JAMIE STEVENS

Sunday, January 29, 2017

#155 Z is for Zucchini (Day 29 of 30 Paintings)

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I made it all the way through the alphabet! It has been a good journey. I painted some things I probably would not have painted any time soon without this challenge. I've said this before, but the only downside was that I wasn't able to paint one subject multiple times. I often like to do that to get more experience with something. Just one more day until the 30 paintings are complete!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Saturday, January 28, 2017

#154 Y is for Yellow Onion (Day 28 of 30 Paintings)

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I painted two paintings the other night and this was one of them. I've never painted an onion before and for whatever reason, I was super intimidated to try...but I had so much fun with it! I'm looking forward to another one. I also painted the letter "Z", which means I've finished painting through the alphabet. I'll write more about that tomorrow. :) For the onion, I used mostly Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Cad Yellow Medium, and a little white. I don't use Alizarin Crimson much...sometimes I forget about it...but it worked really well for the onion!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Friday, January 27, 2017

#153 X is for Xiang Peach Blossoms (Day 27 of 30 Paintings)

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It was NOT easy coming up with an inspiring painting idea for the letter "x"! All I could think of for the longest time was a xylophone...but I really didn't want to paint it. I've never been to Xiang...though I did live in Asia for 2 years after I graduated from college. I found this picture on Pixabay. Originally, I had some other things painted in the background but I felt like it was kind of confusing. I took that part out. Not sure if it is better like this or the way it was. Only 2 more letters in the alphabet...and I actually already painted them tonight! If I have time, I'll try to paint one more picture to complete all 30 paintings.

5x7 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

#151 V is for Van (Day 25 of 30 Paintings)

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I forgot to mention this, but yesterday's painting was #150 out of my goal of 500 paintings. I'm pretty excited about that! I had a lot of fun painting this van. I took the reference photo near the end of November when I was at some pop up shops with my family in OKC. We sipped yummy hot chocolate and wandered in and out of the shops. It was a great Saturday. Glad I found just the right opportunity to paint it. I edited out a number of details...like people and a number of other things going on in the background. Painting an orange van is fun!

5x7 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

#152 W is for Wedges (Day 26 of 30 Paintings)

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My husband came up with this idea! I was happy to find that the soles looked sort of purple once I got them in the shadow box. That was a fun surprise. The drawing was the hardest part. Don't look too closely or you will see the mistakes! Ha! It was fun.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

#149 & #150 U is for USPS Truck (Day 24 of 30 Paintings)

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I painted this mail truck from a photo I took yesterday on a walk with my 4 year old daughter. At the time I was drawn to the light and shadow in the scene. Once I got home though I realized it would be perfect for the letter "U"! I had a lot of fun painting and figuring out how to simplify it. On a side note, my daughter is hilarious. On our walk she wore her favorite dress...red with a sparkly tulle skirt...gray leggings, bright pink shoes...that light up as she walks...and her pink and purple striped jacket. Always an adventure with this one.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

The original painting I did for the letter "U" is below, but I never really liked it much. Glad I tried something different.

Monday, January 23, 2017

#148 T is for Tomatoes (Day 23 of 30 Paintings)

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Painted these tomatoes the other night kind of late. Even when a painting isn't great, I still learn things from it. I was trying to paint complimentary colors (using the Munsell Color Wheel). Hopefully that worked. I also tried to change up my brush work (in the background) a little but I think most of it got covered up! Looking at it now, I wish I had changed up the values in the background a little more.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Sunday, January 22, 2017

#147 S is for Sunflower (Day 22 of 30 Paintings)

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I had the hardest time getting the photo to match the actual painting...it is still off! I bought these sunflowers from Sprouts. I love that they have sunflowers year round! There are a couple of things that didn't quite work in the painting but overall I like it. Painting is hard, right?

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Saturday, January 21, 2017

#146 R is for Rose (Day 21 of 30 Paintings)

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This was my second attempt at painting this rose. In the first painting...the rose was too tall for the vase and once I was all done with the painting I realized it looked awkward. So I waited a couple of days and tried again. I was kind of nervous about painting a rose because I knew it would be hard. Aside from the rose, the rest of the painting came together quickly.

7x5 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Friday, January 20, 2017

#145 Q is for Quince Blossom (Day 20 of 30 Paintings)

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I had never heard of a quince blossom until I started looking into what I could paint for the letter "Q". If I'm understanding correctly, these trees produce a fruit called quince. It kind of looks like a cross between a green apple and a pear. Have you ever eaten one? I found the reference photo for this painting on either morgue file or pixabay...I can never remember!

