Happy New Year - Yikes another 30 in 30

First of all - thanks so much for the blog comments - It is really motivating!

Secondly, I'm "going in" for the Leslie Saeta January 30in30.  I must be insane, but it's such an extreme experience I have to try even though I can't imagine how I'll accomplish it - gotta get more organized! The challenge website is here  - there are over 300 artists who have signed up.  

You would really be a huge help to me with ideas of things to paint, or photos, or anything, even thoughts about the blog.  The hardest part is figuring out what to paint and how to compose it.  Bring it on!  Very much appreciated.  p.s. I removed the comment SPAM filter so you can leave a comment easily and anonymously if you'd like.

My day 1 painting was fun to do since it's a new subject and painting from a photo is fairly new to me (yet another challenge!). We love watching the birds in the back yard and this one is a special favorite.  It's known as the "upside down" bird because it often hops down a tree trunk head first.  Once you know that, it's easy to spot them.  Apparently this one is a teenager because the markings are not fully developed yet (thanks to my bro who's an avid bird watcher).  Enough story, here she is (oh, he thinks it's probably a female).

Red Breasted Nuthatch
click here to bid

This photo is from Paint My Photo by Chrissy M - check out the real thing Nuthatch PMP.

Oh and before I forget - here's the painting that received the 2013 "Painting of the Year" award from the very unscientific voting bloc which consists of the one person who gets to live with this soon-to-be-insane-artist   ;-)   Framing makes such a difference, don't you think?

The Gift - Christmas Pear
in studio

Finally - Have a fabulous and Happy New Year!

2013 WOW

Maybe it's more prevalent in the art world, but it makes sense no matter what.  That is, to reflect on your goals and accomplishments for the year.  I've not been one to size things up this way, having had a career that just seemed to magically push me to achieve all the time.  Maybe now when the job is not so important, it is time to pull together the "it's all about me" list and say to yourself, "WOW, I did that. . . ."     

My very humble art goals this year have been all about karma, destiny, providence or something -- it has all come together!   Started out with a perfectly-timed workshop with Carol Marine in January, followed by a few months of being out of work (consultant woes), and a few personal thoughts (okay, the ones you won't tell anyone about) to make art a priority.  I won't bore you with the details, but I entered twice as many shows as my "stretch-goal", painted 10 times more paintings than I ever thought I would, sold a bunch of them, started a blog of all things, and sold in a gallery!  Mind-blowing to me.  Could not have done it without support from my husband, friends, family, and art lovers.

It is delightful to have new goals outside of my day-job and that's finally happening.  Who knows where it will go next.  Stay tuned, I've got some ideas. . . .

This is a collage of my paintings from this year (the good, bad, ugly and well yes great).  When I see it all at once, it's bigger than I'd ever imagined.  Just like life!

Think about the end of the year, get excited about the great one to start, and how you want to influence your own destiny.   Climb aboard!

Recently, I read that the happiest people are the ones that have more than they expect.  Think about that for a few minutes.   Are your expectations so high, you're not happy?  Hmmmm. . . .  maybe more realistic ones would make you happier. 

Thanks for reading my blog and letting me delight in reflecting on this year.  I cannot tell you enough how your support keeps me going and how much I appreciate it.  I wish you a New Year full of adventure, happiness and fun!

Johnna

Fly, Fly, Away - the Bird Challenge

Not much has been happening around here art-wise lately what with the new job and all, but last weekend it was my turn to host the art club which is always so much fun.  We met in a class when I decided to do something about my need to paint (2008, wow almost six years). At first we got together to paint.  Now we skip the painting part, talk about it a lot, and eat & drink wine!    A wonderful group and delightfully diverse - there's just something about artists that transcends - magical.

Each month/meeting the club has a challenge - mine was to paint a bird.  We love watching birds in the backyard and I am seriously mesmerized by Angela Moulton's paintings click here .  While I didn't achieve the looseness and confidence of Angela's work, I am happy with my goldfinch in all his springtime glory.  Did you know that male goldfinches get dull and greenish in the winter and then pop out the neon-yellow-mating-suit in the spring?  Kinda reminds me of prom in the 70's. . . 'nuff said. 

