The Eyes Have It

Today's painting for the 30/30 challenge is a study in composition and shape.  Again, I started out thinking I would do the entire head of my little Cavalier, Charlie.  But when I laid it out on the 3 x 3 inch canvas, I decided it was just another head shot, and wanted to make it more interesting.  I was intrigued by the way his eye seemed to echo one side of his nose, and how the shape of the red-brown fur around his eye was almost the inverse of the white on his nose and face.  I think my recent interest in Zentangles influenced this piece as well. As I painted, I completely forgot about it being my dog's face and immersed myself in the shapes. Imagine folding the piece in half:  the parts would almost fit over one another. This was a fun piece to paint!

After I warmed up with the daily painting, I moved on to one of my commissions.  Still a lot of fine tuning to do on this one, but here's "Hope."

And you know, it's not too early to be thinking about Christmas...so if you'd like to commission a portrait for that special someone, or as a gift to yourself (hey, why not???), just send me a note! I have gift certificates available, too. I also have a couple of special projects in the works. I'll be posting details soon, so be sure to check back!  

A Basket of Fruit and a Jazzy Zen Cat!

Now I'm two days behind in the September 30/30 challenge, but I'm not giving up!  Unfortunately, I will end up even further (farther?) behind this weekend, as I see no, or very little, painting time until Monday!  Ah well....that's why it's a challenge, right?  So I did this mini-painting while sitting the gallery yesterday.

 And then, instead of painting another daily piece, I ended up playing with Zentangles(r).  I intended to just work with shapes, black and white, etc, but then I saw a photo of this cat and decided to see what I could come up with.  It ended up being the cover of a blank notecard.  I'm calling it "Jazzy Zen Cat." I know, I probably should have done another painting instead of the Zentangle, but this is considered art too!  In fact, I just received a set of Sakura pens and some samples of the Zentangle paper...can't wait to try them out.  So off I go!

Eye on the Prize: PAD #4

Well, for me it's day #4 in the Painting a Day challenge because, as usual, I'm running behind.  Maybe I'll catch up tomorrow...in the meantime, this painting, titled "Eye on the Prize" is in acrylics, on a 3" x 3" canvas. I started out trying to fit the entire horse's head on the canvas, but again, I gradually made the image bigger, focusing more on the horse's eye. I made several attempts to correct the size, but kept making the image bigger, until I finally quit struggling and let the painting go where "it" wanted to.  I actually like this composition, and as I painted, I realized that my recent discovery of Zentangles (R) was playing a role here because I was focusing more on the shapes rather than the horse itself.  Next time, I might even make the shapes more defined, creating a real abstraction.  That, for me, would be wonderful as I have always had difficulty painting abstracts.  I always try to make them look like something.  So we'll see how it goes!  Check back tomorrow!

September Painting a Day Challenge: Day #3

Here's the 3rd in this month's challenge.  I decided to take a break from painting pets...this sort of reminds me of a materials pattern...something you'd make a tablecloth out of maybe?  I'm trying not to rush these little pieces, but when the day is ending and I realize I haven't done the day's challenge....I become very impatient to finish--or start!  But, these daily paintings do offer an opportunity to learn.  By working small, I am having to face my personal issue with space, and having a daily deadline also forces me to choose simpler subjects, sometimes whatever happens to be in front of me, and get right to the important stuff of composition and color.
 One thing I have become aware of is, over the past couple of years, I have moved from large paintings to smaller ones....and I'm wanting to grab a HUGE canvas and really loosen up, with big brushes, large, loose arm movement....so don't be surprised to see a very large painting in the not-too-distant future.

And here's a slightly different subject:  had lunch with a friend of mine a couple of weeks ago and she introduced me to the wonderful world of Zentangles®.  Here is the definition of Zentangles, along with a link to their site:  "The Zentangle® Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. It was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. "Zentangle" is a registered trademark of Zentangle, Inc. Learn more at zentangle.com."

After sharing her beautiful Zentangle-inspired art with me, my friend gifted me with a lovely sketchbook, a couple of gel pens, and several pieces of paper--and I am now in love, and addicted to, the art of Zentangle. Here are a few I created over the past week.They are more Zentangle inspired than official Zentangles, but I am loving this technique.  It's a great way to warm up before tackling a commissioned painting or just to loosen up and get centered.

So...if you are so inclined, visit the Zentangle site and have fun!  And off I go now to paint...and play.

A New Month and a New Challenge

The last time I tried to do a Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge, it was back in January, and I didn't quite make it. Ended up completing about half. I was disappointed in myself for not finishing the challenge, so when I saw another one for September, I decided to jump right in. And then, I started thinking: maybe I'm putting too much pressure on myself. Even working small, painting one piece a day is a lot of work. I've taken on other daily challenges: a photograph a day, a poem a day -- and failed miserably. I'm good for about a week, maybe two, and then I get distracted, or bored, and move on to something else. Maybe it's the long term commitment that scares me, although thirty days is hardly long term. I'm one of those folks who usually works better with a deadline. So why do I fail at these one-a-day challenges?  Beats me, but I have decided that, this time, I'm really going to do it.  YEAH!

BUT....there are some days when I should just stay out of the studio, and today was one of those days.  I decided to paint a seagull from a photo I took when I was back in New York.  Talk about trying to fit a square peg in a round hole! Or should I say, a rectangle in a square.  You'd think, with all my artistic experience, that space and placement wouldn't be a big deal for me any longer. Wrong!  I really am spatially challenged.  So there I was, trying to squeeze this oblong seagull into a perfect square.  I started over at least three times, and each time, ended up making the gull larger until I cut off its tail feathers and half of its beak. I considered giving up, which would place me one day behind already.  So I forged on, determined to complete Day Two of the Thirty Day Challenge because I'm not a quitter!  The result:  not one of my better pieces, but it's done.  And when I realized it wasn't going to fit on the square canvas, I decided to focus on color and lighting instead.  I was a little more successful with that.

So what have I learned?  Well, I'm still spatially challenged.  But, I completed the daily painting.  Two days down, 28 more to go. Stay tuned....

And here's Day One's painting: