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

Thinking I should really start some projects that have been tossed around in my right brain for several months, so today I plunged in.

Having been bitten with the travel bug a few years ago, I have tried to do as much exploring the landscape as I can. I am saddened to see the litter that I find while hiking. Last year I started picking as much up as I could, on one particular area. Then it dawned on me that I should repurpose these rusted pieces of metal. I wrapped them in newspaper and flew them home with me.

They have been treated to stop the rusting process and  are ready for painting. Each one will have a subject that I have personally encountered and photographed in the area where I gathered the metal. With the uneven surface, it is difficult to get detail but here goes attempt #1..... a Magpie that I followed for some time.....

 

'Alone in the Desert'  

 3 x 8" oil on rusted metal     NFS

 

Comments and suggestions are always appreciated.

 

Thank you for looking........ Ruth Ann

# 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