Thursday, May 31, 2007

Hot Air Balloon - Inside View: May 31, 2007

A hot air balloon floated over our town last year and landed in the park (the same park with the mural). I got some beautiful photos of it as it passed over St. Mary's Mission. My youngest son got to see the balloon up close and I took photos of the inside.
Another balloon floated over a few days ago. What a great ride that must be!
"Hot Air Balloon - Inside View" is an acrylic 2.5"x3.5" ACEO on watercolor paper. It was painted May 31, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Cruisin': May 30, 2007

This cute pup was in the Memorial Day parade last year. I thought it was appropriate for this week. I don't think I've painted a dog before.
"Cruisin' " is an oil ACEO (2.5"x3.5") on triple-gessoed illustration board. It was painted May 30, 2007, two days after Memorial Day. Sold.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Green Eyes: May 29, 2007

I hadn't painted a portrait in a while so I did "Green Eyes". I hoped to capture this young ladies beautiful green eyes and angelic complexion.
"Green Eyes" is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic ACEO on watercolor paper. It was painted May 29, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Monday, May 28, 2007

Yellow-headed Blackbird: May 28, 2007

Another oil painting! This is a yellow-headed blackbird that I had photographed at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge.
"Yellow-headed Blackbird" is a 2.5"x3.5" ACEO oil painting on triple-gessoed illustration board. It was painted May 28, 2007 and will be posted for sale as soon as it dries. (Whenever that will be. The other oil painting that I did is still damp.) Sold.

Saturday, May 26, 2007

St. Mary Lake, Glacier National Park: May 26, 2007

Glacier National Park is a beautiful park here in Montana.
"St. Mary Lake, Glacier National Park" is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic ACEO on watercolor paper. It was painted May 26, 2007. Sold.

Friday, May 25, 2007

Roundin' 'em Up: May 25, 2007

I thought I'd try an oil painting for a change. This is the result. I really like the creamy feel of the oils as compared to acrylics. It seemed to be a little easier to get detail with the oil. I also liked the ability to blend and to take my time with the painting. With acrylics I always feel rushed to get the paints down and blended before they dry.
The only problem is that I have no clue how long it will take this little painting to dry so that I can put it up for sale. With acrylics, it is immediate. The other thing I worry about is someone touching it before it is dry.
Oh, it's great to experiment!
"Roundin' 'em Up" is a 2.5"x3.5" ACEO oil painting on illustration board which was coated with several layers of gesso. It was painted May 25, 2007. Sold.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Holy Cow: May 24, 2007

Holy Cow! That's such a strange saying. Anyway, here is my holy cow.
"Holy Cow" is the third in a series of 8"x10" acrylic paintings on stretched canvas. It was painted May 24, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Brook Trout: May 23, 2007

I wanted to paint a trout but wasn't sure which kind I would do. I figured I'd do a rainbow since they seem to be the ones you here about and see the most. After reviewing the photos of the trout that my husband has caught, this brook trout stood out because of the bullseye dots and the squiggly markings on its body. It looks like an abstract painter decorated the brook trout.
"Brook Trout" is an original 5"x7" acrylic painting on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was painted May 23, 2007. Sold.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Triple Pears: May 21, 2007

Everywhere I go I see paintings of pears. It must be the fruit du jour. I thought I'd try my hand at them so I painted these three pears that I purchased today.
"Triple Pears" is a 4"x6" acrylic painting on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was painted May 21, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Sunday, May 20, 2007

Back-Lit Kitty: May 20, 2007

I started this painting yesterday but only had about 15-20 minutes in which to paint. I finished it today, May 20.
My neighbor's cat caught my eye when he was sitting on the fence with the sun shining through his fur. I liked his pose with his tail draped down and when he turned his head to look at me his eyes completed the attractive composition.
"Back-Lit Kitty" was painted May 19-20, 2007. It is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic ACEO on watercolor paper. Sold.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Moosic: May 18, 2007

This is the second in this series of wacky cows. A cow's bellow is "moosic" to my ears.
"Moosic" is a 8"x10" acrylic painting on stretched canvas. It was painted May 18, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Painting All Day: May17, 2007

Well, I didn't do a "Painting a Day" although I painted all day.
I helped paint the background image for a mural in a local park. The Stevensville Art & Sculpture Society (S.A.S.S.) is helping a K-6th grade art teacher here with this project. This is the restroom building at the park. It began as a rundown looking white building. We cleaned and primed the building on two other separate days. Today we painted a sky, mountain and grass scene on which 5th and 6th graders will paint Salish games scenes.
Last year, 3rd graders had the opportunity to learn some traditional Salish games in this very same park. Upon returning to school, they translated what they learned into pieces of drawn and painted art. The teacher will combine their drawings and sketch them out on the newly painted building for the older kids to paint. Six of us worked on this building from 10:00am until 3:30pm.
Once I got my son home, I helped him on his school project - a castle. We finished up the paint job tonight since it is due tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Blue Moo: May 16, 2007

