DAY ONE OF 30 MORE PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS

 water mixable oils  6 x 6 inches

Well, my challenge to myself to paint 30 oil paintings in 30 days is happening.  Though I've painted something everyday this week, I'm going to call today "Day One" as far as my postings go.  I couldn't find the USB cord for my camera, so wasn't able to post any photos until now.  And at least 2 of the paintings done so far aren't finished, and maybe won't be  I do want to be able to post something everyday and doing it this way will take off some of the pressure.

This painting, done on Monday was from one of my old photos of Reid Glacier. I observed a couple of artists using water mixable oils at the artist retreat in Juneau last week, and they didn't use media... only water.  I had previously used Winsor and Newtons linseed oil made for the water mixable oils and this week have not.  It has made it much simpler.

I'd love to have anyone join me painting, and will appreciate any encouragement. 
 

CALICO FRUIT

watercolor 8 x 8 inches

I got home from Juneau on Wednesday and have been slow to get going in the studio again.  This always happens when I leave.... I just can't seem to get back into a good routine for a while.  Well, I'm here putting something on my blog which is a sign that I'm getting back in the groove.

I painted this still life Saturday and Sunday.  It took most of Saturday to set it up.  I sure wish I'd put the banana closer to the apple.... there's always something.   The Calico Fruit bowl was my mother's.  It has a pretty bad crack in in and I've used it in two other paintings, with fruit, of course. 

Although the weather was wretched in Juneau, the retreat was fun and  I painted a few little watercolors from the window and we went to Amalga Harbor on Sunday when there was a short break in the weather.  After I got home, I worked some more on the gouache painting that I've been piddling with for about a month and now its with another painting that I worked on for weeks and am still wondering how to finish.  I'm not going to look at either for a while.

Yesterday I got the water mixable oil paints out and  painted a small painting which I actually like.  And did another today which I don't like so much, but gessoed a bunch of mat board to do some more on.  And am at least thinking about challenging myself to painting 30 oil paintings in 30 days.   
 

TIME FOR A BREAK

When I'm not getting much painting done, my blog postings become few and far between.  About the only thing I've worked on in the last couple of weeks has been one painting which started out as a watercolor and is now covered with gouache.  The last time I worked on it ( a few days ago) I wiped out about a third of it.  One beautiful day, I sat in the car and finished a couple of small watercolors that I'd started the last time I'd been able to see the mountains.... but the snow and sky were quite different than that first day and both paintings were disappointing.

Each day brings me less motivated to paint, so I figure its a good time to go to Juneau for a few days. It's been 3 months since I've been there and I need to go to the tax man and some medical stuff.  And of course see my son and grand daughter and friends and shop. 

And this week end is the Plein Rein Painters retreat at the Shrine of St. Therese and there is a ferry today.  So I'm packed and ready to leave in about an hour.  So maybe I'll get recharged with some the company of other artists and a different scene.  It's suppose to snow tonight, but there is a beautiful view from the window of the cabin we will stay at.  I wrote about last years retreat here: http://carolebaker.blogspot.com/2012/05/plein-rein-retreat.html.

Here is a painting that I finished in December and never put on the blog.  It was originally taller with yellow buttercups in the foreground.  This was another gouache that gave me lots of grief while painting it, but I do like the finished piece, and this gives me hope that the one I've been working on lately might get finished.

  gouache painting about 6 x 6 inches

ENTERING MARCH

Well, here it is a new month.  February surely went by quickly.  My challenge to myself for the month of February included producing two paintings a week.  I can say I did that, although some will never be seen again.  As I've lost much of the momentum that built up in January with the 30 paintings,   I've contemplated stating a one painting everyday  goal for March, but there will be none.  I foresee much distractions from a steady stream of painting... including working on taxes and will be going to Juneau sometime this month.  

Right now, I'm working on a gouache painting that is larger than most.  It started out as a watercolor which I spent considerable time on and was about to give up on.  I know it will take a while to do at my slow pace with gouache.  I will continue with this painting before starting something new.

