Day 120 Ketchup & Mustard

There is a great little cafe called Blue Water Bakery in Grand Lake. A nice little place to get breakfast, and we were lucky it was open last Saturday morning. The skies were gray (flat light is not good for painting) but the umbrellas still called out to be painted. I took a photo to work on this painting in my art class on Thursday night. The instructor, Aimee Deneweth had lots of great suggestions, fixes and things I should work on next time. Unbeknownst to her she gave me a great title. Thank you Aimee!

Ketchup & Mustard
9x12 oil on linen panel

Day 119 Hyacinth and Daffodils

This was inspired by that visit to Hudson Gardens when the sun was actually out. There was a beautiful bunch of grape hyacinth blooming in front of the barn and lots of daffodils along the lake. I managed to put them together in this painting since that is how art should be, fixing the few things nature hasn't perfected. I'm afraid I may become vitamin D deficient soon if I don't get more sunshine. Seriously.

Hyacinth and Daffodils

16x20 acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

sold

Day 118 Aspen Season

This one was painted last year and it's been on loan at my husband's office. It's now come home and headed to ASLD summer art market in June.
The original inspiration was from a painting at last years Alzheimer's Art Auction and my obsession with painting aspen trees. Lately it's been flowers but that's because I'm so tired of snow. And I love color in case you hadn't noticed. I shouldn't complain, I do like having 4 seasons but "Aspen Season" is my favorite. I should quit jumping ahead, huh?

Aspen Season
18x36 acrylic on 3/4" gallery wrapped canvas

Day 117 Hudson Apple Trees

I painted with a bigger group than normal at Hudson Gardens today, the draw was a demo by Jeanne Echternach. Check out her work here.

http://jeanneechternachfineart.com

I found some crabapples and daffodils still in bloom and got one painting in before the demo. The sun was out and it was beautiful - for about 2 1/2 hours ... then the clouds and rain came. Jeanne's demo got rained out before she finished but it was still great to hear her painting process. My painting is not as dark as this photo, but the sun had already left by the time I took the shot.

Hudson Apple Trees
9x12 pastel on sanded paper

Day 116 Party of Five

I was given a whole box of bright green pastels from a friend - so this painting was simply inspired by my desire to use those pastels. I have tulips blooming that are the brightest fuchsia/red color. The kind of color that you don't believe nature could have made up, but did. I have just the right pastels to paint those. They weren't lined up quite like this but that's what artistic license is for. They looked like were having their own little party.

Party of Five

9x12 pastel

Day 115 Hay Sheep!

Last week I headed to the Littleton Museum hoping to see some spring babies. I found out from staff that no babies are expected until June and July. I brought my good camera to take photos to paint from later in the studio.
I've been visiting this working historical farm for 20 years. They have sheep, cows, chickens, peacocks, several historical buildings and cool old farm equipment. It was a favorite place to take the kids when they were little. The big tree with a tire swing was cut down years ago but most of the farm and grounds have remained the same.
This sweet sheep was munching on hay, as were most of the animals. I had to patiently wait for them to occasionally look up since they all had their snouts buried in breakfast.
Hay Sheep!
8x8 oil

Day 114 Gone Fishing

Early this morning we went for a drive and stroll around Grand Lake, seeing where all the snow had melted and shook our heads at the ice fishermen still out there on the lake. Doesn't look like fun and half the lake is water, we can only assume they know what they are doing. We ran into 4 young boys riding bikes that stopped to fish along the edge of the lake. Nostalgia hits me for just a minute at the fun they were having. Remembering being that young and really having no responsibilities or care in the world. Hanging out with your friends.
After a bit, one boy off a short distance by himself yelled "I'm getting some hits over here!" to which the other 3 all shouted "me too!" hmmm. Boys.
Gone Fishing
5x7 oil on canvas panel
sold

Day 113 Dazzled

I'm hoping to quit complaining about the cold soon. To prove my point, I stood outside yesterday in in a sleeveless shirt, soaking up the sun and painting this view in the mountains. It was a breezy 64 degrees so I ignored the fact that I was standing at 8,000 feet elevation and that I probably should have put sunscreen on. I should know better, but I was dazzled by the view. Now I've dropped a tube of sunscreen in my backpack and here's hoping I bother to use it next time.

