Painting the Past

Old White Farmhouse
#5 Watercolor Painting
11 x 14

This house does not exist anymore, as so many old homes from the past.  I was asked to paint it, so childhood memories could be preserved.  I used watercolor with some touches of colored pencils.

Even though I didn't get 30 paintings in 30 days completed, I'm still going to count my paintings as I go through the year.  This one is #5. (I posted #6 yesterday.)  I hope to get at least 30 done. But we'll see.

You never know what the year will bring. I have come to realize that we can't guarantee tomorrow.  I will be attending a funeral of an artist friend this week.  He had a long productive life, but it was suddenly cut short.  But he did make good use of his time on earth and created beautiful art and architecture.  Gus will be missed.


 Beth  ♥

Challenge? What was I thinking?

Simplify

"Peacock Rescue"
#6 - Acrylic on Canvas
16 x 20

Word for the year...Simplify. So what was I thinking when I took on a 30 painting in 30 days Challenge? Well, I guess I thought that nothing unexpected would come up and that I painted everyday.  Of course, none of that is true so here it is the 27th day and I have 5 small paintings done, plus the large watercolor commission that took several days, not one...and another painting 'rescue' (shown here), and a few colored pencil illustrations that do not count, because they are not paintings. (at least in this challenge) Oh, and some clay projects along the way.

Problem #1 was that I started painting with oils, which I do not use much, I quickly realized that the drying time is not something that I am used to. I usually use acrylics, which dry quickly.  I need that learning curve to work more in oils.

Problem #2 was subject matter that interests me. I fight with myself over which direction to go...realism or abstract/surrealism/whimsical.  Although I enjoy some realism, I really enjoy the surreal to abstract. And I diagnosed myself with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) because I tend to get bored doing the same thing all the time.  I'm sure you could tell by looking at my variety of work!
See paintings for the challenge that I did accomplish:   #1 here   #2 here    # 3 & #4 here    # 5 coming soon  #6 See 'Peacock Rescue' above ^.

Problem #3 was that life happens and unexpected trips away from home occur.  Family illnesses, family emergencies all take priority over a self imposed challenge.  Period.  All of which has happened this year/month.

Problem #4 ...which is really not a problem, but a blessing! I have customers who commission me to create for them! So those projects take priority over my painting challenge pieces.  Commissions are Good. Commissions = buying art supplies and paying the bills!

Problem #5 is that I feel like a failure for not completing this challenge, BUT, I can change the rules. I will continue to paint, but the 30 in 30 days is not gonna happen.  But that is okay. I'm not going to beat myself up over it.  Maybe I will get 30 paintings in 300 days? or less. Or maybe one large painting can count as 4 small ones?   I can't guarantee that I will do 30 though, because I am going to stick to my word for the year...

 ...Simplify

Beth..Art with ♥ 

No. 3 & 4 Paintings for 30 day Challenge - Baseballs

Baseball #1

I have drawn many baseballs over the years. My son played baseball, so we had lots of baseballs laying around the house.  So I decided to try to paint one or two with oils.  I thought that I would  paint two small 4x4 canvases with baseballs, so they could be displayed together. I am thinking I need a third one, but that will have to be another day.  These two still need some touch ups. I need to darken the shadows on each ball. Also, Baseball #2 is not quite round enough, so I need to adjust that too. But I need the paint to dry some before I can do that.  But for now, I will post these for the 30 paintings in 30 day Challenge.

Baseball #2

Painting 2 of 30 Paintings in 30 days

Playing catch up!  I've done 3 more paintings for the Challenge, but here is #2.  I'll post 3 and 4 in another post.  Plus I have a few touch ups to do with 3 and 4. This one was very fun to paint.  I haven't drawn or painted very many cats, so I wasn't so sure before I started, but I like the way it turned out.
So here is "Einstein".  Oil on Canvas, 6 x 6 inches.

Simplify...is my word for 2014

I decided that for 2014 I wanted to simplify my life. For me, that just means to continue to de-clutter my 'space'/home and to stop trying to take on more than I can handle.  So what did I do? I signed up for a 30 day painting challenge! Haha...I am already a few days behind, but the good thing is that I can do multiple paintings in one day to catch up or to get ahead. But the goal is to loosen up with some paintings.  I managed to paint the first one, but then the next 2 days were busy with other responsibilities.  So I hope to get back on schedule over the next couple of days.

I spent a day straightening my art studio last week. Before Christmas, I was so busy that many things had been pulled out, moved, used, and piled up.  So it needed to be cleaned up a bit. It doesn't stay straight very long when I start working in here, so I thought I would take some photos while I could.

A few things about my studio...
1. It is Red, because it was my daughter's room, before she moved away to college. Her choice of color.  I like it, but it probably isn't the best for a studio, but I don't want to take everything out and
paint it! Not yet, anyway. I have other painting projects to take on first!
2. I have the room set up in two working sides.  The first studio photo shows the work table where I create fun things out of clay. The second photo is the corner to the right of the work table where my Sophie naps while I work.
The third photo shows the drawing table and desk where I draw and paint and compute.
3. The little houses that I create are still in the old studio/office space. The last photo, is my display of little houses. I keep them this way so I can find one easily when it sells and I can keep up with what colors and sizes that I have.  I also put a baseball in the front so that you can get an idea of how small they are.  I have had some people tell me they couldn't tell how big or small they are based on some of my photos.  They range from 1/2 inch to 3 1/2 inches for the small ones.  But I also make larger ones that can go up to 7 inches tall.

So this is my space where I create.  It is small, but cozy.  I am thankful that I have a room that I can use just for my art and supplies.

Now, I have to get back to my paintings. I have 3 canvases ready to paint. Hopefully something fun will come out of at least one or two of them! Look for updates tomorrow!

Beth♥

Day One of 30 paintings in 30 days

Painting #1 ~ Charmin
Oil on Canvas
6 x 6"
Click here to Purchase

Well this is a first for me. I committed myself to paint 30 paintings in 30 days. This is definitely going to be a challenge.  But I did it for Day One! This one is my 'grand dog'.  Dogs may be a common subject in this challenge. It was fun, but I may need more dogs for subjects. I may need to go visit the shelter or some friends with dogs.

This is part of the 30 paintings in 30 day Challenge found on this blog: Leslie Saeta Fine Art