First 9 Paintings of the 30 Day Challenge

All of these paintings are 11" x 14" image and available for only $99 each during the month of January.  If interested, send me a private message on Facebook, or message me in the comment section below.  Hope you are enjoying this trip down landscape alley.  I have a sinus infection now, so it has zapped all my energy.  Hoping to produce more contemporary pieces as the month goes on.

Day 9 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Birch Tree Study of Erin White"     NFS
11" x 14"     Original Watercolor   

I could do 100 paintings of birch trees and still not fun out of ideas.  I may do more of these during this challenge.  It would be fun to try different color combinations.  The lighter grey color in this one was achieved by mixing burnt sienna and manganese blue, and the dark gray color was mixed using ultramarine blue and burnt sienna.  It was lots of fun to do!   It's great to be influenced by other artists, but you should always make it your own. Thoughout my painting career, there are 3 artists who I consider to be the top birch tree painters: Russell Norberg, Kay Sharkey, and Erin White.  This painting is a study of Erin White's birch painting.  Although I changed it a lot, it still looks too much like hers, so it will remain part of my private collection.  I feel very strongly about that.

Day 8: 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Foggy Morning"    $99
11" x 14" image       Original watercolor

I'm trying new colors in these quick 15 minute paintings.  Today, it is very foggy in southern Florida, so this fits the mood.  I used raw sienna, burnt sienna, manganese blue hue, and new gamboge.  I'm still nursing a rather bad cold, so taking it easy is where it is at!  My hubby got my computer fixed, and bought me a new mouse to use with it, so I'm a happy camper.  He also spoiled me by making supper tonight.  I'm a very lucky girl!

Day 7: 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Artist's Point".   $99

11"x14".  Original watercolor

This is one of my favorite places to go.  Located right off Grand Marais, MN, this is a peninsula of land with deep cut rocks and very flat rocks. Such a contrast. It has a very peaceful feeling, so I often will sketch while taking in its beauty.  I used plastic wrap on the rock area and actually directed the plastic wrap in different directions to create the deep cracks and crevices.

Day 6: 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Into the Bliss". $99 (special Price during January)
11" X 14". Original watercolor

I've got a terrible cold today, so I took the easy way out with another 15 minute painting.  To prepare, wet both sides of the paper several times. Decide on your colors ahead of time. Start with a big brush and as the painting progresses, change to a 1/2 inch flat brush to paint the trees. Well, that's all the energy I have today. Back to bed.

Day 5: 30 Paintings in 30 Days!

"Farm Charm"   $99 (special price during January, 2017) SOLD
Image size:  11" x 14"      Original Watercolor

I'm painting with 3 friends in Celebration, FL.  Karlyn Holman showed us how to begin with a black watercolor pencil, that smears when you wet it.  I still need more practice, but again, Karlyn has inspired me to try new things!
Speaking of Karlyn, you all need to check out her new Ecourse!  "Keeping up with Karlyn".  It's a subscription for online lessons in watercolor and mixed media.

If you are interested in the ecourse and would like to receive the earlybird discount, email orders and the staff will set you up.  Send requests to:  orders@karlynholman.com  Usually it's only $400, but if you sign up because of reading this blog, you will get a $50 dollar discount!!!  :) :)  This online workshop offers 24 lessons, 20 encore paintings lessons, 11 instructional videos, and a gift bag of selected artist materials.  Karlyn has been one of my mentors for all of my painting journey.  She still inspires me, encouraging me to try new products or techniques.  And FUN is her middle name!!!  I definitely recommend that you sign up!  You have 2 years to complete the lessons at your own pace.  What a deal!

Day 4 : 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"On Golden Pond"     $99 (special price during January)
Image Size:  11" x 14"     Original Watercolor

Since I was traveling in the car a good part of today, I decided to do a really simple landscape. When I teach landscape painting workshops, we warm up by painting a little 5" x 7" painting and I actually set the timer for 5 minutes.  Yes, we complete a painting in only 5 minutes.  The students like this so much, they don't want to stop!
So, I had never tried this fast process on a quarter sheet painting, but it worked pretty well.  I had to work very fast! I wet both sides of the paper several times before beginning.  You have to decide on your colors before beginning.  There is no time to contemplate this once you have started.  I work wet into wet, and changing to thicker paint as you move along on the painting.  Everything banks on getting the right wetness of the paper, and the thickness of paint.  So, this painting took only 15 minutes to complete!  How about that?

Day 3- 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Perfect Getaway"   $99 (only at this special price during January)
Image size:  11" z 14"     Original watercolor 

Another North Shore painting.  I used to paint traditional landscapes back in 1998, and here I am, full circle returning to them.  It's fun for me to see how far I've come, especially in thinking about composition and design.  Back then, I wouldn't even consider doing a value sketch beforehand, and now, it's like going on a trip without a road map.  Take my word for it:  If you want to bring your paintings up to the next level, do a value sketch!
Lesson for the day:  Another fun technique to help finish off the vignette feeling of this painting, is to lightly sprinkle the bottom rock area with a water bottle, then spatter small spots at the bottom of the rocks.  Then very quickly, place wax paper over the dots, and this will spread them a little bit and make them more organic.  Leave the wax paper on for at least 20 minutes.  You will see light cracks formed by the wax paper.  It's the same process as the plastic wrap that I showed yesterday on my blog, but this is  more subtle and great for the transition into the white paper at the bottom of the rocks. See below:

Day 2- 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Rock Slide"  $99  Image size:  11" x 14"
Original Watercolor

My theme is "Landscapes" for this year's 30 Day Challenge.  Each of these paintings are size 11"x 14" and are available for $99, just during this month.  Email or message me if interested in purchasing one of these.
Still playing catch up.  When I do these 30 in 30 challenges, I try to get ahead by painting 2 or 3, per day at the beginning of the month, so that when babysitting, vacationing, or teaching comes up, I can use the ones I have already done.  This painting is another memory of the North Shore of Lake Superior, where the rocks are beautiful, and there is a peacefulness that feeds my soul.  In order to paint the rocks, the easy way, I float a medium color in the rock area, spatter some drops at the bottom of them, and quickly place plastic wrap on the rock area.  Leave this on the paper for at least 20 minutes, until deep cracks appear.  Then I glaze with darker colors to create depth in the rocks and to lead the viewer's eye throughout the painting.

30 Paintings in 30 Days- Day One!

"Tranquility"  Image size: 11" x 14"
Price:  $99 (Price good until January 31)

 It's here again! I'm doing the Leslie Saeta Challenge of 30 Paintings in 30 Days! I had 3 ideas for my subject matter.  But finally decided on landscapes so that I could prepare for my private show that will be at a museum in Miles City, MT in October. These paintings will all be 11" x 14" and will sell for $99 each through the end of January.  Then the price will go back up to the normal amount.  These 30 Day Challenges offer the viewer a chance to get a great deal on original art!  Below is my value sketch of this subject, which is the North Shore of Lake Superior.