Dazzled
11x14 oil on wrapped canvas

Day 112 Value Study #5

Today in my class with Aimee Deneweth we worked on value studies. The we grabbed someone else's study and painted a picture from it. So, I had to image the colors in this still life (I had a hard time making up my mind what color the vase was). The lesson was to pay attention to the values and did the original study give you enough information? The one I chose did ... maybe I'll give this painting a few more flowers and details. So I painted a painting from someone else's black and white sketch of a painting. Confused?
Value Study #5
8x8 oil

Day 111 Real Deal

I really have nothing profound to say about these sweet flowers. Well, I did specifically use a rectangular canvas to emphasize "the tallness". I feel a need for flowers; whether they are paintings or the real deal. I've not resorted to silk yet, stop me if I do. Even with all the snow we've had, I suddenly have a flock of tulips thriving in the yard so - heads up - it will be time to bring them in and paint them next. I really need to move back to buildings soon.
Real Deal
10x20 acrylic on 1.5" wrapped canvas
sold

Day 110 Colorado Gold

This painting was inspired by one in the upcoming Art Auction of aspen trees by a MIM artist.
I have been working on it for several days. When the wind blows and those leaves shimmer, the yellow turns to gold, it's magic. I've heard artists say they won't paint aspen anymore, it can be like painting pears, apples ... or your cat. Something you feel compelled to paint, but then may never want to do again. Because everybody does it, or it becomes boring? Not sure for them but I personally have a lot of aspen left to paint.
Colorado Gold
24x30 acrylic on canvas
Sold

Day 109 Ski Hill

Today I taught painting to my MIM groups. I had 2 different classes with about 10 different artists.
I encourage aging people that are suffering from all forms of dementia to paint. Most of them have never painted before and it's amazing the beautiful watercolors they do. I love the challenge of encouraging them, having them enjoy themselves and being so proud when they end up with a great painting.

Here is a short video showing what these great art classes are all about.

http://legacy.9news.com/story/life/2015/05/28/art-class-gives-hope-to-alzheimers-patients/28037083/

This canvas was originally from "Day 92" and it needed a little help. It was inspired by Allan. He loves the mountains and did a great painting with a skier swishing down the hill. It will be in the Alzheimer's Association Art Auction this year on June 11th. There is a lot of white, and blue and green because we all know that snow is every color but white.

Ski Hill
36x36 acrylic on canvas
Donated to the Alzheimer's Association - sold

Day 108 Petals in Gold

This weekend I'm working on a painting to donate to the Alzheimer's Association for the MIM Annual Art Auction in June. I've had since January so it only makes sense that I've waited a few weeks before it's due. I have several for them to chose from. This one is inspired by a painting called "Colorful Petals" by Marilyn. I imagined what it would look like if she had continued adding detail (something I always encourage our artists to do) and added a little gold for pizazz.

Petals in Gold
324x24 acrylic on 1.5# gallery wrapped canvas
Donated to the Alzheimer's Association - sold

Day 107 Definition

I added more details on this painting from yesterday and now it's done. Marie asked if I would share thoughts on what I've learned during this art journey.
-I've learned to be vulnerable. Believe me, this is putting yourself out there.
-I've learned not to be hard on myself. I'm dedicated.
-I paint fast and I have no loss of inspiration.
-I've learned to keep my goals to just a few. Painting everyday, start selling soon. Occasionally clean.
-I'm committed. At some point this summer I won't have internet, but I'm still painting every day. It's like I'm shooting for a perfect attendance record in 7th grade; but I'm probably gonna get the flu soon.
-I've learned that it is impossible to keep paint off my clothes.
I've tried to take some short cuts, but I guess we all need to learn it the hard way. For example, take a class from a master painter and see what brushes they use. Then a year or so later, another good painter uses the opposite. Then you realize you have to try every damn brush yourself and see what works for you. I knew this from the beginning, but I hoped those workshops would help more.
-Workshops are great, reading art books and watching videos are great, but you still have to put the work in. This is fun, but it is hard work too.
Definition
20x30 acrylic on 1.5" gallery wrapped canvas

