The Need to Post Something

Blue Bird Sketch

watercolor

I think the 30 day challenge has me addicted to posting on my blog. It's like my day isn't complete without it. So, today I'm posting my attempt at doing a loose, watercolor bluebird. I've seen some lovely ones in the National Geographic and have found that it's going to take some practice to get them to look like I want them to. These are the best of three attempts today, I like the one on the left the best.

Day 30--Which One?

 Sunset Silhouette 2

Watercolor 5.5 X 6

Mail From the Past

Collage, 7.5 X 5.5

It's the last day of the 30 in 30 Days Challenge and I can't decide which piece to put in for the last day. I think it will be the watercolor now that I see them both up on the computer. It's been a fun challenge and has certainly stretched me to put aside time to do my art almost every day. Even now in the mess it calls me to do more. Other voices are calling too, mostly in the form of dust bunnies in the corners of every room. 

Day 29--Running Free

Running Free

Collage 5.5 X 5.5

The second to last day of the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge! Wow, this has really stretched my imagination and made me see that there is really no excuse for not working at my art every day, even if it's just for a short time. 

This collage is made from altered magazine pages, hand painted paper and manufactured paper. The little horse is an acrylic transfer. 

Day 28--Shell Collector

Shell Collector

Watercolor, 7.5 X 11

This is a common sight on our beaches which are full of sea shells. The shells are so pretty and unique it's hard not to get involved with searching for the perfect specimen. Even when you've been here a long time like I have they are hard to resist. It's always amazing how many varieties, colors and sizes there are. Our Creator's imagination far surpasses mine. After a couple dozen I think I would have said, "That's enough." and quit. 

I enjoyed this picture for the light and shadows, and the shoreline. I had some fun with iridescent medium in the water which does not show up in the reproduction. 

Only 2 days left in the 30 Days Challenge and I actually have a couple of left over collages. When I do them, I do several at a time and pick out the ones that interest me the most. So, we'll be back to collage tomorrow. See you then.

Day 27--Sunset Silhouette

Sunset Silhouette

Watercolor, 5.5 X 6.5

Yes, a watercolor for today, day 27. Watercolor is and always will be my first love and I can't go long without returning to it. It seems like there is always something to learn about it that's new or challenging. For this painting I was using a new set of Mission Watercolors. I only had the small 8 tube set so I limited my palette to those colors. I have so many different things to try since coming back from the Florida Watercolor Society last week end.  

I love the collages, too, so I know I'll be going back and forth between the two and probably combining them as well. Right now my studio is seriously in need of cleaning and organizing, the daily creation has not left much time for that. My home chores have suffered some, too, so when the 30 Day Challenge is over that will be my focus for a few days.

Day 26 Bye, Bye Blackbird

Bye, Bye Blackbird

Collage, 7.5 X 5.5

We are winding down to the last few days of the 30 Day Challenge. I must admit that the subject matter is getting to be one of the biggest challenges. I think I'm just about out of the collage ideas for this format. This one is not one of my favorites but I do like the bird flying by. It needs something else in it to tie it all together but so far my imagination has not helped me. Any ideas out there? I'd love to hear your comments and I so appreciate the comments I have had during this challenge. Thank you!

Day 25- Sea Grapes

Sea Grape

Collage, 5.5 X 7.5

The sea grape is one of my favorite Florida plants. The smooth, round, leaves change colors from reddish to shinny green and back to a deep red and brown. In the spring there are long clusters of small white flowers that mature as a grape like cluster of fruit. They get eaten by the wild life before I even get a chance at them. I'm told they make a good jelly. The downside to them is that they grow at an alarming rate and must be trimmed often if you don't want them to take over. 

This collage was made from painted tissue paper for the background and the leaves, stems and berries were made from altered and painted magazine pages. They are heat fused to 140 lb. watercolor paper and finally coated with UV varnish. 

