No. 17: Squirrel

SOLD (7x5 in.)

I painted this squirrel for another  DPW Challenge.  My first attempt didn't work out and got wiped off!  But I really like how this one turned out.  I can't decide if he looks sweet or mischievous.  Thoughts?

7x5 in. oil.  Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Daily Paintworks FB and Auction Pick of the day!!!

"Red Rose" was a Daily Paintworks FB pick and Auction pick of the day!  That was super fun!

Click to buy here! (6x6 in.)

No. 17: Rose of Sharon in Glass Jar

Click to bid! (6x6 in.)

This photo isn't the best.  I might try to take another one later.  Painted another Rose of Sharon from my back yard.  This time I took the picture I used for the photo reference outside.  It was really fun to paint...although I would do the composition a little differently if I did it again.   

6x6 in. oil on gessobord.  Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com with any questions!

Daily Paintworks

I decided to join Daily Paintworks again!  You can check out my gallery of artwork here !!!!

Painting No. 16: In a Line

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Apples are always challenging for me, but I'm happy with how this one turned out!  

5x7 oil on gessobord.  Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com with any questions

Painting No. 15: Sunny Side Up

 

SOLD (6x6 in.)

Zach wanted me to paint an avocado tonight and I'm so glad I did!  This one was super fun and "fell off the brush".  I still don't have a shadow box for still life's (though Zach and I started building one last Friday).  I've been taking pictures on the top of my piano, with a floor lamp!  Not ideal.  Ha!  Zach also suggested that I take a picture of it outside.  The shadow was great and it was fun to paint with the natural light...even if it was from a photo. 

6x6 oil on gessobord

Painting No. 14: Daddy-Daughter Time

SOLD (5x7 in.)

I painted "Daddy-Daughter Time" for another Daily Paintworks Challenge.  I was so excited to see the reference photo because 1. I love the beach and water  2. I've been wanting to paint figures on the beach.  It was perfect!  Overall it was really fun to paint.  My favorite part is the dad's shorts.  But I think the little girl is so cute standing there with her little red pail.  Wonder what they're thinking about as they watch the waves.  

5x7 oil on gessobord.  Email me at suitabledesigns@gmail.com with any questions!

Painting No. 13: Balloon Ride

I painted this picture from a photo my friend took while she was in Wyoming.  One of the things I worked on in this painting was creating a sense of atmosphere.  I probably still need to lighten...maybe dull?...the mountains more.  I was also drawn to the original photo because the trees were partly in shadow and partly in light.  I really like paintings with that contrast in them.

If you look closely, you might notice a moose in the air!

7x5 oil on gessobord.  Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com if interested in purchasing.  Thanks!

Painting No. 12: City Reflections

Found this picture on morguefile.com and painted it for another Daily Paintworks Challenge.  It was a good learning experience!  Couldn't get the color of the photo to match the color of the painting though.  The colors are a warmer and deeper than shown here. 

6x6 oil on gessobord

Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com if interested in purchasing.  Thanks!  

Paintings No. 10 and 11: Eggs in a Bowl, Egg Drama and 500 Paintings

Click to buy!  6x6 oil on gessobord

This painting is my second attempt at painting eggs.  Back-lit eggs are hard!  I also had a hard time getting the color of the photo to match the color in the painting.  Oh well. 

6x6 oil on gessobord

This was the first attempt at eggs.  I actually like the color of the eggs better in this painting but the bowl and measuring cup are a mess!  My favorite part of this painting is where the shadow and the white of the bowl meet on the right side.  I like the way it glows in the warm light.  

I was reminded of a quote by one of my favorite artists this weekend.  

"If you want to be good at anything, you've got to put in the time.  I've heard it put two ways, and I like them both.  You've either got to do five hundred paintings, or put in ten thousand hours before you start doing work you can be really proud of.  Either way, that's a lot of brush miles and a whole lot of practice paintings!"

-Carol Marine, "Daily Painting"

So I've decided now that I'm learning to use oil paints, I'm going to start numbering them and start working towards 500 paintings!

Painting No. 9: Seeing Double

My daughter found this flower on the tree in our backyard this morning and wanted me to snip it off for her.  I thought it might be kind of fun to paint!  So we stuck it in a vase and I snapped some pictures of it.  I'll be honest, I didn't realize until AFTER I finished painting it that I had basically cut the canvas in half with the composition.  I'm kind of bummed about that.  I got distracted by the shadow and how cool it looked on the wall.  So I'm making the best of it and naming this painting "Seeing Double"!  

I'm thinking about re-activating my membership at Daily Paintworks and trying to sell some of my paintings again.  The monthly fee is $12.95 per month, which isn't too bad.  I'm also thinking about trying to sell through their auctions. 

6x6 oil on gessobord.  Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com if interested in purchasing!

Painting No. 8: Butterfly Flower

Another DPW Challenge!  I like these because they encourage me to try new things and see how other artists paint the theme.  I painted this on an Ampersand Gessobord.  I'd seen others paint on them and thought I would give it a try.  It's definitely different than painting on canvas because the texture is smooth.  Not sure if I like it yet.  I actually painted some apples on one a couple of nights ago but it didn't turn out so it won't be posted!  This one was challenging, too, and I didn't like it when I went to bed last night but I tweaked a couple of things this morning and I like it better now.  I'm definitely staying up too late painting!  

oil on 5x7 gessobord.  Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com if interested in purchasing!  Thanks!

Painting No. 7: Godzilla Potatohead

Click to Buy! (6x6 in.)

This painting was another one I did for "Toy Challenge" for  Daily Paintworks.  Just a silly idea I had when I saw Mrs. Potato head hanging out in my daughter's room.  I feel just ok with how this one turned out.  Better than I thought it would when I started out but I had a harder time getting the paint to apply the way I wanted it. Also, drawing Mrs. Potato head wasn't easy.  

6x6 oil on canvas.  Email me at suitabledesigns426@gmail.com.  Thanks!

Painting No. 6: Two-gether

SOLD

I painted these sock monkeys for another DPW Challenge.  They were a gift to my twins the day they were born.  It was an early delivery and a very rough start.  These monkeys stayed with them in the hospital every day.  Now they sit together in my daughter's room.  They are always a reminder to me of Bennet and Ella Kate and the hope that one day they will be together again.  

Though painting them was significant for personal reasons, they were actually really hard!  The girl monkey just about did me in with all of her little zig zags.  I was also working from a photo that wasn't the best quality...that didn't help.  I've yet to attempt painting from real life.  

5x7 oil on canvas. 

Painting No. 5: Ocean's Edge- SOLD

This painting is my first seascape.  I tried to just paint the colors as I saw them.  One thing I really like painting are light and shadows.  The photo I used didn't have strong shadows or light.  But I was hoping to capture a peaceful, sort of muted feel.  Not sure if that worked or not!  I'd like to learn about painting seascapes because I love them.  One artist I've recently discovered who paints along the California coast and a lot of San Francisco cityscapes is Michael Chamberlain.

8x10 oil on canvas.  Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com if interested in purchasing!  Thanks for stopping by! 

Painting No. 4: Red Rose

Click to bid! (6x6 in.)

After painting the pink rose I felt inspired to paint another.  This one was even more fun to paint because I had a little more confidence this time.  I feel good about this one, too!

6x6 oil on canvas panel.  Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com if you have any questions!