Day 7: Elements #7: Wood, Seaweed, Glass

Elements #7: Wood, Seaweed, Glass, 6"x6", studio, oil on panel, © 2017 R.L. Delight

I started this the first day of the challenge. I decided I wanted to be able to put more time into it so I worked on it after painting the daily challenge painting. Today I figured it was close enough to being finished so I finished it up for today's painting. I really enjoy the sensuous beauty of driftwood. I have a hard time resisting putting it into my paintings. I also love the organic curves of the dried seaweed. Painting glass is a lot of fun as well. I had a good time painting this one!

Here is a studio shot:

This is my still life corner. I have an old trunk and a treadle sewing machine set up for my surfaces. Both are up on a stage to bring the height up closer to my eye level. I have had the set up for this painting on the trunk since the first of the month. I will be happy to be able to take it down now and move on.

The Pacific Northwest has been very cold. Too cold to go out painting. I had many layers on the last time I went out and I got colder than I should have with the wind chill next to the water. Thankfully the ice will be turning to rain soon. I am having fun with still life but would like to get back out to do a bit of plein air painting. I am looking forward to it!

Goodnight,

-Renee

Day 6: Elements # 6: Stone and Shell

Elements #6: Stone and Shell, 5"x6", studio, oil on gessobord, ©2017 R.L. Delight

This set up was a bit simpler than yesterday's. I must admit, I am enjoying painting these still life paintings. I don't consider myself a still life painter as I much prefer to be painting plein air but it is a nice change of pace. Since I am doing a challenge and want to paint from life, I am working on the still life. I also want to make a few larger paintings with my plein air studies as reference. I will have to wait on that until next month.

I have been using 5"x7" gessobord to paint on. I have a lot of them that I purchased quite a while ago. I thought this would be a good way to use them up. I decided that, if I felt it were needed, I would crop the paintings. This gives me a little room to experiment. I decided to crop this one about an inch to give it a better composition.

At the moment, I am using a limited palette of Transparent Earth Red, Permanent Red Deep, Hansa Yellow Light, Hansa Yellow Deep and Ultramarine Blue. I am using Gamblin's Radiant White for my white at the moment. Not my usual white but I thought I would experiment.

This set up was a bit precarious. Everytime I walked by the shell would wobble and threaten to fall off the top. Here is a picture of the set up in the background. The lighting for the pictures isn't the best. I need to work on my studio lighting this year. I am still unpacking too but I have enough room and light to work!

Off to rest up for tomorrow!

-Renee

Day 5: Elements #5: Stone, Iron, Bronze

"Elements #5: Stone, Iron, Bronze", 7"x5", studio, oil on gessobord, © 2017, R.L. Delight

Another late post in haste. I thought I would do a simpler painting today. Turns out I miscalculated on that! This took me a while but I got it done. It has been so cold out that I haven't been able to get outside to paint en plein air. I am getting a bit restless but I am also enjoying slowing down and taking my time in the studio. I decided to paint "elements" of the usual subjects one finds out of doors. It has been interesting so far but still have many more days to go this month.

A parting shot:

Until tomorrow,

-Renee

Day 4: Elements #4: Wood, Metal, Feather

"Elements #4: Wood, Metal, Feather", studio, 5"x6", oil on panel, © 2017, R.L. Delight

Still too cold to be out painting or drawing so I was back in the studio today. I am trying to work through a few ideas for larger paintings. This one was a challenge today. I struggled for quite a bit and finally got it to where it will at least give me a place to start. Some days are like that. It was a good learning experience! Short post today. I am off to clean my brushes and get ready for tomorrow. 

Goodnight!

-Renee

Elements #3: Seaweed, Stone, Shell, Wood

Elements #3: Seaweed, Stone, Shell, and Wood, 5"x6", Studio, oil on panel. © 2017 R.L. Delight

I wisely decided to stay warm in the studio today. We are simply not used to these bitter cold temps. We have a very damp freezing cold here, the kind that goes straight to the bones and makes them ache. The wind is coming from the east, the snowy coastal range behind us, and collides with the moist air coming off the sea. So it was a still life set up for me today. I have two other ongoing still life set ups in my studio at the moment so I set it up on the only space I have left. Unfortunately, I discovered the hard way that the monkey puzzle tree that all but obscures the south facing window does weird things to the light. I got a bit confused as the time went by. I have only been in my new studio for a month. I need a year of tracking the sun to learn the nuances of the natural light coming in the window. Lesson learned!

