Dy 30 - 30 in 30 - Pont de Paris

For the second year I am a bit

conflicted on the last day of the 

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.

It is wonderful to have an excuse

to paint every single day for an

ENTIRE MONTH!!!

But then,

life

happens.

I wasn't going to paint today.

But I had this one last image 

that I wanted to interpret.

"Pont de Paris" - oil on panel - 5 x 7

Yesterday I thought that the painting

that I painted

was a bit too colorful.

But, this one is coming out a bit dull.

The pastels are subtle in this one.

I photographed it at night,

and it was wet.

Excuses, excuses....

Day 29 - 30 Paintings - Hilltop

I'm still working on

using brighter colors.

"Hilltop" - oil on Board - 5 x 7

Maybe a bit too bright?

Day 28 - 30 Days - Back to School

A magnolia in bloom 

and a one room schoolhouse.

Simple.

Or not.

Went back over the pale pink.

Maybe not the best idea.

More blue on the shadow side?

And the roof, well....

Still had a great time at Bill Teeple's class

At ICON in Fairfield.

Thanks Susan, Jeanette and Bill.

Missed the rest of the class that is

 off warming up in Florida and Arizona!

Day 27 - 30 Paintings - La Tour

I was thinking about Paris today.

So I painted the Eiffel Tower.

I included a watercolor that I painted sometime in the last year as well.

First the underpainting.

Then the intermediate version

Then I wanted to work on the sky

 that is always so moody and colorful.

And the little watercolor.

Day 26 - 30 Days - Try, Try Again

I played around with the watercolor

from John Preston's class again today.

I had various degrees of success

but it was fun trying.

Day 25 - 30 Paintings - Caribbean Blue Playtime

I've been experimenting with my new tube

of Caribbean Blue paint from my recent

 transparent oils workshop with Dreama Tolle Perry.

This is probably her key pigment color

and it is quite versatile.

This has reproduced with colors that look

 a little more lurid than they actually are in person.

This blue is made with pthalo blue but somehow

it does not take over too much

and it seems to play well with the other colors.

I under painted this one with Indian yellow, Sap Green,

 Transparent Red Med., Diox. Purple and ?

Then I went over it with variations of the 

Caribbean Blue straight from the tube

and mixed with white.

It was fun to see how the next layer mixed with the 

transparents in the underpainting.

a bit, but not quite like watercolor.

Day 24 - 30 Paintings - Blooms in Time

Tulips in bloom in Monet's garden at Giverney

during a visit last spring with my sister.

I already see some changes that I would like to make.

Photos can show you 

Where you are going wrong.

I painted 2 paintings today to catch up,

Well,sort of catch up.

I've missed a few days out my 30 Days

Still love to have the chance to concentrate on painting.

Day 23 - 30 Paintings - Little Pitcher

Still working on the brighter color thing.

Little Pitcher - oil on board - 8x10

Day 21 - 30 Paintings - Waterworks

Today I was back in my regular watercolor class

with John Preston at the Fairfield Art Association.

He gave us a real challenge with this view of

a rocky stream in Colorado.

 "Waterworks" watercolor on paper 

John's photo

His demonstrations are invaluable

in helping his students learn how to handle

the elusive medium of watercolor.

I may make another run at this one over the next few days.

Day 20 - 30 Paintings - Summer Sunrise

The colors in the photo aren't as rich as in the painting.

I will replace it when I am able to take a better one.

This was done from a photo taken on a hot summer morning

when a storm was moving in.

"Summer Sunrise"- oil on canvas - 9 x 12  

Happy to be home again in Iowa.

Florida was fun.

But I'm one of those rare birds who really enjoys winter.

Except for snowy roads.

Those I can do without.

This photo shows the colors a bit better.

Day 18 - 30 Paintings - Tigertail Beach

The sunset at Tigertail Beach a few days ago.
Watercolor does such a great job of capturing the subtleties of the colors.
Still working on capturing those palm trees....

Day 16 -30 Paintings - Monet's Boats

A painting done on the last afternoon of the 

Dreama Tolle Perry workshop

On Marco Island.

This one is from a photo I took at Giverney

Of the boats in Monet's pond.

