THIRTY PAINTING COLLAGE…..AND THE DRAWING!!!

COLLAGE OF ALL THIRTY PAINTINGS

                           WHEW!  

Painting thirty paintings in thirty days didn't always give me enough time to evaluate and improve them so there are a couple I plan on tweaking. The real value for me was in painting daily as practice is so important.  Almost every one was painted from life, also excellent practice. 

                        AND NOW….

All of you who commented, were subscribed to my blog through email or Friend Connect were given the chance to win a painting.  My husband just drew two of your names:   Celeste Bergen and Cristina from the Creative Magazine.     Congratulations to the two of you.  

                   WHAT'S NEXT?

I am preparing for a show with particular
painting requests for the show.  After that I am
thinking it is time to paint interiors, and interiors that
include views through windows and doors.

"BLUE SKY DONUT" Day Thirty of "Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge"

                "BLUE SKY DONUT"
               4x4 mini on canvas board

Blue Sky Donut
4x4 mini on canvas board
Click here to purchase

Tomorrow I will post a collage of all thirty paintings.  This has been a fun month after I got into the groove.  How I stumbled on painting pastries I have no idea.  Perhaps because I got sugar addicted?

     TIME FOR THE GIVEAWAY NOW

I love this part of the challenge too as I "gift" my paintings to winners.  After September's challenge I gave one away.  This time I will give away TWO paintings 6x8 or under!  Winners choice. You are automatically entered in the drawing in three ways and all ways give you a chance so triple up.

 1: Comment on this blog today or tomorrow 1/31.
 2: Subscribe to the blog.  When you subscribe you will get an email asking you to confirm your request so look for the email.
 3:  Add yourself to "Friend Connect".

Send mini with greeting card

Display minis on tabletop easels

"Heart Cookie Cutters" Day Twenty-Nine in the "Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge

"Heart Cookie Cutters"

6x8 oil on museum quality board

This is a wonderful painting for a kitchen or eating area, for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel.  My husband calls me a "hottie" so I know he loves me so think: love, Valentines Day, sweets, celebrations.  Be kind to those in your life.  I know how wonderful it is as I get cards from my honey on every possible occasion.

Heart Cookie Cutters
6x8 oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase


WATCH FOR THE GIVE-AWAY TOMORROW
YOU CAN WIN

'FLOWER POPS", Day Twenty-Eight of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

"Flower Pops"
10x10, oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase

 'FLOWER POPS"
10x10, unframed, oil on museum quality board

Color, color and more color.  The challenge of the thirty paintings continued my December commitment to paint from life for a while.

Somehow I got started on pastries and sweets and it has gotten to the point when I enter the donut shop, I see the workers turn to the side with a smirk.  I see it.  They think I don't.  I know what they think (oh yes, I do):   "Here's that crazy lady that is hooked on sweets but tells us she is painting these sugar laden treats.  And now I have to look through every one to pick out the PERFECT one."

OK…the 30 in 30 challenge is almost over.  They'll miss me at the shop, that is if I can stop going.  And you dear reader won't be getting a daily blog from me.  Will you miss me too?

"STRAWBERRY FIELD DONUT", Day Twenty-Seven of "Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days" challenge

"Strawberry Field Donut"
4x4 oil on canvas board
Click here to purchase

"STRAWBERRY FIELD DONUT", unframed, 4x4 mini, oil on canvas board, suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel or putting in a greeting card as a small gift.  I think this would be great in a Valentine to your love.

Scroll back through my blog and tell me which of the cupcakes or donuts is your favorite.  I would love your comments.  Tell me too: if you painted cupcakes and donuts, would you eat them afterwards?

CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE, Day Twenty-Six of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Chocolate on Chocolate
5x5 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to Purchase

"Chocolate on Chocolate" 5x5, unframed,  oil on canvas covered board, suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel.


I promise you this painting will look terrific displayed in your kitchen or eating area.  It is very textural, a palette knife painting.  The donut was delectable, my second promise.

"WINE GLASS IN BLUE", Day Twenty-five of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Wine Glass in Blue
8x6 oil on museum quality canvas
Click here to purchase

 "Wine Glass in Blue", unframed, 8x6, oil on museum quality board.

This was a fun painting; it reminded me of the Dutch Painter Vermeer as often he included a wine glass with his figures, though I am sure Vermeer had a devilish look in his eyes as the wine had a seductive purpose.   Well, I am no Vermeer so my work is 100% different.

This painting was done using both a palette knife and a brush.  I love the reflection in the glass as well as on the wall behind.

LEMON WITH SUGAR, Day Twenty-Four of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days

Lemon with Sugar
4x4 oil on canvas board
Click here to purchase

What a hoot I have been having painting 

these tiny and tasty paintings:

 cupcakes and donuts. 

 This donut is light as a feather and tastes like a
lemon meringue pie.

These tiny paintings are suitable for
framing
displaying on a tabletop easel
or tucking in an greeting card as a gift.

