October 8 - Canyon Sunset - Water Miscible Oils

"Canyon Sunset" I have the pleasure of a visit from David R. Becker, a friend and wonderful watercolorist, who is out in California teaching at the Art Methods and Materials show in Burbank. He brought me some water miscible oils from Holbein to try, and this 8 x 10 inch oil is the result. I tried to use the Color System, and chose a subject without greens intentionally to capture this arid landscape. Although the oils are buttery, they still have the characteristic drag of the water-based oils. I'll stick to my Classic Artist Oils. Sure was fun to visit with David, and we enjoyed dinner, and is our first house guest to stay over.
This painting is available for $175 from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

October 7 - Solo Oak Tree

"Solo Oak" A 12 x 12 inch acrylic came out of the studio tonight, because I have been thinking about trees lately. I walk in our small pine grove, enjoying the sound of the wind there, and in another location, while removing some dead vegetation, I came across an 8" coastal live oak growing amidst the debris. So trees are around us, providing privacy and loftiness, inspiring and affecting us without our even being aware of it. Whether 80 feet tall or eight inches, trees are a part of our lives. 
 I painted this using two brushes--one was a 5.8 inch filbert for the large areas, and the second one was also a filbert, but only 3/8" wide. The painting is done with layers generally from dark to light. It s a hazy day, but not overcast. Anyone who has been in California for a while will recognize the coastal influence of the fog creating this ethereal light.
SOLD to new collector Carole Carroll of Seattle, Washington.

October 6 - Rocker Revisited (Acrylic)

Remember this one? I finally got a window of time where I could concentrate and know I wouldn't be interrupted and got to work on the large acrylic of the bookcases and the cats on the chair. This is the first go-pass on it. The goal for this stage was to increase the value contrast between the lights and the darks. I achieved this by glazing the books to push them back with burnt umber. I also increased the lights and warmed them up generally. The cat in the chair got a major makeover, but may also undergo some massive changes, as will the white cat.  Never liked either one of them, really. Getting the major changes on the large value areas, I will give it a rest for a day or so, and then go after the changes needed to bring it to what I consider a finished state.

October 5 - The New Studio and Daily Painting

"At Ease in Himself" This painting came off the acrylic brushes tonight, with a "look". Do you see it? He knows who he is, what he can do, and where he's going. Lots of appeal in that kind of man. The Bushrod Gentry character in "Many Rivers to Cross" perhaps, or the Sam Elliot macho man, with attitude.  Without fail, though, this was the kind of man who made me sit up and take notice as a younger woman!  It's so much fun to have the skill now to paint them any time I want one. The painting is an 10 x 8 canvas, and if it doesn't sell, I just might hang it in the guest bathroom! I may do it anyway because I enjoy looking at him! $200 Available from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

Here's a picture of the new easel area, showing the onions set up on the stand, and the taaboret and Hughes easel. Yesterday's painting is on it. To the right is "Butterflies on My Nose" which looks like may be back on the market. I'm enjoying her while she's around! You can enlarge this image by opening it in a new window.
On the back of my chair is a wonderfully outrageous painting apron sent by Lanie Frick from Missouri, who makes these out of her Dad's old coveralls. Lots of pockets, and thank you, my friend!

October 4 - Onions, Yet Again!

Unpacking one of the (seems like) hundreds of boxes of "stuff" from the old studio, I cam across those same two onions I painted a month or so ago! One red and one yellow, they became reacquainted with the taboret and the new delightful set up space resulting in this 5 x 7 acrylic where, I promise they will have their last "dance" before disappearing into a winter stew! $100

The weather has cooled, the mare has new shoes, the move is almost finished, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it isn't a train!

SOLD to new collector CynthiaCynthia Dudley, R.N., B.A. of Toronto, Canada

October 3 - Transparencies

Today's painting is all about what's NOT there--painting objects that have  no local color, like some water, and a lot of glass!
  This little hand-blown corked bottle came to me in the boxes of still life objects that are now in the studio, exposed to light for the first time in a long time. I see them with new eyes, and find many of them that intrigue. I placed this one on my taboret (oh, wonderful-now-put-together taboret!) and you can see flecks of paint  from old painting projects behind it. Finding an object that had no interest before is also intriguing, because it measures our growth as artists to find something to paint in objects that might not hold much inherent interest. Bringing a love of painting to the task is just an added benefit!
 What do you have around you that you've never painted? Funny how a lot of it needs just a bit of "new" viewing! I spent many a morning doing drawings of ordinary objects to decorate a daily report I had to do as a clerk many years ago. Even a coffee cup can be an art form! $100 from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

