Getting organized

 Way back in 2012, I did attempt Leslie Saeta's

30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

I did about fifteen paintings.

Not bad,

but not 30.

So this time I have a plan!

Beware a woman with a plan!

above, you can see I have been hitting every canvas sale in town.

My only limitation is size and cash.

I'm sticking to 8 x 10 and 8 x 8 canvases.

I'm also trying to get gallery wraps as much as possible...

a little bit pricier, but no framing necessary.

Paint

Lots of paint!

I am working in acrylics because it dries fast

and....

I seem to have a lot of it!

Although you can see a wild collection of color here,

for the most part, I plan on sticking to a limited palette.

The third part of the plan is to use this covered palette

to save paint from one day to the next

and try to use leftover paint from one day's work

on a smaller painting the next day.

Since I tend to mix big piles of paint when working with acrylics,

this could be a time and money saver.

So these last few weeks in August are dedicated to cleaning up the studio,
sketching out 30 (or more) possible ideas,
and gearing up for the challenge,
Oh!
and one more thing...
I'm limiting my subject matter somewhat.
My theme for the 30 paintings in 30 days is:
WINGS.

Click to buy

A new friend from Europe was looking at my online gallery

a few days ago and noticed that my style

varies wildly.

I get bored.

One one hand, that's a good thing,

it makes me explore new mediums and techniques.

It makes the world of art appear limitless.

I can do whatever I want on my little

 world of canvas or paper.

Lots of fun.

On the other hand,

it seems to annoy galleries, collectors and

European friends.

Hmmmm.

So, my internal artist has been digesting this.

Wandering around the internet,

looking at artwork by artists I admire.

Sure enough, they seem to have a rather static style.

So, in the interest of switching things up once again,

 I've decided to start with

the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

hosted by Leslie Saeta.

I've already committed to it.

Now I am setting parameters for myself

such as subject, canvas size and surface, palette

and now I am thinking style must be added.

Can I paint 30 paintings all in one style?

Of course I can.

Can't I?

Well, we will certainly see.

The last two angel paintings as well as the first couple were all painted on canvases that were first prepared with black gesso.

So I am thinking that at least ten canvases must be prepped with black gesso.

The angel in shades of gray was done on a surface prepped with

a modeling compound.

So ten will get modeling compound.

I'm leaving ten as wild cards.

They may get surface preps and they may not.

They key will be they will all be more or less in the same style.

Mixed media acrylic (less expensive than my oils)

big brush, expressive and a touch of linear.

The angel in this blog is in that style,

big impressionist strokes,

scraped in lines.

Click on the bottom

to see more details.

Check back for more information on the upcoming 30 in 30 challenge.

I'll be posting information on my preparations

and daily paintings right here!

New works and a bit of catching up

Click here to buy

Oh my!

It's been a long time since I've been here.

So I've tidied up a bit.

Changed a few things here and there.

Preparing for the next big project.

Yep, I've got a surprise coming for you, but that's for another day.

For today, we"ll play a bit of catch up.

Last up was my first angel.

Since then I've been painting and drawing angels

like a mad woman.

Some have wings, some are just little angels.

Angel faces.

You know I work in a photo studio

that caters to children and their families.

I love my work.

I love creating beautiful images of the children.

So it wasn't surprising when I started to want to draw tiny faces.

The Renaissance artists called them "putti",

baby angels.

Their tiny faces have an entirely different proportion from adults.

What I really love is their expressions.

So honest, even when their sad, like the little one above.

Sugar Angel Click to buy

Sometimes I just got carried away and the little ones went WILD!

Angel of Summer Click to buy

I had no idea I could have this much fun with a pencil and an eraser.

I actually only use the eraser to add shapes and highlights.

I have some erasers that look like pencils

and I can sharpen them to tiny points to get details.

Angel of Small creature Click to buy

I am also using some water soluble pencils and charcoal.

Everything gets sealed so not a single smear or smudge can happen

once I am finished.

That's it for now.

Next up will be my winged angels.

I've painted one for each of the terrorist attacks.

Just painting them helps soothe me

a little, gives me hope,

and a prayer for a world with a bit more

peace.

 

 

Angel of Peace 12 X 16 mixed media

 

 

Oh, I love this last painting. I loved painting just values,

just light and dark.

I needed an angel and a blessing.

Some light in all the darkness

that seems to be occurring around us.

 

She inspired me to be loose,

to be open,

to be free.

 

She brings dreams of a new year full of hope.

I can see painting like this more often,

with a prayer for openness

and light.

 

Painting lessons begin again in January,

in St. Charles.

Message me for information and a holiday special.



Black Friday Offer

 

Special Black Friday Offer

 

If you are reading this, you are one of my friends

and I would like to extend a special gift to you

I will be offering a beginners oil painting class

at Missouri on Main

in St. Charles

on Thursdays from 1:00 - 3:00

January 7 through February 4, 2016

The costs of the class is $95.00 plus materials.

The gift is this:

If you sign up and pay for the class before December 25,

The cost of the class is only $90.00

PLUS

you will receive TWO prepared canvases

AND

one of my favorite brushes

FREE.

You can only sign up by contacting me at

paintdiva106@gmail.com

Hope to hear from you!



Lets hear it for the Whales

I wandered back into art journaling not too long ago.

Just couldn't stay away.

It's just too much fun and it really is a way I can find

my visual voice.

 

It reminds me how much I love the sea

and all the creatures in and around it.

That is where I come from.

I breathe better when I am near salt water.

I see things.

Everything.

It's life.

my life.

So the sea washes into my soul and out into my work

on a regular basis.

When I started to draw,

I drew light houses and sailing ships.

Then there were seashells and fishes.

Now I've traded my fins for feet and live landlocked

with only the river

to remind me

on those days when I need more wet than dry.

 

 

So my art journal holds these secret desires.

Poems and drawings.

I hear my mother singing this poem,

the way adults sing things to children.

Yes, Mother,

I will go down to the Sea again,

and dream of whales and storms.



 

Hello! Long time no write!

Well I am sincerely hoping to get back in the groove of

sharing my art work and creativity with you.

Sometimes, as an artist, we need to cocoon a bit,

wrap up and see what we really nee to see.

Actually, that's not a bad thing for anyone.

 

I began teaching again in St. Charles,

at Missouri Artists on Main,

an amazing gallery full of the most talented collection

of artists in Missouri.

They are also the most welcoming and inspiring

group of artists I have ever met!

 

Teaching again reminded me how very much I love

lighting up the fire of art

in others.

It's one of the finest things I've ever done

and I love doing it.

It's both an honor and a pleasure.

 

The other piece of treasure I discovered in my cocooning

is a remembrance of the wonder of drawing.

My pens and pencils have all come out of hiding and have been put to work.

Drawing is a wonderful meditative thing

that is far more than image making.

It's a spiritual thing that opens you up as it slows you down.

If coloring books do wonders for you,

you should try drawing.

 

Well I have plans.

I have dreams.

But I am going to save them for another day.

I haven't forgotten my paints.

You can see my oils over at the

Kirkwood train station through the end of the month.

I will be here more often,

with some surprises,

some new journeys.

I hope you will join me.