Face of the Storm - Day 12 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Face of the Storm" - 24" x 18" acrylic on paper - $295 includes free shipping

For full disclosure's sake, I'm painting these as fast as I possibly can so I don't get behind on the challenge.  For example, today is actually Sunday, January 8th and I'm 4 days ahead with this little number being painting #12.

The first two times I took the challenge (this is my seventh or eighth time doing the 30/30 challenge) I tried to do a painting every single day.  And. I. Failed.

Life got in the way and I got behind and I felt like a big loser for even trying.  Then I realized this is NOT a Daily Painting challenge - it's a THIRTY paintings IN THIRTY DAYS challenge!  So basically I'm creating 30 paintings in 30 or fewer days.....and it's NOT CHEATING!!

Whew - I needed to get that off my chest - sort of like confession.  Good for the Soul - and a burden off my Catholic school girl mind :-)

And another reason for sharing this?  The name "Face of the Storm" is because we're in the middle of a horrific storm here in Sunny Sacramento, California - and winds are intense along with the rain.  So far no flooding near me, but a few areas are experiencing some.

So when this post actually posts, it may be sunny again.  But for right now at this very moment, I'm staring the nasty storm in the face, and it looks like the painting above.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

Day 29 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "Dream"

"Dream" - 48" x 36" acrylic on 1.5" canvas

The largest canvas that I've redone to date - here's "Dream" - 4' x 3' and layer upon layer of color and finished with metallic gold raindrops/fairy dust/use your imagination :-)  The gold dots are shown at the top but are interspersed throughout the painting with random patterns.

Only one more painting to finish and it's already about 75% completed.  Can't wait to post it and be able to say I finished my sixth (6th!) 30 Paintings in 30 Days!!

Day 25 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "Love Notes"

"Love Notes" - Mixed media on 24" x 18" canvas

Gosh, I've fallen behind on this challenge and am finally getting a chance to start painting again.  Having pneumonia has really put a damper on my well being!  Besides being super dizzy and having a head that feels like a foreign object, I haven't been able to stop coughing and my energy level has been at the sub-zero stage.

Woke up this morning feeling much better though and am going to catch up and finish the challenge.  Here's my first "catch-up" piece - "Love Notes."  There's some metallic gold highlights that are glazed over parts of the notes and collage piece.  Enjoy!

Day 20 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge - "El Pueblo"

"El Pueblo" - 24" x 18" acrylic on 1.5" canvas

I love the way this piece turned out....the colors are very subtle Southwest colors (hence the moniker "El Pueblo") and there's an inkling of a homestead/house in the upper right corner.  I didn't want to commit to a decipherable form so left it very abstract, then added some metallic gold for good measure.  And because for some reason I can't seem to get enough of the shimmer right now, I threw in some powdered silver gouache to make it really glow!  The gray areas are really the silver spots, but when I tried to get the photo, the glare was blinding.

One of the biggest problems I'm having with this challenge is with the old names of the pieces.  Because these are all "do-overs," most of the canvases were already named.  So trying to make a new piece work with the name sometimes doesn't work - like at all.

The old painting for this canvas was called "Decisions" and was a geometric work with numbers and letters sprayed on (yes, I went through that phase....).  However, when I was painting this piece, the name "El Pueblo" came to me and my rule is once a name comes to me, I know it's time to stop painting. 

I don't want to white out or gesso over the previous name, so will somehow blend the names (ie Decisions - El Pueblo).  Maybe it will attract a buyer who can't decide which house to buy?  Or someone inthe  real estate industry?  I'd be happy if it just attracted a buyer, period!!

Only 10 more days to go - and today I pulled some large canvases out of the shed in my backyard.  Watch out, folks - things are going to get freaky now :-)

Day 12 of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge - "Harbor Lights"

"Harbor Lights" - 48" x 24" acrylic on 1.5" thick canvas

Now this painting is bright.....bold and vibrant and more than likely a work-in-progress vs. a completed offering.  I really liked the movement I got with the fireworks and various "structures" that were done in a blended minty-blue color - but the indigo blue and light cad red with the cad yellow are screaming "rookie primary colors" to me and need to be toned down.

That said - I had fun making this piece.  It was large (48" x 24") so I painted the background inside on my wall (I use a big piece of stretched canvas on my wall as a backdrop and hang the piece I'm working  on with a nail).  When the background dried, I took the piece outside and placed it on top of a large plastic tarp.  Next I grabbed my bottles of Lukas acrylic paints and started squirting them across the canvas.  Then I took a credit card and started slicing in my design. 

The end result is a city that looks like it's on fire or in the midst of a celebration or perhaps both?  I'm thinking of blocking in some more colors with the buildings and toning down the blue and red. 

Definitely a far cry from the neutrals I've worked with this past year, right?  And a bit shocking for my own eyes, but truth be told, I kind of like it!

4 of 100 Paintings for the 100 Paintings Challenge

"Stand Alone" - 6" x 6" mixed media on paper - $75 includes shipping to continental US

3 of 100 for 100 Painting Challenge - "Pushing Through"

"Pushing Through" - 6" x 6" mixed media on paper - $75 includes mat & shipping in Continental US

So far I'm loving the neutral colors.  The build-up of layers with gesso, graphite, acrylic paints, charcoal, gel mediums and color pencils gives these pieces the illusion of lots of texture, though the texture isn't necessarily raised off the paper.

I just want to clarify this is a 100 Paintings challenge vs. a 100 Paintings in 100 Days - so I may be posting several photos in one day and other days I won't be posting anything.  The goal is to paint a total of 100 paintings, and my personal challenge is going to be the use of neutral colors.  I know it's early on but I am enjoying the challenge more than I thought I would, and love exploring composition and values again.  Let's see if I can say that at the 50/100 mark!!

January 30, 2015 - Day 30 of 30 in 30 challenge - "Seeking Balance"

"Seeking Balance" - oil paint on unstretched canvas - 5" x 5" - $45 plus shipping

January 29, 2015 - Day 29 of 30 in 30 challenge - "Beach House"

"Beach House" - oil paints on unstretched canvas - 5" x 5" - SOLD

January 28, 2015 - Day 28 of 30 in 30 challenge - "Full Tilt"

When participating in a 30 in 30 challenge, I always try to challenge myself to try something "outside the box."  This is my 4th challenge, and I took on oil paints - my frenemy from long, long ago. The challenge is nearly over and I have to say I am actually smitten with this maddening medium!  I'm falling hard for the intense color and the depth the oil paints seems to insert into a painting without even trying.  The texture and the smell of the paint makes me happy.  Who knew this could happen??  I would have laid odds against this......very big odds.

So for these last few paintings I'm challenging myself to use neutral colors - another option I had when choosing my hand for this latest event.  So here's the first painting using Torrit Gray (think gunk), white and black oil paint.  I'm on a roll for houses all of a sudden.....is a move in my future??

"Full Tilt" - oil paint on unstretched canvas - 5" x 5" - SOLD