Outrageous Color 1 and Outrageous Color 2

What a glorious day it was to paint this outrageous color with my art friend, Lori.  This was my last painting trip in Wisconsin this year and it was a blast.  The next day it rained with high winds blowing the rest of the leaves off the trees.  Autumn is fantastic but short in Wisconsin.

My Review of Senso Clear Primed Stretched Linen Canvas - 1½" Boxes of 3

Originally submitted at Jerry's Artarama Art Supplies

Multi-media surface great for oil, acrylic and alkyd colors Medium weight natural linen canvas Special clear acrylic primer allows canvas surface to show through Medium tooth natural weave surface Back-stapled to allow for keying or re-stretching (keys included) Four paintable edges for frameless p...

Senso Clear Primed Stretched Linen Canvas - 1½" Boxes of 3

By from on 11/12/2012

 

out of 5

(legalese)

Art for sale to benefit Storm Sandy Victims

You will find these four (10" x 10" original gouache paintings) at www.dailypaintworks.com.  (The paintings are from my Chinese Character Garden Series)  The proceeds from the sales will be donated to The Salvation Army to help the victims of Storm Sandy. Over 100 artists have donated paintings for this cause. 

Bluebird of Happiness

I painted this bluebird in my friend, Lori's, studio last week and really enjoyed borrowing her ceramic bluebird and antique pitcher for my still life set-up.  When I was close to finishing my painting and making decisions on my edge work and color notes, I was surprised to see I had borrowed something else from Lori.  I had borrowed her reflection (as she painted next to me) and had painted it as a shape in the vase.  Look closely and you will see her painting away.  Have a happy weekend. 

It's Packer Sunday!

Dessert

This week I was excited to visit my artist friend, Lori, and paint the fantastic fall colors here in northern Wisconsin.  I live three hours north of her and our trees are bare here, but in her area the leaf colors are at their peak.  Driving in the rain hid natures colors from me as I sped down the freeway, but I knew from Lori's report that the vivid yellow and orange colors were there waiting for my paint brush.  When I arrived it was still raining and our painting time outdoors didn't look promising.  So on our first day together we painted in her studio instead of venturing into the landscape.  This bowl with ripe luscious pears was sitting on the kitchen table and became my still life set up.  We had the pears for dessert.  Delicious! 

Group Hug

My tomatoes are ripening and I decided to feature only these beautiful ripe ones in another DPW 'paint an emotion' Challenge.   The emotion for this painting is love and is entitled Group Hug.

Green with Envy

This weeks Daily Paint Works Challenge is to paint an emotion.  Wow!  I have never painted an emotion before and was excited to get started.  Except what emotion would I paint?  How would I paint it once I decided on my choice?  Many choices came to mind but were quickly dismissed.  Then I looked in my kitchen for a snack to fuel my tired brain and there was my subject, my just picked garden tomatoes. (While I was out of town, Jane, my neighbor had saved them from the frost, by picking every tomato still on my plants. - Thank you, Jane.)   A few of the tomatoes were ripe, red and perfect.  Most of the tomatoes were green, blemished and pretty un-tomato looking.  These green tomatoes looked like they were envious of the red tomatoes maturity, ripeness and beauty to me.  So I set up my tomato still life and painted the emotion 'envy' thanks to these tomatoes.
PS  To all those green tomatoes out there - you can ripen up if you are put in a paper bag with a few green friends and placed on top of the refrigerator for a few days.  Or you can be turned into fried green tomatoes!

The Fruit of the Vine

Autumn in Wisconsin is our most colorful month.  When I had the opportunity to paint this pumpkin field, I took it!  Painting the orange of the pumpkins was quite a challenge and I learned, early on in the painting, that using cadmium orange straight from the tube was not going to work.  I had to wipe that color off (thank goodness it was oil paint) and come up with another color game plan.
That is what I love about painting, you have to solve different problems in each and every painting you create.  The problem I tackled in this painting was how to paint orange pumpkins without using orange paint.  Exciting!

Two Bee or Not Two Bee

Two bees were working this sunflower today.  It reminded me of Shakespeare's famous line from Hamlet as I painted, "To be, or not to be, that is the question."  A possible answer to Shakespeare's question came up at last weeks Bible study, on the first eight chapters of Genesis.  This question was asked,"Why would a God of Love create death for Adam and Eve after they left the Garden of Eden?"  One of the answers given was that eternal life with corruption, illness and evil would be unbearable if it went on for eternity.  So God in his goodness gives us something better, relief from all evils, and only goodness forever.  I wonder what Shakespeare would say to that answer?

