30 in 30 - Day 2

30 in 30 Challenge

Day 2

Mexico Beach 2

Oil on Canvas Sheet

5” x 5”

Bid Here

Day 2 was also painted while on location on the beach! It’s painted on a flat piece of canvas, not stretched, but would look nice framed.

30 in 30 - Day 1

30 in 30 Challenge

Day 1

Mexico Beach 1

Oil on Canvas Sheet

5” x 5”

Bid Here

Day 1 was a first for me in a couple of ways! This is my first 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and also, this was my first experience with plein air painting. I painted on the beach! I received a very generous gift card to my local art supply store for Christmas and with upcoming beach trip for New Year’s Day planned, I spent part of the card on an outdoor set up. Honestly, this may be something I never would have purchased for myself otherwise.

I tried to limit my palette and really only bring necessities. Here is the result of my first effort. It’s painted on a flat piece of canvas, not stretched, but would look nice framed.

Hallelujah Waves - Seth's Birthday Gift

"Hallelujah"

Paint Marker on Canvas
36" x 12"

My son Seth turned 20 this weekend. 20 is the age that I was when he was born and we've been through a lot together. I wanted to give him a piece of my work that I hope is meaningful to him and he might just keep forever. 

Seth is an artist, too. And while I am a visual artist, his talents lie with words and sound. He's a skilled musician and a magnificent writer, prose and poetry. I wanted to blend our talents. We had a long discussion one day about our favorite songs. A musician really can't narrow it down to one, so he ended up with 2 choices. I picked "Hallelujah", the Jeff Buckley version. A co-worker assisted me in getting a visual of the song's soundwaves. (It has a "nice spine", he said) I translated it with paint. 

Mundane Glory - "Flavor"

"Flavor"
6" x 6"
Oil and Gold Leaf on Gessoboard

I recently discovered gold leaf. My idea with this potential series is to shine a little glory on everyday objects. Things you may not pay too much attention to, but deserve their moment. If you want to feel metaphorical, this could be me trying to balance my introverted side with the part of me that can sometimes be an extrovert.

Gilded

Gilded
Oil and Gold Leaf on Gessoboard
6" x 6"

This is the 2nd portrait of my friend Becky. For the first time, ever, I experimented with gold leaf and I am very happy with the results. It adds a depth to the portrait and depending on where the light is, the painting changes. I left the light pretty dramatic in the photo to demonstrate the effect. The 'light spot' changes depending on the source direction.

The palette for this one is raw umber, titanium white with a touch of yellow ocher, ultramarine blue.

Becky

Becky
Oil on Gessoboard
6" x 6"

My friend and co-worker Becky was in my office one day recently and let me shoot her picture. I've painted two paintings from her images and this is the first one.

I used a limited palette of titanium white, yellow ocher, alizarin crimson, napthol red and ultramarine blue. I started using Pthalo Blue at first, but switched it up about half way through when I became frustrated by the results I was getting.

Some Men Are Baptists

Some Men Are Baptists
24" x 24"
Oil on Canvas

I attended a car show with my father over 4th of July weekend this summer. I was blown away by the car and attention given to these classic cars and when I spotted this lovely 1941 Oldsmobile, I knew I would have to paint her.

The title comes from A Christmas Story. Grown-up Ralphie narrates, "Some men are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man."

Seems appropriate.