I enjoy collecting materials from the beach. I have always been attracted to rocks and bits of twigs, leaves, and pretty much anything else that nature provides. Those of you who are collectors of this type know what I mean. I was born that way. I don't remember a time when I didn't collect this stuff. Every place in the house I sit has a bowl of rocks or bits of driftwood by it. Now I get to do something even more enjoyable with the material, I get to paint it!

It is a fun challenge to portray the sensuous beauty that I see in each piece. The 30 in 30 challenge is a perfect excuse to focus on this, hence the "Elements" line. Here on the coast, the waves carve caves into the cliffs, and the water that runs to the sea cascades to the sand and rock of the beach and into the waves. When storm waves have scoured the sands out of the caves I often find these holey rocks. I love them and can't resist taking a few home. Bits of dried seaweed twist into interesting shapes where they are left behind on the high tides. I am fascinated with the organic curves and puzzles they contort into. Over the years I have found a lot of whole sand dollar shells here too. I limit my collection of those but they are fun to paint and I enjoy the way the smooth shells feel. I propped these up on two big pieces of driftwood and painting this composition. 

I need to get my digital SLR camera back up and running. Cell phones have amazing cameras these days but the subtle colors I painted in the shell and the textures are lost in the photo. I will have to work on that...

What is your favorite thing to collect?

Cheers!

-Renee

Day 2: Elements #2: Whale Bone

I have had a long wait to get back to my favorite spot to paint, Short Sands Beach, aka "Shorty", otherwise known as Smuggler's Cove. As I posted on my Facebook post, there is a golden piece of my heart that lives here. Several months ago a dead whale washed ashore. As it was toward the end of the tourist season, they decided to let the body remain for nature to do as it will. This is in Oswald West State Park after all.  From the time we bought our house last spring until now I have not been able to get there to paint. I knew I wanted to sketch and paint the whale skeleton. All that is left is this part of the skull.

It was bitterly cold on the beach today. Temps about 34 degrees with a wicked north wind coming off the water to bring the chill factor down to 25 degrees. I had several layers on but if you ever stood in one spot for a couple of hours you know how cold a person to get. In the end I was shivering so hard I could hardly hold the brush. My paints became stiff from the cold and gritty from wind blown sand. The oil sketch is a bit rough but I decided to call it good for the day. A few stray snow flakes began to fall as I hiked out. I got home, still shivering from the cold, and administered hot shower, hot food, and hot drink in that order. I am finally warm.

It has been a good painting day. I want to get back soon, when a tad bit warmer, and make a detailed drawing. Here is a final closeup on site of the painting:

"Elements#2: Whale Skull", 8"x10", plein air, oil on canvas, © 2017 R.L. Delight

What is the most unusual thing you have painted, drew, or otherwise experienced?

-Renee

Day 1: Elements #1: Clouds

"Elements #1: Clouds, plein air, 5"x7", oil on gessobord, © 2017, R.L. Delight

First plein air and first dropped painting of the new year!

First I would like to wish all a Happy New Year! 

I have neglected to post and share what I have been up to, both in and out of the studio, for quite a while. There are times when life takes off like a spooked horse and you have to drop everything to chase it down or coax it back. Without adding a long story to this post, I will just say that 2017 finds us settling into our new house. Emergencies are sleeping at the moment and progress is slowly being made to rectify the neglect the house had seen over the years.

This past year has taught me to be relentless. I have learned the painful lesson of being relentless about getting enough rest, eating a very specialized diet, without fail, and getting daily exercise. I am still on the path to good health but I have spent the past year battling to improve and can honestly say I have been successful. I will have to be relentless about it for the rest of my life but shouldn't we all be?

I am learning to be relentless in my art and music. Daily practice has become my lifestyle and a privilege. I am sure there will be interruptions but I am striving with every fiber of my being to get in a daily practice no matter what, even if the house decides to spring another emergency surprise or there seems to be no time!

I have big and little goals to strive for this year. The plein air painting will continue but there will also be more studio paintings and, finally, I am turning my attention to getting a body of work done for the year.  So, I will end with a painting I finished toward the tail end of 2016. I really enjoyed painting "Cara Cara" as Cara Cara oranges are my favorite snack. They are delicious and beautiful!

Where in life are you relentless?

-Renee

"Cara Cara", studio, 6"x6", oil on gessobord. © 2017, R.L. Delight