Ornament Impressions

 

Tis the season for holiday decorating - and painting the magic!  It's so much fun to pull out the bold acrylic paints for these shiny ornaments.  Loose and free strokes keep the vibe upbeat and lively. There's so much beauty to paint this time of year, and I hope to make the most of every moment!  Painting number 4714 in 4714 days. 

Chicken Talk

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I have had a whole chicken theme woven through my Augusta Plein Air work this season!  I painted several places with chickens - and I'm especially drawn to them since we got our own special chicks for Easter weekend!  So, as I learn about raising chickens, I am compelled to paint them everywhere I see them!  I'm so happy this one will live with my host family at Augusta Shores!  Painting number in days. When will I ever look that number up?  Who knows - I'm to busy painting! 

Thoughtful Santa

 

Santa Claus is on my easel tonight as I burn the midnight oil.  This day has been filled with side by side rides, outdoor and indoor fun as we gathered  with Danny and the boys on this last day in town.  So, I'm coming to my easel late and I'm also working on my Christmas cards - which I'm also getting to much later than ever.  This season has had me busy getting paintings out right up to the last minute!  Which is awesome, and has also set me back on getting my own work done.  I think Santa understands all about that.  Painting number 5045 in 5045 days.  

Ornaments on Pink

 

I love getting wild and free with the bold colors of the season, and it seems I can't settle on just one style this year!  I guess that's what my Artistic License is for!

I truly am all over the place artistically this month.  I often narrow in on a theme for my cards as the time draws near, but not this year.  I feel like ink and watercolor birds are for sure the theme, then I switch completely to acrylic Santas.  No, wait!  I'll do Union Station in grand style, but then I have these amazing herefords - and now goats - that are begging to find their way into my paintings!  So, here I am, switching back and forth, letting the wind blow me wherever it pleases, and just allowing myself to roll with it until I land on solid ground. Painting number 5040 in 5040 days. 

Colorado Sunrise

Sunrise is magnificent in Estes Park!!  Day 6 of my Artist Residency and I'm exploring why Colorado is the COLORFUL state!!  After a late night waiting for our youngest son to arrive in town, I planned to sleep in a little.  The early dawn light woke me, and the outrageous red orange in the clouds had me popping out of bed and grabbing my paints!  Sunrise waits on no one, so I threw on clothes, a heavy jacket and my winter coat, turning on the teapot for my return.  I started first with the color notes, wanting to mark them accurately, then the darks and highlights.  One must work fast with big brushes and deliberate brushwork, to match the movement of the clouds.  What a glorious morning, even at 37 degrees!   Day 16 of the #stradaeasel painting challenge, and painting number 4336 in 4336 days. 

Ornament Impressions

I do love getting loose and impressionistic with these shiny vintage ornaments!  Using my acrylics in a dry brush manner, I can layer in the values and colors.  The heavy body acrylics dry quickly, so different from my oils.  I rarely pull out my acrylics these days, but doing so puts all kinds of ideas in my head!  How fun would it be to paint this large and hang out over a sofa?  I know the perfect spot - if I can find the time to get it done before Christmas!  Painting number 3258 in 3258 days. 

Geranium Impressions

Today found me squeezing in a painting while watering my plants! These geraniums are irresistible, so they are on my easel!  Loose and fresh, this small 8x10 painting in oils is a study of geraniums.  It is fun to explore the petals, stems and leaves as they turn to and from the light.  So many flowers to paint, so little time!  Painting number 3066 in 3066 days. 

Teakettle Geraniums

I have been wanting to paint these geraniums for days - and I finally got the chance!  The reds are so vibrant - I find that I am cooling down the surrounding masses to try to capture their glow!  This old teakettle belonged to my great grandmother Ethie, and though no longer fit for tea, it is a perfect vessel for my plants!  With oils, I lay in darks and lights, brushing in the blossoms loosely, with light strokes from a soft brush.  I am using a softer synthetic flat that was given to me, and I like how it defines the petals with a swipe.  It was fun using those cad reds at full strength - I don't get to do that too often!  Painting number 3064 in 3064 days. 

Rainy Day Allium

Oh the beauty of a misty day - and allium!  I just got back to town, and the arboretum is alight with these beauties!  I've a few blooms opening of my own (which I almost stayed home to paint), so I was rewarded with this when I arrived on site.  I did not walk further!  Painting two paintings while in Monet's Garden, I didn't scout the rest of the place until finishing!  I wait all year to paint the alluring allium!  Painting number 3035 in 3035 days. 

Daffodil Impressions

I am constantly picking up new bulb and plant varieties to add to my gardens, often times forgetting what I put where until they bloom!  This is the first bloom of these beauties, so of course I had to paint them before the rain!  With brush, I block in the color masses, adding depth with a knife and thicker paint to finish.  I like the loose impressionistic strokes dropped while squinting to really see where those highlights pop!  It's fun to get loose and fresh with such a subject!  Painting number 3019 in 3019 days.

