Day three painting

Day three of the Leslie Saeta challenge to paint 30 paintings in 30 days.      I've started with a series of birds.    Here is the next one. I had previously layered tissues and gesso over some preprinted canvases I bought at Michael's the first of the year for 25 cents each.   I had a feeling they would come in handy some day. 

The first one here is the painting.    It looks better in person, so I thought I'd tweak it some in Photoshop by posterising it to a level 5.That way the texture in background shows better.     I may go rework this little bird.    

Day 1 Painting challenge

30 paintings in 30 days.   Here's day one.     This is a 5 x 5 cheapo stretched canvas.  It is not for sale.  I'm taking this challenge as a fun opportunity to push myself.      

I had done a few tree backgrounds recently and decided it was a good place for a little bird to live.   

Mixed Media Madness

Make a whirly gig out of a water bottle?  Are you mad?     Who would figure out how to do this?      Well, I'll tell you one of my most creative friends, Vivian Choy did just that.      A couple years ago she taught us to make something similar, but she has taken it a step farther now and we wanted to try to make the new version.    We were all a bit clumsy about it, but with her clear directions and step by step instructions and a little help from our friends, we each came away with one for our gardens.    Mine is hanging on a branch of a white birch tree right  outside my studio window  - where I can see it from my work table.   it catches a little breeze there and whirls away.  Thanks Vivian for your experimentation and development of this cool idea.      It's fun to upcycle things.       Here is Vivian showing Linda how to make it.

Yupo treat

I have a pad of Yupo paper.  Have had it for years, maybe even a decade.  I have only used two sheets of it, and those were pretty recent.     I expect to start painting on it again as my friend Jean Janssen is going to teach it at the Senior Center in Sept.    That way I'll have no excuse to put it away again.      

I was checking the internet the other day and came across a little ATC in ebay.  The sweetest snowy scene, so I bought it.     I've got a bid in on another one and hope it will make it here too.    The artist Judith Bosch from New Mexico said it would be okay to post it here with the link to her ebay account in case you might want to take a peek what else she has to offer.      What I liked so much on this is the colors.    I am not a cold weather person so usually snowy scenes are mostly cool colors, and that gives me a chill.   This uses nice warm colors and the snow is so bright.     I have never seen anyone use Yupo for ATCs before.     I consider it a tiny treasure.   Thanks, Judith

30 paintings in 30 days

I just joined the challenge for Sept, to create 30 paintings in 30 days.    Here's the link to find out more about it. I think the challenge will be a good incentive to get out all the various kinds of paints I have and use them.  I might devote one week to water color, one acrylics, etc.    Hmmm...  It takes a little preplanning, but fortunately my drawing table is cleared off and ready to start something new other than sorting.      I might even do all the paintings in a new journal rather than on canvases.   I might dividie the month up by subject.    Birds for a week?   Dogs, landscapes, fish, abstracts.    Hmmmm....      Wouldn't you like to join those of us who are making this commmitment?      This bird is from the graphic fairy online.     

Journal Page

This is a page in an old journal.  
Text reads - "Would I be happier if I started dating a penguin? "    It's just one of those silly spreads based on a quote cut from a magazine. .

Art where you find it

You know once you start looking at EVERYTHING as art, it just pops out and waves at you at every turn.     Two old chairs on my deck have cracked plastic covers.   I usually have cushions on them so have not really noticed how bad they look.   But, when removing the cushions, the cracks looked so interesting I had to photograph them.   They look like cave art.

Don't you  love to come across some unexpected found art?

Last evening, the house inside had a strange peachy glow.   I don't use curtains or blinds to keep out the light because changing light is one of my pleasures.    I rushed out to the back deck to see what made the light change, and behold, this magnificent light show right overhead.     Then I checked the front windows and it was just as spectacular, but a little ominous.   Light changes so fast, I was lucky to catch these moments.     I think today I'll try painting the first one.  I didn't do any photoshop tricks here - this is just how it looked.