Swinging - 30 In 30 Challenge #1"

This is the first painting of Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I am already behind as I usually post the painting I did the previous day.  Yesterday was a migraine day and today is a migraine hangover day, but I am determined to stay on task.  It is a beautiful day to be out in the studio and with the double garage doors open, it is like being outside, so I am going to listen to beautiful music and paint, paint, paint.  For this challenge I am doing a combination of drawing, painting and showing the background of birch by not painting areas.  We will see how it all goes, but I am happy with #1.

Easy Breezy

6"x6" oil

Today was a good day.  I didn't get everything done I would have wanted, but I came close enough and had a good time.  However, in the process of having a full day, my painting time was relegated to the dark hours.  As a result, I chose something I considered to be easy to paint.  I think, in part, feeling like it was going to be easy helped it to be so.  Anyway, I like a lot of things about this painting like the colors (complements) the texture and the breezy happiness it exudes.

Bleu Lavande

8"x10"It

This painting was done at the Beu Lavande farm near Magog, Quebec.  It was a beautiful day when I arrived and set up.  Then I realized I had forgotten some really important colors, so I did what I could.  As I was working on it, dark stormy clouds suddenly moved in over the distant hill.  Quickly I packed up and made it to the picnic shelter before I got soaked.  My painting however was quite altered by the rain which quickly turned into hail accompanied by fierce winds.  I made a new friend with a young woman playing the harp until the noise from the storm drowned out her music.  Finally I headed home in torrential rains, dodging downed branches on the road.  When I crossed back over the border the US customs agent was unnecessarily rude.  He accused me of lying when I told him I hadn't bought anything.  I guess he never encountered a plein air painter.  I showed him my painting supplies.  I get the importance of vigilance at border crossings, but being rude because you have the power is just not OK.  The Canadian crossing authorities had been very friendly, thorough, and told me to have a nice day.  Something is wrong with this scenario.

Guest House

8"x8" original oil

This painting was both a challenge and was freeing for me.  I somehow deleted the photo I had taken of this guest house at my friend's home on the cape.  I had done a sketch which I based the painting on, but I hadn't made color notes.  The challenge was to get enough detail to create a mood and try to capture some of the details which originally enchanted me.  The freeing part was not being tied to a photo and getting to lmake it up as I went.  What I really like about this lovely cabin is the turquoise used for the trim and flower pots and the metal sun sculpture hanging by the door.

This is a better photo of yesterday's painting.  I am still thinking about making some changes to it.

View From the Bridge

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 I am going to do this one again...I am not happy with the results.  Some professionals say you should only show your best work, but I think it is good to see the process, including the failures so that others can understand what is happening better.  The reason I don't like may be just because the photo isn't as telling as the painting.  I know the whole left side is darker on the painting and the subtleties of colors is much better  I think a proportion or two needs a bit of tweaking as well.  I love the subject matter, so I will try again.  Also below is another drawing on birch that I did for an upcoming painting. I haven't done any small paintings in a while so I am rusty and I knew that going into this painting.  I assumed it would be a wipe-off, but I liked it enough to photograph it.

At the Beach

Beach on Cape Cod 8"x10" oil

I painted this earlier this summer on a beautiful day while visiting Cape Cod with some friends.  Since then I have been crazy busy with 3 large projects I did for donations and fund raisers.  I hope to get photos so I can post them, but I forgot to get them before I moved them from the studio.  Below is a sneak-preview of a project I am working on for Sept.  I am drawing out fairly detailed sketches on birch and sealing them with clear gesso.  I am going to do some limited painting (I think) using more neutrals than I normally use.  I am just trying out something I hope to develop.

 

Cape Cod Lighthouse

8"x10" oil

One of the challenges of plein aire painting is getting down the big color/value shapes early on and then not losing them in the details.  The red streak across the grass is some meadow weed that was so pretty and created a layer of rusty red, contrasting its compliment, green.  The shadows on the lighthouse were fabulous to paint.

Pastoral Setting on Ocean Bluff

8"x10" oil

This was painted in June at Cape Cod.  It was a wonderful trip and I am so happy that my friend Paula Hult was such an awesome host and painting buddy.  Since then I have been really busy and will post some photos soon showing what I have accomplished.

Marshes At the Cape

8"x8" oil

I painted this with some friends on Cape Cod a few weeks ago.  It was a lovely time with perfect weather.  This is a view from a high dune looking over the marshes towards Provincetown.  the challenge for me was keeping shapes that made sense, capturing the light correctly, and creating an interesting pattern with the shapes and values. On another note, I haven't posted for a while.  A friend asked me today if I was ever going to do the daily painting again and it made me realize how quickly my presence disappears when I don't post.  I need to create new habits.  It is a disappointment to me when I break habits I have spent time developing.  I will say more about this in future posts and show you some of the things I have been working on.  What things interrupt your preferred activities and how do you reclaim them?

