Day 30: 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"The Highest Power, #3"    NFS
Image:  11" x 15"    watercolor

     Yes!  I made it!  There were many times, when I wondered if I should quit, just for my health alone.  But I did easy paintings on those days, and then I got better.  For you runners out there, this was my marathon, and it feels really good to have made it across the finish line.

     I've been working on this painting here and there all month.  I needed a pure watercolor for the Transparent Watercolor Exhibition, so this will be one of my entries.  I know it's not a landscape, my original goal for this 30 Day Challenge, but I've already broken that many times with all my bird paintings.  So, why not break it one more time?  Go out with a bang, I say!       The study for this was the wire drawing below (drawings that look like a wire sculpture).   I've done 3 of these so far.  Every one is different, and surprises always arise as I'm painting.  Tomorrow, I will be posting the whole collection of 30 Day Paintings.  That will be your last chance to get in on the January bargain prices.  It's been a great ride, and as always, I learn so much along the way.  I really recommend you trying this.  Thanks for following along and cheering me on!

Wire Drawing of the original "Highest Power" painting

From Wire Drawing to Colored Painting

Wire Drawing (sold)

"The Highest Power I"  18" x 14"
$795,   Acrylic on Paper

What an adventure this has been for me.  I absolutely LOVE doing wire drawings.  And they serve as great value studies so that I can go on to painting colored paintings.  "The Highest Power" has been accepted into the Minnesota Watercolor Society Exhibition, which will be featured at the Arboretum,  3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318.  The show runs from April 7th till June 30th.  I did this colored version, using acrylics in the same manner as I described in my blog from January 26, 2015.  It's so fun to squirt paint on the surface of the paper, and then scrape those colors, using a credit card.  I will be teaching this procedure at the White Bear Center for the Arts on August 16-18, 2016.  To register, call White Bear Center for the Arts, Center for the Arts •  Phone 651.407.0597.  It is located at 4971 Long Avenue, White Bear Lake, MN 55110 • Tuition: $360 Member/$450 Non-Member. Hope to see you there! The art center is lovely!  One of my favorite places to teach!