30 Paintings - Day 28

I often think that the hardest part of being an artist is not the painting but coming up with names for finished pieces. Take today's painting, for instance.

#1093 - ?????? - 9 x 12 acrylic on watercolour paper

I have no idea what to call this painting! I rather like it but it doesn't remind me of anything that I can use as a title. Maybe some of you might have an idea or two.

I think that I have finally  run out of steam for the challenge. Luckily I have a couple of extra paintings done because, although I prepped a few more canvases, I have lost my inclination to paint - at least for today!.

If you are interested in seeing some of the work from the other artists in the challenge, here is the link - Leslie's Blog


Thanks for visiting and if you can help with a name for this painting that would be great!

30 Paintings - Day 27!

Today's painting started with a major wash and scrub of the paper. So, I had drenched and damaged paper and I decided to see what would happen when I added some paint!

#1092 - Exuberance! - 5.5 x 8 acrylic on watercolour paper

I had no thoughts in mind; I just went at it with the palette knife and paint, slashing here and there with abandon. Is it art? Is it worth keeping? Who knows? It will go in a stand with a number of other unmatted and unframed paintings and maybe someday, someone will love it!

We only have 3 more days in the challenge so I hope you will have a look at what other artists have been doing - Leslie's Blog

Thanks for stopping by - I would love to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Day 26!

All month I have been managing to paint a few days ahead of my posting. This is good in one way: I haven't had to worry about not getting a painting done each day.  However, I  don't always remember what steps I went through to create some of the pieces.

#1091 - Golden Sunset - 5.5 x 8 acrylic on watercolour paper

I think that this piece was the other half of yesterday's painting "Rays" although it now bears no resemblance to what it was before. I know I used a lot of gesso to really create texture, then some pretty thick paint to cover any of the previous paint still showing. Using a palette knife I added the final touches. I don't know why, but when using the knife I often end up with a scene of trees and rocks - I have to get out of this rut!

Check Leslie's Blog to see some great art!

Thanks for visiting  - it is great to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Day 25!

One of the advantages of painting on paper is that you can always cut away the bad part and just end up with a smaller painting. That is what happened with today's piece.

#1090 - Rays - 5 x 7 acrylic on watercolour paper matted to 8 x 10

I used a palette knife to pat on some texture with gesso and let it dry before I started painting. I hoped that the paint would sink into the texture and really make it pop. That didn't happen so I added more gesso - bigger is better, right? Well, not so much! I ended up with a big mess and that is the part I cut off and set aside. A little of touch-up work on the part I kept and I was happy with my work. This piece does have some texture but it is pretty subtle which suits me just fine.

Don't forget to take some time to check out the art on Leslie's Blog

Thanks for visiting!

30 Paintings - Day 24!

One advantage of painting with acrylics is that you can always paint over your mistakes. Also, if you catch it before the paint dries you can wash off your mistakes the same way you might with watercolour. Today's painting was subjected to the second option.

#1089 - Red Rock, Blue Water - 10 x 14 acrylic on watercolour paper

I was very tempted to just throw this piece away but one of my students said 'Oh, I really like that!' This is painted on hot press paper - another experiment - and then washed off when I figured it was a horrible mess. The resulting stains reminded me of water rushing down a rocky bank so I added a bit of detail to strengthen that impression. I won't throw this away but I don't think I will frame it yet either.

I was asked if I am finding these abstracts easier to do now that I have done a bunch. I think it is easier to do pieces that are similar to those I have done before but it is harder to come up with a different look for new paintings. That will be my challenge as I go forward!

Have a look at Leslie's Blog to see a wide variety of art from almost 200 artists from around the world.

Thanks for visiting!

30 Paintings - Day 23!

While struggling to do abstracts on watercolour paper, I have tried a number of different approaches: watercolour style background, palette knife background, and brush background. I have used gesso to create both a different base and to create some texture. Today's painting has a smooth gesso undercoat and a palette knife background.

#1088 - Autumn Icicles - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

The deep tones of the quinacridone paints really make this pop nicely in person.

Only 7 more days in the challenge so take time to check out the other artists on Leslie's Blog

Thanks for visiting  - please leave a comment!

30 Paintings - Day 22

I am still attempting to create abstracts on watercolour paper. Often, when my perception of a piece is 'that's interesting', I find my friends seem to really like that painting. Let's see what you think!

#1087 - Antennas - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

This painting was, once again, intended to be quite different from the finished product. It just kept changing on me! The photo is upside-down from the way the piece was painted but this is the orientation I liked best.

