Wonder in the Sky

Wonder in the Sky
Oil on canvas, gallery wrapped, 4x4

This morning was filled with going to breakfast, and running a few errands.  Arriving home, cooking for tonight, then most of the family went to Bass Pro for a little adventure.  Left to hold down the fort - this is my chance to squeeze in a painting!  Drawn to painting a skyscape, I started on another small 4x4 inch painting.  Small, because time is short, and everyone will be returning before I know it.  Clouds are so appealing and calming, a peaceful place for contemplation.  Dad is a little better today, but still not himself.  Hoping tomorrow is better than today.  Happy New Year's eve to you all - painting number 365 in 365 days.

Winter's Song

Winter's Song
Acrylic on canvas, gallery wrapped, 4x4 inches
St. Luke's Hospital East Gift Shop

Today was hard to find a painting window.  Starting with early morning errands, then hosting lunch for 22, and ending with a movie out with half of the family.  Mixed into all this was a concern for my father who started off okay, but backslid as the day progressed.  We have been on an up and down roller coaster since last Tuesday.  It is a very hard thing for me to paint when I am so worried.  I did find a 45 minute window, and made myself paint.  I felt better instantly.  Even with all the surrounding chaos and worry, the simple act of painting gave me solace.  The normal joys of family gatherings grow bittersweet, with the light of dad's health cast upon them.  I'm hoping and praying for healing.  Painting number 357 in 357 days.

Snowy Path to Church

Snowy Path to Church
Oil on gallery wrapped canvas, 4x4 inches

Today, I picked up my oils and started to paint (in the tiny little window where family members were otherwise occupied) on a gallery wrapped canvas.  Without even thinking, I painted around the edges, as I normally would with my acrylics - only the oils do not dry!  So, needless to say, I had a bit of a mess before I got it finished!  Though - I LOVE my oils for a landscape!  I've got to get back to my family - so, this one makes 356 paintings in 356 days!

Barn in the Snow - miniature

Barn in the Snow
Acrylic on canvas with easel, 3x3 inches
St. Luke's Hospital East Gift Shop

Tonight, my brother is driving down from Ohio, passing snow covered barns just like this one. This painting is a miniature, measuring only 3x3 inches square.  It can be challenging to work in such a small size, but many things remain the same.  I use only a couple of brushes for the whole painting, still blocking in and working forward in the same way.  My schedule has been so crazy with company, I hardly know which way is up.  Tomorrow is another Christmas dinner on my mom's side of the family.  This one will be in the Italian theme - yum!  Painting number 355 in 355 days :)

Morning Snow on the Cedars - miniature

Morning Snow on the Cedars
Acrylic on canvas, 3x3 inches
sold

My mom, daughters and one of Michaela's friends went to the mall today in search of something specific from one daughter to the next.  I could not believe how many people were at Oak Park Mall!  I have never seen so many people at that mall at one time before!  It was actually hard to see the things I wanted to look at.  So, now back at home, safe from the "day after Christmas mayhem", I am finally able to get a painting posted.  Here is a miniature - quick and simple, since my husband is making up a narration for me at this moment - and throwing off my concentration!  Painting number 354 in 354 days :)

Little Church in the Pines - miniature

Little Church in the Pines
Acrylic on canvas, 2.5 x 3.5 inches
sold

Merry Christmas!!  I have had a house full of family all day long!  After the late night rituals of Christmas Eve, I was thankful the kids at least waited for the sun to arise!  They can get up as early as they want and get into their stockings, but gift opening must wait until everyone is ready - in this case, my mom, dad, Mike and I.  One son arrived around 11:00, oldest daughter arriving with her family around 12:30, and oldest son and his wife arrived around 2:00.  I love having so much family here.  I am especially thankful that my dad is still here to spend Christmas with me, and that Alan is okay after a big scare.  Once again I am reminded that life is short and fragile, we must make the most of every day.  A miniature painting for today - painting number 353 in 353 days.

