Saturday, January 31, 2015

January's Paintings

Collage of January's Paintings

Friday, January 30, 2015

Pink Grapefruit

I didn't have to push hard to get color going with these grapefruits.  They are very sweet and colorful. 

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Nandina

I was hoping to find a few crocuses this morning walking the property, but none have budded yet.  The only color I could fine were the numerous nandina berries. 

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Jagermeister

I pulled this bottle of Jagermeister out of our freezer because of it's intense green color.  It has a taste very similar to an herbal remedy I gave one of my dogs for years.   

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Monday, January 26, 2015

Marbles and Copper

I have trouble painting copper so I'll keep trying.  The marbles were fun... sort of like painting grapes. 

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Big painting hug to Dyanne

One of my very best buddies today suggested that perhaps I'm not loosening up because I'm painting daily.   She has noticed that many of my paintings have wine bottles and wine glasses.   Just for clarification Dyanne, there is no drinkable alcohol in this still life today.  It's garlic, olive oil and vinegar (ops... red wine vinegar). 

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Friday, January 23, 2015

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Two and a half Apples

We've been getting really pretty apples lately, so I decided to paint a few. 

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Monday, January 19, 2015

Espolon Tequila

This was a quick study of this very cool looking bottle of tequila.  I plan to paint it again soon. 

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Lime Gathering

I wanted to paint something with high contrast today, so I grabbed a bunch of limes and tried to really push the color. 

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Stuff from the Studio

I'm starting to have a lot of fun with this, and I think I am loosening up.  I find I no longer psychoanalyze each object before I choose to paint it.  I just quickly reach for colors, color contrast, abstract shapes and textures.  I hope this doesn't sound esoteric or artsy, because that's not me and that crap turns me off.  

Friday, January 16, 2015

Grapes

I didn't have a lot of time last night so this was quick and wet, but I'm pleased with the results.  This is day 16 of 2015.  I'm feeling a difference in my painting by doing these daily paintings.  I'm making decisions quicker with more confidence.   It's been a crazy year so far.  If I hadn't made a commitment to myself to do these, I probably wouldn't have seen much of my studio so far this year.   

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Piranha

I purchased this little stuffed Piranha from a little boy in Peru years ago.  I enjoy it's vivid color. 

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Red and Black

I like to paint art objects.  These are objects from an ink set I purchased in China.  I set them on a glass on top of a piece of bright red construction paper.  The way the light hit the glass dramatically skewed the intensity of the red to a milky pink. 

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Lemon Ginger Tea

One of my favorite night time teas.  I pretty much like anything with Ginger and Lemon. 

Monday, January 12, 2015

Painting Materials

I particularly enjoyed painting this little painting.  It had a very abstract feel to it when I began working out the details of the reflective shapes.

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Red Wine and Cheese

When I'm by myself and don't have to cook, this is my favorite dinner.  Painting the cheese and crackers was a challenge.  The cheese got darker and darker as the painting progressed so it ended up making my 2 dogs very happy as a little dog snack.  The wine made me happy.   

Friday, January 9, 2015

Special Coffee

This is my favorite coffee mug right now.  I decided to spruce it up with some booze and whip cream for a nice color contrast. 

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Green Martini

One thing I learned from painting this one is that ice melts much quicker than I paint. 

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Banana

I enjoyed painting this banana.  I may try to paint another banana against a yellow or beige background with minimal contrast to see how it affects the light. 

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Monday, January 5, 2015

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Blanton's Bourbon

This isn't really Blanton's Bourbon.  It's just a painting of a Blanton's bottle with other bourbon in it.  The Blanton's is long gone, but I've kept the bottle to remind me of the good friend who gave it to me years ago.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

Curacao Bottle and fruit

This is day three of painting in 2015.  I wanted to paint something colorful today so I scouted through the liquor cabinet and found a very dusty bottle of Curacao.  I've forgotten what it taste like, so I plan to look up a recipe before cocktail hour this evening. 

Friday, January 2, 2015

Tea and Lemon

I had limited time to paint today, so I worked from a limited monochromatic palette.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Red Teapot

All of the painters I admire paint in a loose expressive style.  I haven't been able to achieve that result myself, so I'm starting the year with a series of small still-lifes.   I'm going to continue this series until I'm able to develop a loose expressive style.   I may not complete a painting each day, but I plan to paint each day.