Day 21: Elements #21: Urd

"Urd", 5"x7", oil on panel, © 2017 R.L. Delight

This is a study of an element for a painting that has been on my mind for quite a while. In case someone is wondering, this is a drop spindle. I have intentionally put it upside down in the study. The spindle is mine, one of three that I have. I love to spin fiber although time has not allowed me the pleasure for quite sometime now. I hope to remedy that in the coming months.

A short post this evening as it has been a busy day.

-Renee

Day 20: Spring Dreaming

Spring Dreaming, 5"x7", oil on panel, © R.L. Delight

I thought about calling this one "Only Kale can Save Us Now" after one of my favorite sticker/T-shirt sayings but decided to go with my original intent. I painted another simple painting for today as I have a musical event to attend this evening. I am looking forward to having the pressure of painting a daily painting off. I will still be painting daily but on larger works in addition to drawing. I also have a lot of experimenting to do. I am also going to have to do something with all the little paintings piling up in the studio! I am not complaining about that but will be firing up my Daily Paintworks site very soon!

-Renee

Day 19: Elements #19: Polished Granite, Shell

Elements #19: Polished Granite, Shell, 5"x7", oil on panel, © 2017  R.L. Delight

Painting this brought surprising insights today. This was a simpler painting but it wasn't an easy painting for me to do. I struggled with it and felt I didn't quite hit the mark I was aiming for. This one, more than any other so far this month, really tempted me to wipe it off. Fortunately, I know better than to do that. Even so, I reluctantly posted it on my Facebook page.

Sometimes I can be humbled by my own work. Not because I think it is a particularly fine piece, but that it touches someone else in an unexpected way. Isn't that what it is all about on some level? A person takes time to comment on how much they like a piece. That brings up the emotions in me of gratitude, awe, wonder, and the feeling of "humbleness". I know I am groping here, trying to express something that is deeply personal and hard to articulate, but I feel that this painting has given me an insight and that is a significant step along my journey of being an artist. 

Even though I was personally disappointed that I didn't achieve what I was attempting to accomplish in this little painting, I did try my best in the time I had been given. I did paint it with great interest and joy in the process as well as the subject and I did learn. Perhaps that gets into even the most frustrating of paintings. I don't really know but I do know that something has been changed for me. I will have to think about it...

-Renee

Day 18: Drop Forged

"Drop Forged", 5"x7"oil on panel, © R.L. Delight

I forgot I was going to paint something simpler for today's painting. I have been wanting to paint a study of this pipe wrench for a while. I have a painting in mind that I want to have a pipe wrench in. I spotted this on the still life prop shelf today and thought it would be a good time to take a stab at painting it. I enjoyed it tremendously but next time I plan to take more time. 

The storms continue with howling winds and rain lashing the windows. So far our power has only blinked and is still on. Grateful for that. I have been going through the seed catalogs and dreaming of spring! On to the next day...

-Renee

Day 17: Elements #17: Driftwood, Seaweed, Glass

Elements #17: Driftwood, Seaweed, Glass, 8"x10", oil on canvas panel, © R.L. Delight

Experimenting and Learning isn't always pretty! I do love the organic, sensual forms of driftwood and seaweed. I can't seem to resist collecting or painting them. I did a lot of pushing of my skills and thoughts on this one. It didn't quite work the way I had hoped but I am going to put this aside for a while and come back to it. I think I can get it closer to what I had in mind at a later date.

A big wind and rain storm has been battering the coast all day. The house shudders and roars when the wind slams into it. Lots of rain and they are predicting that the rivers will be going over flood stage tomorrow. Should be an interesting day. Thankful the power has held so far...

-Renee

Elements #16: Glass, Stone, Wood

Elements #16: Glass, Stone, Wood, 5"x7", oil on panel, © R.L. Delight

The storm warnings have been coming fast and furious. They are calling for everything from ice and wind storms to major flooding on the river below us. We spent the first half of the day getting everything stocked up and battened down. I got a bit of a later start on today's painting but still managed to get it done. Sometimes the time pressure is a good kick in the pants to not linger too much over details.

Every once in a while I like to pull this ship's light bulb out to paint. I found it on the beach the first year we moved here. It still has sea water in it. Today we are over half way through the challenge! I feel like I am just getting warmed up. One of the lovely things that has been happening is the ideas for paintings that keep popping into my head as I work. I have a notebook handy to jot them down. After this month's challenge I will be working out some of the ideas for paintings and working on larger paintings too. I won't be doing a painting a day but I will be painting everyday along with drawing and study. I am looking forward to it!

Here is the studio shot:

Hoping the power holds and our community stays safe with the wild weather heading our way starting tomorrow!

-Renee

Day 15: Elements #15: Wood and Stone

Elements #15: Wood and Stone, 5"x7", oil on panel, © R.L. Delight

We spent most of the day catching up on domestic duties and beginning to get prepared for the growing potential of a deluge of rain. Should be interesting around here if the totals they are predicting play out, on top of snow melt. Tomorrow we will need to make a grocery and errand run up north before the floods hit. 

I deliberately chose fairly neutral objects to paint today. I am really beginning to enjoy turning the studio time into challenges to improve my skills. Today I focused on color, texture, and value. I am still experimenting with color temperature as well but didn't focus on it as much in this painting. Painting the "elements" of what I find when I am painting outside has been helpful for me too. Often when painting outside, the light is changing so fast I don't have time to slow down and experiment.

Off to finish up the chores and get ready for tomorrow. A parting shot of the set-up:

-Renee