Day 106 Defining Art

I've been listening and reading a lot about what is art, finding your voice, honing your skills, marketing yourself, etc. I've taken tons of art classes, along with that degree in art I earned several decades ago. One of the things I know I need to do is experiment and create. I'm on a journey. Today I started working on this large painting in acrylic, following my theme of flowers but also taking a different twist. This is the stuff I used to draw all the time ... along with every other 12 year old girl. Some of those girls grew up and found a way to produce an adult version of doodling (think about the adult coloring book craze) and make a living drawing visually pleasing stuff. Some people may not consider this art, thinking it requires little skill. That's OK.
I'm going to continue to add more layers of detail, in hopes it becomes closer to the picture in my head. If not I'll just keep painting as I search for definition.
Defining Art
20x30 acrylic
nfs - please see day 107

Day 105 Seeing Ellipses

I walked this morning with a friend along the Highline Canal, it's always a pretty walk. The trees are blooming brightly; there are horses, barns, various farm animals, mountain views ... you couldn't ask for much more.
Now that I'm painting everything, it's amazing how differently I see things. Just by taking the time to look has made all the difference. You'd think I'd never see a crab apple tree before. Well, I hadn't - not like this. Because I stopped seeing flowers and all I saw were ellipses and shadows and shapes.
It seemed like a little bit of a break through because I automatically started thinking that way instead of trying to think that way. Now to get the painting part down ...
Seeing Ellipses
8x10 pastel
sold

Day 104 Blossoming

I did two paintings yesterday. This one was my first pastel, a little more recognizable that I was standing in Civic Center Park and painting the capitol building.
I'm a country girl. I prefer nature, mountains, trees and solitude. But oddly, I love painting in the city. I yearn for architecture and am going to have to learn how to paint cars and people. It's a must.

It did feel contradictory to stand there painting a beautiful explosion of color while surrounded by homeless people. A mix of good and not so good things. Like life I suppose. Someone always has it better ... or worse.

And you thought I was just painting some trees and there I go reflecting on life again.
Blossoming
9x12 pastel
Sold

Day 103 Colorado Capitol & Crab Apples

I painted today at Civic Center Park with PAAC. These great crabapple trees were blooming in front of the Colorado State Capitol - what color! It was 68 degrees, I parallel parked (in one try), had plenty of quarters for the meter and didn't forget any painting supplies. What a successful day. Admittedly, I only parked because my painting buddy said "YOU CAN DO IT" and made me get over the embarrassment of stopping traffic to park. Seems I either get it one try or screw it up so bad I give up and slink back into traffic, humiliated. Only had one failure in my last several attempts. My confidence is up, maybe I'll try learning a new language next.

Colorado Capitol & Crab Apples
9x12 pastel
sold

Day 102 Late Bloomer

I didn't spend as much time painting today as I wanted {sad face}. All I have to show is this
little mini. It's on a teeny tiny little wrapped canvas 4 inches by 4 inches. I'm still painting flowers that were given to me weeks ago by a friend. These stargazer lily's were late bloomers. The roses
died along with all the others and then the lily's popped open! Being a late bloomer is not a bad
thing at all.

Late Bloomer
4x4 oil on canvas

Day 101 Waiting Flowers

Another garden painting - I can just sense all those bulbs just waiting to burst through to the sunshine and open up! I didn't paint today, this one was from a few weeks ago and waiting to be posted. Often I paint more than one in a day so I have a little backup painting or two. They wait around to be posted on the occasional day that I don't paint. Today was busy with all things "not art" but tomorrow I'm back in the studio.

Waiting Flowers
20x20 acrylic on 1.5" wrapped canvas
sold

DAY 100 Grand Day

I love mud season. Most people don't like it because, umm, it's really muddy. messy. sludgy. Skiing is kind of over and there is too much snow to hike very far. But .... no traffic coming back from our beautiful Grand County. The best part is the color sneaking through. Huge 5 foot deep snow drifts melting and looking like whipped cream. Green sprouts shooting up all over, birds everywhere. Huge moose prints in my yard, as if I couldn't tell they were there. They annihilated my tiny struggling aspen tree. Those small green branches must have tasted quite good, it is pruned down to a stick. Driving home watching the light and color, quickly changing clouds and sunlight hitting the half snowy hillsides. It was a grand day watching spring arrive.