Monet's Boats - Oil on Board - 8x8

Now back to reality after a most wonderful

Workshop with an incredible instructor 

And a group of very talented fellow painters.

Day 14 - 30 Days - Les Fleurs

A second day at the workshop with 

Dreama Tolle Perry.

Having a great time learning to paint with 

Transparent oil colors.

First a dark underpainting

Then punch it up with brighter hues.

Les Fleurs oil on board 12 x 12

Day 13 -30 Paintings - Too Many Tulips!

Having the best time at a painting workshop 

In Florida

Somebody's gotta do it....

 I'm having some technical problems with the internet again 

So enjoy the photos of my working at

Painting more colorfully at

A Dreama Tolle Perry workshop.

She is obviously a great teacher...

Day 11- 30 In 30 Painting Challenge - Daisy Day

A watercolor still life of some flowers

in my Mom's favorite new vase.

Daisy Day - watercolor and colored pencil on paper 6x8

Then I "painted a digital version.

Day 10 - 30 in 30 - Distance

Another panoramic watercolor.

Just having fun with palm tree and sea dreams.

"Distance" watercolor on paper 

Day 9 - 30 in 30 - Blue Palms

I think blue palms are what I had for the last week.

Blue Palms - watercolor on paper 6x8

Hope I am able to post this one.

Still having technical problems!

Day 8 - 30 in 30 - Digital Life

I was in transit yesterday and wasn't able 

to post my day 8 "painting".

Talk about slow wifi.

I left the tool bar in the screen shot

to illustrate what I am playing with.

I'm having fun with the Paper 53 app

And hope to be pretty good with it by the end of the month.

Day 7 - 30 in 30 - Past Sunset

A quick watercolor of a beautiful sunset

in Santa Fe a couple of years ago.

"Past Sunset" watercolor on paper 

Day 6 - 30 Paintings in January - Blossom Play

A little colorful fun with oil paint

on a sub-zero day.

"Blossom Play" - oil on panel - 8 x 8

I have 3 plum trees in my garden but the birds always

eat them before we can pick them.

I don't mind because I really grow them for the perfume

from their delicate blossoms.

Day 5 - 30 in 30 - Bluehills

On the road again today.

A two hour trip in the wee morning hours went by swiftly

while my darling husband drove.

Only a digital painting today.

The pre-mixed colors that come with the Paper 53 App

are rather subtle.

I worked on mixing and saving some more intense hues today.

The composition and subject are a 

"rewind" of a previous painting.

"Bluehills"-  digital ink on iPad 

Maybe by the end of this 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge

I will get the hang of this digital painting thing.

In the meantime I sure am having fun with it.

Paper 53 is giving me an option for days

when i can't be in my studio.

I really only intended to use it for quick thumbnail sketches.

Maybe tomorrow.

Luckily I will be back at my easel!!!!

Here is the original.

A bit out of focus, it is 24" x 36", took forever to dry

and sold right away.

Day 4 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Passed By

An old Van Buren County barn from a photo

that is at least 5 years old.

I painted it plein air back then in pastel.

Thought I should give it a try in oil today.

"Passed By"  oil on panel 8" x 10"

Day 3 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Frost Field

We were on the road today.

I love the beauty of the frosty fields.

From the warm car...

I played with the Paper 53 app again while we were driving.

Then at home I played around with the watercolors again.

I think that the digital painting conveys the feeling of how cold it

was today better than the watercolor.

Maybe I will actually get into the studio tomorrow

 and break out the oil paint.

Frost Field

Day 2 - 30 Paintings - Lake Lacey

I had a little more fun with the Paper 53 app today.

Lake Lacey - digital on iPad 

Then I did a watercolor as well.

A couple of them, but this was the better of the two.

The digital is fun and you can "rewind" your mistakes.

if you catch them soon enough.

Lake Lacey - watercolor on paper

Day 1 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days 2014

I said last year at the end of Leslie Saeta's 

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge that I would NEVER

do that again.

Well....

Digital study on paper 53

I am taking another run at it.

But this time I don't have a show opening

when the month ends.

So I am going back into my photo archives.

Painting in oil or watercolor.

Experimenting with digital painting 

in the Paper 53 app on my iPad.

Here is a 6 x 8 watercolor of Lake Sugema.