Robin in the Pear Tree

Robin in the Pear Tree
Oil on wood panel, 10x8
purchase here

The flowering pear outside of my bedroom window is bursting with delicate white blooms!  Spring has really arrived when the robins start looking for nesting spots!  Last year, they nested in the mulberry tree - I hope they will return to the same location!  Today, my chosen blue is prussian - it makes this wonderful warm blue sky. Transparent red oxide is just right for the robin, and my thickest white paint for the palette knife work is the best - if only my radiant white from Gamblin had arrived......it would be perfect for this painting! I think I'll top it off for the brightest highlights on the petals when it does come in.  This painting makes 822 in 822 days :)

Spring Along the Avenue

Spring Along the Avenue
Oil on unstretched canvas, 6x4
4/100, The {100} Artists - auction bid here

My first chance to get to my easel was late today.  Teaching two classes, boxing and shipping out two paintings, and the regular daily housework tied me up all day.  So, the easiest option would have been to choose a really comfortable subject, and let the paint flow naturally.......Nope!  Instead, I went with another painting in The {100} Artists theme, with substrate I am going to make myself like, a size so small as to make any building scene difficult, and of course a subject I want to push myself to excel in!  Crazy!  I rarely take the easy road when I could learn something instead.  Go figure. Painting number 821 in 821 days.

Spring Comes to Hodgson Mill

Spring Comes to Hodgson Mill
Oil on unstretched canvas, 6x4
3/100 - The {100} Artists - auction bid here

This historic water mill was first built in 1837 down in the Ozarks by Alva Hodgson.  I love painting these historic places, and it makes perfect subject matter for my {100} Artist series.  Before I started this painting, I took my palette knife and skimmed the surface with light molding paste.  It helped fill in some of the weave of the canvas, and allowed my paints to glide over the surface more effectively.  I did commit all 100 paintings to this substrate, so I am going to find ways to love it! This small step helped a LOT, and still left some tooth for interest. This is painting number 820 in 820 days.

In the Magnolia

In the Magnolia
Oil on panel, 5x7
auction - bid here

I simply LOVE magnolias.  Big, showy blooms, dramatic color in the landscape, and what a fabulous painting subject!  My children bought this magnolia tree for me one year for Mother's Day, and is just starting to bloom.  It is a slow grower, so it is only a little taller than I am, but each year it gets bigger and fuller.  I don't remember ever painting these blooms before.  It seems like it comes into full bloom when plein air painting is kicking into high gear, and I have missed the opportunity the last couple of years.  I will be taking full advantage this year!  I hope to paint some larger pieces while they are still in their glory.  I primed some panels yesterday and the day before, and I mixed up rather a bright color of orange yellow for the wash.  Its a little wild, but I thought I'd just try it out.  It worked out fine, and added a warm undertone to all the colors.  I painted in the lightest lights and then the darkest darks, and blocked in all the rest from there with a large bristle brush.  I did use a smaller flat on the chickadee.  Most of my brushes are flats, until I scrub them into filberts - and I like a stiffer brush to really move that thick paint around. Since I don't use mediums, I truly need a strong brush.  I always use my palette knife on branches, pulling the paint one way or the other to follow the natural shape.  This painting makes number 819 in 819 days.

Cardinal in the Forsythia

Cardinal in the Forsythia
Oil on panel, 7x5
auction - bid here

Feeling a bit under the weather today, I slip back into my comfort zone to paint something cheerful from the yard.  The forsythias are now in full bloom, and their radiance in the sunlight is spectacular.  We have an abundance of cardinals around here, as they nest in the largest rose bush each year.  I brushed in the background first, thinking I would palette knife the other parts into this background.  But, as I worked, I wanted to let the brushstrokes speak for the feathers, and let the knife cut in the branch and foliage. It feels more dimensional this way. This is painting number 818 in 818 days :)

Red Shutters

Red Shutters
Oil on unstretched canvas, 6x4
2/100 - The {100} Artists
auction - bid here

This is my 2nd of 100 paintings in the "buildings" theme for "The {100} Artists.  Working very small, I was careful today to paint on the gessoed side of the canvas.  I did not do that yesterday - and that canvas soaked up my paint like a sponge, making every stroke much harder than it should be!  It is very challenging using my large knife on such a tiny substrate, I must see if I can get smaller knives for this work.  I will let this one rest for today, and look with fresh eyes in the morning - I think it is calling for some cooler tones in the upper left corner.....painting number 817 in 817 days.