See painting size as compared to greeting card

TULIPS WITH MUMS, Day Twenty-Three of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Tulips and Mums
8x8 oil on Gessobord
Click here to purchase

TULIPS WITH MUMS
8x8, oil on Gessobord, unframed

This is a very happy painting, rich with color and vibrancy.  It has a lovely finish as the painting is done on Gessobord, one of my most favorite surfaces.

DONUT WITH SPRINKLES, Day Twenty-Two of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Donut with Sprinkles
4x4 oil on canvas board
Click here to purchase

"DONUT WITH SPRINKLES"

4x4 oil on canvas board,unframed, oil on board.  

Perfect for framing, displaying on a tabletop easel, can be part of a collection or placed in a greeting card as a small gift.

This raised donut is now eaten…by me!

RIBBONS, Day Twenty One of 30 in 30 Challenge

RIBBONS
10x10 unframed oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase

RIBBONS

Oil on museum quality board, 10x10, unframed
$145


This old Atlas jar is one of my favorite possessions and still life items.  Though I may downsize someday, the jar stays with me. I also love to paint ribbons and packages and have three large boxes of every color imaginable.

Is it any wonder I am having so much trouble keeping up with the thirty day challenge?  This painting took me three days to complete!  Today I have to paint one so it will be much smaller.

MUMS AND DAISIES, Day Twenty of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

Mums and Daisies
6x8 oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase.

"MUMS AND DAISIES"

6x8, unframed on museum quality board.  Suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel.

Flowers to brighten any day.  These lovely daisies are paired with small white mums in an antique Atlas jar decorated with a colorful ribbon.

'WITH HEART", Day Nineteen of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

With Heart
4x4 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to purchase

WITH HEART

"With Heart" 4x4, oil on canvas covered board, unframed, is a tiny piece with lots of joy and color.  This tiny gem would make an excellent Valentine's Day gift tucked inside an envelope with a card.  "With Heart" is suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel.

I LOVE THIS LITTLE PIECE AND HOPE YOU DO TOO!

CUPCAKE VII, Day Eighteen Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge

Cupcake VII
4x4 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to purchase

CUPCAKE VII

"Cupcake VII" 4x4, oil on canvas covered board.  Unframed but suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel.  This is a super yummy cupcake with sprinkles on top.

KJØLLEFJORD, NORWAY PARISH CHURCH, Day 17 of Thirty Day Challenge

Kjøllefjord, Norway Parish Church
5x5 oil on canvas
Click here to purchase.

KJØLLEFJORD, NORWAY CHURCH

Kjøllefjord Church (Norwegian,  Kjøllefjord kirke) is a parish church in Finnmark county, Norway (located within the Arctic Circle). The white, stone church was built in 1951 and was a gift from Denmark after the Second World War. It was also the first church that was rebuilt in Finnmark county after the war.

On Christmas Day, I along with many other people walked about twenty minutes to this church carrying very large candles.  Though it was only 2:00 PM it was already getting quite dark.  We attended a Christmas service here, entirely in Norwegian.

Lighting the Torches

Walk to the church

Church Interior

ELEGANT DINING, Day Sixteen of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge

FINE DINING
11X14 oil on canvas, framed in ornate silver frame
Click here to purchase

FINE DINING

The neutral gray tones add to the elegance of this painting.  The frame is handmade silver leaf in Flagstaff, AZ.

This painting was done a while ago as I am not quite able to keep up with the daily challenge…very close but not perfect.  Clearing the calendar is going to help!

"FLOWER SHOP, NORWAY" Day Fifteen of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge SOLD

"FLOWER SHOP, NORWAY"  6X8, unframed, oil on museum quality board, suitable for framing or displaying on a tabletop easel. 

There are flower shops every two blocks or so as Norwegians always take flowers when they visit.  I met for the first time my Norwegian cousins in Gran, Norway and was ever so grateful when I got that "early morning nudge" to take flowers with me.  

NORWEGIAN ARCTIC PRESCHOOL, Day 14 of the Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge

NORWEGIAN ARCTIC PRESCHOOL
8x6 oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase

"NORWEGIAN ARCTIC PRESCHOOL"

On my recent trip to Norway, four days were spent in the Arctic Region of the country.  While on a working/cruise ship traveling north, I met an Early Childhood Preschool Teacher who recently moved to Hammerfest, Norway (county Finnmark) from Denmark to teach in a nearby preschool.  Annette told me a bit about the preschool and shared a few photos.  During the shortest days of the year, indeed while I was there, only three hours of blue daylight exist.  The sun never rises during those three hours (and of course never sets in summer).  Here at the preschool you will see that the children wear reflector vests to be seen well.

The little town of Hammerfest is the northernmost town on Earth.    Besides that distinction, Hammerfest became the first European town to have electric lighting when it purchased a generator from Thomas Edison in 1891.  Those early street lights must have been a big blessing.

 The Hammerfest Harbor, Norwegian and Barents Seas are always ice free due to the warm water of the Gulf Stream.  Though I always dressed warmly on this trip, I was never cold.

