January 31st 2014 - Collage of my Challenge!

See all my works on this collage! It is surprisingly colourful, I thought the majority of my pieces were quite subdued!
My classes restarted this morning in Greyfriars House, Kirkcudbright! I was still photographing my last painting last night at 8pm so nothing got done for the next morning! I got myself up at 5.30am and in no time at all, I was organised for the first class of the term! My studio looks like a tornado has hit it and my kitchen is full of all the stuff that was in the boot of my car!!

My longstanding students settled in quickly into the new place, my new students are not starting till next week, so I know where everything is going and can set their area out especially for them! We were lovely and cosy in Greyfriars, with the wind and rain battering against the windows!

Day Thirty - The Eyes Have It!

Well, I have struggled to find some energy today...... I hoped to go out with a bang, instead of a whisper!!
This collection of eyewash glasses is dedicated to Darren!!

My email got read out on AHA today, which was lovely! Thanks for all the visits and comments during the last 30 days!

Day Twenty Nine - Shades of Burgundy

I have been battling tiredness today, I have had one each week during this challenge.
The little vase and another little eye bath, both Pauline's, the cherry - mine!!

6" square oil on board £110 incl UK postage

 I have our meal to make and then down to set up for life drawing! Bye for now!

Day Twenty Eight - Something Borrowed 1

As title suggests, my articles in my still life are borrowed!! All I own are the two daffodils! My friend Pauline has a massive amount of treasure (she calls junk) she told me I can borrow for my still life paintings!! I was so excited to go and choose my first basket of loot yesterday!!
She has a collection of eye wash glasses, so don't think I haven't painted the top of the little green glass correctly, I have, promise!! There is a decided scoop at the top of the glass to fit round your eye socket! Another in the collection will be in tomorrow's piece, I am all set up ready to go!

8" square oil on board £135 incl UK postage

Yellow is definately the hardest colour to mix! Most of my daffs aren't out yet (these are shop bought) so hopefully I can get going on a larger still life in Feb, I'm not going to let those yellows beat me. Practice makes perfect!

Day Twenty Seven - Bend It!

I have had this curved glass vase for quite a while, bought especially to paint. Well, now I have done it, I will not be doing it again, this year anyway! Maybe this is because I am tired, we had a late night at the weekend and I am still exhausted! We had a great time but we are just, SO not used to late nights!
I also feel I bit off more than I could chew, doing an 8" square board this time round. Maybe too much for me as a one day painting project!

Day Twenty - Six - Fair Cop!

This work shows one of the copper pieces I bought last week, not my favourite piece of copper, I'm keeping that for a large painting. I had never painted copper before, it took a bit of thinking about. Glass is so much simpler! I enjoyed the learning process though!

My blue background looks too bright now I see it on my blog!

Day Twenty - Five - Something for my Other Eye (Aye)

This is a little painting of the rest of the carrots my husband brought home. Now I've completed the two paintings I can now eat them over the weekend!
It has been fun mixing orange, I think I have only used the colour in one painting, before acquiring the carrots, and even then, just a tiny amount!

6"oil on board incl UK postage £110

I read in our local paper this week, that we will be having farmers' markets once a month, starting in March - can't wait, think of all the still life possibilities!!

Day Twenty Four - Sunny Pink

I love Gerberas, they come in such a variety of colours, depending on what colour you choose, they can look cheery, brassy, elegant......fun. What colour I buy depends on my mood!

6" oil on board £110 incl UK postage

This pastel pink reminds me of summer, when we are suffering the worst floods for years. Luckily we live high on a hill, so we won't ever flood but on the other hand, when it is icy.....I don't leave the house!!

I am still loving my new brushes...and hear a few of you have bought some too during this challenge month..happy painting!

Day Twenty Three - Aye, (eye) They are Good for You!!

Titles can be a trial but using my Scottish dialect I played with the words today!
I couldn't believe my luck when B came home from work with a bunch of carrots, a gift from a customer - thanks Richard!!! I gave them a quick rinse after our meal and raced to my studio to get them set up for tomorrow. I also managed to get them sketched in too.

6" oil on board £110 incl UK postage

I haven't been sleeping for a couple of nights - it is driving me mad! I may be going to bed too early but honestly I can't keep my eyes open. Last night was the worst yet, well past midnight and still awake, after feeling so tired earlier! Then awake again at 5am, I managed to get back over till 7am. My head is full of "stuff", life drawing is starting again on Monday, my classes recommence next Friday, still 7 days of the challenge left........Agh!!

Ok, no more moaning -I have had a great morning, so I am heading back to the studio to try and get ahead of myself!!!!

Day Twenty-Two - Magenta Orchid

This is the only houseplant I own! It has survived for years sitting on my bathroom windowsill - which is lucky as it is near the sink! Otherwise goodness knows when it would get watered!