6"x6" oil  Oh Irene!  SOLD

This is from the hurricane Irene which devastated Vermont a few years ago.  It was pouring down rain and the river was a raging mass of mud, rocks, logs and other debris from bridges and structures it had swept away.  This is not far from where I live.  The barn has been converted into a home.  The river-side balcony is on the second floor and the water was washing over it. Scary...exciting and sad all at once.

6"x10" oil

This was a fast painting as the sun was beating down.  It is a farm in the hills of north western Vermont.  The good thing about painting fast is that you focus on the main shapes.  Painting slowly has its advantages as well, but I am not as well versed in those.  Maybe I will be soon.  We'll see.

Uptown

3"x7" oil

 My husband describes Vermont as a state park with lots of villages.  This was painted plein air in Jericho.  I am dedicating the next couple of weeks to mostly posting plein air pieces with a few other ones thrown in.  The great thing about painting on the scene is that the painting, good or not so, is a reminder of the feeling of the day...the smells and sounds and how the air felt to the artist.  It is even more of a meditation than painting in the studio, which also is meditative....except of course for those frustrating moments.

12"x12" oil SOLD

This is a painting of Carol and her cousin Heidi.  Today Carol and Heidi are undergoing surgery to remove one of Carol's kidneys to give to Heidi.  What a brave and generous act of love! This painting was commissioned in part to honor that event.   My main concern was to capture the posture and attitude of the ladies in an environment that suggests their family summer home.  Carol is a dynamic and very talented woman who is capable of enviable yoga poses!  I do not know Heidi, but I am sure she is as beautiful as she looks.  This painting is a compilation of many photo references.  It was probably my most challenging commission so far.
If you would like to commission a painting please email me at chrisholzsch@hotmail.com.

Deep Breath

12"x12" oil 

I have been busy painting...really I have, but I just haven't been good about posting.  This is something I promise myself I am going to be better at.  The above painting was done plein air with Peter Huntoon, who is an inspiring plein air painter.  He is equally adept in water colors and oils, and amazingly, approaches them with the same technique.  I am so grateful that he was generous enough to spend an afternoon at this lovely spot painting with me.  He gave me 2 tips, which aren't new but so good to relearn them.  I seldom paint plein air but love doing it.  It does overwhelm me though at first.  I actually had to come back the next day to finish it up.  The water was so calm and the light was so lovely.  Peter reminded me to block in the big shapes like I am cutting them out of paper (great tip) and upon finishing it he said to soften the bright colors I had put in on the trees to the left of the island (which I did) because they drew too much attention from my focal point.  It really helps to have a second pair of eyes looking at your work.  I am heading to Cape Cod this week to practice plein air painting with two good buddies, so I am glad I had this warm-up.  Please check out Peter's work by clicking on his name.  He is the quintessential Vermont landscape painter.  He has an auction for a painting once a week on his website/blog.  I love how professional he is with everything he does.

Golden Hour

It is that magic hour when everything slows and has that golden glow.  Time for cocktails and sitting in lawn chairs!

Stranded

3"x9" oil For sale by auction on Dailypaintworks.com

True story:  on a sailboat in the Bahamas enjoying the sun, breeze and beautiful water.  See a puny little island off in the distance.  As we get closer, there is a car and a lone palm tree on it.  So, I am thinking that the only way that car could get on that island is by helicopter.  What?  Why?  I have no definitive answer, but a good theory.  What do you think?

Sloany Bolognie

8"x10" oil  SOLD

Sloan, dressed for her recital,  caught her first glimpse of herself in a mirror.  This was a fun painting to do, especially the tutu.  I hope I was able to capture her surprise and amazement at herself, and I hope she never forgets that feeling that she is special.

Happy As a Sailor, Just Me and My Dog

6"x6" oilClick to Bid

I know, the title is bigger than the painting!  It is from lyrics from a silly song about a dog. 

Cheval Blanc

6"x6" oil for sale by auction

Cheval Blanc....White Horse.  Wandering back roads in Quebec, I came upon this white horse on a hill framed in green.  I stopped to photograph it and he/she temporarily set aside eating to look up and pose.  It was a good day.  Not my usual subject matter, but it sure was fun to paint.

Potential Energy

6"x6" oil for sale by auction

I have recently come to realize that I am truly a part of the older generation.  I am one of those old ladies that sits on the bench while the teenagers laugh and play and have so much ahead of them.  I am not being bitter about this.  Inside I am young and ageless...outside I look "mature" but I work at staying flexible and balanced and keeping a happy attitude, enjoying the joys of this long path.  I love a good joke but sometimes that joke comes in the form of catching a reflection in the window and wondering who that aged woman is!

