#24 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Catching Up!

#24 Catching Up!   6x6 Oil on Paper/Panel    $125.00

This walk took us through different parks and over hill and dale. It was wonderful to have so much colour in the middle of winter. I love the snow but this was a lovely break.

#8 Terwillegar Park Lone Tree

#8 Terwillegar Park Lone Tree   6 x 6 Paper on Board   $125.00 unframed

I'm taking a turn this week with snow. I've had a yen to paint this scene in our dog walking park for years so I decided I would give it a try today. What a lovely day, first a friend showed up with a latte and a big smile, then one of my boys and his dog popped in. Then to top it off, the hysterically funny radio podcast of Vinyl Street Cafe's "Babysitters" show was playing. If you see any errant squiggles you'll understand it's very difficult to paint while laughing yourself silly!

I realize after I painted this scene that it was just the same sort of day as today, sunny but very cold! 

Painting 30 in 30- #7 Ellis Bird Farm

#7 Ellis Bird Farm   6x6 Oil on Paper/Board   $125.00 unframed

I love the mauve(ish) clouds against the oranges on the ground plain in this vista. I imagine I'll paint it many times over!

One of the real rewards of this project is that you begin to develop good practices just by virtue of being in your studio so much. When I'm painting in my studio, I use a flat screen t.v. as my monitor . I have found that it's best to face the screen to do the drawing but that I get far better colour by swinging my easel sideways for the rest of the painting. What a great discovery!

Painting 30 in 30 #4 House at Ellis Bird Farm

#4 House at Ellis Bird Farm   6x6 Oil on Paper/board   $125.00 unframed

This house is a Tea House during the season the farm is open.

I always think of my friend Laurel Daniel in Texas when I paint houses. 

Painting 30 in 30 Ellis Bird Farm #3

This was one of the great vistas we had as the day went by. I'll retake this photo and probably paint it again and again. What drew me to this scene is that is seemed to go back to forever.
I hope those of you who are painting in the challenge are fitting everything in. I've taken to putting a notepad by my bed so I can get down the thoughts tumbling around in the middle of the night!

Painting 30 in 30 Ellis Bird Farm #2

Ellis Bird Farm # 2    Oil on Cradled Board    $125.00

Another moment at Ellis Bird Farm.  It changed so much through the day but just got more beautiful.

30 Paintings in 30 Days 10 Things I Learned

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

I've decided to jump in the deep end again this year and do the 30 in 30 Challenge this January! Yikes! I did the challenge in 2013 and it was very intense but also a great experience. We are supposed to be entering a real cold snap here so what better time to be in my studio! AND 

I'm excited that two of my painting friends will be doing it along with me this year.

Today I'm getting organized and found my notes from 2013 so I thought I'd share them. 

Little Gem 9 2 1/2 x 3 1/2

Ellis Bird Farm 

1) Prepare your "stuff" - have boards prepped, brushes clean, paints gathered.

I'm doing 6x6 paintings this year except on Sunday when I'll do a little gem so I can get out for a ski with my husband. 

2) Develop a theme, gather and edit photos. So far I have two themes; snow and Ellis Bird Farm

3) Have a clear set of goals you want to work on. Don't try to address too many things in one project. 4) Work smartly, do thumbnails always 

5)  Have a tight system for photographing and posting the paintings. Remember to sign the painting, nothing worse than getting the photograph, resizing, posting to all the blogs and finding that you've forgotten to sign it! 

6) check my posture, painting every day is a lot of standing

7) Be comfortable with computer, tv screen and tech stuff 

 Ride the wave - the excitement of doing the challenge will give you lots of other ideas so be sure to capture them to use in the future!

Wish me luck! Any tips you want to share?