SUNFLOWER LABYRINTH

This sunflower was covered with bees when I first stepped into the garden.  Most flew off leaving only one to enjoy the pollen and nectar from the flowers on the tips of the sunflower seeds.  The lone bee seemed to be walking around the seeds from the outside to the inside in ever tighter circles.  It reminded me of walking a labyrinth.   

Duck Tail

This is one of farmer Greg's ducks.  He also has rabbits, goats, chickens, cats, a wife and three blond children.  Greg read an article about people in Europe paying farmers to camp on their farms and was intrigued by this idea.  The European farm campers stay in canvas cabins with flooring, a deck, beds, chairs, and a filling farm breakfast.  Even hot showers are available.  Most of the campers are families and they camp on the farms so their children can experience the farm life by gathering eggs, feeding the livestock, doing choirs and picking produce in season for a weekend. Would you pay to camp on a farm here in the USA?  I certainly would!

Sundae Surprise

On Sunday, I went to several stores looking for water balloons, so I could enter Carol Marines challenge on Daily Paint Works.  Her challenge was to place water balloons in a painting.  There were no water balloons at any of the stores I stopped at on Sunday.  On Monday, I went to another store when I was out, no water balloons.  On Tuesday, new store, no water balloons.  On Wednesday, at The Dollar Store they had water balloons in the back room.  As I was checking out I asked the clerk why the water balloons were not in an aisle of the store.  Her answer to me was, "Since it is autumn no one will want to buy water balloons."  I live in Florida and the day I finally found the water balloons it was 93 degrees with 90 percent humidity.
This painting will be for sale at auction starting tomorrow at www.dailypaintworks.com 

Sunrise and One Lump or Two - The challenge paintings

It has been very, very hot here this week (makes sense since it is Florida in the summer!) and I have been painting indoors.  Both of these paintings were inspired by The Daily Paint Works challenges.  The first one was in response to the challenge to paint a raw egg yolk.  The second painting was for the challenge to paint a light bulb.  I went a little overboard and painted three bulbs instead of one and also included a sugar bowl and lid all on a six inch by six inch panel.  Oh well, I guess I just can't follow directions very well.  Both of my paintings and all of the other challenge paintings can be seen on www.dailypaintworks.com by clicking the challenge button.  

I love the sound of waterfalls.  Their water song cadence changes as their headwaters increase or decrease.  This summer day waterfall music was like a waltz and was very peaceful.  As summer turns into fall and a busier time for all of us, I hope you can find a waterfall to sit by and find a little peaceful tune.

Saturday is my birthday and my new age will end with a three!  To celebrate this number I have painted three plums, which is one of my favorite fruits.  To challenge myself I decided it would be interesting to paint on gold leaf and see how the oil paint might 'behave' on this shiny surface.  It worked extremely well, as long as I just laid down a stroke of paint and then left it alone.  After I completed the painting I went in with my palette knife and 'scratched out' small areas to expose the greenish toned gesso behind the plums.
I want you to celebrate my birthday with me so I am starting the bidding on 'Three Plums' (6" x 8") at $3.00 at www.daillypaintworks.com.  I hope you win the bid.
Yours in art and birthdays,
Pamela 

SUNSET WITH PURPLE?

My title has a question mark at the end because no one on our northeasternWisconsin lake knows what plant this is on my neighbor's property.  Joe and his family live to the west of my lake cottage and he was excited when my friend, Lori, and I came to paint on his property.  His cabin would have been a nice subject but flowers usually catch my interest and these purple flowers? with their height and color grabbed my attention. Setting up to paint them was a challenge though since Joe's property has quite a sloping yard down to the lake.  Thank goodness for adjustable legs on my easel!  If only my own legs adjusted as well, I would have been more comfortable as I painted.  After visiting with Joe for a time and sketching in my subject - the purple flowers? - it was time to settle in to paint quickly as the sun started to go down.  Later that evening I googled purple perennial flowers and couldn't find a match.  Then I looked in my gardening books (I have a lot of gardening books) and didn't find a match.  Do you happen to know what they are called?  They are about 4 feet tall and grow on the southern bank above the lake in full sun.  If you might know their name please let me know in the comment section below this post.  Once I have their name I can order some for my own garden. Thank you. 