Barn in Spring

Barn in Spring
Oil on unstretched canvas, 6x4

I have accepted the {100} Artist challenge, and this is my 1/100.  In this group, I must choose one small size - 6x4, one substrate - canvas, one subject - buildings, and one material - oils.  I must use this criteria for all 100 paintings.  I choose the subject based on what I most want to improve in my artwork.  I choose unstretched canvas because it is challenging for me to work on - especially at this size.  I choose oils because I want to improve my use of oils on buildings.  The size must be less than 8x8, and I choose 6x4 because I am crazy!  By the end of these 100 paintings, I want my buildings to absolutely shine! Painting number 816 in 816 days.

The Pleasure of Poppies

The Pleasure of Poppies
Oil on panel, 5x7
auction - bid here

I love the drama of red - red poppies, red roses, red anything!  Using my palette knife, I have added a stucco feel to the background by adding color on top of color with the long flat edge, barely skimming the surface.  For the reds of the petals, I have mainly used cad red light, with alizarin crimson and even burnt umber in the shadows.  Pulling the highlights from edge to base, I've used caucasian skin, cad yellow light, naples yellow and white.  I think I mixed a little cad orange in, too.  Cad orange is one of those colors that is a "must have" on my palette. It adds energy to a painting, even in the slightest amounts.  Not wanting to take the time to reload my greenish umber, I mixed my dark greens with cad yellow and black, which makes a rich, warm green pushing towards the olive.  The paint is rather thick today, I was really in the mood for texture!  It can be so rewarding to pull that paint on with a knife.  But practice makes perfect - the palette knife was very unnatural for me at first.  It took a lot of strokes before it felt natural, and a different knife will yield different results each time.  It is so important to know your tools - and get lots of painting in.  Each painting just gets more and more fun to paint! Painting number 815 in 815 days.

Chickadee in the Forsythia

Chickadee in the Forsythia
Oil on panel, 6x8
purchase here

My forsythia are out in full force today!  I love the brilliant yellow blooms - and I have transplanted them all over the place - by the barn, three different places in the main yard, and soon to randomly placed in the pasture for the best impact to future landscape paintings!  I have a bucket full of tiger lilies that also need to be placed in new locations before we get that hard freeze on Friday, too.  Perhaps I'll get that done tomorrow.  This painting was so much fun to work on today!  It also has a secret behind it - a snowy landscape with a winding path - never to be seen again!  Some of those colors are popping through here and there to tell their tale.  Pushing the sky towards the violet creates a perfect backdrop for the yellows to shine.  Starting first with cad yellow light, I brush into the sky so that some of those strokes are softened and lost.  I then pushed in a little cad green in a few spots for balance.  Taking my knife, I cut in Gamblin's radiant yellow for highlights that almost pop right off the panel.  The chickadees have been flying back and forth to the feeders, allowing me plenty of time to capture their image with brush and knife.  I wish I had a little of the radiant white to try on this bird, but alas this is a color I have not yet acquired! Painting number 814 in 814 days :)

Yellow Pansies

Yellow Pansies
Oil on hardboard panel, 7x5
auction - bid here

It is so wonderful to actually be painting spring!  This cheerful kind of pansy is my absolute favorite of them all!  So far, my giant puppy is leaving all of my blooms alone - even the pansies!  It is nothing short of a miracle!  For this painting, I brushed in the block in, getting all values and colors where I wanted them.  Next, I moved to my favorite palette knife, and started dragging paint over the base color lightly, without disturbing the layer below.  I almost always paint wet into wet, and if the layers are pressed or brushed too hard into the existing layer, then a muddy mix will follow.  Painting number 813 in 813 days :)

