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. 

Shiny Ornaments

 

What fun it is to paint festive ornaments with acrylics again! I love how quickly acrylics dry, and the rich color is perfect for paintball these shiny balls. In fact, I've never reached for my oils for these, and now I wonder why?  I'm normally looking for quick paintings to send out this time of year, and acrylics fit that bill.  This is also the time I reach for gallery wrapped canvases, as I paint right onto the edges.  No need for frames, which is a convenience, too.  Painting number 4709 in 4709 days. 

Festive Ornaments

 

Christmas is coming and it's time to start painting the magic!  We deck the halls right after Thanksgiving, but I light our outdoor Alberta spruce earlier, and pull out these shiny ornaments for that!  It's the perfect opportunity to start painting these shiny jewels, and it really gets me in the mood for the holidays!  Painting number 4705 in 4705 days. 

Shiny Ornaments

 

It's fun to squeeze in a painting during all the fun holiday festivities with family!  I LOVE this time of year! This day started with a goat emergency, one was being chased by the others and was limping.  After calling for reinforcements. I was off to Casper's Christmas party at preschool.  I arrived home in time to prepare for Aunt Diana and Uncle Ed to come visit. Danny and boys, Mom, Tiffany and family all joined the fun, too, which we watched Kirby and Casper.  The campfire was also fun, though we didn't stay out long in this cold night!  Painting number 5044 in 5044 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. 

Shiny Ornaments

 

I love painting the bright colors of Christmas in acrylic on canvas!  These shiny ornaments are super fun to describe with paint.  The acrylic layers quickly with the fast dry time, and luxury I don't have with oils.  I mark my lines first with a dark hue, then get those masses in, painting the reflections while each color is on my brush.  This is a quick paint between commissions, just a little something to brighten up the day! Now, I'm off to start another one!  Painting number 5036 in 5036 days. 

Three Ornaments

This painting and local plein air work will be at the Holiday Open House at the Oliver Building Gallery tomorrow night in the historic West Bottoms from 6:00 to 9:00. What a wonderful way to celebrate the season!  I'll be featuring two paintings from the Inaugural Historic West Bottoms Plein Air Event in May as well as 4 holiday paintings, one of the Country Club Plaza, one of Union Station and another Christmas ornament painting.  It promises to be an evening full of good cheer with friends and local businesses.  Painting number 3985 in 3985 days. 

Holiday Ornaments

After spending time with the Nolan, Quinn and Layne, I find a little time to paint before bedtime.  Oh what fun it is to paint these shiny, colorful ornaments!  This large bowl of balls waits on the back porch for little hands to adorn them, and hang them on our outdoor spruce.  I will help the little ones dip their hand into acrylic paint - and then grab the ornament, leaving a lasting impression of this year's Christmas handprint. I hope to paint these a few more times before I put them away in January!  Painting number 3983 in 3983 days 

Cashmere Rose

Cashmere Rose is behind the second door in my Diamine Inkvent Calendar - and it is a lovely rosy pink!  It is so much fun to reveal a new ink every day!  I'm using a few sketch lines to begin this year, where before I have only used the ink in a direct watercolor way.  I'm exploring how this ink works in a sketch, though I'm only using line work sparingly for now.  I can't wait to see what's behind door number 3! Painting number 3980 in 3980 days. 

Shiny Ornaments

As I deck the halls, I find a bowl of old ornaments that I keep for painting! Where fancy and ornate adorn my trees, the shiny colored glass balls make great subject matter! Reflecting colors off of each other, they are happy, bold and bright! I use acrylic paint for these baubles - and can't wait to paint some more.  Perhaps this will be my Christmas card theme for the season?! Painting number 3975 in 3975 days. 

Christmas at Family Tree

Painting this time of year at a favorite local nursery always gets me in the Christmas spirit!  Family Tree Nursery welcomed our Monday watercolor group today, and Michaela and the boys joined me there as well!  As I sketched a couple of beautiful trees, they picked out special ornaments and a gift for Daddy. We enjoyed hot steamers in the greenhouse afterward, and I picked up a few new plants on the way out.  It was a lovely morning filled with holiday cheer and we'll wishers add I visited with the shoppers. What a lovely way to kick off the week of Thanksgiving!  Painting number 3965 in 3965 days. 

Ornaments!