EGG HUT

To be invited onto someones property to paint is such an honor.  My fellow artist friend, Pamela Ruschman, had permission for us to paint at this farm.  The chickens, cats, ducks, sheep, rabbits and children kept us entertained as we painted.  This young farm couple raises most of their families food themselves and sell eggs to the buying public.  This painting features one of their (loud - he wanted my attention so I put him in the painting) roosters, quiet ducks, and the Egg Hut.  Many times I had to pause while painting when an egg buyer drove up, put their money in the jar (the honor system at it's finest) opened the refrigerator and took out the eggs they wanted to buy.  I am glad the process was fast since their car would block my view as they 'gathered' their eggs. 

COTTAGE FLOWERS

I love summer at the lake in Wisconsin.  Warmth and sunshine with deep blue skies during the day, with cool evenings that might bring a passing storm or gentle shower.  But the best part of summers at the lake has to be our many friends that come to see us at our cottage.  Many of my friends are painters and we look forward to our quiet plein air painting time in each others company.  Breaks and or lunch contain spirited discussions about the progress of our work and catching up on our lives.
This painting, 'Cottage Flowers,' captures the joyful day I spent painting along side my art friend, Lori Beringer.

Diary of an Arts Pastor: On the vocation of an artist: Part II

I think all my artist friends who read my blog will find this blogger's information very interesting so I have posted it here.  Diary of an Arts Pastor: On the vocation of an artist: Part II: René François Ghislain Magritte (1898-1967) "All art is an imitation of nature." Seneca (4 BC - 65 AD) "Man is god over all the mat...

DANCING WATER

IT IS RAINING, AGAIN!  This is wonderful since we haven't had rain for a week and the temperatures have soared into the high 90s everyday.  Most summers we are blessed with mild temperatures of mid-70s and low 80's.  The air conditioners (if our homes even have them) are rarely turned on during a 'normal' northeastern Wisconsin summer.  I am so relieved to have the rain for the moisture it gives to the plants in my gardens and the more normal temperatures it will bring.  The waterfalls will be rushing and dancing once again and the trout will be swimming in larger pools of water than have been available to them for a few weeks. 

HOW SWEET THE SOUND

It has been a hot and dry summer here in Wisconsin.   Everyone but especially our farmers are concerned about their crops, live stock and the seeds they are growing for next years crops.  Living in Northeastern Wisconsin we are blessed with lots of lakes and rivers plus seventeen named waterfalls.  (You can even get a map and take a self guided tour by car to see the falls, but it takes an entire day to visit them all.)  Not only are the falls beautiful to visit and paint but their streams feed rivers that then produce our hydroelectricity for our communities.  Today our electrical and crop concerns have been minimized since it is finally raining on the land and into the streams so the waterfalls are rushing once again.  The sound of the rushing water over the rocks is oh so sweet.  I hope all of our other Wisconsin Counties receive rain today as well.

Tractor Break

We need rain in most of our counties here in Wisconsin. The grass is 'crunchy' under our feet.  Ozaukee County, where this painting was painted really needs rain.  With irrigation most of the crops are growing well, but rain is still needed.  My garden here at home is being watered today from our trusty Simer water pump that is in our lake, for irrigating my neighbors and my gardens.  We are so lucky to have this water source and the pump!  Since we have a well for our drinking water we wouldn't be able to irrigate the garden from the well without fear of lowering our water table. 

WHO'S GUARDING THE HENHOUSE?

I just returned from the 2012 Cedarburg Plein Air Paint Out.  It was a hot week for painting in Cedarburg this year, since temperatures were in the high nineties everyday I painted.  The painting that I am posting today is a painting I did last year at the 2011 paint out.  The rule for The Cedarburg Plein Air Paint Out is to finish the entire painting in --- WELL ---  plein air or completely outside with no tweaking in the studio.  This painting just wasn't finished when the light changed, so I enhanced it in the studio a few weeks ago.  I offer it for sale now while I finish putting in a late garden instead of painting today.  

CURTAIN CALL

It is always fun to open a box and find a surprise.  Well, this morning as I was packing up my painting gear, for my trip to Cedarburg, Wisconsin; I discovered this painting.   Since I will be packing and then traveling I won't be painting until I get to the plein air paint out.  So today I am posting my found painting, Curtain Call.  (I think the daffodil looks like it is taking a bow until it blooms again next spring.)
To follow all of the artists who will be painting in Cedarburg this year, go to www.cedarburgpleinair.com. 

