the year of 100 paintings

Painting 26

2011-02-23T09:43:00.000-06:00

Painting 25

2011-02-23T09:41:00.000-06:00

Oh hey, I'm a quarter way to my goal for the year!

Painting 24

2011-02-23T09:39:00.002-06:00

Painting 23

2011-02-23T09:38:00.000-06:00

Painting 22

2011-02-23T09:25:00.000-06:00

This painting looks like something straight out of your kid's backpack after school. That's not necessarily a bad thing! I wanted to do a super simple tree by dabbing on the paint with a large, saturated brush. (I did change to a rigger for the trunk.) And even though this painting will never make it into the shop, I learned something from painting it, and that's really the whole point.

Interesting close up:

Painting 21

2011-02-23T09:22:00.000-06:00

Familiar content, but in acrylic. I really like to take a certain subject then paint it in a variety of media.

In the background you can see the palette and paint tubes:

Painting 20

2011-02-23T09:18:00.000-06:00

Familiar subject matter, but in pastel

Painting 19

2011-02-12T10:03:00.000-06:00

watercolor on arches paper, 9x12. another painting where I'm not crazy about the work as a whole, but I love some of the details, which I've featured below.

Painting 18

2011-02-12T09:59:00.000-06:00

watercolor on arches paper, 9x12. I'm in love with a lot of the details in this painting, particularly the texture of the pots.

Painting 17

2011-02-12T09:57:00.000-06:00

watercolor on arches paper 9 x 12

I'm not crazy about this painting, but I do love the detail at the bottom, which is reminiscent of roots under the surface. Sometimes a "bad painting" begets something good which you can use in a future painting.

Painting 16

2011-02-12T09:54:00.000-06:00

Oil on student canvas

Painting 15

2011-02-12T09:53:00.000-06:00

watercolor and acrylic on student canvas

Painting 14

2011-02-12T09:51:00.000-06:00

watercolor on arches paper, not quite finished, 9x12

sometimes you think a painting is finished. then you see a photo of it and realize there is still work to be done.

Painting 13

2011-02-07T16:36:00.000-06:00

Watercolor, 9x12, on Arches paper

Painting 12

2011-02-07T16:34:00.000-06:00

Watercolor on Yupo

Painting 11

2011-02-07T16:33:00.000-06:00

Watercolor on Yupo

Painting 10

2011-02-07T16:31:00.000-06:00

"Mars"

Acrylic on canvas

Painting 9

2011-02-07T16:28:00.000-06:00

"The View from Down Here"

Oil on canvas

Painting 8

2011-02-07T10:19:00.000-06:00

Painting 7

2011-02-07T10:17:00.000-06:00

Painting 6

2011-02-07T10:14:00.000-06:00

p.s. - yes, this painting is the source of the banner image!

Painting 5

2011-02-07T10:11:00.000-06:00

Painting 4

2011-02-07T10:05:00.000-06:00

Some lovely winter apples. Note the nearly identical composition to the nectarines (painting 3).

Painting 3

2011-02-07T10:02:00.000-06:00

These are nectarines. Or peaches. I'm not sure which.

Painting 2

2011-02-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

This is an example of a process called negative painting. I didn't actually paint these flowers... I painted the space around the flowers. Took a while to get the hang of it, but I really enjoy it. Gets you outside of your own head for a while.

Well hello there, 2011 - Painting 1

2011-02-07T09:55:00.000-06:00

I've set a goal of 100 paintings for 2011. It's a pretty ambitious goal, but definitely within reach. I hope you enjoy watching my progress.

105 - More Trees, Now with Perspective

2010-04-16T07:26:00.001-05:00

My goal with this piece was to create a sense of depth. I'm really having fun with watercoloring.

104 - Gypsy, Sunbathing

2010-04-15T14:49:00.003-05:00

103 - Branching Out

2010-04-14T12:14:00.003-05:00

I'm taking my first-ever watercolor class. Last night was the first meeting. It's very laid-back, more of a studio session than a formal class, but I enjoyed it immensely. The instructor gave great feedback and was very supportive. Here is what I painted last night. I'm particularly excited about the leaves on the ground! I need to learn (a lot) more about perspective in watercolor, because I don't think the perspective is particularly convincing in this piece. So that's a goal.

