#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.

#28 Lone Oak, Sunset on Field of Flowers

#28 Lone Oak, Sunset on Field of Flowers, 6x6, oil on panel, Sold, (click here to view)

I love sunsets and flowers — how great is it to paint them together? This is number 28 of the "30 Paintings in 30 Days" challenge. Only 2 more to go!

#26 Lone Oak, Van Gogh Field

#26 Lone Oak, Van Gogh Field, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

After a Hot Tamale Day, I've tried to tone it down a bit. When I was finished I decided that it needed Van Gogh's birds.

#27 Lone Oak, April Path,

 #27 Lone Oak, April Path, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

After all that spice, here's a bit of cool spring weather.

#25 Lone Oak, Hot Tamale Day

#25 Lone Oak, Hot Tamale Day, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

Just how hot can it get? It's fun to play with colors and see what they feel like.

#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.

#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.

#15 Lone Oak, Fire and Ice

#15 Lone Oak, Fire and Ice, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

I think this is about as hot as you can get. Silver and red are such classic colors — think 'little red sports car' with chrome trim.

#16 Lone Oak, Embers and Charcoal

#16 Lone Oak, Embers and Charcoal, 6x6 oil on panel, (click here to bid)

 Cool teal and warm orange to spice things up. Reminds me of warm mulled spiced wine.

#13 Lone Oak, End of Gray Day

 

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

Oregon has so many gray days! In color theory I learned that there are 32 shades of gray discernible to the naked eye. We get them all in Oregon in for 6 months out of the year — usually along with a lot of rain. It's been gray and cold so I think I'm needing a lot of sunshine, a.k.a. yellow and orange!

#14 Lone Oak, Coral Twilight

#14 Lone Oak, Coral Twilight, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

I guess the weather is showing up in my painting again.  This is another one that took on a life of its own the minute I place the first stroke of color down in the field. It's amazing when that happens, it's like someone else is painting.

#5. Lone Oak, Sunset

#5 Lone Oak, Sunset, 6x6, oil on panel, (click here to bid)

This is the fifth in the series of a lone oak tree in a field. Rich purple and oranges completely reverse the composition. The path is now the lightest area instead of being the darkest.

Summer Delights revisited

Summer Delights, pastel floral still life, 16 x 20, NFS

I'm submitting this again. For some reason it did not show up on the main page of my auction. This won a First Place in the pastel floral category at the North Clackamas Arts Guild Annual Show at the end of September. It is the first pastel that I've completed. I really enjoyed painting with pastel which was a big surprise for me. For some reason I have avoided pastels in the past. I plan to do more in the future.

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?

Shh . . . He Can't Find me!

(click here to buy this painting)

$55
You see, they're playing hide-and-seek. Lemon hid in the bowl and now Orange can't see her. At least that's the story.