A Work in Progress...

Started a painting today that's a bit larger than usual...I think it will end up being around 9x12...a great size once a mat and frame is added to it (assuming of course that it's worthy of framing).  I think it will be because I'm already liking the direction it's taking.  Of course, because it's larger and more detailed, it will take a couple days to complete...so I'm posting my work in progress.  

I also signed up today to do another of Leslie Saeta's 30in30 challenges in January.  Yes, that's only three weeks away!!!!!  What was I thinking?  I need to finish this painting and get busy preparing for the challenge.  Oh Lord I may live to regret this.

Good Old Frosty

It was a long tough week when it came to painting.  I had a few days of appointments and errands but actually did find time to practice on a few pieces.  I've resorted to using the word "practice" because I don't think any of them are among my best work.   I continue to struggle to loosen up.  But hey, this is the year I decided to learn to paint...so I'll chalk it up to that.  A week of practice.

First...there were the few surviving flowers from a beautiful bouquet my daughter and her family gave us for Thanksgiving.  I had high hopes for this one...but alas, I think I missed the mark.  

The Last Bouquet

12x9, soft pastel

 

Then,  I tried to shake the cobwebs out by REALLY trying to loosen up...

Loose and Bold 2, 

5x7, soft pastel

And lastly,  in total frustration I went to my happy place.  I needed an old friend...one that always makes me smile and reminds me of just how good life really is...

Good Old Frosty

8x6, soft pastel

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

6x8, soft pastel

A little practice piece for the holidays.  I couldn't resist this scene.  It brings back fond memories of sledding in a nearby park and the many trips to the ice skating rink throughout the winter months. Growing up in a small town in Iowa was like living in a Norman Rockwell painting. 

The Village - Date Night at Grimaldi's

Date Night at Grimaldi's

6.5 x 8.5, pastel

With snow coming to most of the U.S. early this year, it's hard to remember that only a few short weeks ago the leaves were just starting to turn.  That was the case here at Grimaldi's in The Villlage at Meridian.  I must get down there soon to see the kids ice skating and all the holiday decorations.   It's a beautiful time of year.   Happy Thanksgiving! 

A Day of Frustration

Loose and Bold

5x7,soft  pastel

It's a beautiful day today...lots of gorgeous fresh snow.  BUT, I think maybe I have had too much coffee.  I started on the next piece but couldn't settle down (it's a piece that has a lot of detail).  What to do....what to do!!  A change of plans.  

I decided to do a plein air looking out the window at a beautiful evergreen covered in snow.....BUT, no matter how I tried, it just wasn't happening.   I tried...wiped it off, tried again, wiped it off, tried again, wiped it off....and so on and so on for at least a couple hours.  I REFUSED to quit....which was in fact part of the problem.   By gosh, I was going to paint today if it killed me!!!!  (have I confessed yet on this blog that I am a bit stubborn?)  By this time I had pretty much rubbed off the grit from the paper...it was a soft mushy mess!  I was in a battle with this paper and I refused to give in and pull out a fresh piece!  (Hmmm, stubborn to the core)

I wonder if other "artists" have this problem...and I do mean "artist" in quotation marks because I sure didn't feel like a real artist today.  I felt like such a failure...does anyone else go through this much frustration?  Well anyway...I decided my last try would be to attack the canvas...go all out and take my frustrations out on it...then I could get the agnst out of my system once and for all.   Or perhaps be carried away in a straight jacket!

I practiced on a piece using a recent painting by Karen Margulis as an example of how to loosen up and be bold.  Karen is a great artist and has a blog titled Painting My World...check it out and you'll be amazed.   So, today was a practice day. 

I'm really not sure if I have just committed a terrible sin using someone else's art for practice.  I hope not...I certainly won't sell it.  But the Little Catholic girl inside me is secretly feeling guilty.  I promise to say three Hail Marys and two Our Fathers.  All I know is that I needed the practice...and more importantly I needed to excise the demon within!

The Village - Sur la Table

Sur la Table

8x6, soft pastel 

This week I had planned on painting 3 paintings....but "the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray".   Final fall cleanup with a trip to the dump and snow today.  Both of those events changed my mind for me.  Sometimes, you just gotta just go with the flow.     

I did get this little piece finished...Sur la Table in The Village at Meridian.  I love the colorful flowers and how peaceful it is during the early morning hours, for a time, uninterrupted by shoppers.  

The Village - Walking The Dog

Walking The Dog

6x8 soft pastel

This is the second in a series of scenes at The Village in Meridian. This painting is of the window display at Charming Charlie's. It's a colorful place...I especially love the black and white awnings and the sign painted on the window "We ❤️ Handbags". You just can't resist stopping by and taking a look at all the goodies within...even when you're supposed to be walking the dog.