Goldfinch
click here to bid

Hoping that someday my art-head with usurp my engineer-head and make me a happier painter!

footnotes:

This is a painting from a reference photo posted on a site called Paint My Photo http://paintmyphoto.ning.com/. a great place to get reference photos for free - they only ask you to post your painting on their page.  So here's mine to Rodney Campbell http://paintmyphoto.ning.com/photo/goldfinch-breeding-plumage?commentId=5204568%3AComment%3A1755313&xg_source=activity.  It's a fun site to browse around if you have a few minutes. 

p.s. I received a wonderful comment on the blog that has rejuvenated me and made posting a priority over all the other things going on with the holidays, work issues, daily logistics, etc.  Really reminds one to pay attention to what is important!  Enjoy life.

Big Orange

Maybe it's because of Thanksgiving or something -- the grocery store had some huge orange tulips.  Tulips in November???  These kept beckoning me, so I finally decided to go for it even though I heard tulips are very difficult to paint because they move around with just the slightest change in sunlight.  Guess what, they do move around - almost like they're two legged!  I figured if I work really fast and get it captured in an hour I'd be fine, but nooooo. . . .    So here's my attempt starting from painting live to stopping to take a few emergency reference photos to keep it together.  What a challenge.  Including a reference photo to show how far apart the tulips ventured in a very short time, like 20 minutes!  It was fun watching them dance all week.  Get a bunch, put them in a well lit room and enjoy the show!

Tulip Dance
click here to bid

Reference photo - perhaps the title should be

 "she's just not that into you!"

LOL. . .  these were so beautiful, orange with yellow edges, but quite dramatic when put on stage.  One was literally head down limp so I cut it off and put it into a small vase - within minutes it was poker-straight as they say and then two hours later it was making a left turn to the window.  such characters!  Who knew? 

Happy Thanksgiving - it is special to celebrate this uniquely American holiday.  We are so very lucky.  

Swoosh

Lots going on suddenly with a multi sale to a BFF who's just gotta have some art!  Yay.  See below for the paintings.  As a nomad, having any sort of BFF is a very  special thing.  Does that seem a bit odd?  I'll try to explain in a few words - I grew up as a military kid, moving every few years yet delighting in having a life of amazing variety, new adventures, eye-opening cultural experiences, etc.  Would not trade that for the world!  At the same time though, you have to learn how to move on, cope, adjust, and not have a few things that most people take for granted like a "home town" or a slew of best friends forever!  My parents were awesome in making it a treasured, splendid and amazing adventure but we all know you cannot have it all. . . but I truly believe you can have the best of everything -- it just takes a whole lotta determination. . . . I could go on and on.  I love how art brings together one's past, present and future.  How lucky are we!

On another, but kinda related note, please take a minute to check out a wonderful, creative and entrepreneurial idea - maybe great for you or someone you know.  They've raised the initial crowd funding so good things to come!  Pass it on, get the word out for what happens next.  Click on the logo below to check it out.

  

Art on the way to New York City!

Lemon with Tear of Joy
an all time favorite!

Antique Creamer with Pansy

Good Morning

Pomegranate and Pear

Happy Thanksgiving.

Pretty in Pink

I've posted this painting before, but completely forgot to put it into the gallery and up for auction.  I think it would make a great stocking stuffer for a princess in your life!  Lowering the starting bid to $25 seeing how December 25th is only a month away, yikes!!! If you are interested and email me that you saw it in this post, I'll cut the mailing costs in half! 

Pretty in Pink
click here to bid

For the locals, the Vienna 44th Treasury of Art show is this weekend.  The link has more detail (great artwork, free, music, etc.).  Be sure to scroll down to see last year's winners - amazing work!  I didn't get my act together to enter, but I am definitely going to check out the "competition" for next year. 

Lots to do and hoping to spend much of it this weekend painting.  Enjoy the holidays and remember nothing has to be perfect, it's all about making memories!

Johnna

More Happiness and a Holiday Pear

I just found out that this week is the National Pursuit of Happiness Week!  How odd that my last post was on happiness.  I guess that's just some kind of karma.   So wishing you good luck in your pursuit of happiness - one of our inalienable American rights.

