day 27

29 faces

i found this piece of painted paper in my drawer.

probably a random experiment left for better days.

the more i looked at it, i began to see a face.  

i lightly penciled her in.

then painted in a loose style.  i've been wanting to practice

working with values and colors.  i don't think this was 

successful as far as that goes.  

there is a fine line between being overly critical  and analyzing  

for learning purposes.  i don't usually get too tied up in heavy 

personal criticism because there is always  another painting to try again.

and we know the drill....

practice, practice, practice.  

XO

day 26

29 faces

every journey begins

with the first step

day 24

29 faces

my first encaustic attempt.  i have collected encaustic supplies 

over a period of time.  i foresee many more hours of fun.

“Negative results are just what I want. 

They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. 

I can never find the thing that does the job best 

until I find the ones that don’t.” 
― Thomas Edison

day 23

29 faces

wandering through life

i find myself

day 22

29 faces

did i really commit to 100 faces?  i have been

at it since january 12th so we'll see.

i started with this collage and painted canvas that was in 

the closet.  you can't see that much of it is painted gold

i really liked the colors but did not know where to go with it.

i added more layers, paint, pastels, collage, pencil

and think i am finished for now. 

day 21

29 faces

only 8 more days.  i was all set to be sad when the challenge is

over.  but i found a new challenge....

100 faces

that should keep me going for a while 

:))

day 19

29 faces

i painted her while having my morning tea.  she has a

flower made from the acrylic skin from my palate.

i am debating whether she is a blonde or 

brunette.  for now, she will sit on my easel

and steep.

* * * * *

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough 

or a book long enough to suit me.” 
― C.S. Lewis

day 18

29 faces

lyrics from somewhere over the rainbow

someday i'll wish upon a star,

wake up where the clouds are far behind me

where trouble melts like lemon drops

high above the chimney top that's where you'll find me

oh. somewhere over the rainbow way up high

and the drew that you dare to, why, oh why can't i?

day 11

29 faces

after spending the last several days 

painting in journals

my fingers itched to rip and paste

to create this face 

and

a poem by one of my favorite poets

“Despite the enormous evening sky 
spreading over most of the canvas, 
its moon no more 
than a tarnished coin, dull and flat, 
in a devalued currency; 

despite the trees, so dark themselves, 
stretching upward like supplicants, 
utterly leafless; despite what could be 
a face, rinsed of feeling, aimed 
in their direction, 

the two small figures 
at the bottom of this picture glow 
bravely in their carnival clothes, 
as if the whole darkening world 
were dimming its lights for a party.” 
― Linda Pastan, Carnival Evening: New and Selected Poems, 1968-1998

day 10

29 faces 

sweet angel, after misty mawn

a monnochromatic journal page

in my little japanese altered book

Sometimes I need
only to stand
wherever I am 
to be blessed.

―Mary Oliver, Evidence: Poems

a quick charcoal for the last of the 30 challenges,

though i will be continuing to paint a face a day

with 29 faces and gritty jane's 40 portraits.

charcoal on paper, image color changed to sepia in iPhoto

"I am obsessed with the process of creation"

 Zdzislaw Beksinski

i am practicing recording  the steps in the paintings but get involved with the process

and often do not click the first few steps.  i will tell you about them...

i collaged a canvas board with paper that had paint on it.   

after it dried i sanded it a bit.   since the colors were still  brighter 

than I wanted for the background I put a wash on it.  

while the paper was still damp,

i started to roll off some of the paper with my fingers.

then i added another wash and some background writing before

gluing down the image i chose.

after a few more layers, here is the finished piece.

hello,  here is my start today.

i painted a board with black gesso first.   i use plastic container lids 

for my palate and peels some of the dried paint off.  You can see 

some of it next to the brushes.

i sketched in the design with chalk.

and began to paint with fw acrylic inks.  

like paint with numbers.

the finished painting.   you can see 

the paint skins used as the border between the woman 

and the horse.

outside my kitchen

after adhering tissue bits to deli paper.  you can see that it 

has a bit of texture.  i am not good at keeping my collage

pieces flat.

i decided to paint something after one of my

favorite artists, marc chagall.  i am drawn to 

his whimsical creatures and the scenes from his beloved 

home town village in Russia. 

i wanted to take more process photos but got

so involved with painting that i only took this one.

i used gloss medium under and on the top as an adhesive to glue the 

tissue down so the paper was glossy .  i tried to sketch with 

pencil and charcoal but the gloss made it difficult so i 

just started painting.  

i rarely use blue but it seemed to be a chagall favorite.  i like 

the color actually and wonder if it will pop up more in

my work.  

phases of the moon

pastel, collage, pencil, guache on paper

i tried abstract painting several times.  

this is one of the attempts.  i used it for the 

background  of 

the background  of a portrait.

her hair is paper i made a while ago in

an online workshop.

i am not one for new year's resolutions 

but for years i have read that people select a theme word

for the year.  this year i chose excavate as my word.

i didn't mean it in a heavy word, more one to 

delve deep, stir the cauldron and notice with much

interest what emerges.  so far, a lot of faces :)

what about you, do you choose a resolution or word?

have a lovely weekend

number twelve of my challenge

charcoal, gauche, pencil, pastels on cardboard.

in low light, foggy days, a few minutes before 

daylight or sunset i pull over if i am driving

and take a few iphone photos.  i am hoping

to use some of the wonderful apps out 

soon but for now, i'll just use what i have.  

she's a bit blurry but i like her that way.

oil pastels on paper

i am enjoying the challenge of a painting a day.

i have approached it by painting first thing in the morning

when the light is best in my studio.   there is a feeling

of accomplishment after i am done.  in september when i 

painted for the 30 paintings challenge i was out of town a lot

and it was a bit stressful.  this is different.  every day i wonder

who is going to show up.  

sunset  around the bend on paseo dell mar

if you are intererested in seeing all of the portraits for this challenge, 

click on the label below

linking with friends at paint party friday 

i do hope you get a chance to peek at the lovely art there

today will be a quick posting as i just discovered that my imac is losing photos.

i have had this happen before but this is a new computer.

so i am going to visit to my tech specialist immediately.

acrylic, collage, pastel pencil on paper

wish me luck