Santa Over the Homeplace

Santa Over the Homeplace
Acrylic on panel, 6x4

On this Christmas Eve, Santa Claus  and his tiny reindeer have been spotted over our home!  Here they are - complete with snow on the ground and a cold winter's night!  Still some wrapping to do, and some tags to write, so I'm making this quick on this Christmas Eve night!  Painting number 352 in 352 days.  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Santa Sleigh Ride

Santa Sleigh Ride
Oil on canvas, 8x6

We have a lovely snow on the ground - so it looks like we are going to have a white Christmas!  Today, my routine was completely off schedule, and it was late before I found a "painting window".  Looking for something a little vintage, I thought a reindeer and sleigh might be a nice platform for today's Santa.  Somedays the paint just flows from the brush, but today was not one of those days.  With so much on my mind, and so little sleep as of late, I had to work a little harder.  I will probably touch this up tomorrow - painting number 351 in 351 days :)

Checking his List

Checking his List
Oil on panel, 8x6

Today was a fun day spent with family at my Aunt Diana's house.  So beautifully decorated - as always, her home was the perfect backdrop for a wonderful dinner.  After such a special day, I arrive home still stuffed to the gills and ready for a little down time to work in my painting.  In keeping with the Santa Claus theme of the last few days, here is a close up.  Loose and impressionistic with the strokes - this is a fun, nostalgic capture of Santa checking his list - and checking it twice!  I wonder who has been naughty or nice!  Painting number 350 in 350 days!

Santa Admires the Tree

Santa Admires the Tree
Oil on panel, 6x8

Feeling nostalgic as the freezing rain is falling outside, I am painting Santa as he comes upon the beautiful Christmas tree.  I had so much fun painting  yesterday - my first ever Santa - I wanted to jump in and another!  Choosing instead a vintage mood for this one, I started with the lights.  When going with the glow of the lights, I find it easiest to mark out all the light areas before starting on the darks.  From those two, I then work into the mid tones, keeping the highlights warm and the shadows cool.  A friend suggested I paint Santa the first week of December, and now that I've tried it - I may just paint them every day until Christmas!  Well, I guess it is time to start on the cookies for tomorrow - our first Christmas dinner of the week is at my Aunt Diana's house, and I'm hoping we keep those snow totals down overnight!  Painting number 349 in 349 days - only four days left until Christmas!!

Tea for Santa

Tea for Santa
Oil on panel, 5x5
for "Tea Party for Tracy"

There is a fun website called Paint Party Friday, that I found last year where artists post their favorite work of the week.  Then, the artists hop from url to url seeing what everyone has been up to.  Super fun!  One of those artists has a wonderful sense of humor, is very talented, and known for the tea cups she paints.  She has kept up her painting and that humor through her breast cancer diagnosis and chemo.  Today, Paint Party Friday is hosting a tea party for Tracey Fletcher King, asking the artists to contribute a painting in the "tea cup" theme.  So, mine is Santa, taking a break from gift giving with a hot mug of tea.  Wishing Tracey all the best for Christmas and the New Year!!  Painting number 348 in as many days.

Santa Over the Chrysler Building - miniature

Santa Over the Chrysler Building
Santa Whimsey Series #4
Acrylic on canvas, 2.5 x 3.5 inches
sold

Oh, what a day!  Today, my parents and I went down to see the Holiday Train Express at Union Station with Tiffany's family and her friend Candice, and her family.  The kids loved it!  Union Station is absolutely beautiful this time of year!  In fact, I plan the paint the giant tree in the main hall, surrounded by family members (tiny next to the tree) one day soon!  The boys LOVE trains - and they were so excited by everything, we could hardly keep track of the 4 year old!  After lunch at Fritz's - where the meals are delivered by trains that run along the top of the walls, we dropped the boys off and headed out for some shopping.  Since freezing rain is expected tomorrow, and snow the next day, we had to make the most of the 60 degree day!  I have just arrived home, grabbed a bite to eat, and am now hoping to post this before midnight!  This special painting is for an old friend from school, who requested this favorite building with Santa for a loved one.  This makes painting number 347 in as many days.  My children are hoping for freezing rain tomorrow - so they will be able to miss school!

Stream through the Snow

Stream through the Snow
acrylic on canvas, 2.5 x 2.5 inches with easel
sold

It is a little strange to write a post where the image on the screen is so much larger than the original!  This painting is only 2.5 x 2.5 inches square - which is very small!  When displayed on my screen, the large size makes me see areas I really should work on - but alas, I don't feel that way when looking at the real deal!  I used photo reference taken while in Colorado to paint this scene.  It was somewhere along Wolf Creek Pass, where the landscapes were endless and the beauty extreme.  So many landscapes....how will I ever get them all painted?  Painting number 346 in 346 days.  There is another "30 day challenge" coming in January just like the one that got me started on the 346........this whole daily painting habit is old hat now :)

Church on a Winter's Night - miniature

Church on a Winter's Night
acrylic on panel, 2.5 x 2.5 inch
sold

This day has been so full it is bursting at the seams!  Our Tri-County Art League Christmas lunch was today, and I had our annual class party tonight at my house - full of good food, good wine and so many gifts for all!  After SO much celebrating today - I am ready to hit the sack!  This is one of the miniatures I have been painting lately - only this one is in a square format.  I have taken lots of reference photos , and it takes a little digging to find just what I want.  We have so many charming old churches in rural Missouri - I decided to choose this for my subject matter today.  Painting number 345 in 345 days.  Now, I am ready for a long winter's nap!