97 - 102: The Anatomy of a Painting

2010-04-13T08:29:00.003-05:00

Start with color

Add a sky and try for a meandering meadow. Not quite sure if my meadow is meandering or not, but hey, I made clouds!

Trees have trunks, so put a bunch of those in. Add some of that grass that grows near water.

Make some Happy Trees

Add more happy trees, and take a photo at a weird angle to be all artsy and stuff.

Voila! Add a corny frame from photo bucket and you are well on your way. You know, to making art.

96 - Self-portrait

2010-04-08T14:30:00.002-05:00

95 - Reflecting

2010-04-07T13:45:00.002-05:00

94 - Didn't Even Know These Came in Green

2010-04-07T13:41:00.002-05:00

93 - Christmas for Gypsy

2010-04-05T11:35:00.002-05:00

We hired a neighbor to cut down a dead tree in the back yard that was tangling up the power lines. He removed the big branches, but we asked him to leave the twigs behind for Gypsy, whose greatest happiness on this earth is a good stick.

92 - Good Weather for Potting

2010-04-05T11:34:00.002-05:00

91 - The View from Back Here

2010-04-05T11:33:00.003-05:00

Power lines

90 - Colors

2010-04-02T09:27:00.000-05:00

89 - Art Up Close

2010-04-01T09:04:00.002-05:00

I've been experimenting with pastels. Instead of simply applying pastel to paper in the usual fashion, I snap off a small piece then crush it with a stone. I take these "crumbs", apply them to the paper, and work them in with my fingers. Using fixative to set the work, you can get amazing results. (The photo below is a small part of a larger piece in my Etsy shop.)

88 - Oh, hai

2010-03-31T09:39:00.003-05:00

The days are finally long enough (and warm enough) to hang out on the deck as a family in the evenings. I think Gypsy approves.

87 - I Have No Idea What This Is

2010-03-30T11:05:00.002-05:00

84, 85, & 86 - She Blinded Me with Science!

2010-03-29T09:08:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, we visited a local Science Museum to celebrate Meg's 30th birthday!

3-D String Art

A wee, baby dinosaur.

Self-portrait

83 - Storage Solution

2010-03-25T10:41:00.003-05:00

I needed storage in my studio for oddly-shaped things - blank pads of paper, shipping materials, frames, etc. We had a wobbly bookcase which was missing the back panel, so we laid it on the side and re-adjusted the shelves. Brilliant!

81 & 82: A New Medium

2010-03-24T07:57:00.002-05:00

I decided to try my hand at watercolor. Actually, I've worked with watercolor in the past, but it's been a good 10 years. So I picked up a tiny water color set at Dick Blick Art Supply last weekend.

My first efforts have been the view from our back yard, because we have wonderful afternoon sunshine out there. The view is not glamorous, but it provides some good practice material. The wonderful thing about watercolor, when combined with sketching, it that it's wonderfully inexact. That's my kind of medium.

80 - Completely Random Flower

2010-03-22T10:28:00.002-05:00

79 - At the Vet's Office

2010-03-22T10:26:00.002-05:00

78 - What's the Message?

2010-03-19T13:59:00.003-05:00

What's the message?

1) Make a picture of me next!
2) Put down the art supplies and play!

77 - Leftovers

2010-03-18T10:12:00.003-05:00

76 - So Long, Winter

2010-03-17T15:01:00.002-05:00

We knew yee all too well.

75 - Where's the Sun?

2010-03-16T13:24:00.004-05:00

Bunny hasn't been able to find much sunshine to nap in, so he's doing his best with the materials at hand.

74 - School Time

2010-03-15T07:58:00.002-05:00

This is a piece I did on tracing paper, which, naturally, is quite thin. I love the effect on the slightly wavy paper, it really adds depth. I need to go back and fill in some trees or other background stuff, but for now, here it is.

72 & 73 - The Trouble with Red

2010-03-14T16:41:00.003-05:00

Red pastels are notoriously hard. Btw, when it comes to pastels, hard is bad. It tends to leave drag marks on the paper and sometimes even scratches.

But I was working on a piece where I wanted red and a lot of it.

So I snapped off a piece of red pastel and crushed it.

Then I scattered the crumbs on the piece and rubbed them in with my hand. Problem solved!

