September 30/30 Challenge: Day 2 Chicory

Chicory
8x8 oil by Wendie Thompson

I have been working from photos the last two days but beginning with them upside down. Don't ask me why but it helps to more clearly see the value shapes. The wildflowers this summer on my morning walk with the dog seemed magical to me. This particular morning was moody...I tried to capture that while keeping it loose and harmonious.

It's September! Must be the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge! Day 1

But WHY???

September has come and I have signed up to do Leslie Saeta's 30/30 challenge once again...but why?

Well, first I have learned something each and every time I have done it. Second, September comes and I need a renewed focus. Third, I have been right at a place in my soul where I have grown dissatisfied with my work. I've been doing this long enough to know that this is the very time to push ahead instead of being discouraged. Every time I have I have been rewarded with some new skill or ability in my work...so here I go...DAY ONE!

Lillies
8x8 oil by Wendie Thompson

A Little Piece of my Mind: September 2014 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge!

#1
6x6 oil by Wendie Thompson

So once again I have taken up the gauntlet of Leslie Byrd Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge! This is my third time entering and last year I was not able to complete it as my Father passed away and the swirl around that...well it just was no longer the priority.

September is a very busy month for me as I still have a number of Plein Air Competitions I am in as well as the undulating family life I am involved with. I will most likely end up with more than 30 paintings in September...time will tell.

So I have decided that for the challenge I will paint small pieces (no larger than 6x6 or 5x7) and while I normally paint from life, all of these works will be out of my head...no photo, no model, no plein air...just grey matter. You are invited to view whats floating around in my mind!!

You can follow my daily paint throwing here and also on Leslie's blog: http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com/ (I heard she was closing in on 800 artists in 22 countries who have signed up to do the challenge! How cool is that!!) 

September 11th: 12 Year Anniversary (10th and 11th: 30/30 challenge)

It's September the 11th at this writing. The 12th year anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States by a well trained group of Islamic Militants. I have thought today about the women in their lives...mothers, sisters daughters...

Untitled
9x12 oil

We are also this month dealing with a situation in Syria where a large group of people...men, women and children...were slaughtered by people using chemical weapons putting the world we know at the brink of a world war. The images of both of these events are seared on my mind. Today I painted my feelings about these things.

Untitled
7x5 oil

Paintings 5 and 6: New Berlin Plein Air Competition (30/30 Challenge)

Did I tell you how much I love to paint Plein Air? I got to spend most of the day today painting outdoors in a beautiful apple orchard/vineyard (Auntie Evie's Orchard) in the City of New Berlin WI. I got two paintings done, framed and turned in for the competition! I also got a little sunburned! Wish me luck! I'll let you know how I did tomorrow!

Day 4 Sept 30/30 Challenge

Nothing worthwhile comes without work. This piece got scrapped off 4 times today and I still don't know if it's exactly what I wanted but I got closer with each scrape. That's what I like about this challenge...I am guaranteed to learn something. I have been working on the figure in landscape while staying true to my thick paint aesthetic...not easy. While I have a bunch of Plein Air competitions to do this month...in between I will be working on this. Let me know what you think...OK???

Sept. 3rd: Playing the Silver Strings!

September 3rd brings the taste of fall. The grandson goes back to school today and I have a chunk of sweet freedom with which to paint! Happy, happy, happy!!

September 30/30 Challenge Day One and a Booth in the Third Ward!

OK...what do you do when you've made a commitment to paint a painting each day for 30 days and the first day your also have a commitment to show your work in a booth at an art show??? Why Plein Air of course!! So glad having people around me when I paint doesn't make me nervous anymore. The big challenge was finishing before the light changed too much while handling the crowds at the Third Ward Art Festival and Harley-Davidson's 110th Anniversary! Fun!!

The Gift: Guess what I got for Valentine's Day??Roses

Roses I
5x7 oil on linen panel
$80

Roses II
5x7 oil on linen panel
$80

Been itching to paint these since Thursday!!! Just a couple of small ones!! :)

30 Day Challenge: Epilog

I sit today surrounded by the distinct smell of oil paint and 30 fresh new painting. I have most of them in frames which I did as a protective measure. For the most part I did not paint small. Five of them are 8x8 and the rest vary up to one 16x20 so storing wet painting with thick paint applied with palette knife was a bit of a challenge!

Starting next Tuesday you can find these paintings at Gallori in Oconomowoc WI:

And this piece has already found a great home!!

Day 30: Easter Parade (Last day of the Challenge)

Easter Parade
20x10 oil on linen panel
$450

                                                           

Day 30: On the railing between my kitchen and dining room I have some of my collection of 30's and 40's era teapots. Solid pastel colors and heavier pottery bodies, these were everyday ware...not meant for high tea. Last night I had three drooping tulips that hadn't died and I sort of threw them over the top of the teapots...more to get them out of the way as I cooked than anything else. This is how I found them this morning. I painted.

