#30 Lone Oak, Manna from Heaven

#30 Lone Oak, Manna from Heaven, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

Number 30! Whew, what fun. I have learned so much with this series. It's given me the freedom to try some things that I would never have tried if I had been working on one painting. There is a pressure to paint something that you know will become a finished painting — no matter if it is 6x6 inches or 6x6 feet. I've painted two night scenes in this series, which I have never painted before. I've tried some colors that I would never have thought of putting together. I usually tone my canvas with burnt sienna or raw umber. I've toned some of this series with bright yellow, bright cad. orange, bright blue, red, and pink to name just a few.

The most surprising thing for me was that on some of the paintings I would have a plan in my mind of the colors or mood I wanted to create. Then I would lay down the first stroke of color and everything would change direction and go to a place that I hadn't thought of painting. That was powerful! I guess I needed to learn to trust a bit more.

I don't know if I am finished with this series yet. I feel like there might be more down the road. So, I will leave it open to return to, not as a daily thing but when the Lone Oak calls, I will listen.

Stay tuned.

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#29 Lone Oak, End of Hazy Day

#29 Lone Oak, End of Hazy Day, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

When I started this "30 paintings in 30 days" challenge I had only planned to do five—spring, summer, fall, winter and a sunset. That was so much fun that I thought I could do the first half of the challenge with the Lone Oak. I never dreamed that I would still be experimenting on day 29! It's been fun.

#21 Lone Oak, Nocturnal

#21 Lone Oak, Nocturnal, 6x6, landscape, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

Summer's blue velvet sky -- I've seen it a couple of times in my life. I toned this canvas a bright blue before I started painting. This "30 paintings in 30 days" challenge is a good way to try out different techniques and approaches. When I looked at the bright blue it made me think of the velvet blue skies you occasionally see in the summer. It also reminded me of Maxfield Parrish's paintings with the bright blue in the sky. He used the technique of toning the canvas also.

#22 Lone Oak, High Noon

#22 Lone Oak, High Noon, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

A bright summer day.

#19 Lone Oak, Summertime

#19 Lone Oak, Summertime, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

A perfect Willamette Valley summer day. My not-so-perfect computer is acting up again — hence, the lost day yesterday.


#20 Lone Oak, The Month of May

#20 Lone Oak, The Month of May, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

I love how 'fresh' the month of May always seems. Just made for a drive in the country with all the windows down and the radio blaring with happy love songs.

#18 Lone Oak, Red Letter Day

#18 Lone Oak, Red Letter Day, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid) 

A cool blue and hot red make a red letter day.

#17 Lone Oak, Golden Sunset on a Blue Day

#17 Lone Oak, Golden Sunset on a Blue Day, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

Blue and Gold! This was fun. When I started this series I only had planned to do five, I can't believe that I'm on number 17.

#11 Lone Oak, Autumn Glow

#11 Lone Oak, Autumn Glow, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This painting says "joy" to me. I'm loving painting this series. I'm making discoveries that I never would if I had painted a different composition each time. It's become a journey.

#12 Lone Oak, Flame and Blue

#12 Lone Oak, Flame and Blue, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This blue was really luscious to paint. Again, this also has a happy feel to it. I think that yellow and orange remind us of the sun. What could make you happier than a summer day with blue and yellow-orange?

#7 Lone Oak, spring wildflowers

#7 Lone Oak, Spring Wildflowers, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This turned out to be really cheerful. It's amazing how few "flowers" it takes to give the impression of spring.

I've been having problems uploading my images for the '30 paintings in 30 days challenge' to my blog and have gotten behind. I will post a couple of on each blog and eventually get caught up.

#8 Lone Oak, Dusk, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

I started out with a plan for this painting, but as soon as I placed the first spot of color in the field, it was like the painting made another decision for me. This is where it took me. I guess it's all about the journey.

#4. Lone Oak, Winter

#4 Lone Oak, Winter, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This is the fourth of the lone oak tree series. It's amazing how different this painting feels with all the cool colors in the snow scene.

Blessing in Blue

Blessing in Blue, 24x18, original oil on stretched canvas, SOLD

(click here for larger view or to bid on painting)

I painted with some friends this spring and the studio had this little window—isn't it great?. Another friend contributed the statue of a saint, maybe St. Francis, I'm not sure. It was fun to paint this still life and we all had such a good time. Painting with other artists is great because I learned so many neat and interesting new things. Thanks Kat and Jody and the rest of the gang.

Lost Lake

Lost Lake, 18x24, oil on stretched canvas
auction starts at $395

(click here to view larger or to bid on painting)

Lost Lake is another large painting from last winter. A quiet scene — a lake that is the headwaters for a small stream and a snow covered mountain watching over the valley.

I'm Back

Still Life with Oranges, 18x24, original oil painting on canvas, $395

(click here for enlarged view or to buy on painting)

I can't believe I haven't posted for 20 days! I spent over a week in the lavender fields plein air painting. I had so much fun with all that purple! I was rushing so much to get them all framed and submitted to the Lavender Festival show in Yamhill, Oregon that I forgot to take photographs of them. They will be in either the Coldwell Banker Professional Group building or Cusick Picture Frame in Newberg, Oregon for their First Friday Art Walk, August 3, from 5 to 9 pm. Drop in if you are in the area, I'd love to meet you.

After the Lavender Festival I decided to go out and do some plein air painting. I've discovered that I love painting outdoors. There are no distractions, like cats that need to be fed and plants that are begging for water. So, I can focus on just painting. And strangely, it doesn't bother me to have people look at my "not finished" paintings. As soon as I photograph them I'll post them.

I'm posting a larger size, still life painting that I did last winter. I really like  the way it turned out. It has a quality of stillness and timelessness.

A Nod to BFF

(click here to bid on painting)

$75

These little bobble heads make me smile. I'm sure the three of them have been Best Friends Forever! They are just goofy enough to keep my 'inner child' happy. Don't we all need a little of that in this day and age?

'Tween Tulip

(click here to view this painting)

SOLD
The parade continues with a series of tulips. The first one seems to have turned her hearing off—just like a kid in the 'tween stage!