71 - Adventures in Fashion

2010-03-12T10:01:00.002-06:00

70 - Playground

2010-03-11T09:51:00.002-06:00

When we were kids, we didn't live near a playground, so we played in the cemetery that was just a block away. It didn't seem particularly strange to us, but upon reflection I suppose it was. We'd ride our Huffy bikes all throughout the twisting dirt roads. The cemetery is huge and confusing to navigate because the roads constantly fork and run in circles.

One of our favorite pastimes was to try and find "baby hill" which was a quiet, distant part of the cemetery reserved for children who had passed away quite young. We were extremely reverent around this space.

69 - Angles

2010-03-10T08:53:00.002-06:00

Taking a photo from an odd angle can really add interest. First we start with a relatively innocuous image (it's some sort of fireplace vent).

But when you get closer and peek around the corner with your camera - CREEPY AND SCARY! Which, you know, is a good thing.

68 - Reflection

2010-03-09T15:41:00.002-06:00

Dad's house, as seen in the reflection of a car in the driveway.

67 - The Fish

2010-03-09T10:15:00.002-06:00

This weekend, we were driving through mid-Michigan when I spotted something unusual in a church parking lot. I yelled to my sister (who was driving), "GO BACK!" So she promptly pulled a U-turn (which we call a yoo-ey) and drove into the church lot.

So, what happens when you collect hundreds of empty laundry jugs and string them together?

You get THIS!

You can see the back end of our car over on the right - that gives you an idea of the magnitude of this thing. I don't know if the fish was a Jesus metaphor or simply an advertisement for their weekly fish fry.

66 - Muddy Buddy

2010-03-06T15:16:00.001-06:00

65 - Joe's Gargage

2010-03-05T07:43:00.001-06:00

We had dinner last night at Joe's Garage. All of the original art hung in the restaurant had a common theme, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. Until Meg pointed out: each painting featured a manhole cover. Pure genius. Forgive the crappy iPhone photography - it does not do this art justice.

64 - Rare Glimpse of Winter Maisey

2010-03-04T08:10:00.003-06:00

Don't you hate it when you're all snuggled up in a blanket and your tail's sticking out?

63 - Art Pants

2010-03-03T11:59:00.003-06:00

On the weekends, I generally change into these pants to make art... can you tell?

62 - In the Kitchen

2010-03-02T09:46:00.002-06:00

61 - Good Dog, Bad Dog

2010-03-01T07:49:00.004-06:00

I've opened a shop at Etsy called Maiseycakes. Stop in if you like!

This piece is part of the "Good Dog, Bad Dog" series.

60 - Mama's Girl

2010-02-28T16:06:00.003-06:00

Wondering where Maisey has been? Under a blanket, that's where. She has a very short coat and even though she wears a sweater during the winter, she prefers to spend her evenings under a blanket, limiting photo ops.

59 - Shut Eye

2010-02-27T20:04:00.002-06:00

Gypsy catches a little shut eye while we watch Fargo.

58 - Miller Time

2010-02-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

57 - Scrabble Slam!

2010-02-25T09:23:00.002-06:00

If you haven't tried this game, you simply must.

56 - Kettle Corn

2010-02-24T10:41:00.002-06:00

55 - The Backdrop to My Weekend

2010-02-23T14:41:00.002-06:00

54 - Garlic Pickles

2010-02-22T08:57:00.001-06:00

53 - So Long Red Lockers

2010-02-22T08:49:00.001-06:00

We hardly knew ye!

52 - Did You Hear the One Where...

2010-02-20T10:12:00.002-06:00

... these three dogs walk into a bar? Oh, I crack myself up!

51 - What's For Dinner?

2010-02-19T12:17:00.002-06:00

50 - A Place for Everything

2010-02-18T07:55:00.004-06:00

and everything in its place!

This is my newly redesigned "art space" in the sun room. We had to dislodge a heavy couch and say "goodbye" to an awesome set of lockers to make it happen, but I think its ultimately worth the sacrifice.

Having this much space and light to create art is a wondrous thing.

49 - A Treasure

2010-02-17T08:10:00.003-06:00

A treasure from our living room wall, special because it comes from an event my partner and I attend together each August. It's where we met and where we became engaged. Love, indeed.

48 - More Colors

2010-02-16T07:59:00.002-06:00

47 - Cropping

2010-02-15T10:14:00.003-06:00

Sometimes, it's all in the cropping. I took a mediocre photo and made it great by cutting out all of the uninteresting details cluttering up the background.

46 - Brushes

2010-02-14T17:33:00.002-06:00

Almost makes me want to take up painting. Almost.