A Dream of Poppies

A Dream of Poppies
Oil on unstretched canvas, 4x6
auction - bid here

What a gorgeous day this has been!  My day has been so full that I could not get out to paint from life - though I have new forsythia starting to bloom, and I can hardly wait to get to it!  My forsythia paintings of last year met an untimely demise when our red lab puppy escaped from his kennel and licked ALL of the cad yellow paint from both surfaces!  I meant to go pack and repair the damage, but I never did get to it.  Perhaps I will fix them this year with fresh inspiration!  Feeling like painting in the red again - I have picked up brush and knife to express the glory of these poppies.  The baby plants are just now up in my flower beds, and I am planning to move some of the starts into new areas.  There bloom time is short, but their papery petals are amazing - and worth all the effort of getting them established.  It took me several different attempts to get these babies to grow and multiply, but now that they are - I am set!  For the loosely stroked highlight edges, I have used a worn and frazzled bristle brush.  Loading with paint, I pull it lightly from edge of petal toward base, lifting up as I progress.  This defines the edge as light would hit it, and gives it a wonderful texture, too. This is painting number 812 in 812 days.

First White Crocus

First White Crocus
Oil on unstretched canvas, 6x4
auction - bid here

This week has almost been a journal of my garden!  With a new flower popping into bloom nearly every day - I have been drawn to capturing their opening buds in oils!  These white crocus were planted decades ago, and each year they spring forth without fail.  I intended to lay these in with my brush, and then do most of the work with the palette knife. With the painting well under way, I continued with the brush - not wanting to abandon the soft strokes.  I then went to the knife for the edge work and that last pop of highlight.  Now, it is time for a break!  Painting number 811 in 811 days :)

To the Barn

To the Barn
Oil on wood panel, 7x5
auction - bid here

Some days are so hectic, that by the time I make it to my easel - I REALLY need my painting fix!  I had sketched this one out a while ago, and then I switched gears to another theme.  It was a treat to return to this, the composition and sketch already complete.  It left me to mindlessly paint with brush and palette knife and oils.  When there are no distractions between me and the panel, I can quickly lay in that paint - almost as if the oils just roll of the brush!  I wish it weren't so late, I would go right on painting.  But alas, its been a very long day and I have another one ahead of me tomorrow.  Painting number 810 in 810 days.

Daffodil Pair in Palette Knife

Daffodil Pair in Palette Knife
Oil on canvas, 6x4
auction - bid here

Loose and free are the strokes in this painting - just like the daffodils tossed by the wind today!  Sometimes a mood strikes me - and I just want to explore a certain aspect of painting.  The palette knife has been drawing me in these recent days, and I love manipulating the knife to create the different planes of this painting.  The knife can add a very hard, raised edge to a petal or pull out and obscure background foliage - only hinting at the masses.  I've used quite a bit of Gamblin's Radiant Yellow here - it is the strongest, most opaque yellow on the daffodils.  Painting number 809 in 809 days.

Clouds Over Winter Road

Clouds Over Winter Road
Oil on hardboard panel, 7x5

I'm SO glad I was able to get this painted ahead of time, when we still had snow on the ground! I like to stay two or three paintings ahead, allowing me a little wiggle room when life gets SUPER busy. While a beautiful blanket of snow was still on the ground, I captured a cloud show in the sky.  With clouds still heavy from the freezing rain overnight, it was a bit challenging to capture all of the nuances of the gentle color changes within each cloud.  I start by laying in the predominate colors, followed by the shadow colors.  Next, I brush in the peach and pale yellow tones, then finish each cloud with the thick highlight color.  By doing this, it gives those clouds a 3D feel, as if they are pushing forward.  I've also used my knife to "pull" that snow from the edge of the road, so you can feel the depth of the snow and "pop" those highlights.  This is painting number 808 in 808 days.

Palette Knife Daffodils

Palette Knife Daffodils
Oil on canvas, 6x6

I had so much fun playing with the palette knife yesterday, that I decided to start another!  I had the bulk of this one painted yesterday - and thank goodness I did!  I have been on the run since early this morning, and have only now returned home to get my painting posted!  The first layer is brushed on in rather a smooth way, allowing it to recede into the background with soft strokes. Using thick paint and my favorite palette knife for the final layer, I manipulate that knife to add depth and texture to foliage and petals. These daffodils happen to be miniatures I had on the kitchen table as a centerpiece years ago.  I then transplanted them outdoors, and they have been multiplying and gracing the front flower bed ever since.  This painting is number 807 in 807 days.