 Here are three small paintings that I did during the last couple of weeks:

 watercolor 7 x 5 inches

 watercolor 5 x 7 inches

watercolor 7 x 5 inches

The first one is of wild paintbrush, one of my favorite wild flowers.  The other two of of Reid Glacier, in Glacier Bay, painted from photos I took in the 90s.  The paintbrushes were in Glacier Bay too.

    

12 YEARS OF WOODBLOCK PRINTS

 These are the twelve woodblock prints that I've made for Baren Forums New Years print exchange.  I began the exchanges in 2002 with the horse and completed the cycle this year with the snake.  In case you are wondering, the 2008 is intentionally backwards. 

I made the collage using the free tool at Picmonkey. Since they are different sizes, I first added a square around each of them with PS Elements so they would fit into the template.

A GLACIER AND A STILL-LIFE

Without the January challenge of painting a painting everyday, February has been a slower pace month.  I challenged myself to paint at least two paintings a week, and though I've done more than that,  only two of them are keepers.... at least for now.  More than a couple will get worked on some more.

watercolor about 9 x 5.5 inches

 This is from a photo of Lamplugh Glacier.  It was painted on BFK printing paper.... I think it's the "heavyweight."  After using this paper for my snake print, I tried painting on it and found it quite usable... in fact, very good.   I'll be using it again for watercolor.

watercolor 6 x 6 inches

One day I was really frustrated with my efforts to find something to paint from my photos and  I set up this still-life..... adding to the many from last month.  I like doing these, but am so much more wanting to paint landscapes.  Its either raining or snowing most days.  I did go out in the car and started 2 small paintings of the Chilkats, but clouds came and covered them before I got too far along.  That was over a week ago and the clouds are still there.
 
I started a larger than usual watercolor from photos that I've worked on, off and on.  I pulled out my water soluble oils last week and finished one snow scene from a photo (not so good) and started another yesterday, painting from my back window.  It seems I'm painting for the first time ever, like the learning curve has started over again.

I spent a few days last week matting all of my new paintings.  One of these days I'm going to start trying to sell paintings on line....... something I've been saying for a long time.  I don't know if any will sell, but it is worth a try.

YEAR OF THE SNAKE

  

woodblock  print 5 x 7 inches

This is my 12th year of cutting and printing a woodcut for the Baren Chinese New Year's Exchange.    34 of my prints are sent out and I have received a few already.   I began doing the exchange in 2002, the Year of the Horse and this year I have completed the 12 year cycle.

I have been so into painting lately and it was hard to change gears and make the print.  And the subject wasn't appealing at all.... I hate snakes.   But once I got into it, I enjoyed it.  

I used three blocks..... the yellow and green were done with the same  shina wood block, and another shina block was cut for the red.  I used linoleum for the black (key block).

I printed the yellow block and then the red block.

And here the green printing which was a reduction of the yellow block to just the numbers..

 I printed about 50 usable prints, mostly on BFK, a few on shin torinoko.  I used some chinese tube watercolor,  sumi ink and methyl cellulose and printed with a baren.

The snake is a coral snake.  
 

30 PAINTINGS COMPLETED!

January is over and I finished Leslie Saeta's  30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  This is a collage of 25 of my 30 paintings.  You can see them over at my other blog.  It was a very satisfying experience and I was tempted to commit myself to another month of a painting everyday, but have too many things to catch up on.  And first on the list is my Year of the Snake print for the Baren Exchange.

WATERFALL

gouache painting  9 x 5 inches

I finished this last month from a photo that  I took while kayaking in Glacier Bay, just west of Reid Inlet two summers ago. 

I'm continuing with Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.  Go take a look on  Leslie's blog where she posts all the participant's daily work.... over 200 people are doing this.   Its day 10 today, and so far, I'm surprising myself and have painted a painting everyday.   I've been posting my daily paintings on my other blog, Watercolor Postcards and you can see them there.

30 PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS

 watercolor and gouache 5 x 7 inches

To keep myself busy in January, I signed up for Leslie Saeta's challenge to paint 30 paintings in 30 days and I'm on day 5.  You can read about the challenge on Leslie's blog.  I am posting my paintings on my other blog,  Watercolor Postcards.  I hope you will take a look over there.