5x7 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Thursday, January 19, 2017

#144 P is for Pickles (Day 19 of 30 Paintings)

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Thankfully I painted ahead because I didn't get a chance to paint today either! This jar of pickles was really fun. I especially liked painting the greens, oranges and reds. I was careful with my drawing, again. Hopefully the composition works, too.

5x7 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

#143 O is for Oranges (Day 18 of 30 Paintings)

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I painted these oranges some time last week. I don't usually use multiple colors in the background of a still life, so that was a fun experiment. I'm still figuring out how to use them well in a composition. It's definitely something I want to try more. Since I've been painting ahead, I'm actually going to try to paint the letter "S" tomorrow. I have an idea for it but need to see if I can find it in the store! I'm also already thinking about what I'm going to focus on once the 30 day challenge is finished...not sure yet. There are so many things to try!

I also went back to work again today and hosted friends tonight for a weekly community group. The last couple of weeks have been so nice. I really needed the slower pace after a busy fall and holiday season. My daughter needed it, too. This past fall was really hard as a parent. We've been dealing with some challenges and thankfully have been connected with some resources that are helping. I'm rambling...but these are things that have been on my mind as things start back up this week. I'm praying that the busyness of life will not lead to things becoming more challenging again.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

#142 The Foil Challenge (Day 17 of 30 Paintings)

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I'm taking another detour from my alphabet theme for the 30 day challenge. Last night I painted this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge, "The Foil Challenge". I've never painted foil and really didn't know what to expect. I paired it with an apple because that is something I am familiar with painting...though it had a lot more reflections on it than usual. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Monday, January 16, 2017

#141 N is for Novel (Day 15 of 30 Paintings)

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This painting was my second attempt of trying to paint something for the letter "N". My first attempt was a napkin. I liked the napkin but didn't like the overall painting. So I went a different route and I like this one a lot. I had a lot of fun painting the edges of the apple. I also took my time with the initial drawing. Sometimes I am sloppy with the drawing and it causes problems once I start painting. I also tried to be thoughtful about the composition. I recently sent an email to one of my favorite artists, Carol Marine, and asked her for some feedback. She responded very quickly and was incredibly gracious. She encouraged me to work on my compositions. So I want to give more time and attention to that. I love to read. The novels in this painting are two that I read years ago, "The Help" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns".

Here was my first attempt. I'm not listing it on Daily Paintworks, but send me an email if you are interested in purchasing!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Sunday, January 15, 2017

#140 M is for Milk (Day 14 of 30 Paintings)

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I had so much fun painting this glass of milk. It was another rare occasion when I was home by myself with no distractions while I painted! It was also during the day so I wasn't tired. I really hope that one day (once my daughter is in school), I will have a couple of days a week like that. Sometimes I get sloppy with my drawings so I tried to be more careful in this one. I was also intentional to mix colors more often. I didn't mix a new color for every stroke but for the majority of strokes. That was fun. It helped me slow down and be more thoughtful. There are so many things to learn and try with painting!

Here is a process shot.

7.5 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Saturday, January 14, 2017

#139 L is for Limes (Day 13 of 30 Paintings)

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It took me a little bit to figure out which colors to use to mix the greens for these limes. I made small piles of different combinations of blues and yellows until I found what worked. At some point, I need to make some color charts to learn more about my paints and to use as a reference!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Friday, January 13, 2017

#138 K is for Kiwi (Day 13 of 30 Paintings)- FB Pick of the Day!

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This was my second attempt at painting the letter "K". My first attempt was a Kitchen Aid Mixer (see below), but it gave me so many problems that I painted this kiwi instead. I'm still not sure if I got the values on the kiwi in shadow dark enough. I've never painted a kiwi before so that was a fun challenge. I tried not to overwork it but also add a little detail for interest.

Honored to have this painting chosen as a Daily Paintworks FB Pick of the Day!

My husband took this photo...mostly just because he is excited about the new easel he bought me for Christmas. Ha! And yes...this is where I paint...my kitchen.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Thursday, January 12, 2017

#137 J is for January Book Club (Day 12 of 30 Paintings)

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This month we read John Owen's "A Prayer for Owen Meany". Have you ever read this book? I have mixed feelings about it. There were points, especially in the beginning, when I really didn't enjoy it and just plowed ahead. It was long...600+pages...and to be honest I skimmed parts of it. I've never read anything quite like it, so I think it will stay with me for awhile.

