THE LAST MORNING

8"x10"

Day 30 - 30 Day Challenge.  I MADE IT!  I can't say I'm sad to see it end.  It was definitely challenging at times to come up with another idea, but I learned a lot and I think defined more clearly what my paintings are about.  I really wanted this last one to be a simple landscape with the freedom to go a little crazy with color.  It began as a watercolor on paper and evolved into an acrylic on paper with just a touch of collage.  Thank you everyone who followed along on this journey and especially those who purchased paintings.  See you again next year?

SPRING BOUQUET

8"x10"

Day 29 - 30 Day Challenge.   This challenge is proof positive that "time flies." The month of January, which usually drags a little,  has just jetted by.  Every day has been a challenge (some more than others). Someone said to me that coming up with a new idea every day would be the most difficult part…and they were right.  I began with a theme in mind, but it didn't take long to be done with that so I've explored several different subjects.  Of course, florals have always been my default, so today I painted an exuberant bouquet for you all to enjoy.  It's all transparent watercolor. What I love is that you can achieve such brilliant color from a traditionally pale and watery medium.  You just have to "dig deep" in those wells of color.  Sometimes it's really good to dig deep.  

PEPPERS

11"x15"

Day 28 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge. I love the weekends at our house! I am the chief cook during the week, but on the weekends the REAL chef in our house cooks.  My husband is a foodie and  is the creative genius in the kitchen. There is nothing more beautiful than a pile of peppers so in honor of his skills, I pulled this painting from the pile of unfinished works and finished it today. It had never progressed beyond the initial washes so I had fun building contour and depth with additional washes, building value as I went. 

This is about as realistic as I get with my painting and I just may do a series of beautiful food in the future.  Fun!

SPRING RUNOFF

8"x10"

Day 27 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  If you'd like to see all the paintings in this challenge, check out www.saetastudio.com.   There are artists from all over the globe participating in this challenge. Kind of amazing really.

I have to admit this painting was uphill all the way for me today. It began as a watercolor on gessoed paper.  Then I added texture with an acrylic product called GAC 200, dropping it into wet paint to create the oozes that became rocks beside the waterfall.  When that dried, I began glazing with FW acrylic inks in various colors and painted the sky negatively with a mixture of white acrylic and the inks.  Despite its challenges, it was a fun project and I guess it revealed how anxious I am to hear the rough and tumble of spring runoff from those roadside waterfalls in northern Minnesota. As beautiful as a Minnesota winter is, I look forward to the return of color to the landscape.

Again, thank you for visiting and if you're interested in any of my paintings from this series, they will be $85 until February 1st and usual price after that.  The majority of them are 8"x10".

WET AND WILD

8"x10"

Day 26 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  Only 4 days left!  It's a little bittersweet for me. I love a good deadline so it's been very motivating.  However, I've discovered some things that I want to explore on a larger scale.  

This technique I've used the last 2 days is one of those things. I painted my Arches watercolor paper with white gesso in a very loose manner before adding any color. I actually apply the gesso with a palette knife to get some interesting textures and let it dry.  Then I paint watercolor washes which usually turn out to be too light.  I let them dry then add FW acrylic ink glazes to brighten and add the deeper values.  The fun part is that when you splash water into the still damp color and lift gently with a tissue, you get the most amazing random return to the white of the paper. What a great way to create splashes and rock texture!

THERE'S A KIND OF BLUSH ALL OVER THE WORLD

8"x10"

Day 25 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  This title might just give my age away.  Do you remember the song from the 70's? I took the liberty of paraphrasing it this morning.  I had a blast painting this one. I underpainted with textured gesso.  After that dried, I floated the apricots, pinks, aquas and browns to create a very rough and loose surface. While it was damp, I dropped some alcohol into it to create the 'oozles'.  Lastly, I added opaque gouache in the negative spaces behind the trees and attached my collaged horizon line from paper I'd cropped off the original.  

SOMETHING NEW

8"x10"

Day 24 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  Today was the first time I really had to punt in this challenge.  I taught a more complicated subject involving perspective drawing (not my very favorite thing) in my ongoing studio class today and needed to spend the afternoon with Mom.  Both those things took precedence over the Challenge today so I dug out an older painting that I'd begun using my Gelli printer, some scribble writing and a few scraps of pretty papers. I really do love doing these little collages and they're so handsome framed up or adhered to a canvas.