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!