Sapphire

One more gigantic, beautiful, shining lizard eye.


See the rest of the 30 in 30 participants here.

Indigo

"Indigo" has some glorious scales to protect him during battles.  Dragons are always fighting battles with knights and other dragons, right?  Indigo is definitely a champion fighter.


See the rest of the 30 in 30 participants here.

Masquerade

Before I began this painting, I was thinking, "The colors in these paintings are getting a little crazy, maybe I should tone it down a little" and this was the result.  I do love color but tone it down apparently doesn't work very well in my sub-conscious.  I am pleased with this painting even if I didn't tone it down.

See the rest of the 30 in 30 participants here.

Dangerous Waters

Confession Time.
Art is happening, but it is happening slowly.  And the weather is crummy which makes taking photos of the art that IS happening next to impossible.

I have four new completed pieces.

I started this back in January and wasn't satisfied with it.  I went back to it and made some adjustments and I'm much happier with the result.

24" x 24" [needs a name].

Another for the Serpent Series.  24" x 48" [needs a name].

I have two paintings that I intended to be part of the Serpent Series however, they both have definite shark shapes, which I love.  I'm thinking they might belong in their own series.  I'm open to suggestions for the name of that series.

I showed this one during some in-process stages but I'm really happy with how it has turned out.
18" x 24" [needs a name].  [needs a series name]

This one I did while shooting video for a friend.  I enjoyed this new experience but painting while filming a video is very distracting.  Some day I may try again.  I've got nothing on Bob Ross, that's for sure.
Dangerous Waters, 24" x 24" [needs a series name]

One more brand-new piece is on my easel.  It is a huge 24"x 48" canvas and while it fits the theme of my Serpent Series, it is really a departure from my usual style.  Every time I do something outside of my comfort zone it is an opportunity for growth but what often happens not only with me, but with many artists is, when we get to a point in the middle of a painting, we get frustrated and stuck.  If it's work we are comfortable with, we can power through (or sometimes limp through) to get past the really hard part so that we can finish and be satisfied with the result.  When a painting is a challenge from the beginning though, that middle bit where we get stuck feels insurmountable.  I have paintings I started years ago that are still stuck in that middle bit and I don't know if they'll ever be finished.

I had one painting in a gallery show recently and that is always fun.  Despite my shyness, I do have a good time meeting new people and seeing old art friends at gallery receptions.  Also, I have just entered several pieces into an event online.  I am wary of online events simply because it's really easy for disreputable companies to take your money and you'd have no recourse.  This event was recommended by a friend who is a member of the website, so I felt safe in joining the event.  So far, the number of entries for this particular show is fairly small.  We are nearing the entry deadline so that is a bonus.  Fewer entries increases the odds that I could win a prize.  [fingers crossed]

Follow me on Instagram for lots of cryptic, in-process photos of whatever is happening on my easel and (sometimes) in my life:
http://www.instagram.com/karimelenartist/

I am happy to report that I passed my math course at college and my new job is hard but enjoyable.

Painting Two Needs a Name

Final

I wanted to reveal the final painting near the end of the challenge.  The creature has no visible legs, and we're not quite sure where he ends as he curls around a large, blue egg that could be his sibling.

Mythical creatures have long been a fascination for me and this painting was wonderfully fun to create.  I have more creatures to spur your imagination (nightmares?) coming soon.

30 in 30 Blog.

Painting Twelve -- Tectonic

Part One

Lots of drama with this painting.  I love these deep, rich colors and I intend to keep this one very dark.

Maroon, varying shades of deep turquoise, and black are applied with a palette knife.

Part Two

I kind of knew where I was going with this painting from the beginning but as I went, it really screamed lava meets water and I added bits of steam to accentuate that feeling.

30 in 30 Blog.

Painting Six -- Fascinator

Part Three

I wanted to keep this a monochrome painting and I'm happy with this result.  I didn't add a lot from the previous painting.

Liquid white and liquid black (black that I mixed from Ultramarine Blue, Sap Green, and Crimson, blended with Matte Medium and water) were splattered on with various palette knives.

See The beginning of this painting here, and the mid-stage here.


30 in 30 Blog.

Painting Six Continues

Part Two

Half way!  I can't believe I am half way through this challenge.  This is the furthest I have made it in the challenge for some time.  Life just always seems to get in the way and I feel a lot of pressure to complete a painting each day.  Giving myself the freedom to just work on art and share my process has made this challenge work much better for me.  A friend asked me what I wanted to accomplish through the challenge and my answer was simply to paint more.  I actually did very few paintings last year and maybe that was because I felt too much pressure to complete... but completing wasn't actually the issue.  The issue was not starting.

