finally getting started...

so this is the start...the painting is a commission for a gal in Tennessee who has already purchased one of my large boat paintings and wanted this to go with it..I've been so busy..traveled to see our friends tim and Katie..just hosted 40 here for the Gregory family reunion yesterday so the house was a priority!..i'm supposed to be participating in the 30 in 30 challenge so i'll post this even though it's only half way done...hope to finish it tomorrow and then on to the next commission and then on to the dailies!...

30 paintings in 30 days...day 1.."Rooster for Wendy"

16x12

oil on canvas

so this is the first day of our September painting challenge..another of Leslie Saeta's brainchilds...we were actually supposed to come up with a theme...very difficult for me..i'm using part of this month to catch up on my "grand" project...part of it for some commissions..i may actually post large pieces in progress..we'll see...part of it for gallery pieces...and part of it for some special surprises...my friend wendy took a bunch of pictures of her special chickens and roosters...this guy looked more like a rooster to me..so he's a rooster!!...as to theme...I may decide to do some midwest stuff..my face book friend Kathy cousart is doing southern..so maybe i'll do Indiana...we'll see...stay tuned..we are heading to Michigan to see tim and Katie...so i'll be a bit behind in my efforts..but that's ok..doesn't matter if we do one every day or not..just trying to do one every day is challenge enough!!

i think i'm done...

30x24

so i was finally able to get back to this...had a bit of the flu bug around this weekend but i'm back in business...there's a bit of a glare but I think i'm quite happy with the background color now..much more tending toward pewterish gray..and I've greyed the bird down quite a bit..of course..when i take it to it's new home and if it doesn't quite work..there's always tweakability using oils!!...my peonies are all of a sudden out in full force so i've got some up in my studio and have started a largish painting...can't let those flowers go to waste! ..of course the problem is..every time you look at them they've opened a bit more and so the whole thing keeps evolving..hard to stick to the original design so i'm just going to have to make it very loose and we'll see what happens...

"Run, Baby, Run!" SOLD

so Harrison lake country club hosted a fabulous derby party last Saturday.  the committee, including mandy miller, nea ritz, kevina schumaker and cindy rhoades (forgive me if I've left anyone out!) did a fantastic job of decorating and asked to use my horse paintings as added ambience..i'm thrilled to announce that this piece has found a new home.  I helped to hang it on Tuesday.  the fellow who bought it is planning to surprise his wife, who fell in love with it the night of the party...this is such a thrill for me..i can't even tell you!!  ...and it's the second time in the past six months a husband has purchased a piece of my art to surprise his wife..how cool is that???..now it's on to the yard and spring planting!

chocolate cupcake for sandi...

6x6 oil on canvas panel

my friend sandi helped me so much when I was hanging at s.i.c.a. ...I couldn't have gotten my show hung without her help....so this is my gift to her...it's just a little thing but she liked one i did a couple years ago..thanks again sandi!!

"Hand-Made"

14x11

oil on canvas panel

so this little dress was hand-made by my friend carol pennington...she posted it on facebook and I knew I had to paint it..asked permission..and here it is!!..my impressionistic version of course...picked up my paintings from s.i.c.a. today...we had a very successful show..sold several pieces and really enjoyed meeting the folks there...

"In the Harbor"

12x12 oil on panel

so i'm starting to prepare some stuff for my gallery in Georgia...I think they've sold just about everything and they are needing some paintings..this one is done from one of the photographs I took while we were visiting mike and ginny in florida a couple weeks ago...fun I think!..meanwhile..i was so torn watching witchita state play Kentucky...I absolutely hate Kentucky but I also wanted IU to remain the only unbeaten college team...after watching wsu I really liked them..liked the way they play..even liked the coach's wife!!..then Kentucky won! - rats!!!!

today's effort...tillie in the garden

this is a small one..either 7x5 or 8x6..i've painted this before..much larger.. since this is one of my very favorite photos..Tillie was a toddler and loved to roam around in the garden in the back yard..heading to the show in Seymour...

white flower

6x6 oil on panel

this is a little ditty i did today..looking toward my show at the southern Indiana center for the arts in Seymour..i went today to check out the space..found a lovely painted gourd by Martha sechler that I just had to have!..her show closes on friday and mine goes up on Tuesday...

happy "umbrella" day!!!

10x8 oil on canvas panel

I heard this morning that it was "National Umbrella Day"...whatever that is....but i had this image in my studio that I've been wanting to paint for a long time...and what better time than NOW!!...I think i'm going to call it "Chinatown in the rain"...not sure why...this will most likely be it for a while..we're taking a little jaunt south to spend time with our friends the Hiltons...a little golf..and I really need to refocus and get my priorities straight...painting is going on the back burner...for now...

green crocks

8x10 oil on panel

so here's a little ditty I did today...still looking toward my openings in the next few weeks...I delivered a bunch of stuff to the venue yesterday...getting excited...

36x36 oil on gallery wrap canvas

this is the first large horse painting I did...it's been drying and I spent last night varnishing all the things I could...I have to wait til they're dry to the touch before I can coat them..sometimes I spray retouch varnish but it's been too cold for that..so I coated them with liquin..something I learned from c.w. mundy...

"Boxer Puppy"

8x10 oil on canvas

so i was trying to get everything framed today...and of course.found some things I needed to tweak a bit..i am so damn tangential...i was on the floor of my studio cutting some backs for my paintings and saw this canvas that I had toned...it was a perfect excuse to do another boxer puppy painting..i did a little 6x6 one and someone stole it right out of the downtown midland...must have been a dealer..they now have cameras all over the place..thanks to me...so here's my second attempt and I  like this one even better!!

finally got outside to take some pix...almost frost bitten..."Waiting in the Wings"

30x30 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so this is my ballerina painting..i had some fun with this one...this is also going over to the venue in Bloomington..big opening next friday night!!

"Photo Finish"

40x30 oil on gallery wrap canvas

 

this is one of the large horse paintings I've done for the gallery walk in blooming on the 7th..it's coming up quickly and I've been busy busy!..i'm going to head over there later this week to take some work and check out the space to see what all I can hang...

did a painting today...

30 x 30 oil on gallery wrap canvas

so i finished up one horse painting today..i think...haven't taken a good pic of it yet..snowed again and i can't photograph outside...but i thought i'd give this a try..i'm running out of days to get all these ortiginals done so they can dry..i may need to tweak this but i'm pretty happy with how it turned out...

6x6 oil on panel

been really busy and trying to keep up with leslie's 30 in 30 challenge...a bit behind...

we've had some stuff going on...and some ballerinas...

30x30

oil on gallery wrap canvas

so we have had some stuff!!!...with all the cold weather last week..we had our electricity cut off for a while..only a matter of  hours but it lead to our freezer conking out in the last day or two...our pipes burst under the kitchen and no hot water for a while..but that's fixed...so here's another painting i've done for my upcoming openings..some pretty ballerinas waiting in the wings..can't decide what to name it exactly...

Red Onion

6x6 oil on panel

so this was day seven...I really wanted to get going on my big horse painting which i posted yesterday...can't wait to get back at it...sometimes, when I have something really fun going...i actually paint in  my sleep...

"The Kids"

18x24 oil on canvas

 

so today we head up to the galleries in indy...this will be going to carmel..the midland gallery on gradle in carmel is having their annual open house from 6 to 8:30 tonight and i want to have my wall full of new pieces.  it's always a very nice affair if you happen to be out and about..the party for the midland downtown on Michigan is Thursday from 6-8:30..