Jan. 6: Travis/ hand study

Travis/ hand study (NFS)
I have seen my son, Travis, hold his hands in this position a million times.  I caught a photo of this over Christmas, very accidentally.  Travis works with his hands, and I felt this was a perfect portrait of him.  I am sure I will paint this several times, until I get it 'just right'.  But for today, here is a study.

New feature for 2014! Buy NOW!!!

6 x 8 and 8 x 10 painting unframed is $100 plus shipping.  9 x 12 and 11 x 14 painting unframed is $125 plus shipping.  Other sizes are $150/ unframed, plus shipping.    When you see one you like, the Buy Now button is ready!  Thank you for viewing  my work.  Note:  Paintings in posts prior to Jan. 1, 2014 may be available.  Please contact me for availability and price.  Also note these paintings are not framed.

Jan. 5: Still life with skull

Still life with skull
Oil on canvas panel  6 x 8"
This will be the last of these flowers for still life paintings.  They are on their way out.  I love fresh flowers in the winter months.  It makes me appreciate natures beauty.
If only I can figure out pay pal, I will have these up for sale!  Meanwhile if you are interested, email me.  

Jan. 4: Ryan

Ryan  (NFS)
This painting may look a little familiar!  I painted Ryan's dad, Joe, 2 days ago.   The photograph was taken my Ryan's mom, Sherry!  Sherry is a professional photographer, and I asked her permission to use her art in my art!  She was kind enough to allow me to paint the two most important men in her life.  For me it is more difficult to paint from a photograph, and to paint someone I know personally.  So Ryan was a challenge, as was Joe.
Visit Sherry's web site to see her wonderful work.  http://www.sherryfarrellphotography.com

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