Don't forget to check out more of the art in this challenge - Leslie's Blog

I would really like to hear what you think so please leave a comment!

Thanks for stopping by!

30 Paintings - Day 21!

I decided to do more of the paintings for this month on watercolour paper instead of canvases; they are much easier to store. Unfortunately, paper doesn't seem as conducive to the style I am trying to achieve.

#1086 - Fire and Ice - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

I really struggled with this piece. It has a number of layers of paint. It actually started out green (lol) but that was washed off; then dark blue which made me cringe so I added a bunch of white and pushed that around until it was blended. The final touches of red and yellow were influenced by the cold weather - I wanted something that looked warm!

It is hard to believe that we have only 9 days left in the challenge so pop over to Leslie's Blog to see what others have been doing. Also, if you like abstract art have a look at these three artists from the challenge - Eric Bagwell, Sue Marrazzo and Peter Crane.

I hope you enjoyed your visit  - please leave a comment!

30 Paintings - Day 20!

I am calling today's painting a representational abstract! It wasn't supposed to be the way it turned out but I quite like it.

#1085 - Red Sky at Night - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

BTW - I have decided that I am too old to become famous as an abstract artist - 4 seems to be the preferred age!

Last night on the news there was a segment about a 4 year old boy from New Brunswick who is currently having his own show in a gallery there and who will also be showing his paintings in a gallery in New York some time this year. The boy's name is Advait Kolarkar and here is one of his paintings.

Apparently his work is selling very well - in the thousands of dollars.  And the world goes round!

Check out Leslie's Blog sometime today to see what other artists are doing.

Thanks for visiting.

30 Paintings - Day 19!

Some times a painting just comes together and some times you have to fight it: today's painting was the former!

#1084 - Golden Glow - 11 x 14 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

This piece went so smoothly and I couldn't be more pleased. Is it abstract, impressionistic or representational? Who cares? - lol!

Over the years I have found a few artists to follow thanks to the 30/30 challenges. You might enjoy seeing their work too! - Wild About Painting, LamujoArt, Watercolors By Joan 2), and Sheila's Corner Studio.

Of course you can always find them and many others on Leslie's Blog.

Thanks for visiting!

 

30 Paintings - Day 18!

Today's painting has a number of layers of paint and has gone through a number of transformations but I think I am finally happy with the finished product.

#1080 - Blocks and Curves - 16 x 20 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

I have actually said finished to this canvas 4 times and signed the painting each time, but I was never very happy with any of the paintings. To fix things, some times I covered the whole thing with gesso, others I just painted over the parts I didn't like until I am surprised that the canvas doesn't sag in the middle - lol. I am still not too sure about the final result but I have decided that I am done!

Here is the link to Leslie's blog so you can see what the other artists are doing.

I hope you will let me know what you think of my latest - thanks for stopping in!

30 Paintings - Day 17

I have another experiment for today's painting! I wanted to see how some of the techniques I have been using would work on a heavily textured canvas. This the experiment was NOT a success. Instead of the look I wanted, I ended up with a mess that I quickly washed off. I played a bit more, adding more paint and even more paint until I was mostly satisfied. Here is the finished product!

#1083 - Pastel Textures - 8 x 10 acrylic on canvas

It reminds me of an aerial view of the mountains that someone accented with purple - h'mm I wonder if this shows the trail where my son went backpacking. I don't know if I like this or not - what do you think?

It looks like I will be shoveling snow this afternoon so I will get this added to Leslie's blog  (I hope you will check it out) and get ready to go outside.

I always enjoy your insights so please leave a comment.

30 Paintings - Day 16

Here is a piece that I hope will brighten your day: it makes me think of springtime and flowers.

#1082 - Lilac Blooms - 5 x 7 acrylic on 1" canvas board

This is similar to yesterday's painting and is a style that I wish I could produce more often as I think it really works.

Now, I am off to add this to Leslie's Blog and then get to work on another painting!

I enjoy hearing from you so please leave a comment.

30 Paintings - Day 15!

It is a good thing that I have been painting a few extra pieces because the one I had planned for today just isn't ready yet - it has to sit a few days so I can figure out how to 'fix' it.

#1081 - Scattered Angles - 5 x7 acrylic on 1"canvas board

This is similar to a piece I did a few days ago - Day 9  - although this is not quite as green. I like this colour combination though and may use it again.

