Going Overboard - Again!

I think it must be a sickness. I get what I think is a really good idea and I go overboard and make lots of - whatever!

quilled house plant ornaments

I have had a request for some of these from the woman in charge of the gift shop at the Creston Museum so maybe I haven't made too many - lol. I have enjoyed making these except for the bumble bees. For some reason they seemed to be harder to make than any of the other designs.

As the weather improves, my thoughts are turning more to my garden and bedding plants than to art. I plan to slow down a bit and get back to basics so I am just going to focus on drawing for a while.

I picked up a fun book at a artist's book sale; Draw Medieval Fantasies by Damon J Reinagle. I think they should have added the word Cartoons but the drawings are fun and way outside my norm. I will work on these mostly when I go to the Art Club's painting days.

And finally, I have decided what to do with this painting.

NOTHING!!!

I had a number of people respond to my call for help. The majority of the comments were to leave the painting alone because  - they liked it! A few artist friends made some very good suggestions and I tried them out on some mylar laid over the original. I also turned the painting sideways and studied it for a while. Nothing seemed to work and the more I looked at the piece the more I liked it as is. Now I have to come up with a title - sigh!

Thanks to all of you who helped with my decision - I really appreciate your comments and hope you will keep it up!

Help!

I am in a quandary. Since I started doing abstracts I have found that I have no sense of whether my paintings are good or not. I need HELP!

I finished this painting last night and, although I like the colours, I am not sure about the composition. Should I sign it or just paint over the thing? I would really appreciate your opinions.

12 x 16 acrylic

Maybe it is time to put the acrylics away and go back to something I am more comfortable doing - landscapes in watercolour!

I hope you will let me know what you think about this one.

Thanks for visiting!

Back in the Studio!

I took a few days off after the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge but it wasn't long before I was back in my studio. I figured I wouldn't want to do any more abstracts for a while but there was a canvas just sitting there crying out for some paint - what could I do?

#1097 - Day and Night - acrylic on 20 x 24 gallery wrap canvas

I really thought that after doing 30 abstracts for the challenge that I would have a better handle on how to do them. I have watched numerous videos - they make it look so easy - but I am still struggling. What really gets me is that in all the videos they say they don't use anything but water to thin and blend their paints. At any rate, this is my latest painting - let me know what you think.

I have also been doing a bit of quilling for a change of pace; nothing exciting or complicated, just for fun!

quilled paper lighthouse ornament

quilled paper fish ornament

Thanks for stopping by to visit; it is always great to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Finale

The last week of the challenge I found myself slowing down with not much interest in painting. So what did I do last night? Painted, of course!

#1096 - Butterfly and flowers - 9 x 12 acrylic on watercolour paper

The background for this was more experimenting while I tried different techniques to make lines and runs with materials I have on hand. That wasn't very successful but I did like the colours so - I added a few things.

But, to get to the focus of this post. Here is the collage of my 30 paintings:

collage 2018

I had a bit of trouble with my collage this year. For some reason my computer wouldn't connect to the PicMonkey program I have used in the past so I used Canva, but I am not as familiar with that program and I had some problems. I tried putting my paintings in order but I kept bumping photos out of place. I am lucky I didn't end up with a bunch of duplicates.

As always it was a delight to see what other artists in the challenge did as the month passed. Our final job is to add our collages to Leslie's blog  -  take some time to check it out!

Thanks you for joining me on my challenge journey - I hope you enjoyed it!

30 Paintings - Day 30!

Ta da!! I am DONE - in more ways than one too. The last 7 days of the challenge have been really tough for me as I lost some enthusiasm for doing these abstracts. I kept trying new methods and different products trying to create some different looks. I was not always successful although I was able to 'rescue' most of my efforts. But, the problems were frustrating and that was rather draining.

Here is my final piece:

#1095 - Soft and Hard - 5.5 x 8 acrylic on watercolour paper

The title for this comes from the soft and hard colours and lines of the painting. I was trying to find a method of drawing lines and scribbles similar to those I have seen in Youtube videos. Unfortunately, I don't have the same supplies. I am still trying to find something I do have that will work but - - gee, I guess I might have to buy more stuff - sigh!

We are finished our 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta
see more here  Leslie normally holds two of these challenges every year and the next one will probably be in September. If you think you would like to give it a try, start following her blog to get the heads up.

There is one more chore to do and then we will all be done!. Tune in tomorrow for the collage of the month's work - making that is a challenge too!

Thanks for visiting - please let me know what you think!

30 Paintings - Day 29

Today and tomorrow and THAT IS IT!!!

I have enjoyed trying abstracts for the last 28 days but admit to being about finished with the whole everyday thing. Today's painting was actually done a few days ago and is another one that gave me trouble with a title.