Day 24 Sailing the Sound

Sailing the Sound

Collage, Acrylic 5 X 6

I can't let the month go by without doing a sailboat collage. The background is from a tourist brochure with a map of the waterways around the area, the sail boat is from painted tissue. The little sailor is painted in.

The water is pretty shallow, especially in the winter, so I don't think there is too much sailing unless you have a boat with a shallow draft. But I do see lots of sailboats that motor out to the deeper water through the waterways and on the river. It's a very lovely place to sail or motor or paddle a kayak or canoe if you prefer. A day on the water is almost as good as a day making art.

Day 23 I've Got Mail

I've Got Mail

Collage, 5.5 X 7.5

It's bound to happen; when you start making collages, you start saving things. In this case, a beautiful red envelope and stamp from Nepal. The envelope looked like it was hand made paper and such a gorgeous red I knew it was collage material. The other more unusual piece of material in this collage is a dryer sheet which is the red stripe on the left. The rest of the papers are altered magazine and reproductions of manufactured papers. 

Day 22- Favorite Things

Favorite Things

Collage, 5.5 X 7.5

I couldn't decide what I should call this collage until I realized that I used a lot of elements that I like to use the most; the checkerboard design, the snail swirl, calligraphy, gold and a touch of red. This isn't a particularly good design but it has the things I like so that makes it OK with me. What it lacks in balance it makes up for with fun. Now I must get to work on the project for tomorrow.

Day 21 Copper Canyon

Copper Canyon

Collage 5.5 X 7.5

Twenty one days down, nine to go! I'm really glad that I'm keeping up with this challenge. I feel like I've grown and I've gotten a lot of good ideas for future work, both in collage and in painting. I think I'll be incorporating some of these designs in my watercolor work and into larger collages. This collage has copper acrylic on it to blend with the peachy color scheme. I've worked in a horizontal format this time instead of vertical, I need to switch it up now and then. The papers are all altered and painted magazine pages. I really like all the textures and colors I can get working with these pages.

I just got home yesterday from the Florida Watercolor Society and I feel energized by all the creative "juices" that were flowing all week end. We saw some marvelous artist demonstrations, took lots of pictures and notes to keep the information fresh in our minds. The trade show was terrific and the vendors had artists doing demonstrations in their areas, too. Lots to see and take in. I wasn't going to buy anything but that resolve cracked when I saw that there were Gelli Plates for sale. I've wanted one for a long time but didn't want to pay shipping on top of the price. So, now I'm the proud owner of a Gelli Plate and I'm sure I'll have fun experimenting with that.

Day 18 A Snail's Pace

 A Snail's Pace

Postcard Collage, 3.5 X 5.5

Today I'm traveling to Boca Raton Florida for the Florida Watercolor Society convention. It's something I look forward to every year. Each year it's in a different location. The artist's demonstrations and lectures are so interesting, full of new ideas and innovations. There is also a section of vendors that come and they sponsor artists to demo as well. We travel at anything but a snail's pace. The time goes very quickly and we're home, exhausted on Saturday night. 

This collage is done with altered magazine pages, and tissue, heat fused to watercolor paper, and sealed with acrylic medium.

Day 20 Musical

Musical

Postcard Collage

3.5 X 5.5

Day 20 means there are only 10 days left! When I look over all the marvelous paintings that are posted at the 30 Day Challenge web site I'm amazed at how good they are and how they are getting so much better. There are really so many that I could spend all day looking at each one of them. Being in the studio or wherever you create each day is so beneficial. 

I love using player piano paper in my collages for the slightly yellowed hue and the interesting perforations that are on it. The little dashes at the bottom of the collage are from that. The other papers are hand painted and decorated tissue and altered magazine pages. The wavy keyboard transfer is in reference to the player piano. 