I Can Fly

6"x6" oil SOLD

I love the expression on this cutie's face.  It was a really fun painting to do and I loved the abstract aspects of it, especially the rhythms and patterns, the dashes and drops of color.  I have been attempting to paint with less saturated colors and this one fits that bill.  It is not that I don't love the beautiful strong colors, it is just that I think I need to explore other options including those that don't come easy for me.

Moody Morning

9"x3" oil

I had an unusual shaped panel and thought this was the perfect subject for it...a moody, foggy day on the coast of Maine.  I loved painting this because I feel like I was successful painting mostly neutrals of grays and browns. 

One of Those

5x7 oil Click to Bid

Yes, indeed, it is one of those gorgeous sunsets we all love to paint, where the colors are so saturated you don't think it is real.

Midday Break

6"x6" oil  Click to Bid

I started this painting totally different than my usual procedure.  I sketched it in in colored pencil and painted on top of that.  I like the results, but it was a lot of effort for a painting that is not significantly better than what I have been doing.  I feel like the drawing did not keep me from keeping it loose which can happen.  What really caught my attention with this image is the crossing lines and lovely design.  I didn't wanted to reproduce the flowers in detail but give an impression of what they look like in a glance. It took me a while to figure out how I wanted the background sky to look...but I like how it looks now.

Waiting

6"x6" oil

I painted this for 3 main reasons : 1) on one of the painting sights I participate in there was a challenge to paint shoes this month  2)  I have been working on using a limited palette  3) I love the abstract quality of this.  I hope to move into more abstracted representational images, but I suspect it is going to be a slow process.  I used Gumbacher Red, French Ultramarine, and Indian Yellow for this, with Radiant White.  I really like this painting and may do it again with a different palette just to see where I can go with this.

Perfect Day

6"x6" oil

There is a lot going on in this little painting.  There are so many decisions to make along the way..sometimes it is overwhelming.  These are some of the things I was thinking about: composition, creating a variety of brushwork that included soft edges and harder edges, painting convincing soft shadows, getting the light right, creating a sense of depth, and not least, painting a convincing scene of two girls with their fishing nets on a dock, with some sense of movement.  This pond is a favorite subject of mine because it is right behind my house and my grandkids love to play there.

Determination

6"x6" oil

Again, I used a primary triad for this palette using Radiant White with the 3 primary colors.  This little guy was walking with determination.  He had a purpose and his mind was set on it and I think I captured a posture that reflects this action.  I usually am pretty happy with paintings I do that have figures in action.  That seems to be a pretty good reason to continue to investigate this. 

The Portage

6"x6" oil

I used a limited palette on this painting of Transparent Red Oxide, Pthalo Blue and Transparent Yellow with Zinc White.  I need to research the zinc white as someone told me it isn't a good choice.  I liked how clear the colors looked with that white as it isn't very opaque.  I also like the perspective on this view.

Power Walking

6"x6" oil

I started this painting very loosely and with a limited palette made of some rather unusual choices of transparent colors: Phthalo Blue, Indian Yellow, and Permanent Rose. For the top layer I added white to give it opacity and to add lightness.  I wasn't crazy about the greens from this mixture added with white because they looked chalky and lost the vibrancy of the transparent quality, but I went back on top in the light areas with Indian Yellow mixed with white and that helped.  I should have tried mixing in Zinc White instead of Titanium, but I will reserve this for another experiment.  The surprise and excitement I had was in the discovery is of the most lovely brown from mixing the three primaries.  I was drawn to paint this because her clothes and black with bright magenta hair matched the colors in the foliage and that was just fun!  I would not have guessed that I could make such lovely skin tones with these 3 colors.  Great experiment!

Duet

8"x10" oil

This painting was inspired by a photo taken by Carol Ricker who is a pianist and teacher. These little girls were playing a duet.  The original photo was a close-up of their backs and I loved the subject matter, so I added the missing details of the piano with flowers and their stool and legs.  This is why I say that I use photo references as inspiration or a jumping off place.  It is a bit like a movie about some specialist and only experts in that particular field would be able to tell the fictional parts of the character.  Sometimes it is more convincing than at other times.  For instance, I question the validity of Matt Damon's character in the Martian when he duct taped his suit and tent together on Mars to keep the integrity of air pressure.  Duct tape is amazing stuff...but...really?

Loading Pumpkins

11"x11" oil

Wrong time of year, but I have been wanting to do this painting for a while.  The beauty of painting from photos is that you can capture the image any time you want.  Also, there is the advantage of not having to haul an easel, paints, etc., etc., around with you.  The disadvantage is in not being there in the changing light with the sounds of nature and wind and breathing in the beauty of the experience.  When I paint from photos, I use them as inspiration and almost always change them by adding things or subtracting or rearranging.  I am grateful to feel confident to do this now.  When I first started oil painting I was a bit nervous about adding or subtracting.  Now it part of what I look forward to.  It is the exciting part. The setting of this painting is a local sugarhouse.  I will let you use your imagination to guess what I changed about it.