#1094 - Every Which Way - 5.5 x 8 acrylic on watercolour paper

When I looked at the painting all I noticed was that the paint seem to go in every direction, so 'Every Which Way' became the title. I started this with some blobs of different colours then used a piece of mat board as a scrapper to pull the paint down the page. I finished off with some palette knife work and called it 'done'!

Check out some more of the art for this challenge on Leslie's Blog

It is great to hear from you so please leave a comment.

 

30 Paintings - Day 28

I often think that the hardest part of being an artist is not the painting but coming up with names for finished pieces. Take today's painting, for instance.

#1093 - ?????? - 9 x 12 acrylic on watercolour paper

I have no idea what to call this painting! I rather like it but it doesn't remind me of anything that I can use as a title. Maybe some of you might have an idea or two.

I think that I have finally  run out of steam for the challenge. Luckily I have a couple of extra paintings done because, although I prepped a few more canvases, I have lost my inclination to paint - at least for today!.

If you are interested in seeing some of the work from the other artists in the challenge, here is the link - Leslie's Blog


Thanks for visiting and if you can help with a name for this painting that would be great!

30 Paintings - Day 27!

Today's painting started with a major wash and scrub of the paper. So, I had drenched and damaged paper and I decided to see what would happen when I added some paint!

#1092 - Exuberance! - 5.5 x 8 acrylic on watercolour paper

I had no thoughts in mind; I just went at it with the palette knife and paint, slashing here and there with abandon. Is it art? Is it worth keeping? Who knows? It will go in a stand with a number of other unmatted and unframed paintings and maybe someday, someone will love it!

We only have 3 more days in the challenge so I hope you will have a look at what other artists have been doing - Leslie's Blog

Thanks for stopping by - I would love to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Day 26!

All month I have been managing to paint a few days ahead of my posting. This is good in one way: I haven't had to worry about not getting a painting done each day.  However, I  don't always remember what steps I went through to create some of the pieces.

#1091 - Golden Sunset - 5.5 x 8 acrylic on watercolour paper

I think that this piece was the other half of yesterday's painting "Rays" although it now bears no resemblance to what it was before. I know I used a lot of gesso to really create texture, then some pretty thick paint to cover any of the previous paint still showing. Using a palette knife I added the final touches. I don't know why, but when using the knife I often end up with a scene of trees and rocks - I have to get out of this rut!

Check Leslie's Blog to see some great art!

Thanks for visiting  - it is great to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Day 25!

One of the advantages of painting on paper is that you can always cut away the bad part and just end up with a smaller painting. That is what happened with today's piece.

#1090 - Rays - 5 x 7 acrylic on watercolour paper matted to 8 x 10

I used a palette knife to pat on some texture with gesso and let it dry before I started painting. I hoped that the paint would sink into the texture and really make it pop. That didn't happen so I added more gesso - bigger is better, right? Well, not so much! I ended up with a big mess and that is the part I cut off and set aside. A little of touch-up work on the part I kept and I was happy with my work. This piece does have some texture but it is pretty subtle which suits me just fine.

Don't forget to take some time to check out the art on Leslie's Blog

Thanks for visiting!

30 Paintings - Day 24!

One advantage of painting with acrylics is that you can always paint over your mistakes. Also, if you catch it before the paint dries you can wash off your mistakes the same way you might with watercolour. Today's painting was subjected to the second option.

#1089 - Red Rock, Blue Water - 10 x 14 acrylic on watercolour paper

I was very tempted to just throw this piece away but one of my students said 'Oh, I really like that!' This is painted on hot press paper - another experiment - and then washed off when I figured it was a horrible mess. The resulting stains reminded me of water rushing down a rocky bank so I added a bit of detail to strengthen that impression. I won't throw this away but I don't think I will frame it yet either.

I was asked if I am finding these abstracts easier to do now that I have done a bunch. I think it is easier to do pieces that are similar to those I have done before but it is harder to come up with a different look for new paintings. That will be my challenge as I go forward!

Have a look at Leslie's Blog to see a wide variety of art from almost 200 artists from around the world.

Thanks for visiting!

30 Paintings - Day 23!

While struggling to do abstracts on watercolour paper, I have tried a number of different approaches: watercolour style background, palette knife background, and brush background. I have used gesso to create both a different base and to create some texture. Today's painting has a smooth gesso undercoat and a palette knife background.

#1088 - Autumn Icicles - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

The deep tones of the quinacridone paints really make this pop nicely in person.

Only 7 more days in the challenge so take time to check out the other artists on Leslie's Blog

Thanks for visiting  - please leave a comment!

30 Paintings - Day 22

I am still attempting to create abstracts on watercolour paper. Often, when my perception of a piece is 'that's interesting', I find my friends seem to really like that painting. Let's see what you think!