I'm still learning so much about painting. I was feeling a little discouraged earlier today. It's so easy to want to be further ahead (in my skills) than I am today. My husband reminded me of a couple of things though...even if my paintings don't look much improved, I've been growing in some areas. I'm painting all of my still life's from life now. Just a couple of months ago I was painting them from photos. Also, I'm drawing most of them free hand vs. relying on a grid on the computer. Not that I think it is bad to paint from photos (I still do that) or to use a grid (I still do that, too). I'm just happy to be growing in some of these skills. Even though I can get discouraged, the challenge of it all is one of the things that keeps bringing me back to the easel.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

#136 I is for Ice Cream (Day 11 of 30 Paintings)

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I had a lot of fun painting this ice cream and it's cone. I especially enjoyed painting these colors. It feels cheery and kind of beachy...which is nice in the winter. I've painted another ice cream painting in the past and enjoyed that one, too! It was actually purchased in the fall through a fellow painter that I met through the last 30 Day Painting Challenge!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

#135 H is for Hotdog (Day 10 of 30 Paintings)

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I've been wanting to paint a hotdog for a couple of months and this challenge gave me the perfect opportunity. I had a lot of fun painting this one. I started with the yellow mustard, then painted the red hotdog, then the bun, the shadow and finally the white background...all things I learned from Carol Marine's book and artbytes on DPW. She calls it painting from Island to Ocean. The reason I started with the yellow was to keep it saturated and not muddy. I love painting one thing on a white background. In my opinion, it really makes that one item stand out and creates a cool design.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Monday, January 9, 2017

Most Viewed 2016

I meant to write this post about a week ago...oh well! Here are some of my most viewed paintings in 2016. Thank you everyone!!!!

Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

#134 Mr. Yellow (Day 9 of 30 Paintings)

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Taking another detour from my alphabet theme to paint this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge. I've admired Patti's fish paintings for awhile...so it was fun to give it a try! I couldn't quite catch the color of the painting in the photograph. The light yellows are a little lighter and brighter. The background is also a little richer.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Sunday, January 8, 2017

#133 G is for Grapefruit (Day 8 of 30 Paintings)

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I actually painted this grapefruit on New Year's Eve. Yep. That was how I rang in the New Year! I've been painting ahead for this challenge because I have a couple of weeks off work and want to take advantage of the extra time! I've never painted a grapefruit before this painting. It didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted, but I still like it.

One thing I didn't think through before picking the theme "Painting through the Alphabet" is that most days I'm painting something I've never painted...and I only get one shot before moving on to something else. I usually like painting a couple of paintings using similar objects so I can get a feel for the subject. So it has been challenging to move on after each painting.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Saturday, January 7, 2017

#132 F is for Fingernail Polish (Day 7 of 30 Paintings)

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I had so much fun painting this! I especially enjoyed painting the pink!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Friday, January 6, 2017

#131 E is for Egg (Day 6 of 30 Paintings)

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This painting was hard. I've never painted an egg yolk or the inside of an egg shell. Plus, there were a lot of things going on with the glass bowl. Overall I like it...especially for my first attempt. Back to painting through the alphabet!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you very much for viewing my art!

Thursday, January 5, 2017

#130 It's a Trap! (Day 5 of 30 Paintings)

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I had the hardest time getting a photo of this painting. No matter what, I could not get it without a glare. I'll try to take a better photo after it has dried more. I'm still painting my way through the alphabet for the 30 day challenge, but I'm taking a little detour today. I wanted to paint something for this week's Daily Paintworks Challenge and since there aren't 30 letters in the alphabet...I think it will still work! I painted this on Tuesday while my daughter was at Parent's Day Out. Normally I would have been at work, but didn't have work that day. It was so nice to paint during the day with NO interruptions! I thought the strawberries looked like they were running away from the glass bowl...hence, the title. I love painting strawberries, by the way.

The challenge this week was to use complimentary colors, but use one of the colors much more than the other. So I painted this one with more green than red. I also worked hard at simplifying the glass bowl. Hopefully it all worked!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

#129 D is for Donut (Day 4 of 30 Paintings)

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I had a lot of fun painting this donut. It took me a little while to figure out what color background to use and I'm so glad I went with this fun aqua. Truth be told, I've never had a chocolate frosting donut. I always go for plain old glazed. But after painting this one, I couldn't resist eating it...yum...I've been missing out!

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitable designs425@gmail.com

Thank you for viewing my art!

Tuesday, January 3, 2017

#128 C is for Chicken (Day 3 of 30 Paintings)

SOLD (6x6 inch)

I painted this chicken from a photo I found on Pixabay. I chose the photo because I wanted a strong contrast between the light and shadow. Like how the chicken turned out but I feel like he is kind of floating in the painting? Is that how it looks to you? I wasn't sure why or how to remedy it.

6x6 inch oil on gessobord. Email me at suitabledesigns425@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for viewing my art!