On the 31st day, I rested.......

Well, I didn't really rest! I just took a break from the studio to take care of my much neglected house and long list of errands! I did accomplish most of them and even cooked a nice supper. It was so warm, I wanted to grill the chicken, but no charcoal and no time to shop.

I really wanted to be painting! This 30 day challenge has got my creative juices flowing and I am trying to plan in my head some major paintings. I also am packing a couple to ship to new homes. A few others are for some upcoming competitions and one or two  may end up at one of my galleries.

                                                   
                                                       30 paintings in 30 days

I am still pretty surprised that I could produce that many paintings in that short of time.


Since I plan to work on larger paintings, I will update as I progress with each painting and you can see how I approach it. The idea tomorrow is to brainstorm composition for one or two.

Start each day with a smile and get it over with.     - W.C. Fields     

Painting #27 ..... The Day is Done

It was a tough time choosing what to paint. Having too many ideas can be a bad thing. Everything I chose for my composition was complicated and would make a great large painting; but not one I could do justice on a small one.

I finally chose my favorite hair clips that I caught out of the corner of my eye, sitting  on my taboret. They needed a little something more and I immediately tucked in the sweet, worn moccassins that we got at the auction last week. I adore the painting for today. Made me in such a good mood...love it when a plan comes together!

The Day is Done   4 x 4"   oil on linen   

And so it is....................until tomorrow!   Thanks for looking.     Ruth Ann

Painting #6 Jailbird Feather ( in umber)

Okay,,, you are probably wondering where in the heck I got that title.  Funny story! For those of you who know my husband, Claude, you know he is pretty quiet and not much on the "sense of humor".

Recently we were on vacation out west and had stopped on our way back from Tortilla Flats to explore this little ghost town. Upon exploring the old jail cell, there on the floor lay this black bird feather. I collected the feather to put in my newly adorned cowgirl hat. As we headed for Cave Creek I said to my husband, "I wonder what kind of bird this came from", not  expecting an answer from him but I got no response at all...then he turned to me and very seriously replied...."It must be a jail-bird feather!".
I cracked up!!!! One of the best one-liners he has ever come up with. Now, I can never part with that feather.

Jailbird Feather    5 x 7" oil on panel 

Today I also went a step further with my viewfinder.. I decided to cut a piece of cardboard with an opening to match the size I was painting on; 5 x 7".  Then I fastened it to my Stanright easel and moved it around until it had the composition I wanted. This really helped as I could move much further away so I didn't get caught up in details right away.

I also decided to try gridding it off with string to match how I grid my canvas. I love it! I usually do that with photos, so I love being able to solve the issue when painting from life.

Here is a distant view also....

Until tomorrow.......