Toy Boat Regatta - Oil

Toy Boat Regatta - Oil

10x8, oil on board

Painting 12 of 30:  I like this little scene because of the colors of the water that graduate from dark blue at the top, down to the sandy color at the bottom...and of course I like the cute little toy boats gliding about....and of course, the boat reflections.  Come to think of it, I just like the whole darn thing!  And best of all...painting with oils didn't drive me crazy today!

WIP:  This one below will be a larger version (12x16 unframed, probably 16x20 framed) of "Little Red" which was a small pastel painting I completed a couple years ago.  I've had a hard time selling some of the paintings I really like and this is one of them.  But, my walls are filled...so this one will be sold, eventually.  First, a quick sketch...

Then a little work on blocking in the masses and working a bit on the first couple layers.

Streaming Sunlight

Streaming Sunlight

8x8, soft pastel

            

Early morning sunlight streaming through the window...how do you depict that delicious feeling of filtered light and warmth in a painting?  Well, this was my attempt.  

Small Bouquet

Small Bouquet

8x8, soft pastel 

So many times a larger bouquet of flowers turns into a much smaller bouquet.  Smaller, but beautiful nonetheless.   Thanks for the photo Danielle!

Stare Down

Stare Down

8x8, pastel

This guy seems to be communicating something.  What, I don't know.  Probably something like "what are you looking at?".  I've never painted a sheep before...especially a "black" one.  He has a lot of dark colors in him...but black isn't used much.  There's actually a lot of dark purple and eggplant.  He was a lot of fun to paint.

Little Buddy Too

Little Buddy Too

8x8, soft pastel

Day 28 of 30

It seemed only fitting to do another dog from the terrier family...which is often chosen as a companion to (or at least confused with) a West Highland Terrier.....the Scottish Terrier (aka Scottie).   Together, the Westie and Scottie were mascots for the Black and White Scotch Whisky Company.  I'm not sure this company is still in existence but I did come across a cool little pitcher in an antique store years ago.  Of course I had to purchase it since it had a Westie on it.  In any event, here's today's painting....number 28 of 30.  Only two more days in the challenge.  HURRAY!!!

Little Buddy

Little Buddy

8x8, pastel

Day 26 of 30

A relatively simple painting...but from the heart.  Sure miss my two little guys.   

Do I Really Have To Wear This?

Do I Really Have To Wear This?

8x8, soft pastel

A little levity on this final day of the 30in30 Challenge. Thanks for following my journey this month it's been a roller coaster. I'll continue painting most days and will share my results along the way (at least those paintings I think are good enough). Feel free to follow my blog if you'd like to see what I'm up to.

This sweet granddaughter looked so cute in her giraffe costume for Halloween but you could tell she was really wondering why she wasn't dressed as a fairy princess like her big sister. You could almost read her mind from her expression!

Footloose

Footloose

8x8, soft pastel

Oh to have the free spirit of a child!  This was a particularly hot summer day.  The grandsons were visiting and playing in the backyard.  They would march on a stone path through the flowerbeds and pick blackberries from the tangled berry patch.  Often the sprinklers would come out to cool off.  On this particular day Tyler was all about cooling off the right way...in the buff (although he was a bit hesitant when he approached the sprinkler).  Not many of us would be so carefree.  That's what I miss about childhood...being footloose and fancy free! 

The Smirk!

The Smirk!

8x8, soft pastel

Painting 24 of the 30in30 Challenge is Brian...with what is best described as a half smile...better yet...a smirk.  You know how it is...(if you are a grandparent that is).    You've taken 100s of pictures of the grandkids...perhaps even in one single day, trying to capture and encapsulate the overwhelming love you have for them in a spectacularly frozen moment.

Then, you see IT...a golden opportunity! The perfect shot!  Your tremendously awesome and beautiful grandchild is concentrating on something else...gazing off into the distance...unaware of the scene before you.  So, you "sneak up" on him (or her) and attempt to capture that perfect candid moment.  That moment when the light is just SO right...streaming down onto his innocent face.  The colors in the room are alive with vibrancy.  BUT,  just as you are about to "snap" the photo...he senses what you're up to and looks up...quickly changing from his heavenly far off gaze into.......THE SMIRK!    Eeeeeegadddds!

Social Butterfly

Social Butterfly

8x8 soft pastel

This little one has never met a stranger. When Danielle was about two years old she insisted on saying "hi" to absolutely everyone she saw...especially in the grocery store. Even though some people would ignore her...she just couldn't take a hint. She would continue saying "hi" very sweetly over and over...then louder and louder until she got a response. She has always been our sweet little social butterfly.

Pretty in Pigtails

Pretty in Pigtails

8x8, soft pastel 

Day 12 - This sweet spunky little girl is Kristy (aka Beth) when she was all of two years old.  It took quite a while for her hair to grow long enough for pigtails...but finally the day arrived.  She was proud to wear pigtails this particular day along with her favorite colorful pants and matching shoes...and of course bright blue ribbons in her hair. Every little girl should wear pigtails at least once in her lifetime!

A Splash of Color 2

A Splash of Color 2

8x8, soft pastel

A busy day...another little splash to match the color theme of the past couple days.

Scoop....Dump

Scoop...Dump

8x8, soft pastel

Day four...a break from the snow!

Today's painting is a typical scene that took place whenever my grandsons came to visit.  They always knew where the dump trucks were stored and loved to play "scoop...dump" under the arborvitaes.  Scoop...dump is a name I believe my daughter came up with which describes exactly what they do...nothing more...nothing less...a lot of scooping followed by...(you guessed it) a lot of dumping.

Stolen Smile

Stolen Smile

8x8, soft pastel

Happy New Year!   This is my first painting for the 30in30 Challenge hosted by Leslie Saeta.  If you're curious about the Challenge, check out Leslie's blog at:  http://www.lesliesaeta.blogspot.com.   I believe there are close to 900 artists participating.  It's a great feeling to know there are other artists out there doing the same thing...it should be fun!

I hope to complete 30 paintings in 30 days...however, I must admit if a painting needs more time than what I can do in a day...then I'll take the time to complete it over an additional day or two.  I'll share work-in-progress images for those days (should they occur).

My theme "Family Matters" starts off with a painting I call "Stolen Smile".  This is from an image of my grandson Brian who is now over a foot taller than me!  On this particular day Brian just couldn't resist eating the raisins that were intended for Frosty's smile.  From the looks of it...I think he may have eaten half of an Oreo eye as well!