October 2 - Military Re-enactment

"Military Re-enactment Memories" This painting is all about the color notes in the shirt, really.  I wish you could see the amazing array of color in the shadow side of thie garment, and also enjoy the purple in the hat. There is much more than this digital shows. I like the nondescript loofk of this fellow--no urges to make him into Tom Selleck! He is "Mr. Ordinary", which means he is probably somebody pretty extraordinary to a lady out there somewhere. Original oil, 12 x 9. $200 from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

October 1 - Homeless Adolescent (Cat)

"Homeless" Today I read about a rescue lady who is fostering all sorts of cats. She catches feral cats, and has them fixed, and then tames them enough to take food. She was asking for help to do her work, as there are always more cats than there are homes for them. My head wrapped around the topic, and I paint this forlorn feline, who has a shadowed future. Our two studio cats are about as spoiled as cats can be. Bats rests on the newly moved roll-top desk, and Pesto is asleep on the easel chair. I think I'll go join them in sleep! Original oil, 7 x 5. $100 from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

September 30 - Breezy Clouds

"Moving Clouds on a Breezy Day" Oh darn. I was supposed to paint on yesterday's painting, and well... we had company to the new house this evening, and all plans for painting in acrylics went out the window! So the result for today is this nice 6 x 8 cloud study. I like doing clouds, because it allows me to really "cut loose" with brushwork. Compare this one to the earlier one in acrylics to see a difference in both values and textures. My spirit soars as I look at it, and I want to paint more of them! 
 But I also need to put together the EASEL (yes it is finally moved!) and start painting on that larger acrylic lesson for you. $100 from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

September 29 - Rocking Chair

An interesting canvas came to light in the move today--I found an acrylic I had started a LONG time ago, and wanted to bring it out for you to see, because in looking at it with "new" eyes, I can see many things that appeal to me, and some major things I will be changing in the next couple of days. Before I begin, though, I need to tell you that this painting is 30 x 28 inches, not quite square, and not a small piece. That said, lets share the story: 

I painted this from life and a few reference photographs, and it was composed in the living room of the "old" house. The objects on the shelves include a photograph of my folks, who were alive when I painted it. That photo now sits on the mantel of the new house. The lamp is one of two that I now have, receiving the second one when Mom passed. So there is a lot of meaning in this painting for me personally. Design-wise, the painting is strong with horizontal, diagonal and curved lines--this painting is all about those lines--the cats are bit players. Check the curves of the shadows as well, reinforcing the sweep that takes you up into the composition with the strength of the grout lines in the tiles. The draped coverlet repeats those lines.  The books are all unique, yet repetitive, giving you variety. The brushwork in the books repeats the brushwork in the tiles. This is a PLANNED painting, not just an assemblage of objects. I will be working over many aspects of it in the next few days (if I can find my acrylics!), so I hope you'll enjoy the transition. It may be signed, but it sure isn't "finished!"

September 28 - Mare and Foal in Pasture

"Moving Forward" How profound this painting is for me. Here I am in the new (chaotic) studio, and yet I keep my head focused on the future and the paintings that will emerge from this space, and voila! I make a definite keeper. This 6 x 12 oil is a marriage of Kentucky memories and horse language with the mare taking the youngster forward into greener pastures! I'm taking my art that way, too, with planned workshops next year and a full schedule this fall. Can we as artists paint our own futures? I think so. One of those lines for accomplishing something comes to me now, as I remember what I used to tell students, "Aim at nothing; you'll hit it." So I aim for a bright and positive future. Potholes on that road may slow me down, but, like the mare, I'm moving forward. This wet oil is available for $325. It's a good 'un! Available from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

September 27 - Tuxedo Happy Cat

Happy Cat" (Bats in the Studio) Oh my!  Even though I'm still not completely moved over (easel and taboret are still at the other place), I couldn't keep myself from doing this 6 x 4 oil tonight.  Here it is almost midnight and I'm just hopping with joy at being able to lift brushes in the new studio space!  Today we brought over the big Tibetan Mastiff, and that was a fun move, as she's never left the old property for a long period before.  Tentative, she explores the new space, finding her limits for protecting us, and yet we're not sure she'll adjust. Now she sleeps at my feet, accepting the locale. Bats-the-Studio-Cat gives me one of those inscrutable stares that cannot be fathomed, and I paint him, looking relaxed and with the pleasure of being the resident king cat. Having the creatures again in my life brings a full circle to a close. Time for bed, and tomorrow a new exciting day!
  Original oil, for sale for $100 from the Daily Paintings web site for this date.

