Juicy, Sweet, Slice of Heaven

Juicy, Sweet, Slice of Heaven

6x8, soft pastel

Crazy, busy day...and worst of all, it was late in the day before I started to paint. All I could think of was "what am I going to eat for dinner and what am I going to paint".  So I painted what I wanted to eat.  I love cantaloupe this time of year...they are a juicy, sweet, slice of heaven.

Floral Fireworks

Floral Fireworks

6x8, soft pastel

Today started with a migraine...so it's no wonder today's painting was filled with extreme colors.  Sort of like fireworks...this is an end of summer bouquet. One errant sunflower insisted on facing backwards.  I guess sometimes in life you just have to go with the flow.

Hyde Park - 13th Street Pub & Grill

Hyde Park - 13th Street Pub and Grill

6x8, soft pastel

One of my favorite places to eat...or drink...or both, located in Hyde Park. Actually, there are many great places to check out there.  A fun place where bicycles out number cars. 

Hyde Park Goody's

Hyde Park Goody's 

6x8, soft pastel 

Ugh!  Today's painting was started late in the day which is usually tough for me to get in the mood to do.   But, I wanted to start the 30 in 30 a week early...I really don't know why.  I have the materials and subject matter ready to go and since there's really no hard fast rules to this endeavor,  I jumped in.  After 3-4 hours, I had the feeling I actually jumped into the deep end of the pool before I really knew how to swim.  Oh well, that's pretty typical for me.

In any event, I still find it very difficult to paint in a loose style.  I'll keep trying.  After all, this is all about practice....right?   In any event, Goody's is my first attempt at a cityscape. 

Unexpected Rainbows

Unexpected Rainbows

6x8, soft pastel

Rainbows can be everywhere...they can sneak up on you in unexpected places. 

    

Where Do You Find Your Inspiration?

Follow Me

6x8, soft pastel

It isn't necessarily easy to figure out what subject to paint.  While the subject matter can be as broad as one's imagination, often I find myself taking 100s of pictures and then weeding through them to settle on one for the day...or, I take my supplies outside and paint "plein air".  Ok, I confess...I've only painted once outside and that was on my back patio.   Plein air painting is on my list to do...as soon as I'm a better artist...and, have more confidence to paint in close proximity to the general public.

If you don't already know, there is a website titled "PaintMyPhoto" (paintmyphoto.ning.com) where photographers post pictures they've taken to allow artists to paint them without infringing on their copyrights. This is a great website to provide inspiration and minimize the need to take your own photos...hurray!  More studio time!  

Practice...practice...practice

Out in the Clearing

6x8, soft pastel

Last fall I clipped my horoscope out of the local paper.  It read: "discipline counts more than natural talent. The natural talent you have may serve to make practice more fun, but ultimately, it's the practice, not the talent, that will make you successful." At the time I hadn't yet found my love of painting with soft pastels.  Yet I knew that the horoscope was right...if you want to be the best you can be, you must practice, practice, and then practice some more.  

In preparation of starting the 30in30 challenge in Sept. (to create one painting a day for 30 consecutive days) I have now finished 3 in 3 (whoop, whoop!)