Day 31 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Collage of 30 Paintings completed during the Jan 2015 Challenge

Yeah! This was quite a journey this time.  I felt so much more at ease with creating paintings each day.  I was confident in my choice to use the webbing and spraying technique with Dr. Ph. Martin Hydrus Watercolors as the under painting in each piece as a first step which one two occasions ended up being the painting. It was an adventure to see what image or focal point I ended up with.  I hope you enjoyed the "before" and "after" images on the blog. I also finished 4 paintings that I had been hesitating about which direction I wanted to go with them.

THANK YOU  THANK YOU  THANK YOU  THANK YOU  THANK YOU  THANK YOU!!!!

Thanks especially to Leslie for hosting the site and creating this event.  She is a marvelous human being and so talented to boot.  Secondly I have to say "thanks" to my husband, daughter and grandson since they have to put up with me being the focus of what happens and doesn't happen each day.  My house definitely needs a thorough cleaning starting today!  My friends and extended family were so important in the daily responses to my creations.  They lifted my spirits and gave me that extra little nudge to approach each new day with positive energy.

Now the hard work of marketing begins.  Good luck to the other artists who completed the Challenge in your journeys.

Day 30 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Forests of the Sea
Watercolor on 300 lb Fabriano
11 x 14

This final painting of the Challenge is also done with my webbing and spraying technique.  I almost made two paintings out of the under painting but decided to try to develop an underwater ocean scene with the shapes which had been created.  I'm happy that I decided to go with one because I could put in a few fish which I had promised my Grandson Will that I would add the next time I did one with the fishing theme.  I did a little research on the "Brown Algae" that grows from the ocean floor upwards.  That was my education lesson for the day.  I've only been snorkeling once but think I need to go to warm waters and check it out again.

I'm one of the luckiest people to have such awesome friends and family! Thanks to each one of you who have commented and kept up my enthusiasm and creative juices flowing.  I couldn't have done it without you! I learned more about myself and my emotions when deciding on a subject and design to enhance what is already there in the first layer. I love to paint even more and plan on continuing to commit to being in my studio each day.

Now to the marketing phase which isn't as much fun and obviously lots of work.  If you are interested in purchasing any of these paintings, please let me know.  Keep checking back on my website and blogs to see what I'm up to next......

Forests_of_the_Sea

Day 29 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Nets Ropes and Floats
Watercolor on AquaBord
12 x 36 x 1/8

I decided to finally tackle the underpainting for this painting.  The webbing hadn't come through strong enough for what I had hoped to achieve so I had to create more of it than I usually like to do.  The colors were stronger and so I just decided to "play" with what I had.  It has a much more designer look than my others in the series but that's what I was feeling.  I have one more in this series and then I'll be on to something else.  Hope you enjoy it.

Nets_Ropes_and_Floats

Day 28 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

It is hard to believe that I started this painting with my webbing and spraying technique using yellows and reds.  I thought of my favorite French rooster as a good subject with those colors.  Before today I had completed the two hens and the rooster, except for the tail feathers.  After critique there were several suggestions on making the background enhance the rooster by darkening around him.  When we were chasing them all over the property at Maison Blanche in France there were wonderful shadows from the chestnut and hazelnut trees so I decided to add the tree shadow colors and the chicken coop to the background.  It definitely is darker now and the he does "pop" more.  I had to change the design to the diagonal with the horizon line obscured. I might need to rename the painting "le coq gaulois" the unofficial symbol of France.  He also has a look that says, "Don't mess with my hens!"

This is a full sheet painting and he makes quite a statement when hanging in a room.

Ruler of the Roost II
Watercolor  22 x 30

Day 27 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

This is a sneak peak at a painting I had started awhile back and had been waiting for a "quiet" time to be able to concentrate on the detail work which remained.  This really isn't that "quiet" time but I wanted to get this painting finished to complete my series on the Fishing Nets and Floats.  I painted yesterday and early this morning on this part of the painting.  I still have a third of the painting left to finish so that is the "sneak" part of this.  Look for the finished painting on this blog after the 30 Day Challenge is finished.

The dock at the Port at Saint Jean de Luz in France is one of those places which you always want to return to.  We have been there twice now.  It has the quaint resort town with a small port. The combined cultures of architecture, food, and art of both the French and the Basque communities is unique. Finally it has an historical attraction since King Louis XIV of France married the King of Spain’s daughter, Maria Theresa, in Saint Jean de Luz in June 1660. This royal wedding is one of the most important political marriages in France's history. 