September 26 - Cloud Exercise in Acrylics

"Cloud Exercise" I was asked by one of the participants in the acrylic workshop (Lynda!) how do I do clouds, and would I demonstrate the methods for getting a feel for the ethereal, and this 12 x 9 inch canvas resulted. It was painted with the sky color first and the layers of light being added in a glazing fashion, with the lightest forms and edges added last. I think I used a 5/8 inch brush on the whole thing, which goes to show that those filberts can really dance when you need them to!
  Herculean two days of moving--I came home to a stressed out hubby and just tons of work to be done. My artist friend Nancy Cox and my sister-in-law came to the old house for a marathon packing afternoon.  Hmmm, I don't think I'll find anything for weeks! But the dining room table is in place, and we can sit down to a proper meal--which we did this evening. I've also spent a good portion of the day filling DVD orders that came in while I was gone. They are all going out in tomorrow's mail!
Coyotes are really howling tonight. All cats are inside and safe. $100 Available from the Daily Paintings web site for September 26.

September 25 - "Red Apple"

"Changing Light (Red Apple Exercise)" This is about 6 x 7 inches, and is an acrylic example of how to do layers with acrylics, painting this complex, yet simple apple. Note the beautiful change of coloration from the yellow orange on the lightest side to the red-violet in the shadows. I learned this from observing Dahlart Windberg's work, although I didn't understand what he was doing back then. I love the veils of color in this quick study. $100 Available from the Daily Paintings web site for September 25.

September 24 - Moonlight Calf

"Cream of the Calves" Home safe, and purely tired! I share this exercise I painted during the acrylic workshop of one of the calves on the farm, shifting the light to more of a moonlight painting--HOWEVER, I didn't quite get it, because the values are too light for a "real" moonnlight painting--so this one shifts over to a lightly overcast day instead. Hey, artistic license, we can do that! I does show the layering of acrylics, however, and is a nice 9 x 12 size. It's actually in a shipping box that is on its way here, arriving sometime later this week. Available for $250 from the Daily Paintings web site for September 24.

September 23 - Sunset Color Lesson Painting

"Sunset Light over the Farm" I'm still in Lexington, because flights all over the place were cancelled due to a second storm front that came through today. I was standing at the airport check-in counter and the attendant tells me my flight to California from Dallas was also cancelled. So I'm enjoying a nice glass of wine at Melissa's farm and planning to leave very early tomorrow morning. Safer, definitely. I'll share a small photo of the black tornado sky that was coming up over the farm when we came back. It's on today's date for September. I've never seen a true "tornado sky" before!
This 9 x 11 oil was the demonstration painting for the Color Boot Camp's Sunset lesson. I asked my students to focus on the orange and alizarin characteristics of sun and shadow, and to remember that skies are a simple formula of three hues.
On other news, I've firmed up the dates for the Georgia Color Bootcamp workshop one year from now--September 11-14. If you're interested, email me.
This sunset painting is available for $150 from the link for September above.

September 22 - Warm Up Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park (Evening light, plein air)

Well, here it is eleven p.m., and I'm to fly out tomorrow from Lexington airport. However, small problem. There are...ulp...TORNADOS coming. Maybe I'm supposed to stay here for a couple days more? We'll see. Sure was sad to see the great group of students pack up and leave for all different parts of the country. I made wonderful friendships and know they learned a great deal about color and times of day. I will miss them all terribly.

Today's painting is the one I did on Wednesday afternoon as a plein air for the students, to demonstrate on location work, after our regular class. It was cold that evening, unlike the nice weather (temperature-wise!) we're having now. I sat looking over one of the warmup rings, where some of the youthful riders were prepping their mounts for the competition for that show of jumpers the Kentucky Horse Park just had. It was fun laying in the clouds in this "sky" painting, even though they eventually brought TORNADOS! This is a 12 x 9 inch oil, and was painted in about 40 minutes, and depicts late afternoon light, before the orange of evening colors everything up. You might be able to buy it if we survive the night of TORNADOS. Egad.
SOLD to the collection of Stephanie Allison of Shelbyville, Kentucky.

September 21 - Back Lighting on a Horse

"Backlit Pasture Moment" A quick study to show my students how to deal with backlit subjects. I like the quick brushmarks and looseness of the edges, and that happened because I was painting as quickly as I could due to time constraints. The students got the message and produced some fantastic backlit artwork! Original oil on canvas, 12 x 9
SOLD to the collection of Joan Bennett of Oxford, Maryland

September 20 - More Pastures at the Kentucky Horse Park

"Underpainting with Cadmium Orange" (Pastures at the KHP #2) One of the demonstration paintings for the last workshop, this 12 x 16 acrylic painting was started over an underpainting of acrylic that continues to peek through in various places in the final composition. A familiar tactic to unify a painting, this bright pigment livens up areas of the work. In the earlier version on September 16, you'll see the quieter version. $100 Available from the Daily Paintings Website for this date.