Gourd Painting acrylic

I also painted this gourd, which I will now varnish.  It is about 15"  tall.  I did one last year and I really like painting these, so I might make an effort to get more.  They are gooseneck gourds which is why I painted it like a weird bird.  The design was inspired by my love for my family with symbols which give a nod towards some of the things we love doing together.

Buzz

These are the decisions I made before I started this painting. 1)  Create the background with a high contrast of dark and bright. 2) Create the flowers in mass groupings in a variety of whites.  3) Add contrast in texture by showing some of the pedals and an edginess to the stems.  4) Try to make the bee realistic without getting fussy.
This may not be the most brilliant painting I have done, but I did accomplish my original goals. Then, after I posted it, I realized from looking at the post that I didn't like the high contrast background so I mushed it out.  I added a few dots of color in the pedals and rephotographed it.

Tumbling

8"x10" oil

Poppies

6"x6" oil

I have been traveling for a couple of weeks.  Now I am home and back to painting, so I warmed up with these little poppies.  It is hard to jump back in with confidence, but that is what is necessary.  I made a fun discovery when I got back.  I had not scraped my palette before I left and was getting ready to do that.  I cover my paints with little cups called "Paint Savers."  A while ago I had glued pieces of felt to the inside of them and applied a drop of clove oil to keep the paints soft between sessions.  When I took off the covers after about 2 1/2 weeks of them sitting, the paint was still fresh...not even glooey.  It is important not to mix clove oil with the paint, or even get it on the paint brush, because it will not allow the paint to dry on the canvas or panels, but the fumes will keep the paint soft for at least 2 1/2 weeks...so that is cool!  I don't expect to have any issues with the painting drying, but time will tell.  Also it is important not to use silicone or a

glue gun to adhere them because the clove oil will basically melt the glue, but I used Elmer's wood glue and that worked fine.

What's Not To Like

7"x4" oil

Green glittered ballet slippers and a wetsuit...."What's Not To Like?"  This little super hero is ready for dancing in the waves.

Pepper Party

6"x6" oil

Peppers are fun to paint.  They have such vibrant colors and interesting shapes.  When posting images with red varieties of colors, the photography tends to blend them into one color.  The difference in reality between the orange pepper and the red pepper is significant.  You will have to use your imagination with this one.  I like the exercise of doing still life paintings and I like taking a break on occasion from painting people.  Even though they are both made up of shapes, lines and values with lovely colors, the pressure of getting people "right" can be daunting.  I mean, if I make the pepper a bit lopsided or fat, who would notice?

8"x10" oil

This is painted from a photo taken by my friend at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, VT, on Lake Champlain, looking at the Adirondack mountains in NY.  It is a must visit place if you are ever in the Green Mountain State.  The bottom photo shows my first stage and the photo reference on the left.  I had fun painting this and it brought back lovely memories.

Woof!

6"x6" oil

Carol Browne another artist, posted a photo of her dog with the request that others interpret it in their style.  I thought he was so cute, so I  jumped on the band wagon and whipped this out.  The second image is the first layer of paint I put down, just to give you an idea of how I start a painting

Fishing

6"x6" oil

A beautiful day in the summer and the neighborhood is having a group party with lots of pot luck dishes and plenty of things to eat from the grill.  There are horse shoes, frisbees and volleyball.  Someone is playing a guitar around a campfire built to roast marshmallows, not for keeping warm.  But eventually everyone meanders down to the pond to watch the ducks, try their luck fishing, or paddle out in the canoe.  These little people are hoping to catch some minnows or tadpoles.

In the Swing of Things

8"x8" oil

Truth be told, I still love to swing.  I would love to fly if I could, but swinging is an approximation I think.  It is pretty special when you get your first swing.  When I was little, a first swing was a board hung by ropes or a tire swing from a tree and then we would graduate to a rope swing over the creek.  As a young adult I swung from a tree swing that was suspended from a huge tree over a gorge.  That was clearly the most thrilling and the most dangerous and if it hadn't been for my own perceived peer pressure, I would never have done it.  Anyway, this little one is clearly enjoying her first swing in spring.

It Was a Good Ride

8"x10" oil

There is always some apprehension about trying something new.  You go through the checklist of skills you have mastered that should allow you the capability to accomplish the new task, but then there is that tiny bit of hesitation to overcome.  Well, a new slide can be that obstacle and the joy experienced by the fast but safe trip down can be exhilarating.  Do you remember that feeling?  When was the last time you successfully overcame an obstacle and was thrilled by the result?  We all need this in our lives.