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 - 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 11

Better late than never I guess. We spent the day hunting and gathering (shopping) so it is a good thing I painted this yesterday.

#1076 - Under the Sea - 12 x 16 acrylic on canvas

I had a lot of trouble with the "less is more" concept for this painting. I was having so much fun with the palette knife that I wasn't paying enough attention to the 'whole'. This was actually painted in landscape format (below) but I liked it better when I turned it around. That is one of the benefits of doing abstracts - who knows which way is up? - it is all in the eye of the beholder!

View #2

I hope you take time to pop over to Leslie's Blog and to leave a comment here - I would love to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Day 10!

#1075 - Exploding Segments - 8 x 10 acrylic on canvas

I can usually get the photos of my art showing the colours pretty accurately  but with this piece I missed. In person this painting has a lot more zing: the orange is less muted and the pink is more florescent. It actually packs a punch!

Stop by Leslie's Blog to see what the other artists are doing - there is some great art there!.

See you all tomorrow.

30 Paintings...Day 2

#1068 - Line Dancing - 8 x 10 acrylic

This piece made me think of the explosion of movement that some people put into their dancing. Followed, of course, by someone not quite as enthusiastic.

This is my second attempt at this style of work, using both brush and palette knife. I have seen similar pieces on Facebook and Youtube videos and have really liked many of them. It will be interesting to see how people in my area respond to these.

Don't forget to check out the work by other artists who are doing the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Here is the link - Leslie's Blog

See you all tomorrow!

2016 Day 29

Since my friend Linda visited, I have been on a flower 'kick' and today's painting is once again a flower.

Big and Bold (Sunflower)

I used to paint flowers all the time, especially in the winter. I think they were an antidote to the grey skies we get here and they were always cheering. In the last few years I have done fewer flowers, so each time I do one it is almost like starting over. I think each different subject an artist tackles needs a different mind set and technique. Or, like this piece, a different approach depending on the mood, the surface and the ultimate goal.

"Big and Bold" is acrylic on a 5 x 7 gallery wrap canvas.

Only one more day to go!

2016 Day 25

You had to know I was going to try it again! Here is another painting featuring  walking in the rain.

Walking the Dog

The colors are different and so is the format but otherwise it is pretty similar to my painting from yesterday. I was just going to have a solitary figure in this piece but he seemed to be just standing there so I had to give him a reason. I think the dog adds a bit of suspense too - you just have to wonder what he is looking at so intently.

"Walking the Dog" is acrylic on a 5 x 7 gallery wrap canvas. I used a brush today instead of a palette knife but I think the look is pretty much the same. It will be interesting to see if this color scheme is more popular than the purples/blues/ reds of yesterday's painting.

Only 5 more days to go!

2016 Day 24

We went out for dinner last night and the lights shining on the pavement gave me the idea for today's painting. Of course, I didn't want to do a night scene so I just went for  "A Walk in the Rain".

A Walk in the Rain

This is acrylic on a 6 x 8 gallery wrap canvas and it was mostly done with a palette knife. This style of painting was very popular on Facebook last year but I haven't seen any so far this year - I am often out of step - lol.

With just 6 days left in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge, if you haven't already checked out the work of the other artists you should. It is a great way to connect with other artists and to find new ones to follow. Here is the link - http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

I hope everyone - wherever you are - are surviving whatever weather that is being thrown at you!

2016 Day 23

I liked yesterday's painting so much I decided to paint it again - well, not the whole thing! Considering that yesterday my focal point was going to be the birch trees but ended up being the reflections and sunlight on the water, I wanted to focus on the birches today.

Birches by the Stream

I think I am going to start using my Thalo colors more, at least the blues and greens because they are really popping for me.

There is only one more week to go in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge but I won't have much time to rest. I have been asked to do a couple of mini-workshops with the local TAPS (Therapeutic Activation Program for Seniors) in February. One will be to make cards with paper flowers and quilling; the other will be to draw some of the places they lived using alphabet art. The seniors will be paired with students and it will be interesting to see the interaction. I have also been asked by the Creston Art Club to do a workshop on quilling. So I will be doing a lot of prep work for the next few weeks to get ready for these workshops - no rest for the wicked!

2016 Day 22

I am really happy with today's painting - it all just seemed to flow. I love it when that happens!

