December 31 - Happy New Year!

What to paint at the end of a year? Why is it a milestone? I can tell you that October 12 will be the milestone, for then I hopefully will have painted 365 daily paintings (in addition to the larger pieces).
So what to paint? I thought that what would convey the idea of a celestial celebration (everyone looks up to that ball in New York, right?) I'd do some fireworks. A dim memory of a painting of Santa Fe at night... loved the dots of lights indicating the town. If you are curious, the little light on the left side I imagined is our place. Secluded, and away from the crowds.
I like working with the night scenes. Love the luminosity of the color, and the drifting smoke of the expended fireworks looking like clouds.
May you all have a peaceful and richly rewarding 2006.

December 30 - Little Thief

This one came together fast, even for me! I walked into the studio a bit after ten-forty five p.m., and here I sit at 11:32 writing and posting... after posting to the daily paintings group, and updating the site. Dang. Well, the simple background didn't hurt. It is larger though, 9 x 12 inches. I like the way his eyes are looking--so sly! The reference shot from the camping trip didn't show that kind of look. this was more of that complimentary blue/orange scheme that is easy on the soul and good for the eyes.
Now it is bedtime--more work to do tomorrow!

December 29 - Two Goat Kids

I am finding that subjects aren't coming to me, I have to search them out. When I started this daily painting, I had what seemed like tons of ideas. Now I'm in my files, looking... but then again, it may be because I'm tired. Today's painting is a simple solution--We had buffalo two days ago, burros yesterday, and today goats. These are coming out of my reference files, in alphabetical order! (Passed by the cats' folder--have done enough of those lately.)
In doing today's painting, I was thinking of muted colors--as best as I can. I also wanted an orange/blue color scheme, and one with few darks.
I might work it over once again, if it doesn't sell. 5 x 7 on board, oil.

December 28 - On the road to Tripoli

Now here's a switch. I paint from photographs taken by my uncle, who was my dad's identical twin, from when he was stationed in Northern Africa. He took many pictures, and I have most all of them. Memoribilia, and useless to most of the family, but important to me. So I paint from them. The back of this photograph says, "This old Arab didn't mind having his picture taken. Between Homs and Tripoli. It was sure a hot day!"
I'm pleased he took notes. I know when he was there because I also have all his military orders. He led a very interesting life...
This painting is 6 x 4 inches.

December 27 - Small Canvas, Big Bull (Buffalo)

I go into the studio late, late, late. I am tired from a full day of running around, seeing about loose ends in other aspects of my life. Yet I know once I open the French doors to the studio, I will be up and gone in a heartbeat, completely content, and invigorated. So it was with "Small Canvas, Big Buffalo" I knew this afternoon that small was in the offing, because of my busy schedule. I just didn't know what--thought it would be a simple landscape--easy when I'm tired.
Now it is almost 11, and I'm happy with this one. The color is right, and that is of utmost importance to me.

December 26 - Yellow Slicker Morning

Here's the second painting that's featured in the soon-to-be delivered DVD on painting Colorfully with afternoon light and back lighting.
Now to buckle down and get the rest of my loose ends caught up...

December 25 - Sentinel

First of the two paintings featured in my lastest DVD, "Colorful Oil Painting #3", this is a 12 x 16 oil of one of my past beloved pets, now forever sitting on a porch of my old house. I used this image to demonstrate how to mix good color for late morning and early afternoon paintings, and am quite pleased with the result. A lot of hard work, and intense concentration goes into the process--I have to both paint and talk, and think both about the painting under my hand, and also the plan for how to teach and cover what I know to be important for the lesson. There will be some editing of the verbiage--my gadfry, I never shut up while I painted the thing!! So much to share, talked myself silly.
Feels good to have a nice, colorful painting a day to show for it, though...
Merry Christmas!

December 24 - Peace on Earth

Peace on Earth to all this evening, and I hope for all who read this that each one has a gentle and loving time on this special night.
Original oil, 7 x 5 inches, in the holiday spirit.

