trees without leaves II - variation 5

6" x 6", oil on gessobord

The colors of the holidays inspired this one.

Goals and Challenges:

For 2015, I have set a goal to paint more consistently each week.  In helping to achieve this goal, I have joined Leslie Saeta's challenge of doing 30 paintings in 30 days. This begins January 1st.  I'm really excited to start this and will be posting my paintings daily.  I'm also continuing with the 108-day project which has been a really good challenge.  It has certainly kept me "in the art" and has also laid the groundwork for more consistent painting.

These challenges and goals are a good thing.  They keep us motivated and give direction.  So, here's to more painting in 2015!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

trees without leaves II - variation 4

6" x 6", oil on gessobord

The above painting was done last week, again using a very limited palette.

  

I'm keeping up with the 108-day project of doing art every day.  Today is the 28th day!  With all the extra things happening during this holiday time, I've mostly been doing thumbnail color studies using oil pastels.  Here's a photo of a few of them:

trees without leaves II - variation 3

6" x 6", oil on gessobord

The above painting was done last week.  I really enjoy experimenting with color, and lately I've been using quite limited palettes.  For this painting, I used violet plus 3 yellows and white.  I'm pretty happy with the violet neutrals throughout the piece, with the subtle color shifts.

I'm keeping up with my project of working on art every day.  When I can't get into my studio to paint, I do small color sketches/studies with oil pastels or work on relief prints. 

The print below is from a linoleum carving completed last week:

This is another linoleum carving just finished this week but not printed yet.  The photo used for this is the one I'm currently using for my tree series.  

trees without leaves II - variation 2

oil on gessobord, 6" x 6"

I started a new project last week on Tuesday - creating a piece of art everyday for the next 108 days.  Marla Baggetta came up with this idea on her blog and invited other artists join in with her.  No pressure at all; it can be as small as a tiny thumbnail sketch.  She called it a gift of commitment and chose the number 108 because it's a sacred number.  I like this.  The commitment to do this along with other artists is a great motivator to get in the studio and create!

The above painting was completed on day #1 and is part of my ongoing color series of "trees without leaves."  Four other days were spent drawing and carving linoleum for a relief print and another day doing color/value studies. 

So, if you are reading this and feel like you need a jumpstart with your art, join in!