Liquid white and liquid black are added for interest.  I was thinking I wanted a bit of a monochrome painting this time and I like the lightness of the background but I may have to visit this painting one more time before it is complete.

I haven't talked much about the sizes of the paintings I have been working on this month but all of them have been either 24" x 24" or 18" x 24".  Large paintings compared to those I have done during previous challenges and I have enjoyed these larger works, however I'm running out of storage space for these guys!  Ha!


See the beginning of this painting here.

30 in 30 Blog.

Painting Five Continues

Part Two

The streaky areas of blue and grey have blended together here and virtually disappeared.  It wasn't the effect I was after but I still like it.

Liquid white and liquid black are splattered and allowed to somewhat blend together.  Crimson accents are added for interest.

See the beginning of this painting here.


30 in 30 Blog.

Beginning Six

Part One

Pretty soon it will be no secret how much I like turquoise and grey.

I started with a very light wash of warm grey around the edges and in the darkest area and then allowed that to dry.
Light grey, black, and turquoise are applied in patches with a palette knife and blended with a dry brush.


30 in 30 Blog.

Painting One Needs A Name

Part Four

Wrapping up Painting One.  When I'm driving to work pre-dawn, I listen to music and just kind of let my mind wander.  Sometimes song lyrics catch my attention and I note them for painting names.  Here are a couple of possibilities:
"Complication"
"Don't Expect an Easy Answer"
"Burn Out Bright"
...Or maybe you have a suitable name.  Let's hear it.

Black was dry brushed over the area left to bring out the texture from the fork marks.  Then liquid black was added around the areas of white for visual interest.

See the beginning of this painting here.  And some mid-stages here and here.


30 in 30 Blog.

Painting One Continues

Part Three

I was really having too much fun with the Pipettes here and the effect is getting rather chaotic.

I give more "breathing room" to the painting by adding warm grey to about two thirds of the painting.

When I added the grey, I accentuated some texture areas by using a squeegee to remove some of the grey, which also helped to bring a muted version of the original color back so the whole painting was not just one grey mass.  You can see the area of dark purple/grey that had fork marks previously is now very obscured and nearly disappears.

Adding back some blockier shapes for more interest and setting up for the center of interest.

30 in 30 Blog.

Beginning Five

Part One

This painting began with the upper third a light tan and the lower two thirds a green that was somewhere between an olive and a fern.

This current look was achieved by dribbling paint along the top edge and adding lots and lots of water and letting the paint cascade down.  The black was added via Pipette and allowed to run in a couple directions before lying flat.

There is some light glare here and I may use these shapes as inspiration later.



30 in 30 Blog.

Molten Rise

Molten metal swirls and flows then rises through a watery grate.

16" x 20" acrylic and handmade paper on hard board.
This painting is available on Etsy.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/270860623/molten-metal-flow-design-original-art

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Wind On The Guard

Marquette, Michigan Coast Guard Station #298.

12" x 16" oil on hard board.
Available on Etsy.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/270461514/fine-art-original-oil-painting-marquette


(Reference photo by Jason Swick.)

Well Loved Pots

Well Loved Pots

As a planter, I often buy seeds or new plants to put in my well-loved old planting pots.  One has a large chip in the rim and a small crack.  It still works fine and I think the chip and crack add character.

"Well Loved Pots"
6" x 6" oil on gessobord, unframed
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction [click here].

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.

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.

30-in-30 Day Twenty Nine. Cage Free Series 036

Watching
Cage Free Series 036

Starling watches intently with shining eyes.

I am so thankful we are nearing the end of this challenge.  September in Maryland has been really beautiful and while I'm glad to have finished every painting, I really wanted to spend more time outside rather than in my basement studio.  Perhaps next September my challenge should be to paint Plein Air.


"Watching"
6" x 6" oil on gessobord, Framed with a black and gold Floater Frame.
This painting is available through Daily Paintworks Auction.
See the other participating artists at Leslie Saeta's blog.

Destin Sunset -- SOLD

Florida's Emerald Coast

The name does have a lovely ring, doesn't it?

I guess I am dreaming of the beach.  I haven't made it there yet this year.  Too many busy projects to take time to relax.  Soon, I hope.

"Destin Sunset"
16" x 20" oil on canvas board, unframed.