Earlier this week I tried to paint one of my favorite holiday ornaments which is a golden pear encrusted with ice-looking crystals and glitter.  Well that didn't work out very well - it looked like a pear gone wild. So I whipped out my "artistic license" card and turned it into a semi-realistic, loose painting of a happier pear. Hopefully, one that would qualify for a role in the holiday song about a partridge in a pear tree! Painting on a slick, black background was an experiment to create additional drama.  I also did some glazing which I think adds more interest.  I love the way it turned out, so it's off to auction with this one.  

Holiday Pear
click here to bid
Important: blogger has changed the contrast and brightness on my photo, please use the gallery link or the above "click here to bid" link to see a better rendering of the actual painting.

Enjoy, and oh yeah, pursue some happiness!

Johnna

Happiness Despite a Gloomy Day

Coldest day so far this year in the mid-Atlantic, brrrr.  Dark and gloomy - winter is definitely headed this way! 

On the bright side, I woke up to discover two paintings were purchased by a close friend and lover of art (JEM we know who you are!).  Somehow this friend always has a sunny, happy demeanor despite everything.   It's good to surround yourself with happy people and I do my best to be one of them too.   These paintings are now her gifts to spread the happiness to her co-workers.  My friend made a great point, "Don't you think art makes a wonderful gift?"  It certainly is a great way to make a moment into a memory, so emphatically, YES!   I personally love buying art when I travel because it reminds me of a moment in time and cherished memory, to me even better than photos. 

As promised, here are the sold paintings.  I'm off to a new job tomorrow and glad it is local, so I can keep painting.

More Olives Please!

Salsa Plan

Thank you for sharing this adventure with me and for reading my blog.  

Just noticed that yesterday was 11/12/13. . . .  There should have been a parade or something. Okay, let's plan to celebrate on 12/13/14.

Little Creamer

On my way back from visiting the art show in Millwood Virginia, I stopped off at a little antique store and bought this darling little creamer - it was made by the Syracuse China Corporation (1895 - 2009).  I don't know much about antiques but between Google and Wiki, now know this one was created in the fall of 1983 making it 30 years old.  Has it really been 30 years???  What were you doing in 1983?   That thought brought back some very fond memories.  What a fun little adventure learning something that doesn't really matter.  Maybe tomorrow I'll search to see if something 30 years old is really an antique.  If so, I'm one too!  LOL.   

I'm trying pansies in the deck pots this year since the garden center said they are hardy and "even the coldest winter night won’t kill these pansies."  Well, we'll see about that.  So far they look wonderful.  For the locals, I highly recommend Meadows Farms Nurseries. Their newsletter has lots of tips, discounts, and ideas.   

Antique Creamer with Pansy

This painting will go on auction Sunday 11/10/2013, click here to bid.    

Uh Oh!

I guess it's a really bad sign when your blog notes fall off your "recent documents" list (of 20)!   Definitely need to get a plan together as I am going to a new job in two weeks and want to make sure there's time for work and art!  Hopefully the colder weather and changing seasons will trigger some inspiration.  Thank you for hanging in there through the dry spells!

The funky green heirloom pumpkin finally hit the easel and is headed to a new home as soon as it dries.  

Green Heirloom

This wonderful "patron" (JF) picked up a few other gems during her visit here - I guess a little like being "a kid in a candy store - irresistible!"

She made a great point that using my "system" of framing the paintings makes it quite easy to have one frame and change out the panels when you're in the mood for something different.   Now that the system seems repeatable, I will add the info to the blog.  Getting good photos of the frames is the hard part.  

Other cuties she's about to snatch from the DPW auction are below.  I have to say the High Heel on Deck in a gold and black frame is fantastic!  Off to Austin Texas to keep warm for a few more months. . . wish I was there!

Fuji Persimmon

High Heel on Deck

Happy Halloween!  Be silly, make some memories!

Two Off to Mysterious Homes

Picked up the unsold paintings in Waterford yesterday during a huge rain storm.  Let me tell you the sheep next to the barn/gallery were NOT happy campers.  I was almost positive one of them was begging me to take him home!  Ha, ha.  I guess we all take a little time getting used to the change in seasons. 