Decmeber 23 - Evening Light

This painting a day is getting to me... a little bit. I spent all day working on video/DVD paintings, and was really tired, after transfering clips from the tapes to the G5 Macintosh. Then at 10:30 pm I realized my painting a day was not done. Headed back to the studio, and in the reference images for the one larger painting I'm working on, I found a series of evening clouds that told the story for me. Taken over Arizona and New Mexico, the skies are profoundly beautiful and subtle in their colors. Tiny at 4 x 6 inches, I'm happy to say, I have made my daily painting. Only available from my dailypaintings web site, for December 23.

December 22 - Greek Harbor

It is so late tonight. Almost 11 pm, and I'm tired. My family went to my mom's assisted living place and celebrated an early Christmas with lunch there. Mom's 96 and is alert, but very frail and afraid of falling now. I painted this scene from photographs I took while on my honeymoon in 1997, and still love the complete feeling of escape that happens when I look into the waters and the opaque reflections of the boats and white buildings. Paradise. I'm not going to put any more paintings on ebay until after the holiday--no one is shopping expecting to get a painting shipped by Christmas now, so I'm relaxing a bit, and just painting for myself. This is an oil, 8 x 10 inches, available only from my dailypaintings.com site.

December 21 - Beach Scene, The Rock Pickers

I have always wanted to paint this painting--I had done a larger version years ago when I had returned from Baja California, in acrylics. These two ham radio operators, him single, she in a bad marriage, came together first as friends, and then later on, were married when she was free to do so. They developed their friendship on this crazy trip South of the Border where we camped on the ocean in my camper.
How fun it has been today to bring this memory alive in oils. A quick painting, I started it around 8 pm, and wrapped it up by 9:30 or so.
Available on ebay HERE.

December 20 - Sebastian

I enjoy the challenge of commissioned paintings. Most of the time. Unfortunately, the challenge of working from flash photographs makes creating a decent painting a really tough call. I never feel as though I've done the subject justice because of all the loss in a frontal flash image. But the light coming in from the back window of another photograph provided gave me some blues to bounce off the compliment of his orange coat, and although he is light in front, the balance of blue/orange seem sto work. At least it satisfies my artistic sense.
Oh, did I mention that the pupils were vacant due to the flash? Gotta pull out a few stops to capture the life in eyes taken by a flash camera.
I'll still do them, because I cannot deny the gift of the wonder at being able to please people with an image of so an animal that is so beloved.

December 19 - Sunset View from My Studio

This is a peaceful painting. I needed peace this afternoon, as changes are in the wind for my husband and I. We may move... a daunting thought! Coming home tonight, we had our bi-weekly massages, and relaxed and yet energized, I walked into the studio to do my work. Today just wasn't right for a detailed, larger work. Tomorrow will suit for that endeavor. The sunset light on the hills and in the sky was just so subtle and gentle--that's it, I said.
Grabbing an already prepped canvas (this one had some dry Australian Red Gold on it), and since I had left the paints out on the taboret in their pill boxes, it was no time at all before I was working on this one.
My effort was in getting the mixtures of the greyed sky without it being too garish, and yet conveying that gentle light. I used to waste a lot of canvas trying for these, but now, knowing the color system to make it right the first get-go, it is no longer a problem. That sky and those clouds went in first, and then the land. The last brushmarks were done on the yellow portion of the lightest sky.
Available on ebay HERE.

December 18 - Pesto Pose

What a cat. She comes and "Pests" me at every opportunity, wanting to be close. She fell asleep in my chair after I took a couple of photos of her playing with the tangerine.
I liked the light on her, but the nifty part of painting this one was depicting the foreshortened front paw.
This painting also has a LOT of heavier paint application--those whites are really, really thick. I always add the "sparkle" of the focal points and the lightest lights last.
It's for sale for $195 from my daily paintings web site
http://www.dailypaintings.com/2005dec.html

December 17 - Calico Cat

Today is my husband's 65th birthday, so we had an enjoyable evening out at a nice fish restaurant. I came back to the studio at 7:30 (we eat early) and tried to figure out what to paint. Of course, there was the cat--named "Pesto" because she is such a delightful pest, asking for attention every moment she is awake. This painting has kind of a Mona Lisa smile, if that is possible. I look at her eyes, and see a touch of worry, interest, and focus. When I look at her mouth, I see a slight smile, that appears and disappears, fleeting. Original oil on canvas, gallery wrapped, 6 x 4 inches.
Available on ebay HERE.