Fishing Nets On the Dock St. Jean de Luz
Watercolor (finished panting 12x36)

Day 26 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Country Fashion on Wheels
7 3/4 x 10 1/4
Watercolor on 300 lb Fabriano

Country Fashion on Wheels
11 x 14
Watercolor on 300 lb Fabriano

This was a fun collaboration using an image from a cycling friend of my husband.  It was fun to know what I was going to paint before placing the webbing and spraying the concentrated watercolor pigments for a change. There was a lot more detail work to get this the way I wanted it to look.  I extended the painting out as you can see from the background image to 11 x 14 but decided to crop it for the Challenge.  I like both but the smaller image definitely puts the focus on the red boot.  I liked the larger painting because it didn't place the boot in the center.  What do you think?Country_Fashion_on_Wheels

Day 25 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Wringin' Wet
8 x 8 Watercolor on 300 lb Fabriano

From the first time I saw the underpainting I saw a figure and it was hard to rotate it and see a bird that was as exciting to paint as the figure.  It is a simple painting but that is what I chose to do today.  I started a second painting which I wanted to spend a little more time and so you'll see it tomorrow.


Wringin Wet

Day 24 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

The Web Master
8 x 8 Watercolor and Gouache
on 300 lb Fabriano

My inspiration for this painting came from a photo taken on one of our Fall morning walks in the neighborhood.  We came upon the perfect spider web which was glistening in the morning sun covered in dew and stretching in all directions to whatever it could find to attach itself to.  It was interesting how the spider had entwined its web around the seed pods from a bush.  When I looked at the underpaintng and saw a bit of a curve and some seed pods I pulled out my photo for reference.  I decided to use gouache to bring out the frosty web since it is more opaque.  It was lots of fun and I knew some day I would paint that web.


The_Web_Master

Day 23 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Rare Rest Stop
6x6 Watercolor on 300 lb. Artistico paper

I painted my first dragonfly last year as part of my series on birds, animals, and insects and I wanted to paint one before the end of the Challenge.  I love to sit outside and watch them dart from one part of the yard to another, occasionally taking a quick dip on the pool surface.  They seldom rest and so it is difficult to capture them at rest.  Hope you enjoy this painting.

Rare_Rest_Stop

Day 22 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

Several years ago I painted a Flamenco dancer series.  My Flamenco Dancer IV was the painting featured in many of shows, used on the cover of the CD Valero! by the Otterbourne Brass in England, the cover painting of the Dade Heritage Trust in Miami, FL for its fund raiser invitation and one of the most visited paintings on my website over the years.

I put a couple paintings in the drawer and the one you see below has been cropped, and the background refreshed.  It was painted on Yupo so it is very fragile when not sealed so there needed to be some touch-ups.  I decided to center the focus on the shoes rather than the dancer because the footwork of the dance is so complex and important.  Though I had reworked it in December it has never been published on my website or been in a show.  So tonight I bring it out as part of this Challenge.
Flamenco_Magic_in_the_Shoes

Flamenco Magic In the Shoes
12x12x5/8 Cradle
Watercolor on Yupo Sealed

Day 21 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

the Camo Pump Tribute
6x6 Watercolor on Fabriano paper

Since one of my dear artist friends suggested I might consider doing a series of shoes I found myself inspired after watching the Republican Rebuttal Speech following President Obama's State of the Union Address.  They flashed the shoes which Joni Ernst was wearing and so once again I went shopping to find just the right pair to paint.  Since she is a Veteran who has seen combat and chose to wear the shoes, I wanted to honor her service and other women in our military by painting a camouflage pump.  A Valentino Garavani Camouflage pump for those of you in the market.

The_Camo_Pump_Trib

ute

Day 20 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

People Going About Their Day
16x20 Watercolor on AquaBord

Day 20 Vertical View
16x20 Watercolor on AquaBord

Day 20 Vertical View 2
16x20 Watercolor on AquaBord

I started two larger paintings today with the idea that they both would probably take several days to finish.  I struggled with which way to hang this painting.  I like the first one at the top the best.  I might still want to do some finish work in defining some of the figures I see in the painting -- each doing something different.  I've posted the same painting turned to both vertical positions for you to see as well.  Sometimes letting the buyer choose is the best way.  There are some interesting designs and patterns in each.  Which you do like the best?