Although no prizes were won, my art buddy (KR) and I each sold two paintings.  Always love that!  My two are below and I guess I have to assume they now live in Virginia because they won't let you know who bought them.  Apparently the country folk, lovers of historic homes, and civil war reenactments have a few wild ones amongst them. . . .see below.  Seriously, these are two of my all time favorites so more likely kindred spirits!  I hope you're reading this, so I can thank you from my heart!

Outrageous Red Suede Shoe
somewhere in Virginia

Me and My Shadow 
VA

I just love knowing there are people who love this as much as I do!

Enjoy, life is joy we make one moment at a time.

Aftermath 30 in 30 . . . .

During the 30 in 30 I really wanted to paint a yellow pepper (for "Y", of course) and I've always wanted to paint one of those darling mini-eggplants.   At the farmer's market last Saturday they had both so as fate would have it. . .  . I don't know anything about eggplant (other than some awesome Ratatouille I had in Italy years ago) so I asked the farmer, "is there a name for these small, beautiful ones?"  After a bit of discussion, we decided it would be called Purple Passion since they knew I was just going to paint it.  Ha, ha, clever farmer.  Credit where credit is due, it came from the McCleaf's Orchard near Gettysburg, PA.  I'm amazed at how farmers and food artisans travel so far AND ready-for-business by 8:00 am on a Saturday!   I don't even want to think about how early they start their day -- my grumblings about getting there before noon just pales in comparison.  My thanks to them all. 

Okay back to the painting part, the pepper and eggplant looked so lonely that I decided to paint them as another complementary pair.  How fun.  The yellow pepper was rather short and a tad on the orange side so I hope it doesn't look like a pumpkin, seeing how it's October all of a sudden!  I love the shadow that spontaneously happened.  The eggplant is a jewel of a subject and model.  

Complementary pair - Yellow Pepper and Mini-Eggplant click here to bid

Oddly enough, I also found a small heirloom pumpkin that is an amazing shade of green so hopefully he'll get a shot in front of the hot lights in the next few days. 

Too long, but one more thing -  I'm picking up the paintings from the show in Waterford this week and expect to put most back on auction.  

30in30 - Final Persimmon

Well I got one last one in - so 15 of 30 maybe is not so bad for a beginner.  Quite a challenge painting every day!  I learned a ton and built up some much needed confidence.  It was truly a great experience.  The plan is to take some of the key concepts and keep it going.  My biggest challenge is what to paint, so found that getting prepared up front really worked well.  Once I got on a roll though, I stopped the pre-planning and I think that's what derailed my progress.  After all, I had ideas through "P" and thought that would be enough.  Lesson here is, never stop planning for what you want!

Fuji Persimmon
30in30 Day 30

At the end of the challenge Leslie shared a cool site for making photo collages.  It is free and simple.  Just go to PicMonkey and select "create a collage".  Here's mine.

Click here to see the final page of artists and their collages.

Thank you for sharing this adventure with me and reading my blog.   

Aaarrrgh 30 in 30 is Hard

I guess I should be proud of getting almost half done with a few days left to go.   Maybe do a few more this weekend.  I hope so.  It has been really great, but finding it's hard to be that creative every day.  Lately, I haven't been able to even think about painting.  Job hunt has been quite consuming and getting 25 paintings ready for the 70th Annual Waterford Homes Tour & Craft Exhibit has been a ton of work.  I am realizing artists work really hard physically, mentally and creatively in their craft. 

70th Annual Waterford Homes Tour & Craft Exhibit 

Click here for more information.  This is one weekend Friday, October 04, 2013 through Sunday, October 06, 2013 (10:00 AM-5:00 PM).  Waterford is just north of Leesburg.  I'm sure the 70th event will be especially splendid.  I will have a dozen framed paintings, a dozen bin pieces (unframed) in the Art Mart and two larger pieces for the Red Barn exhibit which is a judged show.  The larger ones you've seen before, but here they are again. 

Indian Summer
10 x 30

Morning Fox
8 x 10

30in30 – Q 4 ?