6" oil on board £110 incl UK postage

I love the rich colour of it's petals though there is that "insectlike" quality of orchids which slightly unnerves me.

Day Twenty One - A Step Too Far!

I know I only have  a day to do my painting, why did I decide on such a complicated setup? This is as far as I can go with it today, I'm afraid. I have my pilates class tonight, so no more painting time!

I like my colours to be muted, the cup colours were just so close in tone and hue, it was difficult to get just the right mix of paint! The white cup in front only became a "white" cup in the last 3 brush strokes!

Day Twenty - Can You Feel The LO-OVE?

Guess who is feeling better today? A good night's sleep, sunshine and walk with our mutt - who walked beside me like an angel instead of charging in front pulling me in it's wake!
I haven't had a lot of time to paint, my brother arrived to fix our outside lights so fitted it in where I could.
I changed my background colour yesterday and have stuck with that for today. 

6" square oil on board, incl UK postage £110

I have tomorrow's composition all set up and ready to go!

Day Nineteen - Cherry Chums

Struggled with this one, feeling tired today - it's nearly a week since I had my last "off" day, so maybe this is how it is going to go. I can't say I feel really tired but just not myself and feeling cold!!!
I love painting cherries but I am just not feeling the lo-ove!! Sorry wee cherries, better luck tomorrow, hopefully!

6" oil on board incl UK postage £110

My new specs are much bigger than I have had since needing varifocal lenses and I find I have even more of a problem drawing a straight line! My horizons are well off and I can't say I am always veering up or down, but they are certainly not straight!! I had thought for years that my problem was being left handed but I read in one of Ken Howard's book that varifocals are the problem!!! If the eminent Ken says this is so, who I am to argue!!

More Info on my New Rosemary and Co brushes

I have been using short handled flats for a couple of years, buying in bulk at a reasonable cost. Painting every day certainly tells on your brushes, I am very good, cleaning them well at the end of the day but inevitably the ends begin to splay. Rosemary and Co adverts have been in every art magazine in the UK for years but I have always thought I would never be able to afford them! Every brush is handmade!
It was only after hearing Leslie Saeta interviewing Rosemary's daughter that I decided to look into them further.
I phoned for a catalogue, it arrived the next day. After scouring it from cover to cover, I followed their guidelines and phoned to speak to a member of staff, as I was just a little unsure what range would suit me and how I work.
As I said I use flats, I also like a man made fibre with a good bit of spring. I am not really keen on bristle brushes. My advisor suggested I go for the Shiraz Range, which was actually the one I had my eye on. The Ivory range is very like the finest bristle you could possibly get,  he also suggested I take one to try, they will exchange if they don't suit.
The photographs show the brushes -actual size, so I just took my old brushes and laid them on the page to gauge which size to order. I chose sizes 3, 6, and 8 Shiraz and one Ivory size 6.
When I tried them for the first time, I struggled! They hold so much paint. I love the Shiraz, they are just what Rosemary and Co said they would be. I went for the extra long handle, which cost only a tiny bit more. They SCREAM quality and will last for years as long they are cleaned, dried and stored properly.
The one Ivory brush as also just what they said it would be, a very, very, fine bristle. I will use it, but for me, the Shiraz is perfect!
Lots of your top artists use nothing but Rosemary brushes, Richard Schmid, Jeremy Lipking, Daniel J Keys, Carol Marine......
Rosemary and Co  are the best of British, give them a go!! Google "Rosemaryandco"

Day Eighteen - The Last of the Magentas

Meet the family Magenta, Daddy Magenta, Mummy Magenta and baby Magenta...... You wonder why this is my last painting of magenta carnations.....
I started this one yesterday. I had ordered new brushes from Rosemary and Co. They arrived in the morning, so thought I'd try them out and get ahead of myself... They are gorgeous brushes but are such good quality that they hold a lot of paint, much more than my usual brushes, I struggled applying the paint! By 4pm I was growling at the board with frustration, so decided to call it a day!!
I got on a lot better this morning and am loving the new brushes. I am told they will last me for years, here's hoping!

8" square oil on board, incl UK postage £135

Day Seventeen - Magenta and Green

On another theme by the looks of things, it just crept up on me! My lime green jug is too short and dumpy to put the carnation in, so I settled for a green glass jug. The handle has a crack where it joins the body of the jug but of course, with artistic licence, I can paint a "perfect" jug!

6" oil on board, incl UK postage £110

Yesterday I bought a beautiful copper pot - it was in the charity shop window all week but unfortunately they don't open Mon,Tues or Wed so I was terrified I would forget to go down on Thur at 10am when they opened and miss it!

