Brooding Sky

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Thirteen

Changing, shifting light under the gently rolling clouds.

I have been struggling with my lighting the past couple of weeks.  This painting was particularly tricky because of its size and the strength of my light bulbs.  They do fine with the 6x6" paintings but this larger one gave me a few headaches.  So I decided I needed to wait until I could get some good outdoor light.  Then it rained.  And snowed.  Then it was too dark by the time I got home from work.  I know this sounds like a whine, but truly the Universe seemed to be against me on this one.

Proper lighting of artwork can make a huge difference in the look of your artwork.  In the home as well as posting photos online.

With more light toward the center of the painting.

With more light near the upper right of the painting.

Outdoors in the shade on a cloudy day using the Auto setting of my camera.

The photo at the top was not in the shade but it was a cloudy day and I used the P function of my camera to select the setting for shooting on a cloudy day.  You can see how the differing lights affect the overall feeling of the painting.

"Brooding Sky"
9" x 12" oil on Gessobord
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Buttercups

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Twelve

Painting flowers and abstract are wonderfully enjoyable to me.  I got a two-for-one deal here.

I am obviously pining for Spring with these last two paintings.  Winter can be lovely to paint and I may try a Winter landscape but I'm already ready for warmer days.  I did take a walk last night (trying to get in those 10,000 steps).  It was dark and chilly and the walking path was quite clear of other people, if a bit slippery.  Don't worry tho- I had my flashlight and reflective vest so I made my attempts at safety, anyway.

I am having some trouble with my lighting again so some more experimentation is in order, I guess.  Forgive me for the shiny areas.

"Buttercups"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

First Blush

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Eleven

The first pink trees of Spring are Cherry, Flowering Crab, and then Redbud.  And they are glorious.  Gorgeous pin petals floating on the wind like confetti.  This tree is still in all its glory, not yet ravaged by Spring rains and wind.

"First Blush"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Bright Lime

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Ten

Winter time is great for loading up on citrus.  It's usually the least expensive fruit in the grocery and there are a large number of choices at this time.  Limes are among my favorites.  They pair so well with so many foods (especially Margaritas!).  As long as you keep them from drying out they keep well for a long time.  A little extra Vitamin C during cold and flu season doesn't hurt either.

"Bright Lime"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord.
This paintings is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Half Spool

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Nine

Only a small amount of lovely purple thread left on the spool.

Sewing.  I do enjoy sewing.  Especially in the winter time.  When my 30 paintings are completed, I will begin work on some quilting projects.  In the past, my quilt tops have all been made by machine while the actual quilting portion has been done by hand.  I intend to get a free-motion quilting foot for my machine (an old model of questionable quality -- so wish me luck!) and probably a table because crawling around on the floor for cutting fabric and sandwiching the quilt layers is becoming less desirable all the time.

"Half Spool"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Tea with Lemon

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Eight

A bit of freezing rain this morning makes me extra glad for a hot cup of tea in the morning.  Yikes!  I hope it warms up a bit by the time I need to venture out after waiting for school delays to lift.

Lemons are the obvious star of this painting.  I think lemons and apples are probably the most common things artists paint (besides flowers?).  The lemons under the spot light certainly refreshed my studio.

I have gotten behind on the paintings but that's okay.  Life is complicated sometimes.  I still intend to do 30 paintings.

"Tea with Lemon"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Cherry Cordial

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Seven

Tools of the trade.  Do you ever fall so in love with something you've made that you just want to keep it forever?  That is this painting for me.  I want to share it and yet I want to keep it.  It's available for sale now, but that might change.

"Cherry Cordial"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord
This paintings is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Reading Spot

30 Days of Comfort and Joy, Day Six

My comfortable spot for reading books, magazines, or watching TV.  It's also nice for a little nap, on occasion.

"Reading Spot"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Shy One

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Five

One bottle peeks out from behind, hoping to see without being seen.

I enjoy painting my small collection of glass bottles and vases.  Trying to capture the all the little sparkles and reflections is so much fun.

"Shy One"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord, unframed.
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Cup of Sunshine

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Day Four

Dishes.  It brings me joy when somebody else washes them!  And there's really nothing more to say about that.

"Cup of Sunshine"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord, unframed.
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Seductress

30 Paintings of Comfort and Joy, Number Three

This sultry temptress wants to lure you away from your New Year's Resolutions.

Cupcakes bring me joy.  Look at how adorable they are.  Just big enough for one person (when they are normal size.  Not those weird, gigantic two-pan creatures).  I used to work in a bakery and enjoyed times when I could experiment with new cupcake flavors.  A few years ago I helped out with a recognition event for Maryland Girl Scouts, creating a cupcake with a Girl Scout Cookie baked inside.  It was fun and stressful and scary making 350 cupcakes.


"Seductress"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord.
This paintings is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.

Education or Fantasy?

30 Paintings, Day Two

A stack of books and a pair of vintage Pince-nez glasses.  These are my joys for painting number two.  Immersing myself in a book is a wonderful way to spend a (rare) quiet evening.  So what do I read most often?  I love horror books and other fiction as well as classics.


I am told the viewers do not like a red background for art so I'm trying this lighter color scheme.  Let me know what you think.  Back to red?  Something else?


"Education or Fantasy?"
6" x 6" oil on Gessobord
*Will my ducks ever find their row?  Maybe later today.*

Holiday Dream

30 Paintings in 30 Days -- January 2015

I decided during this third 30-in-30 Challenge I would have a theme from which to draw ideas.  My theme here is "Comfort and Joy".  Thirty paintings about things that bring me comfort and/or joy.

This basket of vintage Christmas ornaments brings the joy of many holidays past.  Lovingly placed upon the tree each year and carefully and safely packed away after the holiday season is ended.  These ornaments have their own history and evoke many memories.  Some shiny, some a bit dull, these ornaments have a bit of an abstract look that is so appealing to me.

The "in 30 days" portion of the subtitle here may be a bit of a stretch.  There will be 30 paintings and I will do my best to keep up but there are never any guarantees, right?  I was sick between Christmas and the New Year and I'm still recovering so sleep is more important than ever.

My theme of "Comfort and Joy" is even more fitting when recovering from being sick.



"Holiday Dream"
9" x 12" oil on Gessobord
This painting will be available for sale (as soon as I get all my ducks in a row).
If you have to have it immediately, let me know.  I can make that happen.