Stream through the Snow - miniature

Stream through the Snow
Acrylic on canvas, 2.5 x 3.5 inches
sold

The holidays are such a wonderful time for telling all those around you just how much they mean.  I spend hours writing out Christmas cards to loved ones, sharing special memories, and telling each one exactly how special they are to me.  The very act calls up so many memories of good times long past, some of those special people no longer on this earth.  Among my very favorites is my Grandma Frank - my mother's mom.  Of all my extended family members, I always felt closest to her.  We have like personalities - she was always so positive about everything.  She was never without a warm smile on her face, radiating love wherever she went.  For 20 years after her passing, her name would come up, and sometimes complete strangers would tell me what a wonderful woman she was.  That is quite a testimony of a life well lived.  I can only hope to touch so many lives in such a positive way.  With much love to all of my family and friends, this is painting number 354 in as many days :)

Plaza Lights on Nichols Road

Plaza Lights on Nichols Road
Oil on panel, 4x6

Starting my day with breakfast with family, my son and I then ran a few errands.  I had a small window of time to paint two miniatures - finally!  Next, a little shopping with my mom, followed by visiting in the kitchen for hours. While visiting, I brought down my paints and miniature panels - and finished three small canvases during our conversation!  I have two parties tomorrow - and will worry about the food prep in the morning!  Painting number 344 in 344 days :)

Tiny Cardinal in the Tree - miniature

Tiny Cardinal in the Tree
Acrylic on canvas - 2x3 with easel
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show
sold

What a wonderful and busy weekend!  My cousin married the love of his life last night at the Stone Church in Springfield.  An amazing venue - I longed for my paints as we arrived after sunset, with 5 inches of snow on the ground, and the lights glowing from the windows.  I did not have them.  I will have to attempt that painting from memory, when I have time to put it to canvas.  Being out of town for the weekend puts me behind on everything!  Arriving home tonight to one son back from the Air Force - yay! - and my parents following me from the wedding, I had a house full of family until just now! I have been swimming in family time all weekend!  It was so fun to sit around sharing stories with my cousins, aunts, uncle and parents - it was hard to pull myself away!  What an amazing family I have been blessed with!  Sooooo, now I need to be a painting machine to get finished all I want to do, all while keeping everyone entertained!  Wish me luck!  Painting number 343 in 343 days :)

Santa Over the Plaza

Santa Over the Plaza
Oil on panel, 4x6
sold

Just a quick, whimsical piece for today!  Santa is flying over the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City in this small painting!  Some days, it just feels good to play in the paints a little and do something fun!  It is a busy day, as one of my cousins marries the love of his live!  Looking forward to a lot of extended family time this weekend!  Painting number 342 in 342 days - I wonder where Santa will be spotted next......

Ice Skaters at Sunset

Ice Skaters at Sunset
Oil on panel, 5x5

The freezing rain and icy roads this morning inspired me to paint these little ice skaters on the pond!  I love these days when I can't get out - because it means I can dig in and really get some painting done!  Or, so I thought.  I had a competition to enter, deciding what to enter, getting images and doing the paperwork took me the same time I could actually paint a whole painting in.  And then, there were the Christmas cards calling my name........so I wrote and wrote until I had a good stack finished.  After numerous other chores, I am finally posting today's painting....the only one I was able to get to today - although two others are sketched out and waiting for me.  It is going to be a very busy weekend!  Painting number 341 in 341 days :)

Building the Snowman

Building the Snowman
Oil on panel, 5x5

This was actually a day where I had trouble getting motivated to paint.  It almost never happens to me.  I have so many "must do" items on my list, that I felt rushed from the moment my feet hit the floor!  After painting easels and priming panels, I pulled myself to the easel.  My panels were not yet dry for the multiple things I wanted to paint, so I started from scratch.  I have been wanting to paint the kids building a snowman for years, and just today have done that - on a small 5x5 inch scale!  Once I got it started - I was really into it!  Sometimes, the hardest part is just showing up at the easel!  Painting number 340 in as many days.  Now - I must get ready for dinner and a Christmas show with the girls tonight!

