Jan. 3: Trickster from The Lion King

Trickster (6 x 8")
This character from The Lion King was given to me years ago by a dear friend, Colleen Mooney.  I think of Colleen often in my studio, since Trickster is close by on a shelf!  He is sitting by a wonderful collage painting by Colleen's dear sister-in-law, Susan Dodd.  Today he sat very still with this arrangement of fresh flowers.  Thank you Colleen.

Jan. 2 - 30 Day challenge: Joe

Joe (NFS)

Jan. 1, 2014 Painting number ONE

This is Leslie's blog address:  http://www.lesliesaeta.blogspot.com
I am # 137.  As of Dec. 31, 2013 there were 341 artists participating!  More will join I am sure.

From Leslie:

I know you are all swamped with the holidays. 

But you need to take a moment and consider joining me for the 30 in 30 Challenge in January. 

I did it twice last year and it changed my art career. You should too.

It's really easy to join the Challenge.

The January 2014 30 in 30 Challenge is very simple and easy ... all you need to do is paint 30 paintings in 30 days. You can post your paintings daily here on my blog to share and I hope my blog will offer encouragement for those of you who might fall behind, need inspiration or have no idea what to paint!

I am doing this challenge for a lot of reasons. Personally, I need to paint more so I know this challenge will get me in my studio every day. I also firmly believe that if you paint more regularly you will improve your painting skills in dramatically. I am sharing this with you because the 30 Day Challenge last January and September were awesome.

So, what do you need to do to accept this challenge and stay on track? Well, here are my steps ...

1. Post a link to your blog (or website) below to say officially that you are in.

2. Make a commitment to yourself to enter this challenge and understand there may be days when you need to paint more than one painting to "get ahead" or "catch up".

3. Understand there are no real rules for this challenge. If you miss a day, then paint two the next day. If you fall behind, please stay in the challenge! No one is counting how many paintings you have completed (except you), I promise. The only rule is that you must have fun and enjoy the process.

4. Tell your art friends about this challenge and get them to join in so you can share your experiences with your art buddies.

5. Decide in advance on what you want to paint for the month. You might select a theme (such as painting still life, reflections, glass, flowers, landscapes, value studies, portraits, etc.) or a particular size or different medium. I do suggest you paint fairly small as a painting a day is a big commitment.

6. Get organized. Go through your photos and pick at least the first week of inspiration or plan out your plein air locations in advance. Check your supplies to make sure you have enough canvas(es) for at least the first week. 

7. Spend an hour organizing your painting area. If you studio looks like mine (and is full of stuff), a bit of organization is a good thing.

8. Tell your friends and family you are doing this. They can provide great support.

9. Blog about it. Be sure to upload your daily painting on your blog and put it on your blog and website. Talk about the experience, what you are learning and the fun you are having. Be sure to include prices (and please charge a price that makes it worth your while ... paintings listed too cheap seem too cheap) and an easy way for someone to buy your paintings (i.e. buy now buttons ...). Then share it also on Facebook.

10. Post your daily painting on my blog and include a link to the page on your blog featuring that painting. I am hoping the visibility here will help you sell your paintings! Who knows. 

11. And most importantly, have fun. If you get behind no one will notice. If you do paint all 30 paintings then you will know you accomplished an amazing goal and have completed our "Start of the Year" Challenge with a bang. If you reach some hurdles, talk about it on my blog as all of us are here to help. We will support each other, I promise.

This is going to be fun. The Challenge officially starts on January 1st.

Lesli

Sundays message was centered around the Holy Family.  So I wanted to paint my first piece of Mary and Jesus.  I sent a beautiful Christmas card this year, and I love the artists work.  William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905) painted L'Innocence.  I used this arrangement with a photo of a friend for Mary.  I didn't want to just copy a masterpiece, but change it up just a little.  I am 3 hours in to this one, so I may call it done.  L'Innocence with Andrea!

Oil on canvas panel  11 x 14"

Today the count went up to 381 participating in this 30 day event!

(NFS)  This is an altered copy of a masterpiece.

Reference photo and card

30 Paintings in 30 days

Jan. 1, 2014 I am starting day one of Leslie Saeta's  30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge!  I would suggest you visit her blog to see everyone's work posted daily.  This is a first for me, but I know people in this challenge from as far away as CA and WI.  Living in MO gives me that CENTRAL location to know lots of artist!  So starting tomorrow, between football and food, I will be painting numero uno.

Andrea modeling

  I guess I would say we were lucky this evening when the model scheduled to come didn't show up.  Andrea offered to model!  Yeah!  Sometimes the model is just so beautiful, they are difficult to paint. 

The beginning of my work.

We had a couple of painters that I did not catch their  names.  

Andrea, caught in a break!  :)

I can't stand the suspense until Adam paints her eyes.  He is so patient!  

Adam's unfinished painting of Andrea.

My painting, nearly finished.

Dec. 19 at Clague's Studio

It was another splendid evening in the Clague Studio with a model.  This will be our last night before we take a week off for Christmas.

Our model

Andrea Clague and Adam Clague.  

Andrea Clague

Our guest, Martin Jolley, joined us from Salida, CO for an evening of painting.

Adam

Andrea's charcoal drawing.  Break time for the model!

Adam

Andrea

Cathy Kline

8 x 10 oil on canvas.  This painting is for sale.

I am BLESSED

This is going to be a rather long post, and I hope you read the entire page.  The painting above is by Andrea Orr Clague.  I mentioned this painting about 2 blogs prior to this one.  The name of the painting is "Break time".  For months I watched the progress of this painting week to week as Andrea worked on it.  From the moment I saw it I was mezmorized by it's beauty.  It is hard to explain how a work of art captures you.  I dreamed of having it in my home.

Late yesterday afternoon we had a knock on our door.  My son answered the door and accepted a box from UPS.  I asked who it was for, and he simply said, its from the 'Legacy Gallery'.  My heart began to pound.  I knew that was where the painting was.  I had just asked Andrea Thursday evening if it had sold.  She gently said yes, she was notified yesterday.  My heart sank a little, but I knew whoever purchased it was going to love it as much as I did.  So I was in a 'meltdown' with the far fetched hope the painting was in that box.  I began to cry, as Oprah describes it, the ugly cry.  Kind of out of the world cry.  As I opened the box, I would see the back of a painting and an envelope.  It had a precious note from the Legacy Gallery, that an anonymous person has sent it as a gift to me.

I had talked a lot about this painting to my husband over the weeks of watching Andreas progress on it, so I suspected he purchased it for me as a surprise. But no, he did not.  He commented 'If you bought it for yourself, you are sure putting on a good act that you didn't!'  Then I knew he was serious, and didn't get it for me.  For those of you who know me, I am a woman who reads spoilers BEFORE I watch a movie to avoid surprises.  So to receive this gift was not even something I could imagine.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.

When I woke this morning I went in to check the wall to make sure I hadn't been in a dream, and I was still on this earth.  It was still on the wall.   I have someone that brought this joy in to my life that gave me a gift of art that I will cherish forever!  I am BLESSED.  From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

Merry Christmas.  There are Angels walking among us.
Hebrews 13:2 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”