Everyday after posting my link on Leslie's Blog, I look through the other posts and always find a few to click on so I can see the art larger. It is a great way to discover new styles and artists so I hope you will give it a try.

I was nice of you to stop by and I hope you will let me know what you think about today's painting.

30 Paintings - Day 14!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I haven't done anything remotely valentine-ish as I was too busy experimenting again. 

#1079 - Night Rain - 9 x 12 acrylic on watercolour paper

After my attempt yesterday Day 13 to do the same technique as the painting from Day 7, I thought I would try the it on paper. It was NOT a success! So, I had to fiddle around trying to 'fix' the mess I had made; a bit more paint, some spritzed water and a bit of palette knife work and I got something I think is very interesting. What do you think?

We are almost to the half way point of the challenge and I am wondering  what I am going to do with all the paintings I finish - I have no more room to hang things!!! One of the downfalls of living in a rural community that has - a large population of seniors (they have everything and don't buy much art), only a small public display space at the library, and is not a great tourist spot - is, that the art takes a long time to sell.

Pop over to Leslie's Blog  to see what everyone else in the challenge is doing.

I enjoy and appreciate your comments so please say something! 

30 Paintings - Day 13!

Today's painting is sort of a companion piece to one I did the other day.

#1078 - Devil Fire #2 - 10 x 16 diptych acrylic on canvas

While the surface of the first of these was serendipitous, this one was planned. The first was done on Masonite and this is on canvas. I found this piece a lot harder to do as the canvases have a different texture and they kept moving too. It has been a while since I did one of these split paintings and I forgot how much trouble they can be - lol.

Stop by Leslie's Blog to see what the other artists are up to. Many of the photos have links to blogs and you can see the paintings larger and read a bit about them too.

It is always nice to hear from visitors so please leave a comment.

30 Paintings - Day 12!

Today's painting is another experiment that was going wrong. Fortunately the work was on watercolour paper so I slapped on more paint and cut off the really bad parts.

#1077 - Dark Garden - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

I was just going to throw the whole thing away but thought I would try it with a mat first. Who knew? It almost looks like it is worth keeping - lol. I think I will set it aside to grow on me.

Here is the link to Leslie's Blog where you will see close to 200 other artists' work.

Thanks for stopping by - please let me know what you think of today's painting.

30 Paintings - Day 11

Better late than never I guess. We spent the day hunting and gathering (shopping) so it is a good thing I painted this yesterday.

#1076 - Under the Sea - 12 x 16 acrylic on canvas

I had a lot of trouble with the "less is more" concept for this painting. I was having so much fun with the palette knife that I wasn't paying enough attention to the 'whole'. This was actually painted in landscape format (below) but I liked it better when I turned it around. That is one of the benefits of doing abstracts - who knows which way is up? - it is all in the eye of the beholder!

View #2

I hope you take time to pop over to Leslie's Blog and to leave a comment here - I would love to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Day 10!

#1075 - Exploding Segments - 8 x 10 acrylic on canvas

I can usually get the photos of my art showing the colours pretty accurately  but with this piece I missed. In person this painting has a lot more zing: the orange is less muted and the pink is more florescent. It actually packs a punch!

Stop by Leslie's Blog to see what the other artists are doing - there is some great art there!.

See you all tomorrow.

30 Paintings - Day 9!

It is so interesting how things can work out. Yesterday, because I was fixing some palettes for my students, I was testing some colours to see how they mixed together. Of course, I ended up with left over paint and just had to use it up - that is how today's painting came about.

#1074 - Mostly Organic - 5 x 7 acrylic on watercolour paper mounted to 8 x 10

I used an old piece of Arches watercolour paper that had already been painted, slapped on the left-over paint from my mixing job and then added some points of interest. I liked the whole thing so much I didn't want to lose anything by matting over it so I mounted it on the mat board instead.

Pop over to Leslie's Blog to see what the other artist are up to.

Thanks for stopping by - comments are appreciated!

30 Paintings - Day 8!

This painting went through a number of transitions before I was finally happy with it. And, it ended looking nothing like I planned in the start!

#1073 - Forest - 8 x 10 acrylic on canvas

Once again, I am wondering "is this abstract?" It actually seems to depict something instead of leaving any interpretation up to the viewer, although it is a pretty rough depiction. No matter, I like it and my students today liked it too.

I hope you will take time to checkout the work of the other artists doing the challenge - Leslie's Blog


See you again tomorrow!

30 Paintings - Day 7!

I am really, really happy with today's painting, AND I have a new favorite colour combination!