Hypnosis Dots

This week on The Daily Paint Works website, Carol Marine, sent out a challenge.  The challenge to all painters was to include dots somewhere, somehow in a new painting we would create this week.  It sounded like fun!
Besides I had been wanting to paint one of the water glasses that came with our cottage and the bird salt and pepper shakers that are part of my salt and pepper collection.  (My Grandmother, Minnie, collected salt and pepper shakers and now I do too.)
So I put out my paint and began painting.  Soon I was seeing dots before my eyes even where the dots did not exist.  To finish this painting I needed to rest my eyes from time to time from all those dots.  The dots were hypnotic.  I was so glad the challenge didn't include counting the dots or connecting them!

Strawberry Fields Forever

When the strawberries are in blossom I know that delicious strawberries are right around the corner.  Every year in June, I participate in the Cedarburg Plein Air Paint Out in Cedarburg, WI.  The week of painting, culminates with the Strawberry Festival Weekend and art sale.  There is nothing like Wisconsin strawberries in June!  Go to www.cedarburgpleinair.com to follow the competition blog.

My subject for this still life had to be replaced several times during my painting session.  The studio spot light wilted my 'model's', the strawberry plants, leaves and blossoms.  I took the wilted plants back to the garden and re-planted them and then dug up a new fresh 'model'.  Hopefully, my strawberry fields (actually a garden) will be there forever. 

May Lilacs

I enjoy going to flea markets, estate sales and antique shops to find just the right vase for my still life arrangements.  I found this vase at an estate sale with our sons in Detroit.  This vase had evidence of heavy use by its former owner, which made me wonder if it had held lilacs before.
My palette for this painting was viridian, cadmium lemon, cobalt, alizarin, and cadmium red.  The perfume scent from these lilacs infused the entire cottage studio as I quickly mixed these beautiful pigments to capture the lilacs before they wilted. 

Embroidered Cloth

Generations before Martha Stewart, women were enhancing their homes and families lives with beauty.  I love to go to garage, estate and flea market sales where I search for these women's creations of years ago.  I am drawn to the tables heaped with the needlework of women.  They used their rare leisure time to embroider, tat, needlepoint, quilt, knit and crochet their visions.  After buying this little cloth embroidered with violets and daisies (with a finishing touch of crochet on the edges  :-)  ), I was excited to place it on my table with daffodils in a tea cup.  This unsigned lovely needlework cloth now enhances the beauty of my painting and my home. 

Robin's Egg

I discovered this 'almost' intact robin's egg on my morning walk last year.  It saddened me that the egg never hatched and we would never be able to watch the robin hop about the yard looking for worms.  At least,  I was able to include the beautiful egg and the shell color in my daffodil painting.
You can buy this painting at auction at www.dailypaintworks.com starting May 1, 2012.  

Yearling Hereford

A friend of mine has several businesses but also raises Hereford's.  He let's me paint on his farm even when he is working somewhere else.  Before he cut the back forty on his property the cattle would graze in that area of the farm, rub against the trees, and stand in the shade.  I was able to paint this young Hereford in the early morning as the sun was blasting through the trees.  

Boathouse Reflections

Living on a canal on the St. John's River is filled with surprises.  Mullet jumping, blue herons visiting in hopes of eating your bait, eagles soaring overhead, manatees gliding beneath the water, alligators looking for mates and friendly boaters, fisherman and neighbors saying hello.  But in the early morning the surprise is how still it is on the canal compared to the rest of the lively day.  

Empty

I have entered this painting into the Easter Challenge on the Daily Paint Works site.   The artist's who wanted to take up this latest challenge, were asked to paint what made them think of Easter.  At this time of the year I think about the empty tomb.  To see the other entries go to www.dailypaintworks.com.

NOT A PEEP!

I have not heard a 'peep' from these little yellow birds, so I still don't know who has been pecking on the foil wrapped chocolate eggs.   10% of the profits from the sale of this painting go to Heifer International.  www.heifer.org.  Just for fun go to www.peepresearch.org.  

Wooden Boat Festival 

The Wooden Boats are back on the St. John's River!  Every year the boats come back and cruise the river for about two weeks in March.  Today the boats are cruising the canals.  Here's one I was able to photograph as I took a break from painting in the studio.  Go to YouTube - 'Chris Craft boats on the St. John's River'  to see more of our beautiful area. 