Palette Knife Crocus

Palette Knife Crocus
Oil on panel, 7x5
original sold - print available

Surprise!  Palette knife craziness going on!  Sometimes, a wild and crazy notion just takes hold under my skin - and I have to bust out and let it have it's way!  That is exactly what is happening this afternoon!  While waiting for my husband to bring home some more mulch - I am using this time wisely to express my new blooms with my favorite palette knife.  As with every time I start experimenting, the first strokes are awkward and unnatural.  But, each stroke becomes easier, and the way to manipulate the knife more clear.  This one is painted on a smooth surface, but I am headed now for the canvas!  Painting number 806 in 806 days :)

Sailing Serenade

Sailing Serenade
Oil on hardboard panel, 7x5
original sold - print available here

After a day full of the gym, painting class, hours of yard work, and relaxing on the balcony with a hard lemonade - I come to my easel late!  Choosing a seascape with some of my photo reference, I am painting small with brush and palette knife.  I begin by negatively painting the sky, then I drop in the cloud colors.  Gently mingling between the two with a soft sable brush, I then go in with the palette knife for some thick, juicy paint.  I treat the water in a similar fashion by painting in first with the brush, and then laying thick color on with the edge of my knife, creating a little wave action with the stroke.  This is painting number 805 in 805 days :)

Clouds Over the Farm

Clouds Over the Farm
Oil on panel, 7x5

When I start a painting like this one, I sketch it out first with a pastel stick, even marking the position of the clouds.  In this case, my panel is primed a pale yellow - which is a good color behind the clouds.  I can leave as much of this color showing as I want - which I couldn't do if it was a pumpkin orange.  When I start painting the sky, I do so by negatively painting the clouds.  Laying in all of the background color before the first cloud shade is applied.  I find that my clouds are so much more realistic when painted this way.  Finally, I make sure the color harmonizes between sky and field.  Painting number 804 in 804 days.

Purple Face Pansies

Purple Face Pansies
oil on panel, 7x5
original sold - print available here

Last week we had snow, and this week we have pansies!  The weather has been so unseasonably warm that I just can't help being outside!  Spending hours in the garden each day, trying to get all the beds ready for spring - these flowers are the first to be planted this year.  Last year, our red lab puppy bit the heads off of many, many flowers in the beds. Now, a year old, I am hoping he will be less interested in my precious blooms.  So, I have planted six small plants to "test the waters", and I have memorialized them in paint, in the event they meet an untimely demise!  Painting number 803 in 803 days :)

First Blooms of March

First Blooms of March
Oil on panel, 7x5
auction - bid here

Another beautiful, warm day means another day of yard work! You know the old saying, "make hay while the sun shines"!  These purple crocus greeted me with their bright and shining faces - the very first blooms of the season!  Spring must surely be here - and with weather in the 70's, who can argue but the calendar?  My grandma planted this old fashioned variety decades ago, and each year her flowers remind me of her warm and gentle spirit.  She was always so optimistic - with a smile and a hug each time I saw her.  I don't think we ever stop missing those we love.  This painting is number 802 in 802 days.

Porch Kitty

Porch Kitty
Oil on panel, 10x7
purchase here

This kitty lazily basked in the sun on the porch today, watching me as I worked in the front flower beds.  I cleaned those beds for hours, and there is still so much left to do.  The mulch that I picked up after the gym this morning, had been wet and was still partially frozen inside - so you can imagine how heavy they were!  It was all I could do to lift them out of my trunk - and my lab helped, biting holes in them as I struggled!  He made sure they were all "open" for me to spread over the exposed dirt!  Crocus, daffodils, jonquils, tulips, hyacinth, and even the garden phlox are all pushing out of the ground now!  Painting number 801 in 801 days.

