A Little Piece of my Mind: Day 12...30/30 Challenge

Day 12
5x3 1/2 oil by Wendie Thompson

Yep...revisiting this theme again and again in my mind. I see a big piece coming in the near future!!

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 14: Gerbera Daisies

Gerbera Daisies
10x20 oil on linen panel
$450

                                                            

Day 14: Guess who went to the store?? Me! I have a million vessels but I needed something to fill them with...Gerbera Daisies seemed perfect as the roses were done for.So for $10 bucks I bought 3 bunches...red, orange and pink. Wonder how long they will last???

Day 13: Off With Their Heads!

Off with Their Heads
12x9 oil on linen panel
$325

                                                             
Day 13: Yup...I lobbed off the rose heads and stuffed them in a blue pottery bowl...poor things. Even then I couldn't stop looking at them. Yup...I most definitely had fun with these roses!

30 Day Challenge: day 8: Ten Dollar Bunch

Ten Dollar Bunch
9x12 oil on linen panel
$325

                                                             

Day 8: WOW...heavy Fibro day. Every inch of me hurt today. I have said this before: I am an "A" personality in a type "B" body. Perhaps this is why I choose to use the palette knife so much as I have found a way to complete a painting with it before my body gives out. I also really happen to like the spontaneity that evolves as a result of racing the clock to the finish line. For me my most successful work is done as a "quick paint". I might paint these roses one more time before they are past the point of no return. Really...is there anything more beautiful than the immediacy of a rose?

Cedarburg: Wow Scary Start!!!

Totally pumped about getting up early and heading off to the Port Washington day for the Cedarburg event I decided to load my car the night before. As I lifted my Art Cart to put it in something in my back well, snapped! OUCH! I really didn't know how bad I hurt it till the next morning when I could hardly move. Ice all night and a handful of Ibuprofen barely touched it. I considered not going but...no...that was not going to happen. I confess...I shed a few tears on the way. It hurt to breath and I was scared.

So I decided to paint small, unload my things one light armful at a time and paint only where I could be close to the car. Here is the result:

Fishing Buddies
6x6 oil

I did it but I was totaled. I went to lunch with some good friends. Then I took a nap in my car...do I just go home or try to paint another one? I decided to try to paint again. I had been itching to paint at the Port Washington Inn, a great B+B that I had stayed at before and I knew they had a great garden! I grabbed some more Ibuprofen and decided to try again. Here: is attempt #2:

Port Washington Inn: Roses
9x12 oil

I have to pick between the two for an entry for this portion of the competition. When I was done I high tailed it back home to an awaiting ice pack and some dinner. An easy, hopefully early night was on the menu!

I woke this morning feeling still a little twitchy but somewhat human again...I am SO thankful!!! I set off to Cedarburg again hoping for the best and trying not to put too much pressure on myself. I drove around some looking for the scene that screamed "paint me" to me. Then I decided to walk around this charming historic downtown area...talk to some friends...get some coffee. That's when I found the Schroeder House. Built in 1856 it is a real beauty. I set up and decided to do a small study first:

Schroeder House
8x10 oil

I struggled some with the architecture...not my strong suit. But I loved the baskets of begonias so I got out a larger panel and focused on those!

Swingers
16x20 oil

Again it wore me out. I had lunch, nap...and painted again...but I'm not ready to share that one with you yet...talk to you tomorrow!!

New stuff for the holidays! Merry Christmas Everyone!

Door County 2011: Dockside Quick Paint and A Picket Fence

Bee Balm and Honeysuckle
8x10 oil
$250

Picket Fence
8x8 oil
$200

Cedarburg 2011, Painting in the Rain and some Tough Choices

"Selfless Abandon"
12x16 oil

"Morning Meditation"
12x16 oil

The 11th annual Cedarburg Plein Air Competition was held this past 8 days and I need to tell you it is at the top of my fun list every summer. With over 150 artists attending this open competition there is always plenty of  great social time as well as some serious painting. Normally I would paint 8-10 pieces and then pick my best two for entry in the competition. However this year I had a family wedding to attend which required missing 3 days right out of the middle! (all worth it mind you.)

The event kicked off with something new this year...one day of painting at a beautiful nature reserve (Riveredge in Saukville). It was a very rainy day and I had to leave at 1pm. I found a great spot under a deck to paint. I always keep some small plastic tarps in my paint bag so I laid it out on the deck above held down with some well placed rocks and voila...dry space! There will be separate awards for this portion of the event . The staff there was extremely warm and fed us all a wonderful lunch. All the pieces need to be 8x10. Here is my piece:

Rainy Day Blue
8x10 oil

The second day (Thursday) was the start of the 7 day painting window and looked to be the best weather for me anyway and as I had to leave on my trip Friday I was anxious to at least get a few good starts. My friend Judith Reidy and I spent much of the day together. In the morning we painted in Horn Park, a delightful place along the river that I had painted in before. "Morning Meditation" (above) is what became of my effort and I have submitted it as one of my 2 competition pieces.

Untitled
20x10 oil

We found a beautiful farm to paint in the afternoon. I was tired and don't feel quite resolved with this painting but the weather has not been the same since and so it will have to wait to be finished for another day.Then it was off to southern Indiana on Friday for the wedding and back on Sunday. I missed the quick paint which is one of my favorite things to do...poor me...:) This coming Saturday there is one more chance for an award as we have from 8-2pm to "Paint the Festival". With an expected 50,000 people in attendance painting Cedarburg's Strawberry Festival will bring it's own challenges. At least ideal weather is in the forecast! Also all the works will be sold by silent auction (ends promptly at 4pm) at the Cedarburg Cultural Community Center this coming Saturday...you should come!

On Monday I was very tired and achy from the trip (fibro is not my friend), it was raining and looked like it might do that for the rest of the week and I admit I had to wrestle with myself to get down to it. I made a decision to paint in solitude as I knew I would be distracted by a friend. So I drove around Cedarburg looking for the next inspiration. It came in the form of a bunch of Dahlias at the Steins garden tent on Western.  I was able to back my car up to them and open the hatch to sit. That and both my umbrellas kept me somewhat dry and a little uncomfortable. But the Dahlias spoke to me...there they were, outrageous in their bounty and beauty...rain spilling off their petals...some heads bowed. They cared not who saw their performance...their effort of extravagant praise. They gave all in utter abandon...I watched, cut to the quick with the lesson I was seeing unfold before me. My response is the painting at the top of this post and my second entry, entitled "Selfless Abandon"...I hope I've done them some small justice.

Squares 33 and 34 Winter and some Sunlit Dogwoods!6x66

6x6 oil $100 unframed and shipped
Sold

6x6 oil $100 unframed and shipped

Squares 28, 29, and 30!

Square #30
6x6 oil $100 unframed
Sold

Square # 28
6x6 oil $100

Square #29
6x6 oil $100

Busy day...:)

Productive Day in Plymouth!

After an beautiful early morning drive to the Plymouth Plein Air Competition I arrived about an hour after planned.. I evidently took the long way but I didn't mind it was an incredible autumn morning! Here's my days work!! Quick paint on Saturday!!

 Watertower 12x16 oil

 The Witches House 12x12 oil

Legion's Roses 7x5 oil

Sunflowers and digital alterations

Driven to create everyday...this is today's fun. Short bursts of sun shining through sunflowers...broken intense color, contrast, chroma. Frilly edges...botanical happiness!

Lilly Heart: Considering the Lilly...again.

At the center is the heart of it pulsing with life and light.

The stargazers soul ...held loosely.

Momentary.

Knowing he will rise again He gives it to you freely...

knowing it to be the death of Him.

He has dressed for this repeat performance.