#30 ... A la votre fini

Well, it is day 30...I did it! 30 paintings in 30 days.....Great discipline for me. I will probably repeat this later in the year. I am hoping it kickstarted some good habits of getting to the studio and producing.

I am excited to get started on some of the larger paintings that I have just been agonizing over, not  being able to work on them yet. I have also been trying to analyze what I am trying to convey in my work. I really want to tell a story. Getting to see the Norman Rockwell exhibit at the DAI was quite a treat. The colors in his fleshtones is incredible. The things that are lost to the viewer when they were reproduced on the cover of Satuday Evening Post.

I don't yearn to do what he did nor do I want to paint just as he did but I am certaily inspired by the beautiful nuances of good clean color I found  repeatedly in his work. That is one of my goals...fresher, cleaner colors. Those darn complimentary colors need to leave my brain for awhile!

With today being the last day, I wanted an appropriate title. Salud was a consideration and so was fini but I wanted a little more, so after a little research, here it is....

                                                  A la votre fini            5 x 7 oil on panel


Translated in French, meaning...."to the end or finish".............so I make a toast with my margarita........to the FINISH!

May you all find something in your life, today, to make a toast....................Ruth Ann

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