#1072 - Devil Fire - 8.5 x 20.5 acrylic on Masonite

This piece came together so smoothly it was as if it was just waiting for me on the Masonite. The board was an old one that I used last year for a trial piece that didn't work out. Instead of sanding it down, I just painted over the textureed swirls and globs of paint. I like it so much that I am going to try for a companion piece.

See you tomorrow but, meanwhile,  don't forget to check out the rest of the art on Leslie's Blog

30 Paintings - Day 6!

I am not sure if today's painting is abstract or impressionist but it was fun to do and I quite like it.

#1071 - Spring Blossoms - 8 x 10 acrylic

I only added some alizarin to my palette but it is amazing how much difference one colour can make. I use a stay-wet palette so my paints stay good for a long time. I have almost finished the colours I started with on Feb 1 and will be introducing more variety as those get used. I am also reusing some old canvases - saving money and clearing out some questionable art.

I have been seeing some really interesting art from the other artists in the challenge and I hope you will check things out on Leslie's Blog

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

30 Paintings - Day 5!

I am back on track and quite happy with today's painting.

#1070 - Bursting Out! - 12 x 16 acrylic

I spent some time yesterday looking at Youtube videos as I was feeling a bit rudderless after the 'landscape' I did the other day. Youtube is such a boon to artists (and others, of course) as one can find a video on almost anything.

I like this but I think it just might be time to add more colours to my palette; I will see what inspiration tomorrow brings.

Don't forget to check out all the art posted on Leslie's Blog and maybe think about trying the challenge this year. It is a great way to get you creating and it doesn't matter if you don't get 30 paintings done - join for the fun!

30 Paintings - Day 4

Well, I have gone completely off script ( or goal, whichever works for you). Today's painting is a watercolour, not acrylic or abstract and, it will probably go straight in the round file!

While shopping the other day, I went through one of those 'cattle-chutes' that so many stores have put in to guide you to the cash registers - mostly to make you wait where you have to look at products. I usually don't have a problem with impulse buys but this time I couldn't resist. I bought a box of 18 watercolour paints for $7.99. I know, I know, I know better but I was so busy laughing I just had to try them. Here is what the box claims are the 'features': good lightfastness, excellent transparency and tinting strength, superb working properties and, finally, suitable for all artists.

You can see from the above exercise that the colours are by no means transparent. There are very few colours that mix well to make a good third colour and often, when you do mix, you end up with muddy colours. I can't say much about the working properties as I wasn't using my regular paper but they didn't seem to be too bad. One good point - there is a silver paint that actually sparkles and it might be useful some day. If nothing else, I will be able to use these paints to show students what NOT to buy.

I have seen so many super paintings in the last few days at  Leslie's Blog 
that I feel like the 30/30 challenge has been going on for longer than four days. I hope you will take time to have a look.
 

30 Paintings - Day 3

I am sure 'not sure' about today's painting! I woke up in the middle of the night and started thinking about what I could paint and I think I jinxed myself.

Day 3

Is it good? Is it interesting? This started out as something else, then transitioned to another something and finally end up as you see it. Whatever I had in my mind was obviously confused - lol.

I will have to let this sit a bit before I decide if it is worth keeping or if I should just paint over the whole thing. Good thing it is only an 8 x 10. I haven't even given it a number or a name as I am so unsure about its worth.

I hope you will let me know what you think of this one and whether I should save it.

Remember to pop over to Leslie's Blog to see what the other artists are doing.

30 Paintings...Day 2

#1068 - Line Dancing - 8 x 10 acrylic

This piece made me think of the explosion of movement that some people put into their dancing. Followed, of course, by someone not quite as enthusiastic.

This is my second attempt at this style of work, using both brush and palette knife. I have seen similar pieces on Facebook and Youtube videos and have really liked many of them. It will be interesting to see how people in my area respond to these.

Don't forget to check out the work by other artists who are doing the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. Here is the link - Leslie's Blog

See you all tomorrow!

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 1

Here we are again: a new year, a new 30/30 challenge. I have done a number of these challenges in the last few years, often using the challenge as an opportunity to try new techniques. This year I am going to focus on abstract acrylic paintings. I hope you will let me know what you think!

#1067 - From the Centre - 8 x 10 acrylic

It is not too late to join the challenge - check Leslie Saeta's Blog  for all the information. This is a great way to stretch your  skills and see what many other artists are doing too.

If you want to see what I have done in the past challenges , click on the right label below.