First was from one of my stock Lanaquarelle 140lb hotpress. "Rose in my Shelf" This was a cutting from my own garden which I placed in a shelf by my computer. The salmon-pink tones of the rose just called on me until I finally gave in and painted it.

"Daisy Drops" was painted on Fabriano Uno 140lb coldpress. This was painted for Watercolor Wednesday theme "April Showers". Back in 2002 someone gave me some Fabriano paper samplers from a shop that went out of business. I fell in love with one of the papers but couldn't recall which one it was. I do believe it was Fabriano Uno! It has a lovely fine weave and fine tooth to it which somehow made it feel so luxurious to paint on. I felt quality under my brush.


"Backlit Daffodil" This was painted on Winsor Newton 140lb. coldpress. This was also done for Watercolor Wednesday theme which was "Hello Yellow". Anyway, I am still trying to befriend yellow flowers. And I am always inspired by back lit floral images. I am not as pleased with this painting as I am with the other two. But as far as papers go, I think I'd be perfectly content having these selections of paper in my supplies at any given day.