December 16 - Windmill Morning Fog

I woke up this morning and headed to the studio to turn on the Capresso 1300 automatic coffee machine, and looked out the window behind it and saw our windmill encased in morning fog. What a view. This daily painting business has enhanced my sight--in that I am always thinking as I look at things, trying to be as receptive as I can to the visions that cross my path. I've seen this windmill, which I love, every day for over six years, yet now I SEE it. I carried today's painting in my head until 9 pm, what with my husband's birthday tomorrow, and all the Christmas rush of mailing out things through the post office. But at 9 pm, my brushes hit the acrylics and this 5 x 7 gallery wrap canvas, and this painting appeared. I'm really happy with it, because I was seeking to get that soft, soft mist of the morning light. I think I nailed it.
Available on ebay HERE.

December 15 - Lunch Break #2

What to paint? It is 8 pm, and nothing is coming off the brushes. I look around at Christmas ornaments, I have a moment where I think I'll paint the edge of the little table-top tree we have.... no, doesn't "feel" right. OK, I sigh. Back to the resource files. What do I have that has been sitting on a back burner? Of course... horses. I pick up a 6 x 6 inch canvas and begin.
It is now 9:30 and I'm finished.

"Lunch Break #2" This is a quick color study for a possible larger painting of horses that were tied up on a trail ride up in the desert canyons near Palm Springs. Lunch time, and the riders are off eating, while the horses wait, enjoying the rest after the hours on the trail. No place to go if they did get loose. Original oil, 6 x 6 inches on gallery-wrap canvas. Yes, the right hand horse is painted around the edge! On ebay HERE.

December 14 - Tangerine

After the big painting I did yesterday, I knew I'd have to do something juicy, and nice, yet certainly not as big. So I looked around--saw the full moon, and said, "Not tonight, dear". Instead I was standing there, peeling these tangerines I get from the store in a mini crate of about a dozen of them, and wow. I love these things. I must have eaten about eight of them. So, naturally, it is time to PAINT one. It was that or a candy cane. Couldn't get that to set up as a still life in a way that "looked right". That's on hold for another day.
This original oil is on ebay until December 21, HERE.

December 13 - Junk Man

I had to pull out all the stops today, and paint something spectacular, because of the Robert Genn newsletter going to thousands of artists' email in boxes. So this 24 x 30 oil came off the brushes, and it is from material I had taken 'way back in the 80s. There used to be a really interesting swap meet near my home, where I'd go and buy, and occasionally sell my excess chickens and farm stuff. Bought a lot of rabbit cages back then. Now the dirt is under a new Home Depot. Not nearly as much fun to shop, and no haggling over prices! I just loved how he sat, king over all he saw, and his objects paying homage to him there. Yes, only one day to paint it. When it's right, it's right. I waited for eighteen years before I was ready, and good enough to do it justice. Available directly from me for $875.

December 12 - Snapshot

"Snapshot" From ancestors to my current love, it is all encompassed in this original oil, 5 x 7 inches. The photograph in sepia tone is from my grandmother's things. She was my father's mother and an amazing woman for her time. Raiased on a Missouri farm, she left home to visit her brother in Colorado, and that's where she met my grandfather. She received a Brownie camera in 1903 and never stopped photographing. I have hundreds of her photographs. And the color picture is from a recent Christmas, sitting next to my beloved husband, my greatest supporter and best friend. Finishing up the composition, this filbert brush is my favorite tool. Available on ebay HERE.