Across the Lake

Across the Lake
Oil on panel, 11x14
sold

Taking a step back in time, to a warmer day by the lake - instead of the very cold days we have experienced this week!  This one is for a friend of mine - it is a special place dear to her daughter.  I feel like this kind of landscape gets me back to my roots and the plein air experience.  As of late, I have been doing many pieces that are whimsical, or with the Christmas season in mind - but this one brings me close to the earth and the beauty that surrounds us all.  I stopped this one right before leaving on a couple of gallery runs.  I thought it was finished, but now see another area I want to push a little more paint into.  I will get that done in the morning, when I have natural light to work by. At the late stages of a painting, I find it really necessary to use natural light to see just what I really have on the panel.  I may find that a painting finished at night is a different color in the morning! This is painting number 339 in 339 days.  I hope to start work on the next batch of miniatures in the

Miniature Cardinal

Miniature Cardinal
Acrylic on canvas, 3x2 with easel
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show - sold

Painting in this miniature size is so much fun!  On these busy days, I have been working on much larger pieces between the little ones - and these small ones are like taking a vacation!  It is like a sweet escape in the midst of lots of work - truly a joy.  I bought supplies for nine more this afternoon, and will have to prime them all and paint the easels tomorrow - before ever laying down the first strokes.  Now, I must get to writing my Christmas cards.  I love to send out long, personal messages in each one, so it takes me forever to get them all written!  But, the rewards are endless, because each family knows just how special they are to me - which is priceless.  Seize the day!  Painting number 338 in as many days :)

Santa Over Kansas City

Santa Over Kansas City
Acrylic on panel, 5x5
Santa Whimsy Series - Number 2

Today finds me working on commissions, finishing odd jobs, and getting playful with the paints!  Santa and his tiny reindeer are flying over the Kansas City Skyline in this whimsical little painting.  These little Santa paintings are SO much fun!  I envision him flying over  Paris, Rome, the Country Club Plaza, and even my home in the country!  So many ideas.....so little time!  I am now several paintings ahead, which should free me up for those things I MUST do in the next few days.  After working on miniatures, the large panels looming ahead of me are quite daunting - oh well, the best way is to just jump in with both feet forward!  Painting number 337 in 337 days :)

Poinsettia - miniature

Poinsettia - miniature
Acrylic on canvas, 2x3" with easel
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show

I have been getting quite a bit of painting in over the last few days - and I am ahead in my work!  What a great feeling!  I have 5 days left to finish the bulk of my work, before company starts to descend.  Today was quite pleasurable, as I painted while watching sappy Christmas movies!  So fun!  My youngest son likes this one the best of my latest miniatures - because it "looks like fire"!  Using acrylic with this one - I am really enjoying these tiny little canvases.  On busy days, they are a quick fix for my rather extreme painting habit, and if in the zone - I can simply go from one painting to the next!  Its a funny thing, but I have SO many Christmas paintings already in my head - and I'm sure there will not be enough days to paint and post them all before the holidays close.  I will never run out of subjects, because I come up with so many more than I could ever paint!  Painting number 336 in 336 days :)

Christmas on the Plaza

Christmas on the Plaza
Oil on panel, 4x6 - sold

One of my favorite parts of Christmastime is seeing the lights down on the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City.  Everywhere you look, thousands of lights twinkle around the buildings - the beautiful architecture makes this evening light display spectacular.  We try to shop the plaza a few times while the lights are up, and always I am taking photos!  This one is from a shopping trip with my parents and youngest daughter, looking northwest from outside Forever 21.  I returned to my oils today - and oh the paints felt so creamy - going on just like butter with my brushes!  This is a new size for me as well - 4x6 inches.  Small - as my painting time is short, and because I found a few frames this size that would be nice for these little gems.  This is my final week to be completely ready for Christmas, as my family will be coming in on Sunday.  I try to have all things ready, so I can really enjoy our time together once they are here.  Painting number 335 in 335 days.......I think I will paint several of these before I move on to another subject.  Or, I may just bounce back and forth between all my Christmas subjects :)

Barns in Winter - miniature

Barns in Winter - miniature
acrylic on canvas, 2x3
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show