45 - Color

2010-02-13T15:40:00.002-06:00

44 - Weirdly, Dasani

2010-02-12T07:34:00.002-06:00

43 - Boot with Shadows

2010-02-11T11:31:00.003-06:00

I was pretty excited to come home last night to the boot I had drawn in class the other night beautifully "framed" by shadows falling naturally on my desk.

42 - It's The Ears

2010-02-10T14:33:00.003-06:00

Those ears... they get me every time.

Okay, maybe it's the cute underbite, too.

41 - Dymo Labelmaker

2010-02-09T10:15:00.003-06:00

One of the niftiest artifacts in my antique office supply collection is this Dymo Labelmaker from the 60s. The greatest part is the crooked letters. What will I do when it runs out of the tape that was in it when I found it? Do they even make that stuff any more?

40 - Scavenger

2010-02-08T10:10:00.004-06:00

I did a fun pastel piece on Saturday - an homage to the industrious raccoons who are part and parcel of our annual summer vacation: two weeks in the woods of Michigan.

39 - Maisey's Got the Blues

2010-02-07T09:24:00.001-06:00

No worries, though. Just another run-in with my pastels.

38 - Best Time of Day

2010-02-06T09:51:00.002-06:00

After the dogs have had their evening zoomies, when everyone settles on the couch.

37 - John

2010-02-05T13:24:00.002-06:00

What? You don't bowl with your boss?

36 - The Fence

2010-02-04T10:15:00.003-06:00

It's not so much the photo but what it represents: A safe back yard with a fence no dog could possibly leap. A place for dogs to play where their "stranger danger" won't kick in. An excellent reason to hang out on the back deck, even if it's five degrees out.

35 - Dad, Through the Years

2010-02-03T07:50:00.003-06:00

Dad is quite easily one of my favorite people ever. Today's post features pictures of pictures, which is a great way to capture (and keep) images you might not have otherwise.

34 - Balls

2010-02-02T10:42:00.002-06:00

33 - Three Moons

2010-02-01T10:24:00.003-06:00

First, my rendition of the recent full moon in pastel.

Second, that same moon in candlelight.

Third, the same as interpreted by a Photobucket "make a painting of this photo" feature.

32 - Model Seventeen

2010-01-31T13:53:00.003-06:00

This is a thrift store treasure my partner Meg found long before we met.

31 - Margin Release

2010-01-30T18:39:00.003-06:00

And I still can't find the editing function that dusts my photos. Guess maybe I'm supposed to do that before the shot.

This is a shot of one of our antique typewriters, the "Remington Rand Model Seventeen". The model debuted in 1939 and became the primary workhorse for government offices during WWII.

More Model Seventeen pics to come.

30 - St. Elmo, ILL.

2010-01-29T08:51:00.004-06:00

Is it technically "loss" if you rescue it from a dumpster? We found this awesome trunk next to a dumpster shortly after we moved to the Twin Cities and it has served as our coffee table ever since. No, we will not be returning it to St. Elmo. Sorry, guys.

29 - Sweet Bunnyman

2010-01-28T12:49:00.002-06:00

28 - Sweet Gypsy

2010-01-27T14:00:00.002-06:00

27 - The Girls of Glass Block F

2010-01-26T08:10:00.003-06:00

Our home is filled with large glass block windows. They are beautiful and very functional - letting in light, maintaining privacy, and being art unto themselves.

(Bonus points to anyone who gets the titular reference!)

26 - Leather

2010-01-25T14:38:00.002-06:00

I love the level of detail I can get with my $200 P&S.

25 - Tools of the Trade

2010-01-25T08:32:00.003-06:00

My netbook was battling a duel with photobucket over the weekend, so here is Sunday's picture. More office supply goodness.

24 - Let There Be Lamp

2010-01-23T09:42:00.003-06:00

Our house is sort of an Ikea showroom. We live quite close to an Ikea and you really cannot beat the value/quality combo. Today's pic is a shot of one of my favorite Ikea lampshades, treated with the "fresco" application on photobucket.

23 - Well Read

2010-01-22T07:29:00.003-06:00

Are you one of those people who holds a book so delicately you can't even tell it's been read?

Not me. I'm a book lover. I like to take them with me wherever I go. I like to wrap my hands around them, bend them to catch the light, and apparently, on occasion, drive a snow plow over them.