Schwinn Bicyclery - Haverhill Cityscape Landscape Painting SOLD

Schwinn Bicyclery 

12 x 12 inches

acrylic on canvas
SOLD

Well - I'm going to call this one done. Hopefully the light will be a little better tomorrow so I can get a better picture. Very gray and dim inside today!

This was a big painting for me these days - and I learned a lot from it.
First of all, I am totally NOT set up to work well this size! I really think that 8 x 10 is as big as I can go comfortably with my current set up. 12 x 12 was really a struggle (though I am currently doing another one that size). And to make matters worse, one of the lights in my corner of my kids' playroom my studio has stopped working altogether, so I really had to improvise some lighting. I can get away with my Ott daylight lamp for small work, but it didn't work too well for this size.

I also learned that working larger is so much more than just scaling up what I would have done on a smaller piece. I have already painted a similar painting as a 6 x 6  piece. I had worked out the composition, colors, etc. at that size and figured it would be easy to then go larger. But the larger piece had all its own set of issues, so it was almost like starting from scratch. The challenge really pushed me out of my comfort zone.

Anyhow, this painting is of the HR Sawyer Schwinn Bicyclery in Haverhill, Massachusetts. I found out the company is over 100 years old - one of the oldest bicycle shops in America! How cool is that? I loved the way the shapes of the letters, the shadows and the building all came together as a composition.  And I think the word "Bicyclery" is pretty neat, too  ;-)

I am entering this painting in an upcoming juried exhibition, so we will see how it goes.....

#18 Wednesday in a Cafe - Still Life Painting

#18 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge

Wednesday in a Cafe

6 x 6 inches

acrylic on gessobord panel

Yep - being that there is only a week of the challenge left, and I still have two large paintings to finish up - I don't think I have any chance of hitting 30! Oh well. It has been fun to follow along and check out everyone's work anyways.....

This is one last painting for the "Reflections" show at MixtMedia Gallery in Ipswich, MA. I took the theme literally - painting all kinds of glass and other reflective surfaces for the show - some of my favorite things to paint! It is always interesting to see the effects of the reflections and the abstract shapes that are formed. For this one, I wanted to add a little bit of a pattern to the challenge. It definitely kept me on my toes!

#17 Both Sides Now - Acrylic Still Life Painting

#17 of 30 Day Challenge:

Both Sides Now

5 x 7 inches

acrylic on gessobord panel

Yes, I know I am behind at this point! I think I will just see how close to 30 I can get, but knowing how many obligations I have in the next two weeks, I think it will end up being closer to 20  ;-(

I'm not going to stress about it though. I have to get ready for a few gallery shows, so I don't really have the time to do some quick little ones right now to try to get caught up.

There had been quite a bit of discussion lately about the daily painting movement and whether it is a good or bad thing. I think it really depends on the artist, and at what point in their work and career they are at. For me, it is really good discipline and it is like exercising a muscle. It is really helping me advance my skills. But then again, I don't really force myself to finish a painting in a day if I truly think it is not ready. I DO think it is important for ME to paint everyday (or close to it) and it is secondary whether or not I actually finish a piece.

Anyhow, I did miss a few days painting this weekend due to family obligations, but this one is now done and will be going to the "Reflections" exhibition at MixtMedia Gallery in Ipswich later this week.

#16 Hanging in There - Small Still Life Painting of Grapes

#16 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge - 

Hanging in There

5 x 3 inches

acrylic on 3/4" canvas

Hanging in There - but just barely!

This is where I fall behind....this one is already a day late, and I've got a busy family weekend coming up. And the kids have Monday off from school. So, I guess I'm just going to have to see what I can do, and then try to catch up later next week. Maybe.

Hanging in There - $35 + $3 shipping in the US

(please contact me for international shipping)

Endless Fields - ACEO Landscape Painting Small Acrylic Original SOLD

#15 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge - 

Endless Fields

3-1/2 x 2-1/2 inches (ACEO size)

acrylic on watercolor paper
SOLD

Yep - two posts in one day! But now I am caught up  ;-)
AND halfway through the challenge - woohoo!

I needed another break from the snowy New England weather, so this time - instead of the beach like earlier this week - I am rambling down the roads of northern Maine. Miles and miles of old farms and fields that seem to go on forever. I love those fields! The colors, the rolling hills, I just always picture my spirit flying above them as I look out the car window as we drive....

#14 Fleeting Moment - Small Still Life Floral Painting

14 of the 30 Day Painting Challenge - Fleeting Moment

6 x 6 inches

acrylic on gessobord panel

Playing catch-up today... I was just too tired to finish this one up last night....

The "Fleeting Moment" of the title refers to a number of things here: the few moments that the sun lights up the tips of the flowers and makes them glow, and also those fleeting moments of childhood where my young boys gifted me grubby handfuls of dandelions just because "they are such pretty flowers, Mommy", and those fleeting moments that the dandelions will actually last in the glass before they droop and drop white fluff making me sad I couldn't hold on to them for longer.

This painting will be going to MixtMedia Gallery for the Reflections show later this month.

Day 13 - The Collection - Small Still Life Painting

#13 in the 30 Day Painting Challenge - The Collection

7 x 5 inches

acrylic on canvas

I love little colored glass bottles and tiny vases, and am always looking for ways to put them in my still lifes. The theme for an upcoming exhibition at a gallery I show at is "Reflections" so I immediately thought of these little glass bottles that I got from a seller on Etsy. I set them up in different ways on a mirror - I wanted there to be all kinds of wonderful abstract colored shapes that come together as bottles when viewed altogether. I'm still playing around with the concept - I'm sure I will revisit it at some point.

Technically I am caught up with the challenge even though this one took a little longer to complete than some of the others. I had gotten used to being one ahead and posting the night before, so I feel like I am still behind, even though this will be posted on the right day! I can't believe we are approaching the halfway point.....

This painting will be available at MixtMedia Gallery in Ipswich, Massachusetts later this month.