September 19 - Calling the Stragglers (Hunting)

"Calling the Stragglers" This painting was the demonstration painting for morning light for my eleven students in the workshop at the Kentucky Horse Park today, and is a 12 x 16 oil. I drew all of the dogs "from my head" without reference. There was one hound, the light tan one, in the source material, but he didn't become as important as the one with the brown patches. There are two hounds coming in from the far right, in case you may have missed 'em.
SOLD to Sally Jackson (and Rags), who are attending the workshop.

September 18 - Chincoteague Moonlight (Pony)

"Chincoteague Moonlight" Today's painting is a colorful example of moonlight falling on the back of one of the many feral ponies living on the  outer barrier islands off the coast of Virginia and Maryland. Although some think the ponies are descendents of ponies that came from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon, the most plausible explanation is that they are offspring from horses that were brought to Assateaague Island in the 17th century by landowners trying to avoid fencing issues and taxation of livestock! I grew up in Virginia so this painting is close to my heart. Original 9 x 12 inch oil, $275
SOLD to Louise Mellon of Aiken, North Carolina

September 17 - Valley View Ferry

"Valley View Ferry" Here's the plein air (on location) painting from yesterday afternoon, created with a pleasant hour at the edge of the Kentucky River. The cables hold the ferry from the white A-shaped tower on each side, no matter the river's height. I learned that Kentucky has more fresh water than any state in the United States, including Alaska, according to my hosts. It certainly is a GREEN state, although some of the leaves, like on this large sycamore(?) across from where I was sitting are starting to turn fall colors. It must be beautiful year-round, yet I haven't been here in the winter.  Original 4 x 4 inch oil $100
Available from the Daily Paintings Website for this date.

September 16 - Pastures at the Kentucky Horse Park

"Pastures at the KHP" This acrylic demonstrates the layering effects of building layers and veils of color over an underpainting of large shapes like a cartoon. For example the tree started out as a solid area of pthalo green, but at this more finished stage, the tree has been pushed back by a layer of lighter green, another of burnt umber wash, and several other layers of sky color and grayed blue. Acrylics suit this method, because they dry more quickly, and can be built up with luminosity as the layers are added. An original acrylic, 9 x 12 inches, for $100. Available from the Daily Paintings Website for this date.

September 15 - Snowy Pasture and Horse

"Slim Pickins" In demonstrating acrylic textural techniques, how could I not paint snow and a horse? Acrylics lend themselves to such actual tectures creating incredible visual excitement on a two dimensional surface! And this painting is good for another reason--the subtle complimentary color scheme of blue and orange. Original acrylic, 12 x 9
SOLD to Melissa Brown of Lexington, Kentucky.

September 14 - Butterflies on My Nose

"Butterfies on My Nose!" This lighthearted, illustrative creation came off the brushes today as an example of collage painting with acrylics, and it has such a lighthearted feeling that I thought you'd enjoy it. Done on canvas board, it contains hand-made papers, yarn, tulle, gold and copper flakes, iridescent paint and added collage elements. She is the "Lady in Purple" and reminds me of everyone's eccentric great aunt! She originated without planning after the first layer of string suggested the outrageous profile. The butterflies were added and the name suggested itself. Original acrylic, 12 x 9
SOLD from the Daily Paintings for September for this date.

September 13 - Tennis, Anyone?

"Tennis, Anyone?" This is a 10 x8 watercolor on watercolor canvas, which I painted "en plein air"--which means I was looking at the scene while painting it. I was sitting on a porch swing on one of the older houses in Lexington, looking across to the public tennis courts, where three players were exercising and enjoying a late afternoon day of tennis. People and dogs walked by, there were kids on skateboards, and it was just a lovely afternoon after yesterday's rain. The watercolor canvas will be sealed, and can be framed normally without glass. $100 Available from the Daily Paintings for September for this date.
The workshop day went really well, with the students exploring the many ways acrylics and texture can become acquainted, and learning that the possibilities are endless for the creation of exciting illusions and actual textures using this medium. I started a demonstration painting of how texture can work, creating a snow scene I'm hoping to use for the upcoming back cover of Horses in Art, winter issue.  You'll probably see that one finished tomorrow, it is a 12 x 9. After working until 2, we went to the University of Kentucky where there was a show of Landscape paintings, and I gave of my knowledge of design and art history to the students as we saw the Corots, the Monets, the Sisleys, as well as their permanent collection. Nice!