I was standing just inside the florists, chatting, keeping my beady eyes on across the street, when I saw a car double parked and recognised the man as a dealer who frequents the two charity shops regular and knows a good thing when he sees it! I ran to the shop door and stood waiting for them to open - my nose practically pinned to the glass!! As I stood there another antique dealer came along.........Aghhhh!!

I decided to try the door, even though it wasn't quite 10am, IT WAS OPEN!! So I stepped inside and made my purchase, PHEW!

Day Sixteen - Magenta Carnation

I have two favourite colours, green and purple and within those colours, I have a favourite shade - lime and magenta! I wear lime green a lot - my everyday winter coat and my new specs! I have magenta specs too and a magenta quilted jacket! You certainly won't miss me......

6"x6" Oil on board incl UK postage £110

I have a purple beret but haven't found a lime green hat.....still looking!

Day Fifteen - Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!

Using song titles again today, a bit more up to date this time!! The dark glass is a devil to paint - every time I've attemped it before, the painting has ended up the bin. It is not like any other glass I own, the light barely shines through it. I love the shape but wish it was a bit more transluscent.
I was up at 5.30am today again, that extra hour really helps - I get a good start on the piece, can have a break and still have loads of time to get it finished! I am actually ahead of myself, so tomorrow I may have a lie-in!!

6"x6" Oil 

Half way through the challenge!!!!!!

Day Fourteen - Rose of Cimarron

I am using this title as one of my all time favourite songs is "Rose of Cimarron" by Poco (showing my age, don't care). I need to download it to my ipad but haven't quite worked out how to do it!
I got myself up at 5.30am today to get on with my painting for today! 8am and I am done!!!!

6"x6" Oil on board £110 incl UK postage

I painted this rose previously on a black ground - I much prefer this one, I felt I was fighting with the black. This time the ground was a dull lilac colour, I have left patches of it showing through.

Last January I got out of bed at 5am every morning to do my painting but it really exhausted me. I am meeting Auntie Mary today at 12 so need to shower, blowdry my hair (takes forever) and I have a couple of jobs to do down town before I head off. I'd love to get ahead and start tomorrow's painting but it ain't going to happen!

Day Thirteen - Saddle Up

I am afraid this is a cheat day - I just haven't been myself today and have worked away at a painting for hours that ended up as a wiper by 5pm!
This morning I decided to bake an orange cake and put everything in the mixer, turned it on at the lowest speed - flour, egg, margarine, all came flying out, over me, the floor, the worktop and everything sitting on there!
I put as much back in the bowl as I could and kept mixing. I eventually got the cake in the oven. NOW to clean up, I stretch forward to get the kitchen roll holder, managed to only grab the roll and the holder fell on my toe!!!

6"x6" Oil in Wide Solid Wood Frame £135 incl UK postage

This little 6" square oil was shown in the Whitehouse Gallery and is still for sale! It has taken me ages to write this little piece, I keep making mistakes!! Time to rest, I think!!!!

Day Twelve - Orange and Lemon Reflection

This hasn't photographed well, my colours are a little more subdued but I took the photos after dark, so under fleurescent lights.
I bought this coffee pot at a car boot sale in the summer - it reminds me so much of the 70s when enamelled pots and pans were everywhere. 

6"x6" Oil on board, incl UK postage £110

I have struggled doing this still life on a small 6" square board - my brushes weren't small enough! I use flats all the time, so I just ladled the paint on and tried to get the shape with the edge of my brush.
I probably didn't need the tangerine and glass in the painting but I was having glass withdrawal!!

Day eleven - Green Glass of Home

This is my last on this theme, I have used all the cups and saucers in my set! my husband came up with the title, which I love! I am sure Tom Jones would approve! I gave myself the challenge of capturing all those different greens. All the paintings in this series have been mixed from the same palette of just 7 tubes plus white.

6" square oil on board, incl UK postage £110

The cup and saucer seem a bit wobbly, now I see it here, the right lip of the saucer isn't dark enough. The temperature had dropped so quickly, I decided to take a photo quick and head for the house so I didn't get iced in! The paving was really slippy, as I teetered up to my back door! I'll sort it all tomorrow. It is all very well closing up my theme, what do I do now? Nothing from a photo if I can help it, I find myself getting so frustrated, when I don't have the subject right in front of me!

Day Ten - Taupe, Beige, Gold

This is the painting I got stuck with yesterday. All those different beige, taupe shades, never mind the gold - I intended this piece to be a challenge and boy, it was! Mixing neutral colours isn't easy but if you don't do it regularly, it'll never get any easier!

6"x6" Oil on board, incl UK postage £110

I have started tomorrow's painting but now my gas heater has ran out so, time to clean the brushes! The temperature is to drop this evening - hope B will get me a cylinder refill for my heater in the morning!
I have one more coloured cup and saucer in my set, they will be in my still life for tomorrow. 

