Variation #40 Winter Sunset

'Variation #40'               5x7         pastel

I have been busy this weekend but I've accomplished a lot!  I finished my acrylic marsh commission and my colloector is pleased with it.  Yeah!  I have also started a new blog devoted to my variation challenge. I wanted a place to have them all together so I could better document the techniques I used for each one. The new blog is called 'Miles of Canvas' in reference to the saying that artists need to accumulate miles of canvas if they want to improve as painters. Doing challenges like this one helps me put in my miles. I hope you will visit my new blog and sign up for updates. I welcome your comments too! you can find the blog at:

www.milesofcanvas.blogspot.com

Florida Beach with Sea Oats Painting

'Morning Breeze'          5x7              pastel

Today's painting is done a my own surface that I prepared with gesso and pumice on watercolor paper. It gave me a nice texture to apply the pastels. I let the brushstokes show when applying the pumice mix and I like the way they show through the pastel.

Landscape Abstraction

'Around the Bend' 5x7 pastel

Today's painting is one that I completed in class this week. Our teacher Marsha Savage had just returned from a workshop with Ann Templeton so she shared some of the things Ann taught them. I would have loved being at that workshop! Marsha noted that my work has become more abstract lately and I hadn't really given it much thought. I just paint! But in reviewing some of my latest it seems to be true. I think that the 100 variation challenge has something to do with that. Thank you Jayne for the use of your photo. We decided that it was from our stop last fall at Assateague Island National Seashore.

Color Study for Aspen Tree Painting aceo

Often I will do small color studies in preparation for a larger painting. I like to work in a small format 2.5 x 3.5 inches because they sell such cool little frames for them now. Check out the little frames at Aarron Brothers if you have one nearby. I have quite a few of these little studies so I am going to be listing them over the next few weeks on Ebay. Look for a link here tomorrow when the first auction begins.
Speaking of selling art....I wanted to let you know that my friends and I will host our 3rd annual Open Studio Sale on Saturday December 5th. This year we will feature the art of 10 local artists so if you are in the Atlanta area please consider stopping by. Details will follow in the next few weeks.
click here to bid on this painting

Rainy Day Variation Painting #40

'Farm View #40' 5x7 pastel

I am really enjoying the 100 variations challenge. If I could, I would work on them all day long. I have been painitng every day for the last four years but this is different. Never have I felt more excited and energized about painting. Anything and everything goes and I am getting more and more experimental. I am thinking about putting the paintings in a dedicated blog so I can document the techniques I use for each one. I think it will be fun and instructional to see them all together. For this variation I recycled a used pastelbord by brushing on a coat of pumice/gesso mix tinted burgandy. I used fixative in between layers, which I brushed in for additional texture.

Field of Sunflowers Daily Painting

'Field of Happiness' 8x10 pastel

Here are some sunflowers to brighten up what is quickly becoming a dreary day in Georgia. Rain is on the way....again! On a brighter note, I got my latest issue of the Pastel Journal magazine and I was excited to see my studio profiled in Deborah Secor's article. She did a wonderful job taking my words and making me sound good! Thanks Deborah. The photos of my studio look pretty good too. It looks like I have a great view out my studio window...not just the neighbor's driveway! Check out the article if you get a chance and if you are ever in the Atlanta area, I welcome you to come visit!

Sanibel Sea Shell Painting

'Sanibel Cockle Shell' 6x8 pastel

I spent the weekend working on a large acrylic painting. It is a challenge for me and a much slower process to mix the colors I need rather than reaching for the correct pastel stick. I know the color I want but I am not quick enough in my mixing skills. I know that more practice would be helpful but there just isn't enough time in the day to do it all! This is a painting I did using a 'faux' gold leaf technique. I am working on this technique and will be trying other ideas as well. It doesn't photograph very well but the gold really complements the shell and adds a nice rich sparkle to the painting.

100 Variation Painting Challenge week #4

If you have been following my challenge you can see that I have had a prolific week. I worked on these in the evenings and it seemed like one idea led to yet another idea and I found it hard to stop! It has been a great learning experience and I am enjoying the freedom to try just about anything. I can't wait to get started on the next batch! In case you are a new visitor, my challenge is to paint 100 variations of the same scene. Each painting is 5x7 and done with pastels on a variety of papers.

The Colors of Fall 8x8 painting

'The Colors of Fall' 8x8 pastel

I had fun with this painting. I wanted to try a square format and found a photo with Fall trees and a river that I thought would work. The resulting painting was very soft and dark looking. It wasn't really bad but it seemed boring. So out came my can of fixative and the painting took over and told me what it wanted to be....bright and colorful!

Aspens In Fall Pastel Painting

'Aspen Glow' 8x10 pastel

I felt like doing something different today. Maybe it's the 100 variation challenge but I am feeling experimental lately! For this painting I did a turpenoid wash underpainting using orange and red soft pastels. The pastels made a thick enough layer that I already had some texture when the turp dried. I then started layering colors being very liberal with workable fixative in between layers. Sometimes I waited until the fixative dried and sometimes I painted into it while wet which was fun. I think the Uart paper could have taken even more abuse but I was finished with this one. Now I think I'll do a red tree!