December 11 - "Thanks, But I'll Wait"

Another in the series of shelter pets coming out in my oil paintings. This is such a necessary part of who I am as an artist. It's agonizing to paint a dog that won't look at you, because you don't matter, YOU are not the person this dog is aching to see--the one he loves--and the one who turned him in, never to return.
this painting is not for sale, because I am planning to show it at the Art Show at the Dog Show in Kansas City next year, and certainly will feature it as a month in the calendar that I'm planning to raise money for animal shelters everywhere. Here's a closeup of his face.

December 10 - Two Palms

"Two Palms" Saturday's painting, 4 x 5 inch oil.

December 9 - Color Landscape Study

"Landscape, color Study" sometimes an artist needs to explore the possibilites of the color and design options before beginning a larger piece. That's what today's painting is all about. Oops! I forgot to sign it. The buyer will have my signautre in the lower left corner! Original oil, 4 x 6 juicy, gallery-wrapped inches.
AVailable on ebay HERE.

December 8 - Apple #4

What better to go with the Brie of yesterday than a ripe Braeburn organic apple? Original oil on canvas, gallery wrapped to 4 x 6 inches.
Available on ebay HERE.

December 6 - "Legs"

Today's painting is back to horses and people, and is an exercise in working with values and focal points. From material that I've secured from the Draft Horse Classic, this painting is an original oil, 9 x 12 inches, and is available for US $ 425 directly from the artist.

December 5 - Tiny Roberts

Sometimes I have no control over what dictates my paintings. My shelter dogs have bought out a story from another collector, and resulted in this posthumous portrait of a tiny rescued dog, named "Tiny Roberts" Original oil on board-backed canvas, 10 x 8 inches.

His Story: He was a rescue dog whom she named "Tiny Roberts" and he looked almost like a Dr. Seuss character. He only weighed 5 pounds, had few teeth, and had chewed allot of his hair off. He did bite however with his size and lack of teeth it was not very menacing. Week before last one of their other dogs got out and Tiny's owner went to find her. Tiny Roberts was with him. He put Tiny down for a minute to put a leash on the other dog and Tiny stepped back into the path of an oncoming car. This man (who is a large man 6'7") cried for over an hour carrying home the lifeless body of poor little Tiny Roberts.

I hope I've been able to capture his spirit. Yes, he has a halo.

December 4 - "Take Me, Please?"

Today's painting - "Take Me, Please?" The second in the series of animal shelter dogs, which so profoundly affected me when I adopted my new cat. Another gallery-sized painting with a target for the Art Show at the Dog Show in 2006. Original oil on linen, 16 x 12 inches. Not available for purchase at this time.
Here's a closeup of his face.

December 3 - "OTI" (Owner Turned In)

"OTI" This is a gallery-sized painting, scheduled for entry into the Art Show at the Dog Show. OTI means "owner turned in" and is a common notation on many dog's intake cards at the animal shelter. This young terrier mix may find a new home, but with so many animals needing adoption, the future for others is bleak. I recently adopted a cat from our shelter, and this dog would have come home with me, too, but for our other dogs. Not available for sale at this time. Original oil on linen, 16 x 12 inches.

December 2 - Golden White Cat

"Golden White" (Cat), original oil on canvas, 4 x 4 inches. Available on ebay HERE.

December 1 - California Redwoods

The first of December, and I paint one of the world's oldest living things--a good thought during this holiday season, to remember how long these trees have been on our earth. Original oil, 7 x 3 inches, comes with its own frame in dark warm wood for $100.

November 30 - Ocotillo Desert Cactus

Ocotillo in bloom in the desert of the Southwest. Familiar... and definitely cactus. Quite a switch from the beauty and ocean air of Catalina yesterday!
Available on ebay here.

November 29 - Catalina Island Opera House

The opera house at Avalon, Catalina Island, (26 miles across the sea) in the early morning light. Original oil, 4 x 4 inches. Available on ebay HERE .

November 28 - Butterscotch (Sweet Tooth Series)

Oh how I love these hard candies! Fun to paint, too, after yesterday's complex subject. Only 9:30 p.m., but I'm tired.
Original acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, available on ebay HERE .