September 12 - Dalmation "Patches"

"Dots and Spots" You all know how much I love dogs, and today's painting is full of the joy of this Dalmatian joyfully running through the snow. The source material for this painting, done during today's demonstration time, was a photo taken of "Patch", the farm dog, on an overcast day after a snowfall. Hard material to make into a decent painting, but acrylics are magical this way. I dropped all the grays out of the plan, and used blues and violets instead! The repetition of the coloration on the dog and the background fencing creates a unity for good design. Putting the dog with enough "room" to run forward is also a conscious decision for good design. This 12 x 16 acrylic painting is already in the hands of collectors Melissa and Bill Brown of Lexington, Kentucky.
Gift to the Brown family of Lexington

September 11 - The Workshop Begins - Cat Demo

"Lesson Cat" Today in the class we studied the importance of values, design and composition. At the end of the day, after the students practiced some of the value exercises, I painted this neat cat by the edge of a lily pond to show them the traditional way of handling acrylic paints. This 12 x 9 inch painting demonstrated the "most normal" expectation of acrylics--that they can behave like oils--and serves as the jumping-off point for the exercises and work that is coming tomorrow and this week. Available for $250 directly from me, but I can only ship it after I return to California, as I have to mount it on board--that's after September 23, but you can buy it from the web site at dailypaintings.com for this date.

September 10 - Black and White Values

I'm here in Lexington and preparing for the week-long workshop in Acrylics "Every Which Way AND Loose" which begins tomorrow, Monday.
There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes of instruction, and I'll share with you some of that these next two weeks, with the resultant paintings. Today's painting is a 6 x 6 black and white value study of the onion I did in acrylics earlier this year. (The colorful image of this is to be found on the June paintings page.) I'm painting this black and white to show the students how incredibly important it is to get the values right, that color can very well be secondary to value and one can still have a strong painting. How can a student even begin to work with issues of designing good paintings without a good understanding of the relationship of values? Many artists want color to work for them and forget that every color has a value that needs to be dealt with as well. This exercise also will give students a bit of adjustment time on the first day of the workshop, and allow me to assess their abilities with paint before we "jump off" on Tuesday with experimentation. I'll also show them traditional handling of acrylics tomorrow, which will be most familiar to them. 
  They will also be exposed to designing the abstract structure of their paintings, too.  Busy day ahead!

September 9 - TSA Man

"TSA" I found myself with about two hours wait until my flight to Dallas/Fort Worth sitting in the Ontario airport this morning. I took out my watercolors and did this portrait of the many security people evident around the area now. He was restless, and moved a lot, but seemed to have that almost blank stare so often seen in folks with his job description. It was tough to catch his pose, but I did get his "look", which doesn't require too many details.
  I had several people come by and look over my shoulder, and one very nice artist chat with me for a while about methods and materials while creating this. Now there's an amazing way to meet people--better than a dog on a leash!
My watercolor setup is a white plastic Jilur palette from Japan, set up with the 12 colors of my color system. This palette is one my mom had, and it was strange and yet comforting to find myself cleaning out her colors to replace them with ones I use. I've not painted much with watercolor, but actually like the end result. It is a whole lot easier to translate the color system to a new medium--like having a familiar friend!  The palette folds into a 1/2" deep 3.5" by 8", and here's a photo of it (left)
This 6 x 6 unique watercolor painting is available for $100 from my dailypaintings.com website for this date.

September 8 - Morning Sunrise

"Morning Sunrise" The peace of an early morning sunrise, enjoyed by those of us who manage to scramble out of bed to see it. As the summer wanes, and the days grow shorter, more and more of us will be up early enough to enjoy the rising sun. I painted this canvas as an exercise in grays to convey the true illusion of the sky being luminous with many intense colors. Not so, as all of these are very grayed.
 I saw the harvest full moon tonight and wanted to paint it, but I was driving up to the new home, and the paints are still at the old place! Maybe tomorrow evening, as I fly into Lexington. I'll have my watercolors with me. WATERCOLORS??? Yes, desperation makes us do strange things! This 5 x 7 acrylic painting is available for $100 From my dailypaintings.com web site for this day.

September 7 - One More Cat

Ahhh, one more cat, this time a more abstracted subject, and far more profound in messaging than the nice portraits that came your way these last two days. Entitled "Expectations" it is
an original acrylic, also 7 x 5 inches. This painting evokes more of the emotional response of the yellow rocker to me.  The cat is looking out the window, much the way we look to our own uncertain futures, and wonder what the world will deliver to us. I'm getting ready to leave on Saturday, and there is a long laundry list of things I need to do tomorrow.  Today several volunteers and friends came to help move the corral panels, the horse and goats, and it was fraught with excitement. One flat tire, one shredded tire on the freeway, and company arriving from up Nevada way to see the new digs and spend some time together... we put him to work!  
  This painting is available for $100.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to be really sore tomorrow from moving those galvanized pipe 24 foot sections of corral. Whew.
Pending Sale

September 6 - Maine Coon Cat

"Maine Coon" Cats again. I seem to go in a series of three or more paintings on a subject before moving to a new area. Today's painting is a Maine Coon, one of the fluffiest and friendliest of cat breeds. A friend of ours has one, and he is HUGE. Doglike, they follow you from room to room and press their huge heads up against you to be petted. Although we don't have a Maine Coon, our cats will forgive their staff for painting something not like them--at least today. 