Palette Knife Poppies

Palette Knife Poppies
Oil on panel, 5x7
original sold - print available here

Surprise!  Today I am getting crazy with the palette knife!  Mondays are always busy for me!  After starting the day at the gym, I then teach a morning porcelain class and an afternoon painting class.  Then comes my very small painting window, just before rushing off to pick Michael up from baseball practice.  Right after that, we have a meeting at the high school for baseball - fund-raising, I think.  SO, coming quickly to my easel, I select a small substrate - only 5x7 inches.  I quickly block in the masses with rather thick paint, and start defining the planes with my palette knife - yes, my plastic one.  Of all the wonderful metal knives I have, I still like the pliable nature of the plastic, and I prefer it.  I know it sounds crazy, but it is one of those little preferences that does not seem to change.  New on the palette today - Gamblin's Radiant Yellow.  What I like most about this color is how opaque it is!  It will truly sit right on top of a petal for that pop of color.  This is painting number 800 in 800 days!!  Hooray!  I will have to have a nice glass of wine - when I return from the baseball meeting!

Poetic Poppies

Poetic Poppies
Oil on wood panel, 5x7
auction - bid here

So much of painting begins with a feeling.  This morning, the brush strokes rolled off the brush in soft, gentle waves.  With a very busy day ahead - full of family, cooking and cleaning, I needed a little quiet time to myself - to express.  Choosing a small size (as time is of the essence) I first look inside myself to see what I FEEL like painting.  I just painted poppies yesterday, bright, happy, cheerful blooms.  Today, feeling more withdrawn, I am looking for calm, gentle and delicate.  So, I am using the same subject matter but handling it in a more subdued way.  There is quite a bit of texture here, as I have used the palette knife throughout to push and pull the paint at my whim.  The palette is cooler and softer, and the composition is more airy than yesterday's poppies.  I think I will call this one done.  We are having Mike's birthday gathering today, so this little bit of painting time is my therapeutic "art fix" before jumping into the chaos.  It is simply relaxing to pull from within and create, and then go forth and pull together a family dinner.  It is like yoga with brushes and oils!  Where would I be without art?  Probably a loony bin.  Painting number 799 in 799 days - wowza, tomorrow makes 800!

A Passion for Poppies

A Passion for Poppies
Oil on panel, 7x5
sold

As I sketched this small painting out, this little excitement within me began to grow.  I composed this one in my mind, and with each stroke - I knew I was going to love it!  Its amazing how my recent petal work has helped to improve all of my florals!  The trick of pulling a stiff bristle brush from tip towards base with the highlight color worked beautifully here - really adding to the depth of the poppies!  The cool background sets the warm reds and yellow of the petals off - and the cool alizarin and reflective blues on those same petals balance out the painting.  I will definitely paint this one in a much larger format! Painting number 798 in 798 days!

Late Winter Glow

Late Winter Glow
Oil on panel, 10x8

This painting has a secret - it started life as a different winter landscape.  The first one was painted with Genesis heat-set oils, and the paint was thin.  It was one that I was never really happy with, so when looking for substrates tonight (as I have still not primed my panels) I pulled it out.  Since it was also a winter landscape, many of the colors work well for this layer.  Part of the creek follows the same line and the glow of sky and water are from the original.  There was a time when I heavily textured my panels - and this can easily be seen here.  It grabs the paint in unpredictable, gritty ways, which is invigorating - especially with the snow.  Lots of texture here, on this painting, number 797 in 797 days.

Snow at the Stream

Snow at the Stream
Oil on wood panel, 6x8

Last weekend, we had such a beautiful blanket of snow on the ground!  This stream is very close, and I have taken many photos of it in all kinds of weather.  It is ever changing!  The skies were very thick with clouds, creating a wonderfully dark, moody atmosphere, with just the hint of morning in the background.  Do you remember the thin titanium Liquitex paint that I recently squirted out on my palette - and did not like at all?  Well, this painting was he perfect application for this paint.  Still on my palette, I found it so pliable with my brush for the chunky foreground.  With it's thin texture, it did not even try to pick up any of the paint already applied.  Ultramarine violet and burnt umber toned my Gamblin greys - which I used heavily in this landscape.  That white was so easily moved around with the palette knife, it was the only one I used int he finish work - although my thicker ones were used for blocking in the masses where I needed the paint to behave as it should.  My favorite white?  Winsor Newton's artist color titanium white.  I love the pigment in this one white better than all others I have tried - and it is time for me to order some more!  My number two pick?  Probably Utrecht's titanium white.  This is painting number 796 in 796 days.  Looks like we are headed for warm, sunny days, so these winter landscape opportunities may be coming to an end.