November 27 - Rolex Horse in Cross Country

I love to paint water. This is Rolex Kentucky, where the three-day eventers do dressage, cross country and show jumping in a marathon of action.
Original acrylic painting, 6 x 8 inches, available on ebay HERE .

November 26 - Sunset Mountains

On my way back home, I studied the mountains to the west of the freeway and came back to the studio to paint this 5 x 7 oil of that memory. I love how the light hits the edges of the coastal fog as it comes in.
On ebay HERE .

November 25 - Golden Delicious Apples

A couple of Golden Delicious Apples made it to my taboret for today's painting. Late, and me suffing from a head cold. Still have to meet that deadline of one painting a day.
Available on ebay HERE .

November 24 - Backlit Shire Horse

I'm working on some paintings getting ready for the third DVD in the colorful paintings series, and backlit subjects are going to be the focus of the next one. Original acrylic, 7 x 5 inches.
Available on ebay HERE for six days, then on the web site for the flat price of $100.

November 23 - Jelly Beans

"Sweet Tooth #4, Jelly Beans" OK, enough with the sweet stuff for a few days. Just painting them has been fun, however the temptation is growing! Original oil on canvas 4 x 6 inches.
Available on ebay HERE .

November 22 - Chocolate Coins

"Sweet Tooth #3 - For Love or Money" (Chocolate coins) Still on the candy kick. I remember these as a kid. Original oil, 4 x 6 inches, available on ebay HERE .

And I missed Monday's painting, so I'll add it today. Hmm.

November 21 - Gummy Bears

gummy or Gummi Bears are beautifully translucent, and a delight to paint! Original oil, 4 x 6 inches. Available on ebay HERE.

November 20 - "Sweet Tooth #1, Candy Corn"

"Sweet Tooth #1, Candy Corn" Uh oh. Holiday candy appears again in the studio. I'm being good though, and only painting these favorites. Original oil, 4 x 6 inches.

Available on ebay HERE .

November 19 - Full Moon #2

"Full Moon #2" After the macaroons of yesterday, I guess I'd better get out and go walking! Twilight and that full moon memory of a few nights ago. It was 88 degrees today. Not winter yet! Original oil, 5 x 7 inches.

Available on ebay HERE.

November 18 - Macaroons

"Macaroons" - my favorite cookies, and not soon after this was painted, they were gone. The taste of toasted cocoanut and sugar. Oh my. So good! Original acrylic, 4 x 6 inches. Available on ebay HERE.

"Strawberries in the Basket" Today's daily painting is the result of going to Tom's Farms near Corona (about ten miles from the studio), and seeing these berries in their basket. You just KNOW I had them in a smoothie for dessert tonight! Original 6 x 6 inch oil. Wouldn't this make a nice gift for a special kitchen? I just love those little plastic baskets. When I was a kid, I used to pretend they were animal cages for my toy animals.
You can bid on it HERE.
Thanks for looking.
--
Elin

November 15 - Full Moon Nocturne

"Full Moon Nocturne" I was watching the moon rise as I drove up to my mom's house tonight. It was beautiful in the twilight. I hope you saw the moon, too, wherever you live. This original painting is 5 x 7 inches, in oil, and is available on ebay HERE.

November 14 - Snow Chase

"Black, White and Grey" Today's painting is because of my trip to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) where I spent a great deal of time in front of Camille Pizarro's paintings. I have a newfound respect for him--I think he eclipsed his painting partner Cezanne, at least in what they had for that special show. Original 4 x 6 acrylic.
Available on ebay HERE.

November 13 - Morning Percheron

Today's Sunday painting is this Percheron or percheron cross gelding in morning light. Original acrylic, 6 x 6 canvas, with painted sides, no framing needed!
SOLD
Thanks for looking!

November 12 - Rockin' Zebra

"Rockin' Zebra" This is a very unusual (for me) use of acrylic paints. The surface is stone, some kind of beautiful granite with soft green in it. So I painted a scene on it of a herd of zebras running. It is held in my hand, and measures about 7 inches wide and six inches tall. The stone is cut about 3/8" thick, and mounts with a hanger on the back, or can be set on a small easel.

SOLD