The painting again focuses on a complementary color scheme, this time blue orange, similar to yesterday's.  Hmmm, I think there's a black or white cat coming out soon so I can get some other colors going! This is an original acrylic 5 x 7 available for $100.
Pending Sale

September 5 - Cat/Kitten

How Now, Meow?" Yup, it's a cat. Well, adolescent kitten, really. Got a look there--into your soul, or are you prey, or can we play, or will you FeeeeeeEEEEddd me? Miao!
Who knows? Cats are inscrutable. This is an acrylic, 7 x 5 inches, and is kind of  a combination of several cats that have come through our life. OH, I know!  She's a Mona Lisa Cat!
Ha! For lesson purposes, this is a classic analogous color scheme, blue/orange with a discord of those yellow-green eyes. Remember that brown is nothing more than a grayed orange, reduced in value. So where you see brown, think orange! Available for $100 from the web site.

Now I think I'll have that evening glass of wine! I hope you enjoy her, or a young "him". Meranwhile, I'm packing. Sent the last box today, and now can figure out what I left out that I'm going to have to take on the plane.
SOLD to the collection of Cynthia Jaeger of Quail Valley, California.

September 4 - Red Onions Evolving

"Evolving" Remember that red onion from a few days ago? Here it is again, this time in oils as a 5 x 7. Interesting how the two media behave under the same hand, each with its own charm and utility. I call this one "Evolving" because as I peel off a layer of that papery skin, I see new nuances of color and translucency. Onions are not easy to paint--they have a depth and sheen that isn't a snap to capture. In this painting I want your eyes to caress the surface, so nothing is so important to keep your eye from moving. 

The repetitive curves in the design keep your eye looping around, and yet there is a strong triangle of the three shapes to keep you within the canvas plane. But heck, I was going to paint a cat. Oh well, maybe tomorrow! Original oil, 5x7

SOLD to the collection of Sue Estrada of Hemet, California.

September 3 - Fox Hound

"A Heart for the Hunt" You probably know that sometimes I go into the studio and have no idea what I'm going to paint.  This is good, because then I am never frustrated or dismayed if I'm taken from a preset goal.  Today was the poster child for that method.  I received an email from a friend and artist with a camera, with some distressing news of a life event that is a real challenge for her.  Her words moved me, and I paint this tonight in her honor.  

Vickee has been the official photographer for Red Rock Hounds, over there in Reno, Nevada, and had graciously shared some of her photographs with me for use in my painting process a couple years ago.  An enjoyable communication was begun, and we've kept in touch over the years with paintings and photographs passing one another in the mail.  I've been brought up short by her news and wanted to somehow express my concern--so I paint.  The source material for this 8 x 6 gallery wrap oil is one of her photographs.  I've wanted to paint it, but before, it just never felt quite "right".  Now, it is.

It is not for sale, because I want to give Vickee the first opportunity to take it, and until she makes her decision, I'll hold it.

September 2 - Yellow Rocker Revisited

"Yellow Rocker, Revisited" without looking at yesterday's painting, I startedt his one in acrylics for the challenge of seeing how I'd handle the subject some years later. The palette is somehow richer, the design is more subtle, and each painting has its charm. The difference is this one is for SALE. It's a 12 x 9 acrylic, and has the lovely layers in the shadows that are so much fun to paint. SOLD to the collection of Sylvia Moran of Ontairo, Canada

September 1 - Yellow Rocker

I have been sitting here trying to sort out my web sites, all three of them are on one server that is completely down and has been for the past half day. I've started the process for moving them so you'll be able to see them again, and because of the hours of work this has generated, I have not been able to do a new painting for you tonight/today.  What a headache, but only for me.
  So I thought I'd share with you a REAL GEM... from long ago and far away, so to speak. One of the early good'uns.
  You sadly won't be able to see it on the web site, until the Internet gets sorted out about where to send you when you type in dailypaintings.com, but I'll share it here with you as I update my sites on the new server. So I cannot send you a link to see it for AOL users.
  This is/was a 12 x 9 oil of a rocking chair I had back in the early 80's, sitting on my old front porch. I painted it from a photograph, and want to share with you some of the details that make it a fairly decent painting:
  1. The values are broad in scope, from the lightest light to the darkest dark; yet there is a relationship of small lights, large dark shapes in mid tones to fall right in the "good design" of Edgar Whitney.
  2.  The colors are analogous, falling into the range of yellow/green with a blue/violet complement to create color interest. Note the AMOUNT of each color, and how grayed they are to keep the balance going.
  3. The use of the illusion of warms in the shadow side of the chair is accomplished by using alizarin crimson and yellow ochre with lemon yellow to keep the palette in line with the "Color System".
  This painting is already in the collection of Steve Kilburn of Lake Elsinore, California.