Grand Day
5x7 pastel

Day 99 "99 Luft Flowers"

If I had thought of it I would have painted some red balloons. Because that song from the early 80's "99 Luft Balloons" is stuck in my head. Then I had to google the song, what did the lyrics really mean, yada, yada and now I've wasted another half-hour that I could have been painting. Time management online is a problem. Luft means air, the flowers do look a little airy, eh? I think I better paint first thing in the morning and come up with something really grand for Day 100.

99 Luft Flowers
24x24 acrylic on 1.5" wrapped canvas
Sold

Day 98 Paint Over

I'm currently taking a class at Park Hill Art Club with Aimee Deneweth. Today, I worked on color studies. This was a copy of a painting from an ad in an art magazine. Since it's blatant plagiarism, I'll never sell it or show it - it's just to learn. Many artists learn from painting masters or an admired artists' work, but I'd really rather work from my own photography or ask to use yours occasionally.
The photo shows lots of glare from the wet paint but the colors did come out pretty close. This little gem will get painted over one day ...
Paint Over
8x8 oil

Day 97 Pansies I and II

I love purple. Even where there is no purple in a painting, I manage to slip some in the shadows or the darkest darks. So much better than black. More than one person has commented "you put a lot of purple in your paintings". So here was my excuse to use purple today. These pansies were given to me by a friend and I finally got around to painting them. I knew they would last, so I didn't rush on the painting. Not rushing is good.
Today you get 2 for 1. I wasn't sure about the first one, it wasn't quite as loose as I wanted so I stopped rushing and painted more pansies.
Pansies I
8x8 oil on canvas panel

Pansies II
5x7 oil on canvas panel
sold

Day 96 Pearl Street Awning

I painted this morning with PAAC in Boulder on Pearl Street mall. There were several beds of daffodils and tulips blooming. It was sunny and there are so many things to paint. I was fascinated with all the stuff showing through those windows. Then there were the blue and white striped awnings. How should I include that dead pine tree, even though it was kind of ugly? The original concept was about showing the great awnings. The 3 hour parking time limit and the strong winds eventually chased me away, but I have my study and photos to work on this scene again.
Pearl Street Awning
9x12 oil on canvas panel

Day 95 Trail to Aspen Grove

I've painted several times along the Platte River behind Aspen Grove Mall in the last several weeks. It's a short walk from the car with some interesting stuff to paint. Most of the town homes and shops are hidden by all these trees from the backside, but a couple of colorful buildings caught my eye.
I started this plein air but ended up doing some heavy touch ups after getting it home, so it's considered a studio piece now.
Trail to Aspen Grove
9x12 pastel

Day 94 Awesomeness

It's beginning to look like spring! I keep thinking I have no flowers then they pop up in unexpected places in my yard. Little glimmers of awesomeness. This Hyacinth was covered in snow just 4 days ago. One of the best parts of springtime in Colorado, a foot of snow one day, then 70 degrees the next. Awesomeness is an actual word, what would we do without google?
Awesomeness
5x7 pastel

Day 93 Goodnight Moon II

Yes, you have seen this before, from Day 33 in February. Go read about it. I painted one similar to this for an extra bedroom in my home. A friend fell in love with it and I had to sell it to her. (thank you, a sale!) I don't know how I feel about painting the same thing over again, many artists won't do it. Sometimes you can't duplicate it exactly and someone ends up disappointed. Some artists get bored painting the same thing over. In this case it was easy to redo, it looked great in her office and this one will look good in my extra bedroom. I'm confident I could paint yet another - win, win.

Goodnight Moon II
30x40 acrylic on 1.5" gallery wrapped canvas
sold

Day 92 It's Good to Be Green

I've been working on larger abstract pieces in acrylic. I know I should stop jumping around one day, especially between mediums. Switching daily between pastel, oil and acrylic does not make me an expert in any of them. And then again - it's damn fun. I still remember vividly how expensive art supplies were back in my college days. I'm so lucky that I can burn through canvas and paint without much thought these days. Well, I do think about it some. One day soon I'll start listing prices because A. Art should be shared.
B. What would I do with 366 paintings from 2016?
C. I'll need to buy more canvas and paint soon!
Meanwhile, I know how lucky I am. Kermit the frog would say it's not easy being green but I think ...

It's Good to be Green
36x36 acrylic