# 24...Fear not your failure

Tonight I received an email with an article regarding the philosophy of an artist, Greg McHuron. Unfortunately, the artist is no longer living but his legacy lives on as it appears he touched many lives while visiting here on earth. I was not one of the lucky ones to have met him but his quote, "Fear not your failure.!" is an appropriate one for me today.

So although, I feared this painting would be difficult and that I would struggle due to the poorly lit model, I forged ahead. Failure, indeed! As sometimes is my weakness, my facial features kept growing and got out of kilter and no longer represented the person I was wanting to depict.

Since I produced another'failure', that puts me closer to a really good painting! With that in mind, I photographed this one for here and then wiped the face off. I will give it a try again; maybe tomorrow or later.....but it sure felt good to paint anyhow.

Fear not your failure...............forge ahead.............who knows what you may produce!

Painting frenzy

I guess you could say I am in a painting frenzy. A real challenge I have gotten myself into this time! Getting all new paintings going  for a semi-solo show in October. To top it off, they are much larger than I do on a regular basis and after doing the 30 paintings in 30 days that were mostly 5 x 7", these 18 x 24 up to 29 x 50" seem like monsters!

I need to wait for the show to reveal any of them, so I am sharing a recent western smaller painting.

So far on the easels I have, Cathedral Rock, The West Rim, Chapel of the Holy Cross and Yellowstone Falls.


 The title of the show is "EAST MEETS WEST". I will probably add some animals to a few; like the quail that I saw so many times in Cave Creek, AZ; or the buffalo of Jackson Hole ; the moose in Dubois or the antelope in Pinedale.

I have never had more than 1 painting going at a time, so this is a real change for me. It seems to be working, as I can do a little on one and then move on before I overwork anything. I also have almost always painted 'alla prima' and very tight and detailed. Plein air painting has loosened me up and I approach it very differently now. I have been laying in the foundations with using Liquin as a medium; so far, so good. I also have allowed myself to use any tube colors I choose, experimenting with a few I rarely use.

I am planning on making my own simple framing from 1 x 2" poplar or pine and staining it a rich mahogany, I think. My miter saw doesn't cut very accurate angles so I may need to use an old fashioned wood miter box and hand saw. I will test one this week.

I did manage to make my display stands and get them stained. I will post a photo of them later in the week.

Kyle Martin Plein Air workshop

As the organizer, I didn't get a whole lot of painting done, as I wanted to make sure the students needs were met first and of course, food was also a priority. (The pack turns wild if you don't feed them.)

Kyle did a demo after having students paint some value paintings to kick off the morning. Just what we needed to shake out those cob webs, along with a cup of coffee, after our pre-workshop gathering/reunion celebration the evening before.

Stay tuned.....More to come.....

Painting #20 Waiting for the Tequila

The studio called me early this morning and I dutifully answered that call but somehow the day slipped away and I still had not started my painting! The mood eluded me to do a small painting. My creative left brain was craving to do a complicated large painting, please.

The urge passed, as I could hear Kristen in the background mulling over which painting she would take when I lost the challenge. I decided on a simple setup since time was short. Enough said? How long does it take to come up with a "simple" composition?  Hours...Yes, I like that object, no, not on that background........raise the angle...........adjust the light ........no, now I don't like it at all. And so it goes...........

Finally, I added an item and it all came together for "Waiting for the Tequila"... (those who know me remember that my favorite drink is a margarita on the rocks with salt!

Instead, I am celebrating with a fine red wine, watching the snowflakes float through the glow of the streetlamps across the way. Good night!

"Waiting for the Tequila"        6 x6" oil on wood          

Painting #13 Like a Rock

Inspiration for creativity comes in many forms; sometimes it is something tangible, like a rock that was a gift to me from someone close to my heart. I am inspired as much, if not more so, by the thought of the sentimental act they performed , as I am by reading the words inscribed.

Those that touch our hearts deeply, continually renew our spirit each time we visit that memory. Today I went down memory lane and chose  items that will be showing up in paintings later this month. Just one way I can honor those that honored me....

Like a Rock  

   8 x 8" oil on canvas   

Thanks for looking..............Ruth Ann

Painting #8 ......." Spurred On..."

All gessoed panels are not created equal! Today I wanted a different size than I had on hand in the Ampersand brand, so I used another brand from the local art supply store. I felt it was rather shiny and a little too slick so I used some 220 grit sandpaper on it and sanded in layers; first top to bottom, then cross that grain from side to side; then diagonal, then crossed that grain on another diagonal. Giving it less shine and a little texture, I proceeded to paint.

 "Spurred On"

8 x 8"   oil on panel  $75

To put it mildly, I struggled! Big time! I was too far into the painting to scrap it since I was feeling under the weather due to a reaction to medication, but I was determined to do the painting today.

The plan was to paint this with real drama and darks,  but I rather like it this way, too. I am pretty sure I will try it with the drama using linen on panel.

30 Paintings in 30 Days!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!!

Meeting interesting people is a big bonus to traveling and enjoying the incredible world we live in! I was blessed with a particular one recently at a painting workshop. Her name is Kristen. We challenged each other to paint 30 paitings in 30 days. In order to make sue we stuck to it, Kristen warned me that if I missed a day, she got a free painting of mine! It is on!

Allowing myself just over an hour, by setting the alarm on my phone, here is what painting #1 looks like. I am such a detail person, this is really going to be a huge challenge. I am hoping it will train my eye to observe better; all the little nuances of change in value and temperature.


I also needed a place for them to dry and to be able to isolate them in my cluttered chaos I call "Studio", so I gathered scrap from the garage and made something along the line of what Carol Marine said her husband, David, made for her new studio in Oregon. Thanks, Carol!

I would rather that it was darker and more nuetral but the price was right so it will do for now. I knew I didn't dare take precious time from painting , like I normally do, and then never seem to have time to paint!

Today was a HUGE success, in the fact that I showed up and did the work. ( a friend told me I have a million excuses, so I am trying to ignore them)

I have so much to learn and so little time left, so I need to focus. I would love hearing how many of you manage your time better to actually do things that bring you pleasure and joy!

Kara latest painting

Here is my latest painting. A quick ( 1 hour) oil sketch of my sister's dog, Kara. On a recent visit, Kara would sit and stare at me, then lick her lips, waiting for her treat. I didn't realize that I occupied the chair that denotes that obligation, but she did.

It was great fun to allow myself the freedom to just paint without the consideration if anyone would like it. I just painted for the sake of creating and enjoyed the process!