SQUIRREL!

I've captured the orange eating squirrel!  Just kidding, I captured him on film going up the tree to bite into more oranges.  I have to pick the remaining good ones today so he doesn't ruin them all. 

Oranges

The squirrels are at it again!  They take one bite out of the juiciest orange and then jump to the next branch and bite the next one of their choice.  In the process the small unripe oranges and the new blossoms plummet to the ground.  10% of the profits go to Heifer International - not the squirrels.  www.heifer.org.

UNWRAPPED

Today I didn't know eggs-actly what to paint until I saw the weekly challenge on Daily Paint Works.
So this is what I painted for the 'Crumpled Paper Challenge.'  10% of the profits from the sale of this painting will be donated to Heifer International.  www.heifer.org. You can purchase it at www.dailypaintworks.com at auction starting 03/23/2012.

The Egg

This morning I found this 'tiny' egg on my outdoor kitchen windowsill.  The egg was broken and the lizard had not hatched out, so he/she had died inside the shell.  I don't know if it is a Green Anole Lizard (sometimes called the American Chameleon) or a Gecko.  The little guy is just to small to tell which species he/she might be.   We have plenty of both types of lizards in our yard,  but it was kind of sad to see this one would never have a chance to roam around. 

It is amazing to me that the ripening March oranges are still on the tree when the new orange blossoms appear.  

The new moon was last night and the very best time to plant the vegetable garden.  Busy this week with putting garden soil in the new raised garden beds.  Now the seeds are all planted with the full moon and new postings will show you the progress of the raised garden beds. 

Sunset Memory

Painting in plein air is so exciting!  You don't know if a storm will catch you in the middle of a field, a bull might charge you from afar, or a nest of irate fire ants will decide to attack while you are setting up your gear.  The most memorable outdoor painting adventure has none of the above, but instead includes a fellow painter to share the outdoor painting experience.  This painting 'Sunset Memory' included oil painter, Lori.  (www.loriberinger.com)  We painted together for one wonderful week in beautiful Central Florida on the banks of the St. John's River.  

Nestled

Several years ago I was able to go to the Britex Fabric Store in San Francisco, CA.  What a thrill this was for me since I love fabric.  Three floors of fabric!  Each floor had every wall stacked with fabric from the floor to the almost thirty foot ceilings.  Library ladders propelled the clerks to the fabric you picked out. The fabric bolts were in every color of the rainbow and every type.  Wool, silk, satin, linen, and cotton fabrics, ribbons, sequins, buttons, and thread.  What a treat!  You can now buy the fabric online, but if you are in San Francisco you should go into the store; it is stunning to see all that fabric in one place. Located right by the trolley turn around at 146 Geary Street.
Today I painted these three eggs nestled in some fantastic fabric I purchased when I visited the Britex Fabric Store. 

Opalescence

This painting was the first egg painting that I painted in this series of egg paintings.  'Opalescence' was accepted into the WPSE (Women Painters of the Southeast) exhibit at the Corse Gallery & Atelier, Jacksonville, FL.

(www.corsegalleryatelier.com)  The exhibit opens on April 28, 2012 and closes on May 26, 2012.   

10% of the profits from the sale of this painting will be donated to Heifer International (www.heifer.org) to buy laying hens for the hungry.

I am really enjoying painting eggs.  This still life was set up in warm light and has cool shadows.  The beige eggs that are a warm color were a real challenge to paint.  The shadows on the eggs needed to be painted a cool(ish) color while still maintaining the eggs appearance of being - well - egg shaped.  : )

It looks like I have started a series of egg paintings without knowing I would create a series.  This is number four.   I will post number one tomorrow.................... Yes, number one.  

I painted this painting for 'The White On White Challenge' for The Daily Paint Works auction.  The last time I painted an all white painting was a commission to paint a couples white dog.  They decided not to buy the painting and I haven't tried to paint another painting in tones of white until this one.  It certainly was easier to paint these eggs from life, since they were perfect models, compared to the dog I did from life sketches and photo reference.   

Broccoli & Bamboo

My neighbor, Debbie, has a beautiful garden full of vegetables and flowers.  The other day she invited me to paint in her garden while she ran errands.  It was peaceful listening to the birds sing while I painted on that sunny day.  The late morning sun shining through the broccoli leaves was what I had wanted to paint for days.  I was so happy when Debbie invited me over and I could paint this beautiful plant.  Thanks, Debbie.