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

Painting #7 Study in Orange

What a wonderful day! Traveled to Dayton to one of the galleries I am in and while in town we took advantage of the American Chronicles.....Norman Rockwell exhibit at the DAI. Fabulous! It sure put me in the mood to want to paint people again.  That will wait for another day, though, when I can devote more time.

The first attempt today was a "wiper"....so I did just that and started over. Entire new set up. I was able to settle down and thoroughly enjoy the process............whoops, where did the time go? I love that part of the creative process....time has no meaning.

Looking forward to tomorrow...maybe I will do the spur again?????

#5 painting,...Calling the Spirits ( in umber)

Setting up became very time-consuming today, as I am esp. easily distracted by so many things that need done. Finally, I found a design that I liked then to set up to paint. Last night my neck and shoulder really caused me some pain, making it difficult to paint, therefore today I decided to try to eliminate some of the aggravating factors.

One is holding up the viewfinder, constantly tensing up the muscle that attaches to the base of my skull. We joked about solving this issue in Carol Marine's workshop but I thought...why not try to really solve it. So I thought the issue through and came up with this;  

I used a piece of bamboo to hold the viewfinder, cutting notches in it with a utility knife. Then I inserted the bamboo piece into the opening of my Stanrite Easel post. It worked great!

  I played around with the position until I had it right in my line of sight.            

You can see my composition in the photo on the right.

 I am loving these panels and can't get myself to move beyond the beauty of working in umber. Today I used raw umber. Love it! Using less medium today and that seems to suit my style better.

Calling the Spirits         ( in umber) 5 x 7"

 
I will eventually do this in color, as I bought this turqoise vase because of its wonderful color. Let me know if you have any questions....

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!

Guess I should be glad for the turn to cold weather. I can now more easily concentrate on a commission that needs to be done by next week. It is chilly in the studio, but considering it is about 17 outside, I should count myself as warm!

As soon as I finish this one, I am going to dust off my carharts and other cold weather gear to be ready to paint outdoors for the next few months....... I have been able to do a number of plein air paintings with the fall color, so now I am looking forward to doing several with snow!