Thirty in Thirty Day 11 Leaf and Buds

 I used another reference from morguefiles. Have no idea what the name of the flower is but loved the colors and the way it was placed.  Worked in oils wet on wet with impasto paints.  Did a bit of scraping and repainting... chocking this up as experience.

Oils on canvas covered cardboard

6 x 8"

Thirty in Thirty Day 10 Floating Leaves II

Here is the second of the floating leaves. The first was here day 8.  Worked on canvas covered cardboard 8 x 6 ", wet on wet impasto paints. I know there are some flaws that I will fix in the leaves but there are times that you have to STOP... I saw in the reference the tree reflected in water hope I succeeded!!!

Oils on canvas covered cardboard

8 x 6"

Thirty in Thirty Day 6 Pink Fungi

The other day I saw some interesting fungi growing on a log in the yard.  Took several shots. This is a closeup.  Worked wet on wet using impasto paints. Oils straight from the tube with no medium.

Oils on canvas on cardboard

8 x 6 "

Thirty in Thirty Day 5 Leaf

Poor poor leaf.... thought this one would be much easier.  Every time I looked at the reference I saw more and more colors and was overwhelmed. Scraped it off several times and decided in the end to work without  the reference. Worked wet on wet with impasto paints.

Oils on canvas on cardboard

6 x 8 " 

Thirty Paintings --Thirty Days #1 Through the Branches

Here it is January 2016 and I have joined Leslie and many, many other artists in the new Thirty in thirty challenge.

This will be my fifth challenge, my first January 2014, September 2014, January 2015, September 2015, and now January 2016. Still a feeling of anticipation, and a bit of stress but hoping that I will gain valuable lessons, habits, meet great artists and have a lot of FUN.

I will be working in a relatively small format. Canvas wrapped  on cardboard 6 x 8 inches. Thanks to Traudi , she gave me many trimmings from her rolls of canvas.  This time, I will be working in oils wet on wet and impasto technique straight from the tube. My theme will be foliage but flowers may drop in. I will be using a split primary palette, cool and warm blues, reds and yellows but some earth colors may seep in.

So here we go!!!

Through the Branches

Canvas on Cardboard

8 x 6 Inches

Oils

Daily Paintings February # 36

Cone flower # 36

Oils on corrugated cardboard

17 x 24 cm

Took part on Wetcanvas all media art event.  This weeks the WDE was hosted by Elaine.  She really  us a challenged us this week... she posted all the references in B&W and since tone is the thing we had full range to add the colors....  17 x 24 cm corrugated cardboard....oils done with palette knife.

Daily Paintings February # 35

Mugs and glasses  # 35

A small study of a few glasses and mugs on my kitchen shelf.... Made a close crop of the reference  image and liked the shadows of the mugs through the clear glasses.... Oils on corrugated cardboard  17 x 18 cm
done with palette knife...

 Oils on corrugated cardboard

17 x 18 cm

Daily Paintings February # 34

Jug with Lemons  #34

20 x 27

Oils on corrugated cardboard

Last jug image.... one lemon behind the jug... palette used  Burnt Umber/ Naples Yellow Pale/ white/Payne Grey. The greens were a mix of the yellows ,Payne grey and white.   Don't know if I succeeded with the lemon behind the jug.... the was also done with the -stroke leave it alone-  which is difficult on this type of format...

A small sketch pad with heavy paper that I am going to use as color cards.

Daily Paintings February # 33

Jug with 2 lemons # 2

I am very proud of myself... Thursday is always a very busy day.... coming home from babysitting... soon lunch... and then weekly shopping.... I was very tired but decided to do a painting even in the late afternoon.
So did a quick sketch on cardboard after lunch and started painting after shopping... It was getting dark so was hard to get the colors the way I wanted.

This painting was done as a the stroke challenge from DPW where you put down a stroke and leave it... no fiddling!!! Well I can't say I stuck to the rules 100% but there was certainly less fiddling.

I masked out an area on a dull purple acrylic toned corrugated cardboard format  27 x 20 cm it . Painted in oils with a palette knife... Photo was taken with my tablet cut off the borders. Will take a new one with all the borders. Its something different!!!

 20 x 27 cm

Oils on corrugated cardboard

Daily Paintings February # 32

Daily Paintings  February  #32

Took a lot of photos of this simple jug this morning from many angles. Had 2 lemons freshly picked on the table so added them for a bit of interest.  The photo I chose had a stark simplicity of the jug against  the white wall, table and patterned tablecloth.   

23 x 29 cm

Oils on gessoed corrugated cardboard

Maybe I should have done it portrait format instead of landscape... have to learn to mix those subtle yellow browns... after wiping the jug down and trying again felt enough fiddling for today.... .

Reference Image

Feedback and constructive criticism....most welcome!!!!

Daily Paintings February # 31

Daily Paintings  February  # 31

Ok... so what's with the 31... well 31 follows 30 and since I did 30 daily paintings in January I am continuing the numbering pattern....too 120 and counting. I did try doing 120 paintings from the result of a webinar with Larry Seiler  at wetcanvas.. but somewhere along the way ...need we say more!!! Decided this month to do more glass....until I get bored...the numbering will be only for the daily paintings and not my on going work that I do at my weekly workshop.

The reference is from WDE events at wetcanvas...

23 x 29 cm oils on gessoed corrugated cardboard.  I toned the canvas with a very dark grey green...done with a palette knife.

Would love feedback and constructive criticism....!!!!

