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 29: The Greeter

The Greeter
8x10 oil on linen panel
$225

                                                            

Day 29: The Greeter sits on the top of my grandmothers maple hutch that is the first thing you see when you walk in my back door. He sits surrounded by other loved things...a white pitcher full of dried flowers...antique tins of various kinds...small oil paintings and assorted pottery. You might miss him because of it but he will not miss you. He is pouring out his blessing on all who enter or exit my home. All have been prayed for who come. Dear Lord...let each person who enters my home feel your love surrounding them...help me to show them that. When I first began to paint, my hubby who had been painting for years before me said: "Great...angels and flowers... humph!" (This photo is a little darker than the actual painting)

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 27: Door County Dream

Door County Dream
9x12 oil on linen panel
$325

                                                           

Day 27: The day was throwing snow, ice and sleet at me in Wisconsin and I didn't want to stay here sooooo...I went to Door County (in paint of course!)! This delightful garden is in front of a beautiful restaurant in  Bailey's Harbor. Lush is the only way to describe it. 

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!