Can I just say...I DID IT!!!?! YEAH... celebration...joy!! !!!! This was the last in the 30 Day 30 painting Challenge that Leslie Byrd Saeta started on January 2nd. (You can see all the art from over 200 artist around the country here: http://www.lesliesaeta.blogspot.com/) I am asking myself some questions today as this concludes: Where do I go from here? Will I continue to paint each day? (Could me hubby stand it?) What will I do with this body of work? What have I learned...about painting and about myself? 

I normally paint a lot but not everyday. I love to paint plein air and founded the Wisconsin Plein Air Painters Association (http://wipapa.blogspot.com/) and continue to administer it. That takes a good chunk of my time. And, family comes first of course. 

One thing I have made a commitment to this year is more marketing of my own work. That includes more blogging and this challenge gave me a good start at that. I will be seeking new gallery representation this year and need to gather materials for that. 

These days grew a sort of rhythm that I enjoyed. Up early...coffee, walk the dog...blog and then paint. I normally am painting by 8:30 or 9. Some days I was done by noon...others like today it was more like 4pm. My painting mantra has always been: "Every canvas a lesson" and that served me well during this challenge. I have been moving toward more "juice" on the canvas...more use of palette knife and optical color. I finish this challenge thinking I have accomplished much with that regard. But more importantly...I want to paint things that move the viewer...I am no longer just content to paint a nice painting. I am in much prayer concerning this.

Thanks for checking in with me and I hope you enjoyed following my journey these past 30 days. I invite you to continue to follow me as I search for the next right thing!!! Just maybe this is my year...??? What do you think?

Day 28: Sustenance

Sustenance
12x12 oil on linen panel
$390

                                                           

Day 28: One great thing about this challenge is that I realized today that I have painted my way through a big chunk of winter in Wisconsin. That's no small thing. Today and tomorrow we are having a "January Thaw". Today it's in the 40's and tomorrow ..almost 60. Of course right after that, just so we don't get too attached, it will be in the teens! But tomorrow I will air out the house...maybe hear a rumble of thunder...all the snow will melt in preparation for the next dumping. Today I am thinking about Easter.

Day 26: January Thaw

January Thaw
10x20 oil on panel
$450

                                                             

Day 26: OK so I went to the store and the tulips were on sale. So beautiful and such a song of new life. I live in Wisconsin and spring can come late here. Spring flowers in a vase can actually save us from the despair of winter!! 

Day 25: Redtwigs and Sunflowers

Redtwigs and Sunflowers
8x10 oil on linen panel
$225

                                                            

Day 25: This is the first painting in this series that I have painted from a photo...but I just had to do it. To keep it fresh I use a very quick sketch in clean pure chroma just enough to give me an idea of the space. Then I get out my palette knife and begin to lay in color...thick. I am really happy with this one! Hope you like it too!!

Day 24: Gunmetal and Bamboo

Gunmetal and Bamboo
10x8 oil on linen panel
$195

                                                            

Day 24: I had limited time to paint today so I thought I had better keep it simple. Not so simple was the gunmetal glaze on this pot that I love! Every time I looked I saw a different color in the dull sheen. Great learning experience!

Day 23: Moss Rose

Moss Rose
8x8 oil on panel
$150

                                                             

Day 23: Moss Rose is the pattern I often associate with my Grandmother, Rondi. She had a small set of tea cups and sugar/creamer set. When she passed away I received it and added to my collection of it over the years. Got to tell you...I loved my grandmother! She came to this country at 18 through Ellis Island by herself. The oldest of 18 children she ended up in Chicago. All the time I knew her she had a heavy, heavy Scandinavian accent. She referred to me as "Vendie" with a V and a singsong sound.

Day 20: Above the Sink!

Above the Sink
10x20 oil on linen panel
$450

                                                            

Day 20: 30% done!!! This delightful wrought iron creature sits above my kitchen sink courtesy of my son. She is a reminder of chores and loved ones of by gone years. I simply love her and haven't a single clue why I haven't painted her before!

Day 12: Last One Standing!

Last One Standing
12x9 oil on linen panel
$300

                                                            

Day 12: Have you ever painted lusterware??? I mean really...it hard!! Still don't know if I'm all the way happy...but I'm calling this one done. I might need to go to the store today as this was the end of the roses...:( 

30 Day Painting Challenge: Day 7: Tarnished

Tarnished
12x12 oil on linen panel
$390

                                                              

Day 7: WHEW! This was an all day wrestle!!! I think I won...you tell me! Again my aim was juicy pieces of color while still remaining fresh. Because of the gray teapot surface I kept just getting mud. I really needed to keep the values right while changing out color. I was tempted to give up on this a number of times so I took a break...took a nap...walked the dog. I kept going back to the easel determined to have my way with this piece. Tomorrows got to be easier...right???

Day 6: 30 Day Challenge Wee Teapot

Wee Teapot
12x12 oil on linen panel
$390

                                                             

Day 6: Ok...I am feeling like a painter again! Gotta tell you I was a little rushed for time today so I got out my palette knife right from the start. There is a LOT of paint on this surface and I love it.  Every canvas...a lesson. That's my motto! I love these beat up old teapots...I buy them because of it. Gives me hope that this beat up old soul could still be loved!