Well, here it is, another late night and I am just now getting around to posting.  This little winter barn landscape is like so many I saw through Ohio and Indiana last winter, and painted on a 2x3 inch canvas with acrylics.  I have not yet tried the oils on these miniatures - only because I need them dry in a hurry, which oils do not do!  I think it may just be easier to maneuver the thin acrylics on such a small surface.  Oils are so buttery, it may make them very hard to use, since I don't add any mediums.  This is painting number 334 in as many days and is still available at GOT Art Gallery on 3rd St. in Lee's Summit, MO :)

Santa's Ride - miniature

Santa's Ride - miniature
acrylic on canvas with easel, 2x3
sold

After baking 96 cookies for tonight's Cookie Walk and reception in downtown Lee's Summit, I headed over to the gallery on this very brisk night.  Braving the 16 degree cold, so many visitors popped in tonight for a little art and red velvet white chocolate chip cookies!  It was so fun to see everyone and catch up with old friends!  This little painting was among the sales, so I wanted to get it posted tonight for others to see.  It is a more whimsical than my norm - and super fun to paint!   This little gem was my first jump back into acrylics in quite a while.  Feeling playful with this tiny canvas, I envisioned Santa's sleigh and tiny reindeer wrapping up as if to circle the moon.  Using rather fanciful strokes and dropping in the color sporadically, I was able to spontaneously paint this little bit of whimsy by the lake.  It is fun to pull a painting out of my head once in a while - instead of working en plein air.  Santa is quick - and I'm afraid I'd have a hard time capturing him with paint during the night of Christmas Eve!  Painting number 333 in 333 days :)

Cardinal in the Pine

Cardinal in the Pines
Acrylic on canvas - gallery wrapped, 4x4
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show

I now have over 30 paintings showing at Got Art Gallery on 3rd St. in Lee's Summit, MO.  After setting these up today for a speical holiday "trunk sale", and a wonderful Christmas party for our Summit Art group, I am finally home to post what I had painted very early this morning.  This is one of the many cardinals that visit my feeders, flying from branch to branch.  The feeders are right outside my kitchen window, which is a wide bay - giving me the perfect spot to paint the great outdoors from the comfort of my home!  I am working in acrylics for the second day in a row, because this was one to be delivered today!  It was much easier to move into the groove of this medium today than it was yesterday.  It was even fun - I always loved a challenge!  Painting number 332 in as many days - come see me tomorrow night at the gallery 5:00-9:00 :)

Nostalgic Tree - miniature

Nostalgic Tree - miniature
Acrylic on canvas, 2x3"
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show

At Christmas time, I have a tree in every room, even tiny lit ones in the bathrooms.  The season is now upon me, and I am slowly getting the house decorated.  We almost always do this on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, but this year we had a family celebration at my Aunt Diana's house, so decorating was delayed a bit.  I have never painted a Christmas tree, and thought the dark of night would let the lights glow.  Today, I am painting miniatures - only 2 inches by 3 inches!  I haven't used acrylic paint for completing a painting in over a year, and when I picked them back up tonight, I had to work at them!  I wanted to lay them on thick, they did not comply.  I wanted to blend one into another, and they only did that when the first layer was still wet.  Since I need them dry by tomorrow, I had to use what would dry in a day.  My large brushes simply would not do when working in this size, so I had to dig around until I found a couple of tiny ones (which was easy, as I am a brush hoarder and will never run out of them).  Painting number 331 in as many days.

Cardinals on the Branch

Cardinals on the Branch
Oil on panel, 6x6
GOT Art Gallery Holiday Trunk Show

As I put this composition together, I really wanted to show the "conversations" birds seem to share while I watch them from the window.  Being very social, they constantly look at each other with purpose, expressing themselves with their faces and body language.  We do not have any snow, in fact it has been absolutely beautiful here - close to 60 today - so, I have used my artistic license to dress the branches lightly with a little white.  With so much on my plate as of late, I must now start giving up sleep to finish all of my work.  It happens every year about this time, and it is a good thing I have never needed much sleep!  Painting number 330 in 330 days :)

Cardinal at Rest

Cardinal at Rest
Oil on wood panel, 6x6

I don't think I've painted a bird since January!  I really do enjoy everything about them - their song, the flitting from branch to branch, and their graceful movements.  Each year, cardinals nest in a giant old Seven Sisters rose bush, raising their babies, and bringing them to the feeders outside my kitchen window.  They are so striking in the winter landscape with their crimson feathers.  I must now get back to framing, them to start on my cards before heading over to our oldest daughter's house for yet another holiday get-together.  I have been itching to paint a couple of large winter landscapes for my own walls for the season, but I just don't know when I am going to get that squeezed in.  Painting number 329 in 329 days :)