Day Nine - Apple Green

Well folks, here I am cheating again - I am so tired, I have been away from the house since 7.30am and didn't get back till after 4pm, made our meal then tried to do my painting. It was going swimmingly till tiredness kicked in....and then I ruined it!
So this is a painting I did for the Whitehouse Gallery Exhibition that just finished on Sat. I am happy to say it did find a buyer!

8"x8" Oil SOLD

I think I will be painting this little bowl this month, maybe even this weekend!!

Day 8 - In the Pink!

Been a busy morning, moved all the life drawing easels, plinths, pillows, stools etc to the new hall. Thank goodness for B and his van. Great storageoff the hall, so hopefully we will settle in nicely at the end of the month!
I have so enjoyed this "pink" painting!! Now I need to get some more coloured glass organised, got a theme going now!!!

6"x6" Oil on board, incl UK postage £110

I still have a lime green cup and a beige cup in this set, so need to colour coordinate!!!

I am spending the afternoon in the hairdressers, so might take my new ipad to play around with whilst my grey roots are mysteriously disappearing????? Abracadrabra!!!

Day Seven - Golden Pair

I hold my hands up - I have cheated! This painting was done before today! I am just so glad I had this one spare as I have had a hectic day, with no painting done, other than preparing my still life in situ, doing my notan sketch, loosely placing the items on my board and mixing my colours!

6"x6" Oil 

I cooked and baked all morning ( burning one tray of shortbread) then my little treat to myself arrived by courier! I couldn't afford the ipad I really wanted but managed to buy a refurbished one from Apple which is the size and has the memory I need!I have to get myself a cover, so will see to that later. My pilates class restarted tonight - my muscles have been well and truly stretched, I could readily head for bed but I have to work out how to set up my new toy!! I promise tomorrow I will get my little butt down to the studio and PAINT!!!

Day Six - Go On You Blues!!

After feeling yesterday that I was done with still life.......I so enjoyed this one! I was reminded how much I love painting glass. The darker glass, I have had since I was 17 years old. The minister of our church brought me the jar back full of sweets, after I did some admin work for him. He was taking the youth group to Germany, part of an exchange visit with German teenagers. I was one of the ones who couldn't afford to go. Some years later he married B and I on a sunny day at the end of July.

6"x6" Oil on board, incl UK postage £110

The milky blue glass was one of my charity shop bargains, just a few months ago.
I really threw the paint at this one, mixing all my different blues beforehand. Great fun.

Day Five - Red & Green Never to be Seen

This was the little still life I set up on Friday morning for Mark, who came along for an oil painting lesson.
I did think about doing another dog painting but as the still life was there, why not?

I have changed the colour of the background from the original as it was very dark and was making the apple top edge very hard. I am happier with it now though I hate the shine showing on my photo! The little tomatoes were literally just a few strokes!
Looking for a title, I was brought to mind the saying my mother always said "Red and green should never be seen!" She was just repeating what her mother told her, and on it goes. How wrong they were! I love red and green together! What would be Christmas be without red and green in abundance?

Day Four - Red Collar Girl 2

I have tried umpteen times to take a decent photo of

this little oil but I just can't get a clear image! I apologise!

I don't know if it is because the batteries are running low? After some rain this morning - we had sunshine (weak sun, I admit) and blue sky for the rest of the day!!! Wind and rain returns tomorrow....... 

Day Three - Yellow Peril

This is a new subject for me, the plant vehicles working on the construction site in my town. I wasn't brave enough to snap away while the builders were still on site which might have been more interesting - I might sneak over, taking my little point and shoot, the only problem is I have a much better zoom lens on my big camera!

I found myself wanting to render them as if they were brand new, all shiny and ultra yellow!! Such a shame they were REALLY dirty!

I have had a better day, gave a one to one painting lesson this morning and got on with my 30/30 the rest of the time. The weather has been dire - rain and really strong winds, causing flooding in town. Hopefully tonight and tomorrow will be calmer.

Day Two - William Pear

This is a little cheat today - I have been working on 2 paintings today and neither are coming together as I'd like so here is a little palette oil done a few weeks ago. My first knife painting actually and I loved doing it!
Once my other paintings dry off tomorrow I should be able to get them finished!!

6"x6" Oil 

I started the day trying an 8"x8", maybe a bit ambitious for a daily for me! So then began a 6"x6"...... I am giving a lesson in the morning so just as well I have something started!

Day One - Red Collar Girl

Day one of my 30 paintings in 30 days. This gorgeous girl was waiting to join the dog show at Rozelle in Ayr, one Sunday in late summer.

6"x6" oil on board £100

I thought I would be organised this year and not grappling for subjects each morning.......help....suggestions please!!!!