#1087 - Antennas - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

This painting was, once again, intended to be quite different from the finished product. It just kept changing on me! The photo is upside-down from the way the piece was painted but this is the orientation I liked best.

Don't forget to check out more of the art in this challenge - Leslie's Blog

I would really like to hear what you think so please leave a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

30 Paintings - Day 21!

I decided to do more of the paintings for this month on watercolour paper instead of canvases; they are much easier to store. Unfortunately, paper doesn't seem as conducive to the style I am trying to achieve.

#1086 - Fire and Ice - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

I really struggled with this piece. It has a number of layers of paint. It actually started out green (lol) but that was washed off; then dark blue which made me cringe so I added a bunch of white and pushed that around until it was blended. The final touches of red and yellow were influenced by the cold weather - I wanted something that looked warm!

It is hard to believe that we have only 9 days left in the challenge so pop over to Leslie's Blog to see what others have been doing. Also, if you like abstract art have a look at these three artists from the challenge - Eric Bagwell, Sue Marrazzo and Peter Crane.

I hope you enjoyed your visit  - please leave a comment!

30 Paintings - Day 20!

I am calling today's painting a representational abstract! It wasn't supposed to be the way it turned out but I quite like it.

#1085 - Red Sky at Night - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

BTW - I have decided that I am too old to become famous as an abstract artist - 4 seems to be the preferred age!

Last night on the news there was a segment about a 4 year old boy from New Brunswick who is currently having his own show in a gallery there and who will also be showing his paintings in a gallery in New York some time this year. The boy's name is Advait Kolarkar and here is one of his paintings.

Apparently his work is selling very well - in the thousands of dollars.  And the world goes round!

Check out Leslie's Blog sometime today to see what other artists are doing.

Thanks for visiting.

30 Paintings - Day 19!

Some times a painting just comes together and some times you have to fight it: today's painting was the former!

#1084 - Golden Glow - 11 x 14 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

This piece went so smoothly and I couldn't be more pleased. Is it abstract, impressionistic or representational? Who cares? - lol!

Over the years I have found a few artists to follow thanks to the 30/30 challenges. You might enjoy seeing their work too! - Wild About Painting, LamujoArt, Watercolors By Joan 2), and Sheila's Corner Studio.

Of course you can always find them and many others on Leslie's Blog.

Thanks for visiting!

 

30 Paintings - Day 18!

Today's painting has a number of layers of paint and has gone through a number of transformations but I think I am finally happy with the finished product.

#1080 - Blocks and Curves - 16 x 20 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

I have actually said finished to this canvas 4 times and signed the painting each time, but I was never very happy with any of the paintings. To fix things, some times I covered the whole thing with gesso, others I just painted over the parts I didn't like until I am surprised that the canvas doesn't sag in the middle - lol. I am still not too sure about the final result but I have decided that I am done!

Here is the link to Leslie's blog so you can see what the other artists are doing.

I hope you will let me know what you think of my latest - thanks for stopping in!

30 Paintings - Day 17

I have another experiment for today's painting! I wanted to see how some of the techniques I have been using would work on a heavily textured canvas. This the experiment was NOT a success. Instead of the look I wanted, I ended up with a mess that I quickly washed off. I played a bit more, adding more paint and even more paint until I was mostly satisfied. Here is the finished product!

#1083 - Pastel Textures - 8 x 10 acrylic on canvas

It reminds me of an aerial view of the mountains that someone accented with purple - h'mm I wonder if this shows the trail where my son went backpacking. I don't know if I like this or not - what do you think?

It looks like I will be shoveling snow this afternoon so I will get this added to Leslie's blog  (I hope you will check it out) and get ready to go outside.

I always enjoy your insights so please leave a comment.

30 Paintings - Day 16

Here is a piece that I hope will brighten your day: it makes me think of springtime and flowers.

#1082 - Lilac Blooms - 5 x 7 acrylic on 1" canvas board

This is similar to yesterday's painting and is a style that I wish I could produce more often as I think it really works.

Now, I am off to add this to Leslie's Blog and then get to work on another painting!

I enjoy hearing from you so please leave a comment.

30 Paintings - Day 15!

It is a good thing that I have been painting a few extra pieces because the one I had planned for today just isn't ready yet - it has to sit a few days so I can figure out how to 'fix' it.

#1081 - Scattered Angles - 5 x7 acrylic on 1"canvas board

This is similar to a piece I did a few days ago - Day 9  - although this is not quite as green. I like this colour combination though and may use it again.

Everyday after posting my link on Leslie's Blog, I look through the other posts and always find a few to click on so I can see the art larger. It is a great way to discover new styles and artists so I hope you will give it a try.

I was nice of you to stop by and I hope you will let me know what you think about today's painting.