Fall Reflections

I use a modified stay-wet palette and a pretty limited number of paints, so I am often 'using-up' whatever is there. Today I was finishing some Thalo green and getting some interesting colors by mixing in ultramarine, burnt sienna and alizarin crimson.

"Fall Reflections" is a 5 x 7 acrylic on a gallery wrap stretched canvas.

Don't forget to check out Leslie's blog to see some of the wonderful art shared in the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge - http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

2016 Day 18

I worked on three pieces today and none of them turned out very well. The first two got washed off but I continued with the third until I figured it was finished.

Lightening Strikes

More work might have improved this piece but I was all out of umpf so I left well enough alone!

Lightening Strikes is acrylic on one of my home-made 5 x 7 x 3/4" canvas boards. It may get painted over in the future but for now it is what it is.

I hope tomorow will be better!

2016 Day 14

I was really looking forward to painting this piece but the longer I painted the less I liked it.

Touch of Summer

It got to the point where I really wasn't much interested in how it was going and I finally just sort of slapped on the paint.

I think the problem was that my mind was not on painting. Today I started sowing seeds for my bedding plants. I have been starting many of my own flowers every January for almost 10 years and I will be spending time tending them daily for the next five months. (I have found, in spite of having an abundance of them around, that I rarely paint flowers any more.)

So that is why this painting is a little rough and ready - too much distraction and impatience.

Don't forget to check out Leslie's blog to see the wonderful art from the over 300 artists who are participating in this 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.
http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

2016 Day 8

Here we are a week into the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge and I have already run out of steam. My mind was a complete blank today; not one idea sparked to enable me to do a painting so I just played.

#921

When my grandkids were young, I would sometimes set them to 'playing' in my studio. They would get a piece of mat board, 2 or 3 colors of their choice and a mat board 'stick' to use in place of a brush. I don't know if they were just better instinctively than I am because, I have to say, the pieces they created back then were much better that what I came up with today. First, I used way too much paint. Second,  my 'start' was almost exactly like a piece I did during the summer. Anyway, I just kept working at it until I ended up with the piece above. It feels unfinished but my mind is still a blank so it will have to wait for another day.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be more productive!

2016 Day 7

I did NOT feel like painting today! But I did it anyway - lol.

This morning I attended a "Values" workshop hosted by the Creston Art Club and instructed by local artist Eileen Hirota. It was very informative but tiring (all that concentration!) Then, after lunch my husband and I moved a ton of snow that had come thundering down off the roof of the house.

At any rate, I am very tired and achy so this painting is a 'quickie'.

Snow on the Mountains

Another 5 x 7 x 3/4" home made canvas board painted with acrylics and a palette knife. Now I just have to sign it and seal it and it will be done!

I don't know if it has been the rough canvases or the fact that I have been using gesso instead of white paint but I have found these little canvases so easy to photograph. I haven't had to worry about the flash glare which has been a blessing because the last few days have been pretty gloomy and the light outside has not been optimum for photos - at least not for me - lol.

Don't forget to check out Leslie's blog to see art from the other participants in the 30 Painting in 30 Days Challenge -  http://30paintingsin30days.weebly.com/blog

2016 Day 6

I managed to get finished well before dinner time today! I planned my painting last night and worked on it at Art Club this morning so I just needed a few finishing touches after lunch and here it is!

Which Came First?

Once again I have used a home made 5 x 7 x 3/4 canvas board painted with acrylics. The canvas I used to make these is quite coarse and I skimped with the gesso coatings so I had a heck of a time getting the edges of the egg smooth - lesson learned. My reference was a photo I cut out a a magazine many years ago and this is the first time it has been used. You never know when something will strike your fancy.

Just a few words about the Creston Art Club: we have over 40 members and many of us get together every Wednesday morning to paint, share knowledge, help each other and just visit with like minded people. Two of our members travel over an hour to join us; one from Troy, Montana and one from Salmo, BC. Throughout the year we offer a number of very low priced workshops to members and non-members. An art club is a great way to keep the creative juices flowing and gives us a reason to take time from our busy lives and enjoy art.

2016 Day 5

I really didn't think I was going to get this done or that it would turn out as well as it did.

Sunflower

"Sunflower" is on another homemade canvas board, 5 x 7 x 3/4"; painted with acrylics even on the edges so no frame is needed. I used one of the cards I did during the September challenge as a reference for the flower and sort of made up the old barn.

Now I have to put my mind to figuring out a subject for tomorrow!