Variation #35 of my painting challenge

When I started the 100 variation painting challenge I was afraid I might run out of steam or ideas. Instead just the opposite has happened. The more variations I paint, the more ideas I have. In fact I was dreaming about variations last night! I can't wait for the weekend when I will have more time to devote to doing more. I didn't set a time limit to complete the project but with 35 finished I figure I will be done in another month. I have 14 new paintings to share. I made a collage which I will post tomorrow.

Autumn Glow Landscape Painting

'Autumn Glow' 11x14 pastel

I'm not sure what these grasses were called but they were growing near the edge of the marsh where we were painting. It was late afternoon and everyone was packing up their supplies after a long day at the workshop. I had just about cleaned up and was turning to head back to the house when the late afternoon light started to hit the grasses. They began to glow and I had to take out my pastels and do a quick study. I also took a few photos and have been wanting to try to capture that magical moment in a larger painting.

Early Fall Landscape Painting

'Fall's Arrival' 11x14 pastel

My favorite part of Fall is actually early Fall. I like it when the leaves are just starting to show some color and there is finally a relief to all of the green! I also like the moodiness of a late Fall day when there is a bit of color left but winter is definitely in the air. This is the demo painting I did for yesterday's workshop on painting the Autumn Landscape. I have one more workshop weekend remaining this year. There are still a few openings for the November 21st workshop on underpaintings. Let me know if you'd like more details!

Purple Pumpkin Still Life Painting

'Purple Pumpkin' 5x7 pastel

sold to a collector in the UK

I just finished today's workshop on Painting Autumn. It was a fun class as usual with lots of really nice work. I am so proud of everyone! I enjoyed meeting new friends and I am glad they traveled to attend the workshop. Here is another one of yesterday's demos. I will post today's demo after I do a few finishing touches.

Big Apples....demo painting

'Big Apples' 11x14 pastel

This is my October mini workshop this weekend and this morning was my second Pastel Explorations class. Today we talked about color and value. I demonstrated how to used a limited palette of pastels choosing the colors to use by the correct value rather than the hue of the color. We painted from black and white photos and had some very colorful and beautiful pumpkin paintings. This is an important idea to grasp and really helps those just getting started with pastels because it allows them to do more with less pastels. For this quick demo I painted some apples using only my McKinley set of Great Americans....so I guess its not just for landscapes!

Next is my advanced class on painting the Autumn Landscape. I'll report back tomorrow!

100 Variations Challenge Week 2

Here are the paintings from week two of my 100 variations challenge. Each one is 5x7 and is done on various papers. I am keeping a log of the papers and techniques I am trying for future reference. I have another busy week finishing two commissions but after that I will have more time to devote to the challenge. It is a lot of fun and a great learning experience so far.

Yellow Tree Fall Painting

'The Yellow Tree' 8x10 pastel

The yellow tree is a bright spot on a dreary day. We've been having dreary weather lately here in Georgia....lots of rain and no sun. I am ready for a beautiful, sunny Fall day. Here's a bright spot...my pastel order from Dakota came today! I got the Lorenzo Chavez Great American set and some Mt Visions. I am making up little sets of Autumn colors to have available at my Autumn workshop this weekend. They arrived just in time!

Moonlit Dunes Pastel Painting

'Moonlit Dunes' 5x7 pastel

I don't know if I can really consider this painting a plein air. I painted it while outside looking at the dunes but I made it into a nocturne. I wondered what these dunes might look light under a full moon and I painted in part from my imagination. I had fun no matter how you might classify the painting!

Florida Plein Air Paintings...Grayton Beach Dunes

I put together a collage of all the plein air paintings I did over the weekend. It's fun to see them all together. They are mostly 5x7s with a couple of 8x10s and 2.5x3.5 minis. As you can see I concentrated on painting the dunes though there was a gorgeous beach and a lake all within a few feet of the picnic shelter. It was the perfect place for plein air....beautiful scenery, cover from the 98 degree sun and bathrooms!

Aspen Trees in the Fall Pastel Painting

'Aspen Glory' 11x14 pastel

I wish we had aspen trees here in the Southeast. They are my favorite trees. But I guess I just appreciate them more when I go out west! It's another rainy week in Georgia and I am water logged. My studio is leaking again and I have emptied the wetvac at least 4 times already this morning! I hope the forecast is wrong because I need to dry out before my workshops this weekend!

Florida Dunes Plein Air Painting

'Autumn Dunes' 5x7 pastel

I just got back from a wonderful weekend at the beach with my painting friends. Thank you to Susan for being a fantastic hostess and graciously sharing her beautiful beach home. We had a great time and even painted! I will share more this week but here is a peek....this is a 5x7 plein air study of the dunes. I only painted the dunes which was fun. I found that my first ones were very dark so I tried to paint higher key for this one which is a bit different for me. I'll report more tomorrow...have to go unpack and get ready for work!