Day 30 30 in 30 Challenge

Leslie's  30 in 30 Challenge

17.5 x 25 cm

Oils on gessoed cardboard

Chompy, my daughter's cat, somehow enjoys cramping up in a bowl... Chompy was deserted by his mother because she was very ill.... My daughter adopted him and with the local vet succeeded in helping him get rid of the horrible fungus infection. My daughter saw the beautiful cat behind the illness!!!

17.5 x 25 cm gessoed cardboard oils with palette knife.... 

Can't believe this is the last day... I am sure there will be a vacuum.... but I hope to continue the momentum... It was a great journey and I learned a lot, about myself and about my painting....

Day 27 30 in 30

Leslie's 30 in 30 Challenge

25 x 17.5 cm

Oils on gessoed cardboard

Wow... here we are on the 27th day.... can't believe it!!! Feel exhausted and brainwashed but otherwise OK!!!  A few years ago we took Amir, our grandson, with us to Ein Gedi Hotel and spa... boys love to climb!!!!

Oils on gessoed toned, yellow ochre, cardboard done with a palette knife... I used a limited palette.. Cadmium red, Cadmium yellow pale, Ultramarine blue and mixing white.   No blacks!!!!

A little about my setup... my painting area doubles with my computer table....I move the keyboard and mouse out of the way and roll out a picnic table cloth to protect the table.... when I am done roll it back covering the small section where the glass palette is... till the next time.   Here is how the set up looks in "painting mode"  You can see the reference image on the monitor!!!!

Day 26 30 in 30 Challenge

Leslie's 30 in 30 Challenge

15 x 20

Oils on wrapped Canvas

Another of Tristram's Starling or Tristram's Grackle.... he is not too afraid of humans and waits patiently for some tid-bits.... he loves grapes....Photo reference was taken at the spa Ein Gedi.... short video

Oils on a wrapped canvas.... what a difference from the cardboard....  

Day 23 30 in 30 Challenge

Leslie's 30 in 30 Challenge

20 x 20 cm

Oils on cloth covered corrugated cardboard

Tristram's Starling or Tristram's Grackle is very popular in the Dead Sea area... took some nice shots on several occasions so I will do a few more of these beautiful birds....  they have a very distinct whistle call....
Short 1.16 minute video

Oil on cloth covered corrugated cardboard using a palette knife.  20 x 20 cm.   

Day 22 30 in 30 Challenge

Leslie's 30 in 30 Challenge

 20 x 20

Oils on cloth covered corrugated cardboard

Another view of Bella...  This did not come out as I wanted.... scraped it down and started again..but it still needs work... too wet to work on and tomorrow off to class.  So this will be in the pile for tweaking!!!

Oils on cloth covered corrugated cardboard using a palette knife...A little about the cloth... this is a type of cloth used  by dressmakers to test out patterns... Its a loose weave and not bleached..   I had made curtains for my daughter and had left overs.... Glued it to the cardboard and then pasted around the back.  I coated them with 1-2 coats of gesso....

The color palette... I am using a limited color palette usually consisting of the 3 basic colors  : red blue and yellow.  I usually mix my own chromatic black using ultramarine blue and raw umber.  In this painting and yesterday's ... and the next one I tried using Indigo blue instead... not so sure I like it... The red I used here is Venetian red and made some interesting oranges and pinks... the yellows I used were lemon yellow, cadmium yellow light, yellow ochre, the blues were Ultramarine blue, Prussian blue and Indigo .  The format was toned with Naples yellow.

Comments and critique most welcome!!!

Day 21 30 in 30 Challenge

Leslie's 30 in 30 Challenge

 20 x 20

Oils on cloth covered corrugated cardboard

Please meet Bella!!! She is much prettier than my painting.... she adopted us jumping over the wall from my neighbors yard.   She gets along OK with Lily our new dog we adopted from a shelter and Gingy a yard cat that also adopted us... sometimes we even get a visit from my neighbor's Peacock but haven't been able to get a good reference photo of him.....

Oils on cloth covered corrugated cardboard 20 x 20 cm..using a palette knife. I had made these formats quite a while ago and will not make any more... they are very difficult for the knife work

 I am learning quite a bit with this challenge... what subjects,size, formats that are compatible with the tools I use mainly palette knife..

Day 20 30 in 30 Challenge

Leslie's 30 in 30 Challenge

20 x 20 

cloth covered corrugated cardboard

Found this reference the WDE All Media Events on Wetcanvas... thanks Christine... was fascinated by the sense of distance and the reflections..the yellow is a bit stronger in the original.... not satisfied with the clouds! 

Oils on cloth wrapped corrugated cardboard with a palette knife.....

Day 19 30 in 30 Challenge

Leslie's 30 in 30 Challenge

17.5 x 25 cm

Oils on cloth covered Masonite

Interesting photography doesn't always make good paintings.. Found an interesting photo that I had made of the shadows on the wall.  I had done a photo manipulation and tried to capture the same feeling in painting... didn't work...

Oils on a cloth covered masonite board with palette knife and a piece of Scotch-Brite!

Day 18 30 in 30 Challenge

Leslie's 30 in 30 Challenge

20 x 20 cm

Oils on cloth covered cutting board

Made it to day 18...

Actually painted this yesterday together with Day 17... Still with the blocks and palette knife.  Had a hard time with the foreshortened view of the block.   Tried to keep in mind blocks of color and not that it was a block.... Didn't photograph well... end of day.... blue is much more greenish grey.

Oils on cloth covered cardboard done with the palette knife.