August 31 - Onions again

"Cebolla" is Spanish for onion, pronounced "see-BOW-yah", courtesy of an artist friend Luz Perez, whose studio is called Cebolla Studio. Today's painting slips back into the acrylic world as I get ready to teach the workshop in Lexington in just over a week. I've packed one box and mailed it off, with some supplies and clothes; the second box will go out tomorrow.  Considering that I pack my supplies padded with clothes I intend to wear, I sure hope the boxes make it to Melissa and Bill's farm before I do! Else I'll be in the same clothes for a while. It's fun to come back to acrylics. The workshop is about teaching students to reach beyond the ordinary way of handling them, and to give them tricks and tips about handling this versatile medium. They may paint horses, but they'll paint them in new and different ways!

My emails have increased, and today I found out I was mentioned in the New York Times.  Not sure about it, because I don't have access to the site (too busy to sign up).  I was wondering why there were so many emails... now I know.  Hmmm, I wonder what they said?
Just SOLD to returning collector Fay Bohlayer of Dawsonville, Georgia.

August 30 - Sunset on the Rocks

"Evening Glow" Today we received our wifi at the new house, and it was fun to collect emails while sitting outside. In the eveing I was watching the doves come down to drink from the bird fountain in the front yard. I looked up just at dusk to the hills behind the house, and saw this light on the rocks of Box Springs Mountain. I know that we are going to especially enjoy the evening light in the Preserve around us if this is any indication of how it is. Original oil, 7 x 5 inches. $100 from the web site at dailypaintings.com.

August 29 - How Now Black and White Cow?

"Life in the Field" Tonight's painting is an extension of yesterday's, in that I have returned to the same scene, and added a cow to a new canvas. The cow seems to know changes are coming, ignoring the viewer and staring off into space. Changed the time of day, too, toward noon, and more of the summer light of California.  
 We're having some wildfires in the region, which makes for some spectacular sunsets with the orange cloud cover creating red-orange scenes. Might make a good subject for tomorrow.
This is a 12 x 16 inch canvas, and incorporates the "mama, papa, baby" design theory as put forth by watercolorist and teacher, the late Edgar Whitney. The low values of the shadow and the black on the cow are the baby. It's a good way to easily divide a canvas for pleasing design, and you can find out more about this from his book "Watercolor the Edgar Whitney Way" (I think... because my books are over at the new studio. This painting is available for $300 from the dailypaintings.com web site for this date.

August 28 - Lost Landscape

"The View is History" This 9 x 12 painting came off my brushes tonight. I have been driving back and forth between the old house and the new and one part of my drive takes me through the last of the open space near our old place. Going through the construction zone that USED to be this view is part of that drive. This WAS a particularly beautiful stretch of California fields, backed by these hills, lit in the morning light of an autumn dawn.  Every year the farmer would plant hard winter wheat, and it would go from green in our "winter" to light gold by April, and then be harvested, leaving the wheel tracks in the stubble. Now all of that is gone, under the developer's blade, and never to be seen again.  Houses, streetlights and parked cars replace this beauty.
  Although it breaks my heart, I also feel a small sense of rebellious satisfaction as I preserve the memory forever.  Original oil, 9 x 12 inches, $200
Available only from the dailypaintings.com site for this date.

August 27 - Canned Corn

"What, Me Warhol?" Moving means emptying out the kitchen, and what is more common than a can of corn? Everybody has a couple of these on the kitchen shelf, and this one didn't get packed today. So it was a late dinner. I enjoyed painting it before digging in, because of the turn of the can from light into shadow meant that I worked through the warms to the cool palette as it slipped into shadow. Ellipses are also a bit fun to do, as the roundness of the can needs to fall back in space. Since I've moved my antique parlor mirror over to the other studio, my "silent critic" is truly silent! Original oil, 7 x 5 inches. $100 available from the dailypaintings.com website for this day.

August 26 - An Old Work Resurfaces!