"Q" is a tough one!  Can you guess what this is? 

In the spirit of doing something challenging for the 30 in 30, decided to tackle a wonderful photo my husband took of a beautiful walking path near here.  Us city-folk need the path to be made of asphalt, but outside of that, trees are trees. . . .  It is a beautiful photo, so very serene with the dappled sunlight, I just couldn't resist.   Looking at the photo, you can almost hear the silence and serenity of the meandering path even though it is only a block away from Main Street. 

To explain, I seem to be missing the "landscape" gene despite several runs at it.  Even took a few classes and still can't find a way to simplify the massive amount of detail in a scene like this.  I loved the plein air journey - pack up all your stuff, drive far away, hike out to some beautiful spot in the middle of nowhere, have wine and cheese, commune with nature, paint, etc. BUT, it just ain't happening for moi!  I'll keep trying, so look for another update in five years or so . . . .  Today I found out one of my favorite artist/teachers is doing a landscape workshop so signed up for that - maybe it will help.

Quiet Path

Click here for the other painters on day nineteen.  I'm pretty far behind so will try and leap forward this weekend.  

30in30 – P 4 Pomegranate

I have to admit there were quite a few "P" words on the list but when I saw this beauty, I just couldn't resist.  You could tell it was recently picked and quite luscious!  It looked rather lonely so the pear was lingering nearby and asked to be added.  Okay by me, but now they look like they must be off to the Prom or something.  I hope they have a good time and come up with a better story than this one. . . .   ha, ha.

Pomegranate + Pear = Prom Night!

click here for the other day seventeen artists in the 30 in 30.

30in30 – O 4 O-u-t-r-a-g-e-o-u-s!

About time for an adjective?  Apparently the word outrageous is one.  I have to admit I'm getting bored with nouns / direct objects and decided to break out and go for something unexpected.  Maybe the crazy starts half way into the 30 in 30 challenge! How did I do?  I loved painting the black high heel, so had to go again. 

Outrageous Red Suede Shoe
click to bid

The inside scoop - I have this pair of shoes and not telling where they came from, or why (don't you just LOVE a mystery?).  They were designed by Guess, have a wonderful suede top, and patent leather platform sole/heel.  No highlights on suede, but the patent leather had just a little sparkle.  What's not to like from a painter's perspective?  

30in30 – N 4 Nail Polish

My friend (KR) had the great idea to do nail polish for the "N" word.  This certainly was an interesting setup and naturally my favorite colors.  I particularly like the faint shadow and the solid background. 

So Pretty

Coming soon. . . . . Northern Virginia . . . . . Mark Your Calendars

Delighted to send off two works that were accepted into the Clarke County Art at the Mill show.  Click here for more information.  It is held October 5 – October 20, 2013 in Millwood, Virginia (Route 50 just across the Shenandoah River - an hour's drive from Washington DC).  This bi-annual event has become one of the premier art shows in the mid-Atlantic region, attracting artists and buyers from over a dozen states.

Also finalizing my submissions to the 70th Annual Waterford Homes Tour & Craft Exhibit.  Click here for more information.  This is one weekend Friday, October 04, 2013 through Sunday, October 06, 2013 (10:00 AM-5:00 PM).  Waterford is just north of Leesburg.  I'm sure the 70th event will be splendid.  I will have ten framed paintings and a dozen bin pieces (unframed) in the Art Mart and two larger pieces for the Red Barn exhibit which is a judged show.    

30in30 – M 4 Martini - More Olives Please

Thank goodness for the alphabet - it has really helped me figure out what to paint and more importantly keeps me focused on the goal.  This is day 14, so almost half-way there. I am learning a ton, getting to practice a lot, and going WAY outside of my comfort zone.  Interestingly, it's enlightened me on how many different objects there are to paint.  It may not sound like much, but I knew there would be subtle things that would be art-altering, and I think this is one of them.  Like most things in life, you just have to give it a try and then give it some time.   Keep it simple, have no fear, enjoy the process!   Really who cares if it flops or flourishes?  Methinks (I love that word) we are our own worst critics.

