All that Jazz.......Homage to Barksdale

Sometimes you just have to step outside your comfort zone and let her rip! After attending a painting demo last night by Atlanta artist, Corey Barksdale, I was inspired to do just that. Normally I paint tight, controlled and with a definite finished product in mind.

 Today I set  few guidelines and decided to let what ever happened to be......I selected a cd with fast, upbeat jazz and played it loud! Then I squirted out my newly purchased tube acrylics and picked up the big , black Sharpie marker! Talk about scary!

To lessen the scare, I found a used canvas that had purple paint on it and wouldn't consider 'precious'...if I destroyed it, I wouldn't care to have to just throw it in the trash.

I mentally simplified the material in my reference photo

 and then just started making marks with that marker! What fun! Liberating.....may have to do this some more........ less than 30 minutes later....

          
                                     All That Jazz; Homage to Barksdale

                  14 x 18"  acrylic on canvas panel   

Step outside your comfort zone today...reach for something different. It doesn't mean you have to stay there...just enjoy the moment and the PROCESS!

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

# 11..... of 30 paintings in 30 days 2013

Wow...I can hardly believe it is already day 11! Last year, it was getting to be a bit of a struggle by this time and this year, I just feel like I am getting rolling. I am really having fun the last few paintings. Not sure if it is because I am going back to portraiture or if it is because these have been in the planning stages for some time. You know, the long, long list that seems to just grow....it is great to start checking them off and watching the list shrink for a change!

I feel like I am learning more this go round. I now think I need to do this more than just the month of January. I still have a bit of travel planned for this year but maybe I will do small ones when I travel if I don't paint plein air!

Here is today's effort.........again, I struggled with a few things and think I need to go back and punch up a few darks....

 

# 11 The Yellow Hat

12 x 12" NFS

 

I appreciate feedback regarding what you think about this; should something be changed??

 

I look forward to your comments...

 

As always...........thanks for viewing....Ruth Ann

# 10................30 paintings in 30 days 2013

This discipline of getting to the studio might finally be working like I was hoping. It has motivated me and by just 'doing the work', I have excercised my right brain enough that it is now correctly in the mode of'  " how can I best tell the story I have to tell ?  ".

So today, I started one that has been percolating in my mind for quite some time; part of a series. The problem was mostly fear of failure, but also sometimes an idea just needs to set on the shelf until it's time.

So I chose to start with just a wash of oil color to get me started and that really was part of the solution. Not only did it get me beyond that 'white canvas syndrome', it set the mood for the less importrant background. The shapes were very necessary but I needed them to stay quiet so the foreground could speak. I am very happy with the result!

                                                        #10......Straw Visor with Flower
                                                   12 x 12" oil on canvas (mounted to wood panel)
                                                                        NFS

Thanks so much for viewing my art.......comments are always welcome..........Ruth Ann

# 9.......30 paintings in 30 days

Today's attempt is not anything I am happy with but I did paint........that is my goal. To create some more consistent hours in the studio. It is easy to drift in the mindset that if you aren't selling a bunch, maybe you should slow your painting down, too. That is not really a good idea...yet, I admit to sometimes falling victim to that. The more productive time spent in the studio, the better the mind set and the more creative you become.

The results of today are not a waste, either. Much was learned and there is certainly more failures ahead but the great thing about that is the sooner I get some more of those failures out of the way, a few wonderful creations are going to appear at the end of my brush! It's a matter of numbers. The odds are with us; so I plunder on.

In fact, I started two other paintings after this one.......

                                        Hohokam Path 

                                      5 x 7" oil on panel     $45

# 6 of 30 paintings in 30 days

Well, this one was started 'en plein air' in Montana. A friend had given me the surface to try; a resin treated  paper made specially to be light weight for travel. That it was. It also grabbed the paint. I struggled with it and finally gave up, knowing I needed extra time to deal with the properties of this new surface.

I found I rather like it. The oil painting looks almost as if it were done with pastel. So here it is, reworked. Still not quit what I was going for but I was so enamored with the incredible vista of those monstrous mountains, it was a difficult capture!