Cherry Tree

 

Hard to believe that I did not even know these trees existed last week!  The Monday Morning Watercolorists had already scheduled our weekly paint out here at Loose Park, so I was sure to attend!  I love the shapes and colors of these cherry trees, so I am studying them in depth. I learned some things on the first painting, and am applying that to this one.  I hope to get a few more done before they blossoms fly away - which is already starting.  Painting number 3010 in 3010 days. 

Catnap

I'm working on a few gallery pieces this week, and this is one for an upcoming animal show.  I am working from an old photo of a favorite cat who is no longer with us, so the work is bittersweet.  First I paint in the masses using a brush, coming in with thicker paint on a palette knife.  I really do love painting animals, and the knife is perfect for adding texture to the fur.  I like the mood of this, I think I'll let it rest for the night, and look with fresh eyes in the morning.  Painting number 2970 in 2970 days. 

Baubles!

I really love getting expressive with the paint on these shiny, reflective Christmas ornaments!  There is something so liberating about grabbing full strength paint from the tube and dropping it right onto the canvas - to work in additional colors at will!  There's no right or wrong, only the marks as they land, sometimes with wild abandon!  After a very full day, it is just the art therapy I need to unwind a bit at day's end.  Love these stolen moments away from my duties!  Painting number 2912 in 2912 days. 

Sunflower Sway

My favorite thing about rainy days is how saturated the color is in the landscape!  With hues so rich and vibrant, the rather wild patch of sunflowers was a natural choice.  I tilt the panel downward a little until I can get that surface completely covered with paint, as it is raining lightly.  I pop those colors in where I see them, working all over the surface.  It looks pretty messy until I start bringing those edges together, and start defining some of those edges.  Another loose one, but I think I like it!  Painting number 2056 in 2056 days.

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East Harbor Impressions

Sometimes, I start a painting en plein air that I'm unable to finish in the field.  This lakeside painting is just such a case.  Only half finished, we had to get back for dinner commitments, and so I stored it in my panel pack.  On the rare occasion that I must do this, there are a few things I do to make sure I have all the information I need.  Most importantly, I try to get all my colors marked loosely, even reflections, dots of highlight and sloppy masses.  I always take a photo before leaving, which gave me very little information here.  The sky was very bright, the beach very dark, and if I'd not already painted the color in, I would never have given that photo a second look.  Maybe I've left thay foreground TOO loose....... I'll take another look tomorrow with fresh eyes.  But for now, I'm letting this favorite spot at East Harbor rest!  Painting number 2055 in 2055 days.

oil on panel, 14x10
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Pink Palette Roses

My sweet painting students threw me a little birthday party at class this afternoon - complete with my favorite cake!  The same cake my mother made for me when I was young!  How could they have possibly known?  They are precious and I value each and every one of them!  Today's class was focused on finishing up those paintings not quite finished in class, so I brought pink roses to paint from, revisiting the lesson from weeks ago.  Palette knife painting is one of those things that just takes practice to improve the skills.  I like to start with a loose sketch in paint, followed by brush work to fill in the masses.  When I'm happy with this under painting, I pull out a knife and start defining the edges.  I left my knife at home, so Norma shared hers, and I finished this in no time.  I love painting roses as much as I love cake!  Painting number 1907 in 1907 days.

Old Hackberry Tree

The wind meant business today with those 40 mph gusts!  I waited for a lull in the winds, after the crazy snow and sun show in the sky, to get a quick painting in.  I sheltered among some trees in a lower lying spot in the pasture, and got this one painted.  It doesn't take long when I'm working small.  I know this is my "100 people week", but sometimes I just have to paint the great outdoors, one with nature for a little while.  Then, I can pick up my pen again!  Painting number 1873 in 1873 days.

Crimson Impressions

With such a drab, rainy day washing all of the icy beauty out of the landscape, I turn instead to my palette knives and roses for my daily fix.  I love to play with these knives - each painting an experiment in mark making!  Today, I start each petal at it's outer edge, pulling the paint toward the center.  This leaves the thickest paint at the edge, giving the petal dimension.  Further knife play is in order - but the warmer weekend temps may just get me right back outside!  So many things to paint - so few hours in each day!  Painting number 1862 inn 1862 days.

Wooded Lake Impressions

Whenever I'm at a plein air event in another state, the wonder of places unexplored seeps into my very soul.  Every painting I create carries that wonder in every brushstroke.  In a serene place like this, the peace and tranquility of the day also seep into the painting.  I could have painted here all week, but only had a day to spend here with my paints and ink.  I made use of my time, completing 5 works on site before tearing myself away.  I'm already looking forward to another rendezvous next October.  Painting number 1749 in 1749 days.

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JC Nichol's Fountain at Night

I've sketched this historic Kansas City icon multiple times, but this is only my second attempt at capturing it in paint.  Finishing It up last week, I am only now getting around to posting it.  SO much has happened since then, it seems like ages ago!  It is on display now at the Bank of Blue Valley on the third floor as part of the "Now Showing" program, organized by Arts KC.  I need to do more of these nocturne fountain paintings - the color is amazing, and I know there is so much more to learn!  I'm already thinking of trying one of these fountains in the water mixable oils with the drippy effect..... SO many paintings to do, so little time!  Painting number 1687 in 1687 days.

oil on panel, 24x20
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