Rose Rhapsody

Rose Rhapsody
Oil on canvas, 6x9
purchase here

This is one of the paintings I finished on Sunday - and today's super busy day is the perfect time to post it!  I am coming to my easel late, so I will be able to work in peace knowing that I don't have to rush to post.  With these roses, I am working on finding a rhythm to the petals.  By marking the lights and darks first, I am able to connect those areas in a way that makes sense with the flow of each petal.  For the last strokes of highlight on each petal, I am using a rough, stiff, wide bristle brush - and just pulling it lightly over the existing paint, in the direction the petal goes.  Sometimes, I use the palette knife here, but if you see brush strokes - it is the brush.  I am bumping up the color a bit here from the earlier painting, popping the yellows and greens a little, adding to the energy of the piece.  The blue of the sky is very light, blending to white in the center - and the edge of rose is softened to reduce the look of being cut out and applied.  There are so many soft edges with foliage and petals.  All you have to do is squint when you look at your subject - the hard lines will stick out, but all others will soften.  The reds in this painting are cad red light and alizarin crimson - two staples always on my palette.  Of course, they are mixed with various other colors on the canvas, as I seldom premix on the palette.  I push them towards the blue with either ultramarine violet or ultramarine blue, and warm them up with the cad yellows.  Painting number 795 in 795 days - now back to my landscape!

Glorious Sky

Glorious Sky
Oil on masonite panel, 10x8
purchase here

Taking a break today to explore some of the beautiful color variations in the sky.  When I primed this panel - and 15 others, I brushed on the first layer of gesso, an acrylic tint, a little acrylic sealer, and some pumice for texture.  I normally go over this with a mix of acrylic color with acrylic gel glass medium.  This layer seals the first layer, allowing my oils to flow easily over the surface.  Well, I have not yet done that, but had no other 10x8's - so I painted on this first coat.  It is grabbing at my brushes - and wearing them right down to nubs!  I must finish priming them before I paint on another one - or I will soon be replacing my bristle brushes - which are my workhorses for painting!  Painting number 794 in 794 days :)

Red Trio

Red Trio
Oil on canvas, 6x9 - purchase here

Yesterday, I was wonderfully productive on the painting front.  Today, I have been thoroughly busy getting the house back in order, teaching a painting class, and trying to finish the laundry before a sorority meeting at 6:30!  Thank goodness for getting paintings done ahead of time - or I would be starting my painting at 10:00 tonight!  This painting is a companion piece for yesterday's post, using a similar color theme.  These flowers offer such a sweet escape from the grey and barren landscape this time of year.  My parents still have 12 inches of snow on the ground - which was already covered when they arrived home from the holidays!  I can't even imagine an endless landscape of snow!  I do like painting it in all of it's shades, but I would soon grow weary of all the overcast, cold days.  When I have been near Lake Erie in the winter, the sun rarely makes an appearance!  So different from the bright sunny days of the midwest - even in winter.  Our temperatures are expected near 60 degrees this weekend - we may be grilling out on Sunday for a change!  Painting number 793 in 793 days - now back to that silly laundry!  Does the family really need dry sheets before bedtime?

Peony Passion

Peony Passion
Oil on canvas, 6x9
purchase here

I have been SO productive today - finishing three paintings for an upcoming project!  Of all I have painted so far in this theme, this is my favorite!  For a change of pace, I mounted canvas on a hard surface - and started on the white gessoed surface.  Normally, I do not like starting on white, nor do I like painting on the toothy texture of canvas, but today - it worked marvelously!  The more of these I paint, the more my brush automatically strokes out the petals, and it truly does get easier with each one.  I have not painted many roses or peonies in such a zoomed in format - and I am finding a methodical rhythm to the petals.  After sketching them out, I mark the lights with a stroke, and the deepest darks with a stroke.  Then I work from the center of the flower out, building each petal by stroking up from the dark shadow and then down from the upper highlight.  When all petals are in, I brush on a top highlight, barely touching the surface of the petal - so as not to disturb the paint underneath.  I work a little of this color into the background for good color harmony, but not enough to pull your eyes away from the main focus - those beautiful blooms!  This one makes painting number 792 in 792 days - and March has roared in like a lion with a blanket of fresh snow :)