 

It is so fun to paint these giant ornaments while children's choirs filter in and out to sing!  Sitting with Mom at a table, sipping hot tea from Sheridan's, it was a very cushy morning for a quick sketch!  I remember coming here to sing while still at school, to sing Christmas carols.  It brings back fond memories of youth and friends.  These ornaments seem to have been here as long as i can remember, so I'm capturing them in paint!  Love the holidays at Crown Center!  Painting number 4127 in 4127 days. 

Shiny Ornaments

We have a new family tradition since Mom has moved to town - she hosts Christmas Eve!  On this night, we all share our gift with her, and she with us.  The halls are decked and table set with h'orderves, and the grandchildren playing with the pull toys my brother and I shared.  It is a lovely night to celebrate the season with our closest family, and treasure our time together. Who would have guessed it would nearly be 70 degrees tonight in Missouri?  Painting number 3262 in 3262 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. 

Vintage Ornaments

 I'm always thankful to finish that last Christmas card!  Merry and bright is my theme this year, so I've been painting the vintage ornaments I picked up weeks ago, in various compositions.  It takes quite a while by the time I paint each one, attach to cards, then handwrite a personal note or memory.  It's taken me a few years to get back in the groove, losing my dad was so very hard. I realize more than ever how fragile life is, and how thankful I am for every chance to tell my loved ones what then mean to me. Painting number 3254 in 3254 days. 

Christmas Balls

Tonight finds me hard at work on Christmas Card Art!  The days have been so nice that I've spent the daylight hours on outdoor projects - leaving the wee hours for painting! I picked up these vintage ornaments when holiday shopping with my mom, for the purpose of painting them. I like to hand make my cards, so they take a bit of time, and then I like to write individual notes in each one - which takes even more time. My goal for tonight was 10 cards finished and stamped - and I've gotten through 12 - so that's a win!  Nothing makes me work harder than a challenge, even with myself, lol!  Painting number 3247 in 3247 days. 

Holiday Balls

I'm so honored to have this painting chosen by the Buttonwood Financial Group for their company Christmas card this year! I collect vintage glass balls just for painting during the holidays.  I keep them in a glass bowl for added holiday flair, and easy access for impromptu paintings.  I really like the festive colors and cheer they represent - so perfect for celebrating the season.  In fact, I've been working on a few in the same vein for my own Christmas cards this year!  Painting number 3240 in 3240 days. 

Seize the Night Ornaments

I'm so excited to open the first ink of Diamine's Inkvent calendar!!  "Seize the Night" is a rich velvety violet that moves a bit with water!  I have not yet marked on wet paper, but I see blue separating from the violet in the more saturated masses. I have wanted this calendar ever since the first year's one sold out - before I found out about it.  I think tomorrow I'll try dropping a drop of this ink on wet paper, allowing it to bleed out, just to see what kind of magic happens.  There is so much more that can be done with ink than writing.  Painting number 3239 in 3239 days. 

Ornaments Five

I returned to Blogger to upload my latest post, only to find that yet again, my previous post did not upload.  So, now I'm going to try to play "catch up" when I have several recent posts still to catch up on.  If only high speed internet would arrive, one way or the other, it is nearly 2022.  Now, on to the happy stuff - painting!  I just picked these vintage ornaments up at a local antique shop, for the sole purpose of painting them!  I have many fancy blown glass ornaments for the tree, but nothing reflects like the simply round, shiny balls!  So I sketch with ink, then lay down some wet paint, dropping in more color as it dries a little. I work almost entirely wet on wet, so I must work fast!  It's another late night at the easel because I can't resist working outside when it's in the 60s in NOVEMBER!  All the bulbs are in now as well as poppy, sweet William and hollyhock seeds planted.  The more beautiful days I have, the more I get done in the garden!  Painting number 3237 in 3237 days. 

Glass Balls

It must by Christmas time if I'm painting ornaments!  I picked up some antique glass balls at a local antique shop while attending a holiday open house, because I LOVE to paint them!  I'm painting on gallery wrapped canvas, so I'm using acrylics and a dry brush technique.  In reorganizing my supplies I found several of these canvasses, and they are perfect for this subject.  I got my tree up today, and attended Christmas on Main with my Mom and sorority sisters, and so the Christmas magic is strong tonight!  It will be a few more days before everything is decorated, and I'm so thankful for the wonderful weather!  Painting number 3236 in 3236 days.