I still can put myself right back at that moment, painting, the wind blowing and how wonderful it all was!

                                                         Glacier View  

                                                       9 x 12" oil on resin paper  $75

# 5 of 30 in 30 days

I painted this scene in a large format and since it is one of my very favorite places, Sedona, I wanted to paint it again in a smaller size.

I have to admit, I liked it better about 40 brushstrokes ago, but since none of you were here in my studio to grab the brush from me, here it is...

                        Red Rock Crossing in Autumn         9 x 12" oil on panel        $75

                                              Have a fabulous weekend..........Ruth Ann

# 4 of 30 paintings in 30 days 2013

On the bucket list was seeing the aspens turn golden! That one got it's checkmark this last fall, as I had the priviledge to explore Montana then Wyoming while they were gloriosly in full splendor.

                                                        9 x 12" oil on panel

Day 3 of 2013 - 30 paintings in 30 days

It has been a really tough day at work and the show opens tomorrow; let's hope I get all the photos on the gallery wall nicely in time!

That meant little time for a painting after a quick supper tonight. I even had to skip lunch completely, so  I was certainly hungry and needed to eat before thinking I could pick up a brush! I am still dragging and it shows in my painting. Funny how our emotional state usually shows up on our surface.

                                 
                                                 6 x 10" oil on panel

Day 2.... 30 paintings in 30 days 2013

Well, I am sort of sticking to my idea of western paintings. I always loved the colors of the sky when I captured these photos while exploring the area just northwest of Phoenix. The sun was starting to set and I was trying to navigate my husband to an area where I could get a decent shot that didn't include houses. I allowed my intuition to guide me, and directed him to take a right or left, urging him to just trust me; we ended up in this beautiful clear area and when I saw the statue backlit, I knew someday I would try to capture it in paint.

                                                            9 x 14.5"  oil on panel

I would really appreciate help in a title for this one.........any suggestions????

Have a wonderful evening and may he shine his light upon you......  Ruth Ann

January #1..30 paintings in 30 days

Well, I am off to a rocky start but certainly learning! I thought I might attempt painting number one with a palette knife so it would go quickly and I wouldn't get caught up in the details.

I was not happy with the outcome, so I scraped it off and tried to salvage it with brushes. I will paint this one again, as it is a very special place in Glacier National Park. It is known as Heaven's Peak.

 

I like the warmer version although the shadow pattern is much better and stronger in the palette knife version.

 

Heaven's Peak, Glacier National Park,9 x 12" oil on panel   $125

Pre- Art Conference

What a wonderful day! Rising early and then getting my luggage delivered was a good start to the day. Wanting to get re-acquainted with Dubois, I went for my favorite walk along the Wind River again.

About halfway through, the winds started howling fiercely and the rain came. All I could do at that point was to fasten the chin strap on my hat and keep walking. Luckily for me, it didn't last very long.

Deciding where to have lunch, as there are several choices. I liked the look of the Cowboy Cafe and it seemed to be pretty busy, a good sign.
I must have made the right choice because not only was the food excellent, just as I was finishing Pam and Les Cable and several others from the art conference showed up. Great reunion!

Color charts and snippet # 2

Today was a good, productive day in the studio. This one is coming along nicely, although it surprised me when I started liking what was happening on the canvas a whole lot better than the pretty darn good photo I had managed to capture of this area. I got one spot that looked really 'sweet' and I knew I needed to avoid it like the plague or I would destroy it. I then chose to forget the photo and just paint what I liked on the canvas.

 A light bulb moment, kind of, as now I better understand those before me that recommended using a photo as a 'jumping off point', not just slave and copy it.

I should be able to complete this one tomorrow.........can you guess what landmark this is?

                  ***************************************************


I also was having trouble with subtle grays
 for one of the very large paintings and it was
 full of little shifts of greys.........so I opened
up the cupboard door and studied my color charts.
 There it was! I was trying to get the tone/value
 using Burnt Sienna when a much better and
more accurate choice was Transparent Oxide Red!
 I am pretty sure that I will be using
 my color charts more often now.



Have a wonderful evening and remember when that color is elusive, make some mixes and record them for future reference!