"A Swish and A Wash" I'm never more astonished than when I uncover something that I could hardly remember creating, and moving is really uncovering an interesting array of artwork. Since this is Saturday night, and I'm tired from a long day of moving and cleaning the house for people to see on Sunday, I thought you might enjoy a journey into the past. (Why do people want to see the house when it is in such disarray? These people better buy it!)  
  The story behind this watercolor (!) is that I painted it 38 years ago while enrolled in a figurative painting class at Ventura College, on the coast of California.  Watercolor was how we learned to do quick studies, and I must have done fifty of them. This one was the best of the lot. I gave it to my aunt and uncle, and they had it professionally framed under glass in the gold you see here.  
  The work itself shows youthfulness, no color sense, and yet the proportions on the figure are better than one would expect.  I went through a period of doing quasi-abstractions, mostly to cover a lack of the pure knowledge that comes with time and practice.  I can remember putting in the squares on the lower right, exploring my new knowledge of negative space. I thought that they would add interest and movement.
  As you look at it, I hope you realize that making art is all about growing, not about arriving.  This work is signed in ink with the name I used at that time (Patricia Thomas), lower right, with a number 1/20 as though it was a print. I didn't know squat about print runs, and numbering this original is a splendid example of my ignorance.  20 x 13.5 inches, in gold frame, $300 for a piece of history.-

August 25 - Silly Socks

Every once in a while I find myself painting something totally silly.  Silly sock subjects.  As I was folding laundry this afternoon, I started to see these ordinary socks in a new way.  The character of the socks became more important than their utilitarian purpose.  Arranging them to reveal that character took almost as much time as the creation of the painting itself.  No master piece this, yet I found the painting of socks to be sublimely rewarding and funny.  I'm chuckling as I look at the painting attached, and almost feel as though the Aflack duck is looking back at me.  Who would have thought "Silly Socks" would have such character?  What makes a good painting?  Is it is the subject, or how it is painted, or the story it reveals?
  There's a question for the ages.  5 x 7 Original oil, $100 for a silly painting of silly socks! Good for a laugh anytime.
Available from the web site for this date at dailypaintings.com.

August 24 - Garden Tomatoes

"You Say Tomato" Today's image contains more of the tomatoes that ended up in the salad du jour, but paused for a while on the taboret. I enjoyed painting these fellows because of the need to make them step back in space.  You see, I knew that was my focus before I even lifted a brush. We have tools at our hand to make distance appear on the flat planes of our canvas--saturation, focus, value.  I'm really pleased at how the edges change from tomato to tomato, and how the colors decrease in both value and saturation as the illusion is made to "fall back" in space.  As I sat and looked at their luscious form and color in the studio, that distance and space was not apparent. As artists, we make reality more beautiful.  7 x 5 oil for $100. -

August 23 - Afternoon Lit Pear

"Afternoon Pear" One of the handiest tools for teaching is to have an example/sample visual for students to handle when grasping new ideas. Last year I did a series of red pears in all types of light, and since that time, have sold a few of them. Now I'm replacing those missing ones with some new ones. This is the example I'll use to explain the shadow behavior on afternoon light. I've enhanced the shadow a bit for clarity. $100 from the dailypaintings.com web site for today's date.

August 22 - Problem Painting

"Problem Child Revisited" Remember this one? It was a couple months ago (June 17) that I was on location and painted the first version of this 6 x 6 oil. Now, what with moving and chaos abounding, I decided to pick this one up and make some serious surgical changes. Call it a face lift! Compare the prior image to this one, and see if you can see how many design changes I did. Don't say, "you removed the water edge," but rather, "you increased the shape of the water and mirrored the land's shape to create repetition that intrigues the eye." When you make corrections to paintings, use design terms to describe what you did, and that will go a long way to help you know WHY what you did worked. Just saying that I put in some branches only states the obvious. Saying that I keep the viewer's eye from going out of the top of the painting by the shapes of the leaf clusters, says a whole 'nother thing. This one may get more work, but I'm loading the horse trailer with dog kennel panels early tomorrow, so I'm due to do some serious checking of the eyes for light leaks. 'Night.

August 21 - Pack Mule, Stepping Out

"Stepping Out"  Now is this appropriate for moving, or what? Ho ho!  Here's a PACK MULE (and I sure can relate as I sit here with aching muscles and unmoved loads!) with a full set of panniers going out on the trail.  Those first few steps are full of resistance to forward movement... like me in the mornings lately!  I do have to say that every day it is getting better--the studio boxes are getting unpacked, plans are unfolding for the canvas and frame storage areas, and I'm even getting ready to dismantle the Hughes easel and send (carry) it over to the new place of honor.  Along with great thoughts like that are ones of today's work.  I spent a good portion of it hacking with a machete at cactus that has been around for fifty years, harboring all sorts of vermin way too close to the house.  Temps in the mid-90s.  Hooked the diesel pickup with a logging chain to one of them, and almost pulled some of it out with great excitement, at least until the chain snapped.  Tomorrow, more of the same.  Painting seems so civilized and genteel compared to machetes and logging chains.  Visions of the rat who stole my digital camera go through my head as I swing the tool.  Makes for efficient slicing of a moist and thorny spindle of green, opening up new views and creating room under the pines.  Maybe I'm a bit "mulish" about it???
SOLD to the collection of Charlotte McDavid of Birmingham, Alabama.