Martini - More Olives Please

You decide - I don't have to know and you don't have to bring it up, okay?

This was really fun to paint.  I fell in love with the shadow (big surprise there).  I Googled a lot of martini photos and started to notice that if your perspective is just below the object, that you can see the reflection of the olives in the surface.  Complicated but oh so fun!   To get this set up right, I had to put a small table on top of my big table and then put a box on top of that to get the perspective at just above eye-level.  Loving this, you'll see more.  

Enjoy!

30in30 – L 4 Lemon Joy

What else could I do but go with Lemon for the "L" painting?  This slice came out with the most interesting seed that I decided looked like a tear of joy rather than dismay.  I'm quite happy with it so now I'm sure it is a tear of joy. . .  This must be where I insert the phrase "artistic license" and get away with it, yet again!   To really emphasize the seed, I thought back lighting it would be just the thing to give it even more emphasis.  

Lemon Joy

Enjoy,

Click here to see the 30in30 day thirteen paintings. 

30in30 – K 4 Kiwi for You

As I was cruising through the Grand Mart (Asian/Latino grocery store) in Sterling Virginia for inspiration last weekend, there they were with the letter "K" written all over them. So fresh!  I love this place as they have so many interesting things at unbelievable prices. Don't know much about these cutie-pies but love 'em in fruit salads.  What's not to like with the crazy green, black seeds and the most interesting rind.  Another fruit that has no real reflection, like that ornery banana from Day 2.  Probably Kiwi in a Sea of Green should be the title.  Making a mental note to add other colors to calm things down even though my last art teacher cautioned against having too many colors.  I'm trying to keep it simple, but . . . 

i love the loose style and hope to keep doing more like this.

Kiwi for You

p.s. this is my favorite "bowl", very flat and shallow and casts shadows well - a great stage for a simple subject.     

click here to see the 30in30 day twelve paintings. 

Workin' It

Crazy but good days on the job front so I know my life of painting & "leisure" will probably come to an end soon.  It has been so educational, inspiring, enlightening, life altering, and an opportunity to meet quite a few fabulous artists (even though virtually).  

Having moved around the world as a child, I am comfortable with relationships far and wide and always delight in how easy it is to reconnect despite time and distance. So, I'm especially happy to report that the following painting is headed to Hawaii to a friend from my sophomore year in high school. . . .   How is that?  Don't you live just outside of DC in Virginia?  Didn't you go to Wiesbaden High School in Germany?  Yes to both and all of us "vagabonds" love reconnecting despite wherever we've landed!  The internet is making it all so much easier - YAY.  

Luscious Elegance #2
Kaneohe, HI

Enjoy, life is joy we make one moment at a time.

30in30 update - Got time today to finally do letter "K", "L" and started "M", but our favorite neighbor stopped by, so "M" is in rehearsal for tomorrow.  Tried to keep it simple.  Paintings too wet to photo and not totally thrilled with them, but I'll post them in the next day or so.  

30in30 – J 4 Jar

I sure thought I would get a chance to catch up over the weekend, but was "overcome by events" as they say.  The days were filled up with creating a presentation for a prospective consulting job and a wonderful afternoon with my small art club.  The summer is always a challenge for our club, so it was especially delightful to finally get together.  Oh, and did I mention that my sweetheart bought me a new PC?  It has a ton of storage (need that for all those photos) and it is super fast!  Now working through the transition to a new operating system and software upgrades. . . . oh what fun!

Back to the 30in30. The letter "I" just would not cooperate at all (I think it was secretly reading my blog about the Banana)!  So, scratch that and move on to the letter "J."  Well that presented another set of challenges.  This time I decided to paint a glass jar I've always loved, but it has eight sides and I decided that it would be fun looking down on it - someone told me the best still life paintings are from this angle.  Probably two poor choices at the same time - I'm really trying to be fearless and learn a lot during this challenge.  For what it's worth, here is the painting.  If it really grabs you, leave a comment and let's talk!

Jar From the Top Down

Stay tuned, the letter "K" is lurking out there beckoning me. . . .

Click here for the artists participating in Leslie Saeta’s challenge (Day Ten).