POPPY STRONG, Day 13 of Thirty Paintings in Thirty Day Challenge SOLD

POPPY STRONG
18x24, oil on canvas, gold leaf frame
SOLD

POPPY STRONG

"Poppy Strong", 18x24, oil on canvas, in a gold leaf frame.  Bright, rich, cheerful with strong reds.  Every home and office decor should include the color red.  This painting is full of hope and happiness.  It is also a painting done earlier as I got behind a whole day in the thirty day challenge.

SO….I like the painting a lot, but I struggled mightily.  I needed to invent so much and I wasn't feeling the least bit secure.  See the photo references below that I used.  The photos were taken in the patio market in Old Town, Albuquerque, NM.

PEARS AND BLUE VASE

PEARS AND BLUE VASE
5x5 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to purchase.

PEARS AND BLUE VASE

"Pears and Blue Vase", 5x5, oil on canvas covered board, unframed.  This rich palette knife painting is suitable for framing or for displaying on a tabletop easel.  Blue and yellow colors are always lovely when placed side by side.  

I struggled too much with this painting.  The vase was easy.  The pears were easy.  The background gave me trouble.  I wondered how I could plop some bright Quinacridone Rose in there for color punch.  What do you think? 

I would be very honored to have your advice and feedback.  Please comment.

RENAISSANCE FLOWERS

Renaissance Flowers
8x6 oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase

"RENAISSANCE FLOWERS"

"Beauty without expression tires"

Ralph Waldo Emerson

As an artist on a spiritual path, my soul yearns to express that which is beautiful. 

 Yet beauty isn't only found in nature, 

but as Marcel Proust expressed, 

"I never realized how much beauty lay around me

 in my parents' house

 in the half-cleared table

 in the corner of a tablecloth left awry

 in the knife beside the empty oyster shell."

Flowers in the Abstract

Flowers in the Abstract
8x6 acrylic on canvas
Click here to purchase.

"FLOWERS IN THE ABSTRACT"

"Flowers in the Abstract",  8x6, acrylic on canvas with a double mat.  It isn't often that I choose to paint with acrylics.  I am so used to painting with oil and the slow drying process that fast drying acrylic paints are a challenge for me.  But I love this painting and think I should do more like it.  The colors are very harmonious.












NORWAY TRIP
Many of you are wondering when I will be painting scenes from my recent trip to Norway. 
 I am still processing that trip, especially the darkness of the Arctic and the very short days. 
 I had so few hours during which time I could take photos and actually see the landscape. 
 Living in very bright New Mexico I have to rethink "light" when painting Norway. 

Below are photographs taking during the brightest daylight hours
 in Hammerfest (the northernmost town in the world) 
and 
Kirkenes located in extreme northeast Norway 
very close to the Russian border.

CRIMSON TIED

CRIMSON TIED

A

Gift for your

loved one

http://www.carolhopper.com/store/p127/Crimson_Tied.html

Crimson Tied
10x10 oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase

MINT CONDITION

MINT CONDITION

a super tasty treat from Gold Rush Cupcakes in Albuquerque
Read their description:

Mint condition-Not a flaw to be found! Our mouthwatering chocolate cake is filled generously with vanilla cream, covered in a swirl of chocolate cream cheese frosting, sprinkled liberally with bits of Andes mint candies and a whole Andes mint. This cupcake is one of our most popular because it’s perfect in every way!

Mint Condition
5x5 oil on canvas covered panel
Click here to buy

SUNFLOWER POWER

SUNFLOWER POWER
5x5 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to purchase.

Sunflowers 

show

strength and warmth

This palette knife painting is 

rich with texture 

and has lively moving palette knife strokes

The lit set up I love the small flower on the left and want to include it

Block in with transparent colors…using a brush

Starting to develop using a brush and palette knife….
left side looking very ugly and not working

Handy Wipe Out Tool to the rescue.  Ouch…

What I thought was a Good Idea

Was a Failed Idea

  

PAPER HEART

PAPER HEART
5X5 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to purchase.


Painterly
Luscious thick paint
Brush and Palette Knife


VALENTINE'S DAY
gift

with

LOVE

CUPCAKE V

CUPCAKE V
5x5 oil on canvas covered board
Click here to purchase.

This little cupcake is really for the bath!
Don't lick this one
please


I have returned from my wonderful
NORWEGIAN CHRISTMAS

In February
 I will complete Norwegian paintings

But January
is only for still life

and the
THIRTY PAINTINGS IN THIRTY DAYS
CHALLENGE

CUPCAKE IV

CUPCAKE IV
6x6 oil on museum quality board
Click here to purchase.

Chocolate and Pink

I love both…
whipped cream too!

Sketching on white canvas with transparent paint

Block In complete with transparent paint
What will be near white is blocked in with Indian Yellow 

Starting to develop with opaque colors 

Nearing completion with background moving toward rose instead of red

This method of painting was taught to me by
Dreama Tolle Perry

The finished painting has some very slight fracturing taught to me by
Julie Ford Oliver