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.