I started a series of paintings a few years ago and thought I'd finish them. This is "Blue Moo". One day while passing a herd of black cattle, I thought it would be interesting to paint them using blue paint, then thought the name "Blue Moo" would be perfect. Ha-ha.
"Blue Moo" is an original 8"x10" acrylic painting on canvas - ready to hang. It was painted May 16, 2007. Sold.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

An Apple a Day: May 15, 2007

A painting a day - an apple a day.
Most of the time I paint using photo references, but I do enjoy painting objects that are in front of me such as this apple from my fridge and the pineapple that I did previously. You really can see more of the subtle details and lighting that get lost in photos.
"An Apple a Day" is a 2.5"x3.5" original acrylic ACEO / ATC on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was painted May 15, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Bass Creek Barn: May 14, 2007

I have a frame that fits a 3.5"x10" panoramic image and painted this to fit the frame with a 3/4" border. The painting is 2"x8.5" on 140lb. watercolor paper.
I really struggled with this one. Not that the subject is a hard one but I just wasn't motivated. I had to push myself throught the whole thing. My paint kept drying out which made painting tiny details very difficult. Some days are like that.
"Bass Creek Barn" was painted May 14, 2007. Sold.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Mama's Llama: May 13, 2007

Today is Mother's Day! I painted this for my mom. She liked the other llama that I did, but I overheard her say that it needs some red, which happens to be her favorite color. Using the same reference photo, I made "Mama's Llama" especially for her.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Star Swallow: May 12, 2007

I started this painting during the art show today and completed it at home. My reference photo of this swallow shows him in an unattractive birdhouse so I made a nice jazzy one for him here.
"Star Swallow" is a 5"x7" acrylic painting on 140lb watercolor paper. It was painted May 12, 2007. Sold.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Busy Day: May 11, 2007

Well, I've had another extremely busy day preparing for this art show. No painting today. I hope to paint during the show tomorrow. We'll see.
Some items in this blog will not be accessible as they have been removed from my Etsy site for the show.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Spring Laundry: May 10, 2007

I didn't think I'd have time to paint today but I managed to paint this fun little ACEO.
"Spring Laundry" is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic painting on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was painted May 10, 2007. Sold.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

No Painting: May 9, 2007

No painting today. I am extremely busy preparing for an art show coming up this Saturday. As both an artist and show organizer, I have very little time to paint this week.

Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Maple Leaves: May 8, 2007

I love the colors yellow, green and purple together. I like leaves, too, so I've combined both the colors and the leaves in this painting.
"Maple Leaves" is a 5"x5" acrylic painting on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was painted May 8, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Monday, May 7, 2007

Sunflower & Bee: May 7, 2007

This is another ACEO/ATC collectible trading card-sized painting. "Sunflower & Bee" is a 2.5"x3.5" acrylic painting on 140lb. watercolor paper painted May 7, 2007. Sold.

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Nestled: May 6, 2007

This was a building that I saw in Tacoma, Washington. It wasn't a very interesting building itself, but it was surrounded by flowering shrubs that made it pretty.
"Nestled" is a 2.5"x3.5" ACEO/ATC. It is acrylic on 140lb. watercolor paper. Sold.

Saturday, May 5, 2007

No Painting: May 5, 2007

I just can't do it! I was really on a roll painting every day, but I just can't do it today. I've been out of town all day and I've run out of steam.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Louie Llama: May 4, 2007

This is one groovy llama! I thought he looked like a rock star with his long hair so I painted him with some rockin' colors.
"Louie Llama" is a 4"x6" acrylic painting on 140lb watercolor paper and was painted May 4, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Sunny Sunfish: May 3, 2007

I thought I'd have a little fun and redo the sunfish in a more whimsical style. "Sunny Sunfish" is a 5"x7" acrylic painting on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was painted May 3, 2007. Purchase this painting.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Sunfish: May 2, 2007

This is a sunfish that my son caught here in Montana.
"Sunfish" is a 5"x7" acrylic painting on 140lb. watercolor paper. It was painted May 2, 2007. Sold.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Blue Heron: May 1, 2007

My paintings once almost always had purple in them. I noticed that most of my paintings lately have lots of green. I thought I'd liven things up a little with this blue heron.
"Blue Heron" was painted in watercolor on watercolor paper. The dimensions are 5"x5". It was painted on May 1, 2007. Sold.