Day 19 Blackbird

Blackbird

Postcard Collage

3.5 X 5.5

By itself this little collage just didn't seem to be very interesting. I looked through my transfers and nothing seemed to fit. Then I thought of the phrase from "Portlandia", "Put a bird on it!" Why is it that anything seems more interesting when it has a bird on it? 

PS, If you don't know about Portlandia, put it in your browser, I think you find some you tube videos. 

Day 17 The Sun Will Come Out

The Sun Will Come Out

Mini Collage, 4 X 4

Sometimes we have those "iffy" days, maybe the sun pokes out once in awhile. I'm wishing I had put my sun transfer a little more in the yellow section but once they are down, there's no changing it. It reminds me to not be too hasty in my decisions. 

Day 16 Stormy Day

Stormy Day

Postcard Collage

One thing you learn about Florida is that a rain storm can pop up at any time. You don't leave windows open or convertible tops down, especially in the summer. Today, for instance, it was bright and sunny until suddenly dark gray clouds rolled in, lightening flashed, thunder rolled. It will be raining buckets in one neighborhood while two blocks away it remains dry. Not like the area wide rains we would get "up north". So this little collage shows the blue skies and the thundercloud with the wind whipping everything around. It's made from tissue and altered magazine pages and heat fused to 140# watercolor paper. It is sealed with acrylic medium.

Day 15 Halfway 30 in 30 Days Challenge

Wine Time

Collage 4 X 4

I don't know about the rest of the many artists who are doing the 30 day challenge, but this is getting into the "challenge" part for me. The hard part is keeping the momentum of the theme going and keeping the work fresh. Some days I'm just lucky to get a collage or watercolor put together. At the same time I'm trying to keep it fun and not be too hard on myself. I'll be going to the Florida Watercolor Society convention at the end of the week so that's when things might not get posted. I'm sure I'll come back with lots of fresh ideas and creative energy to finish the rest of the Challenge.

Wine Time was made with hand painted papers and altered magazine pages. I like the subject and I would like to try to make a larger one.

Day 14 Transformation, Mini Collage

Transformation

Collage, 3.5 X 4.5

I'm back to my small collages; this is the size that is required for the donation to the Art League that I am associated with. They are matted and put in a clear bag, then they are displayed at our annual show and sold for $10.00. It's our major fundraiser for the year. I thought the organic shapes that the painted tissue made were perfect for a butterfly transfer. 

Day 13 Red Reflections

Red Reflections

Watercolor 9 X 12

For day 13 of the 30 in 30 Day Challenge I did another watercolor. It was the reflections on the water that captured my attention when I looked at this red sailboat. Red is like that isn't it? It demands to be noticed. I was at a marina outside of a restaurant where we were having lunch. The line in the background is the bridge over the Caloosahatchi which connects Ft Myers, FL and Cape Coral. It's a very scenic spot to have lunch looking at the boats on the river which flows into the Gulf of Mexico. This time of year the traffic is pretty sparse but in the winter it's very busy with visitors and snow birds. 

I used masking fluid to protect the white on the sailboats, dock and water, something I don't usually do but there's no other way to get around the light areas of railing and deck top. For the clouds, I dampen the paper and just paint around them, that way some of the edges are soft. We are almost to the halfway point in the Challenge, I hope I make it to the end.

Day 12 A Watercolor Day!

 Rainy Season

Watercolor 7 X 10

One neat thing about doing a painting a day for 30 days is that you can try things that you've always wanted to try but haven't. I've wanted to try to paint rain for a long time. Summer time is the rainy season in Florida, we see a lot of rain storms, usually in the afternoon. The wind will blow, there will be thunder and lightening and the rain will come down in buckets for 10 minutes to an hour. Then, it's done. 

For this little painting I painted the palms first and let them dry, then I made a big puddle of gray-blue paint and painted over the palm trees with a big brush with one swipe so that I didn't move the palm paint too much. Then I spattered and spritzed clear water to make the dots and drips. After that dried I enhanced the drips and drops with white and blue paint.