Sneak peek...

Working on all new work for a show and not being able to share it is tough! Therefore, I have chosen to photograph snippets of my paintings to give you a sneak peek of a portion of the painting.

 I am keeping a journal as I do this, as I have never painted this many paintings of this size. Considering the challenge I did in January of the daily tiny paintings and then to jump to this. Almost overwhelming, but it was my choice. What was I thinking?  I have stretched a number of my own and made a few panels. The smallest is 18 x 24". Well, life is short and it has been a great motivator.

They say any successful artist has miles of canvas behind them; as much canvas as I have used this month will only get me about a quarter of a mile.....sigh!

planning studio time

Why does it seem that most men artists have no problem getting to the studio to work? Is it because they have tunnel vision and don't get distracted? Is it because they are not usually responsible for cooking, cleaning,doing the laundry, taking care of the kids, etc on a daily basis?

I wonder if it is gender related that they can have such focus. I truly wish I knew the answer to that one.I am hoping by planning, that I can get more effective and productive studio time. I am working at eliminating some bad habits and trying to develop better ones; such as developing some "tunnel vision".

I dislike being able to be so easily distracted. Once I am 'in the zone', that rarely happens but there is so much preliminary work to be done before I can reach that zone. So today I decided to speed it up a little by using a set up for my oil painting series '30 paintings in 30 days', for my watercolor class.

It was wonderful! As I had already decided to keep it simple and use only three primary colors; New Gambouge, Permanent Rose and Antwerp Blue......it sped things up and I was able to get to 'the zone' fairly quickly. What fun! Now the sample for the class is done. It took SO much more time to get it all ready and type up the sign up sheet than to paint the painting! That is the part that I wished I could hire someone to do. I think I will have to brainstorm on that idea!

This was great fun to do in watercolor! It needed to be simple and quick.

 I am providing all the supplies for a 2 hour class...one fee....show up with enthusiasm and go home with a painting!

Now...................back to the studio!

Thanks for looking............good day, Ruth Ann

#15 Good Morning, Sunshine

Sunshine! What a beautiful thing! Even when it is barely in the teens outside, I find it so uplifting to see the sun shining brightly. My husband bought these tulips for me yesterday and I wanted to capture them in the glow of the morning sun and the stained glass windows of my dining room.

It is a very high key painting; quite different from yesterday's, but it was how I felt today. I learned a bit from it and although it isn't perfection, it turned out okay. I think tomorrow's painting will be much simpler.....

Good Morning, Sunshine     5 x 7" oil on panel  

Here's hoping there is a ray of sunshine in your day..........

Painting #14 Daily C

Okay, so this one took a lot longer than the others. The orange was drying out fast and curling up, so I had to take a photo of it while it was fresh. I started it around midnight and got the drawing on and some values in umber placed, then I called it a night.

Good thing I took a photo because it looked really bad this morning, even though I put water on it. With all this snow blowing around, it made perfect sense to just stay in and paint. I had lots of fun with this one and really got mesmerized by trying to capture the feel of an orange.

Then I finished and realized the rim was off plumb! I redrew the line and messed up the whole thing, as it lifted paint in an area that I felt I had just right....sigh! Well, here it is, reclaimed...

Daily C    5 x 7" oil on panel  

I bought two of these dessert dishes and shared one with my fellow daily painter, Kristen Dukat, so you may see the same one in a painting of hers real soon.

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

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

#11 "Hangin' on by a thread..."

Some colors are just elusive to me. I needed a studio buddy today to be there to hold my arm with the brush and just say "STOP!".................."look"...........................then "listen"........ to what your instincts tell you. All of that after a good break to cleanse the eyes and relax the arm and brain!

Instead, I was alone and chose to "fiddle" with the colors, etc..., until I had muddied most of it up. All I can say is, I sure put in the work today.

The bright side is, I am thoroughly enjoying the process ( most of the time). It is pretty impressive to see how much work I have done in January already.

"Hangin' on by a thread..."      5 x 7"      oil on panel     

The colors aren't quite right on this but I can't seem to get them like the painting.

Some pigments  are just that way.

Thanks for looking....

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!