Red Tree Fall Foliage Painting

'The Red Tree' 8x10 pastel

I've painted this before but it is one of my favorite fall reference photos so I had to try it again. For this painting I did a turpenoid underpainting on Uart 600 grit paper and came back over it with my Great American soft pastels with a few Ludwigs.

I am headed to the beach today so I may not have the chance to post again until Sunday. A friend has a beach house and has invited the class for the weekend. I know we are going to have a great time....and we may even paint!

Challenge Paintings Week 1

I found a way to put all of my challenge paintings into one post. Yeah! I actually have three more new ones but they will be a part of week two. The challenge is to paint the same image 100 times. I am having so much fun with this. It is a great opportunity to experiment with techniques and colors that you might not think to try. It is fun to come up with new ways to interpret this scene and it will be interesting to see what happens after say 50! Each painting is 5x7 and are all on different surfaces.

Birch Trees in Autumn Pastel Painting

'Birch Forest' 11x14 pastel

I have been busy preparing for my upcoming mini workshops on October 17 & 18th. On Saturday, I am offering the second part of 'Pastel Explorations' and we will talk about color. My Sunday workshop which is full, deals with painting the Autumn Landscape. I have some great ideas to share and I am looking forward to seeing previous students and meeting the new ones! This painting is on Uart paper with a watercolor underpainting. I only used my Richard McKinley set of Great Americans with just a few additions from my big box. The more I use this set the more I am loving it!

Daisy Painting

Today's painting is a small patch of daisies. It is 5x7 on Uart paper. I am working on more of my 100 variations paintings but I will wait and post the week's paintings all together. They are interesting to see them all together! I plan on doing five per week which will be quite a challenge to come up with so many different ideas for the same simple painting!
On another note, I am happy to report that we finished the TV room redo. We used to call it the 'blue room' but since we now have brown carpet it will be the TV room. It was quite an undertaking but it all came together and I am happy with how it turned out. We also got a Wii system for the new TV and WII Fit. I hope I can be as dedicated to working out as I am to doing a daily painting!

To see more of my original wildflower paintings please visit my Daily Painter's Gallery.

Beach Sunset Painting

'Beach Sunset #2' 4x6 pastel

Today's painting is the second study I did for a recent commission. I was experimenting with different lighting and arrangement of clouds. I am ready for a beach! I am packed for a trip to my friend's beach house next weekend. There will be 8 of us I think, all fellow pastel artists. I am looking forward to relaxing and painting the beach!

Variation #4 of my Painting Challenge

'Farm View #4' 5x7 pastel

This is my fourth variation on this scene. For this painitng I chose a complementary color scheme of yellow and purple. This one is on Canson paper. I can't wait to paint some more!

Painting of the Farm #2

'Farm View #2' 5x7 pastel

This is actually the third variation I've completed but since I plan to paint 100, I won't be posting all of them here on my blog. Most likely I will combine each week's paintings into one post. I am also keeping a log in which I will record the type of paper and pastels I use as well as any technique I am trying. This way I can always look back in my log to see how I did a painting....I know I will forget after about 10! I am having fun with these but this weekend is devoted to working on commissions!

GREAT NEWS!!!!!

I just found out that I made it into a Richard McKinley workshop! I was on two lists and made it into the workshop next September in the Sierra's Hope Valley, California. I am told I just made it in and there is a sizable waiting list! I know it is a year away but I am still excited. My husband will be joining me and will be taking some fly fishing lessons. I think this will be a great trip! California here we come!

Visit my Daily Painter's Gallery to see more of my original paintings.

Variations on a Theme Challenge Painting #1

'The Farm #1 ' 5x7 pastel

If you haven't read about the Variations on a Theme challenge, check out my post below. This is my first painting of the challenge....99 to go! I looked at the photo for this one but I think in the future I will just look at my notan. I am going to make a list of the possibilities I might try for each one. This is going to be fun! My travel parner vips should recognize this particular farm!

Variations on a Theme Challenge

Not that I need another project....but I couldn't resist joining this challenge. Over on Wet Canvas in the pastel forum, Deborah Secor has challenged us to join her students as they try to paint 100 variations on the same composition. You may have seen the recent Pastel Journal article about artist Marla Bagetta and her 100 paintings. She is the inspiration for the challenge. Read more about it here. I started by choosing a simple composition and doing some notans or value sketches to see if this will be an interesting enough composition to paint many times. I decided that it was better as a 5x7 rather than a square. I plan to devote no more than 30 minutes for each painting. I'll post my first one later.

Southeastern Pastel Society Show Opening

If you are in the Marietta Georgia area this weekend I'd love to see you at the opening reception for a special juried exhibition at the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art. It's this Saturday October 3rd from 6-8pm. I have two paintings in the show including the one illustrating the postcard on the left. That is my painting 'Make a Wish' that I posted a few months ago. The exhibit is a great opportunty to see some great pastel paintings.