30 Day Challenge - Painting #14

"Bovine Pride"
5" x 5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

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I had a lovely day at my cousin's bridal shower, hence the late post.  I had to finish my painting when I got home, but then I started listening to music and googling other music and . . . well . . . you know how it goes.  

The colors in this image are pretty horrible -- it's night now, so the photograph stinks and I'm so tired I didn't do much color correcting.  But at least I have something to post for today.  Well . . . actually I guess it's already tomorrow.  Oh well.  Day #14 is done.

Thanks for coming by.

30 Day Challenge - Painting #13

"Date Night"
5" x 5"
watercolor on paper

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Now who can think of a better place to spend an evening, than under the stars on the terrace of the Village Restaurant enjoying a fine meal with their honey?  I hear they grill up a lovely salmon with dill.

I'm working on a commission and trying to keep up with these little ditties as well, in addition to preparing for my Backroads Studio Tour coming up on October 5th and 6th.  I'm also teaching a new class at Workshop13.org in my hometown of Ware, MA.  Some art friends have purchased an old church in town and renovated it to become a beautiful community arts center.  Classes begin next week!  I'm excited.

Thank you for viewing my work and have a great day (well, evening, here.)  :)

30 Day Challenge - Painting #12

"Number, Please"
5"x5"
watercolor on paper

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Aaaahhh, the phone booth. Just another item going the way of the dinosaur. I wish I had room in my house for an old wooden phone booth. How cool would that be? Just tuck it in the corner of a giant mudroom or entry way. 

So this is my entry for day 12 of Leslie Saeta's 30 Day September Challenge. I hope you like it. And a big thank you to all who've taken the time to comment and share your memories -- I so enjoy reading your notes. You inspire me to keep going.

Thank you for viewing my work.

30 Day Challenge - Painting #11

"Listening To Records"
5"x5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

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Do kids today even know what records are?! And I seem to recall that the record player is actually the "Fisher Price" record player.  Oh FP -- you so rock -- what great product placement!  :)  

So this is my 11th painting in a row for Leslie Saeta's 30 Day Challenge. I can't believe I've made it this far. I have a few bids on these paintings (if you've bid and are reading this post, thank you!) and m really happy to finally have started a series. I've wanted to do a series of Fisher Price paintings for a while now, and this Challenge has kept me disciplined enough to do it. I'm learning so much -- about painting, process and commitment. It's been great -- thank you Leslie.

And thank you all for viewing my work and supporting this whimsical painting spree I'm on.  :)

30 Day Challenge - Painting #10

"Hangin' At The P.O."
5" x 5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

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I'm getting excited that I'm going to have 30 paintings (or close to it, if I can't keep up) of Fisher Price paintings. I think a little series of these will be very cool. Of course, I may be the only person in the Universe to think that, but that's ok.

This one was very fun to paint.  I just LOVE the Village. I'm also hoping to get my little hands on the camper and houseboat -- two other big favorites. I think it's time to start trolling ebay again!  :)

Thank you for visiting and have a lovely Fisher Price day!  

30 Day Challenge - Painting #9

"Tickets, Please"
5" x 5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

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I think this one is my favorite, so far.  :)  I'm still having some trouble with my camera, so please bear with me. After tonight, I'll be able to catch up with some studio stuff, painting, etc. I've had some appointments, workshops and such to attend to, but have a stretch of studio time this week, that I'm really looking forward to. Hopefully too, I'll be able to straighten out my camera issues.

Thank you for dropping by and have a lovely day!

30 Day Challenge - Painting #8

"The Grump"
5"x 5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

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This little guy always made me laugh -- what is it that's making him so grumpy!?  I assure you this isn't a reflection of how I'm feeling about this challenge!  :)

I started the bidding at $35 for this painting. You may wonder why some of the paintings in this series are more expensive than others, given they're of similar subjects and are all the same size. I take a few things into consideration when pricing my work -- the time it takes to paint, my level of satisfaction, the subject matter, to name a few. This piece may strike a chord with someone, and so I don't want to just toss it aside without giving someone the opportunity to purchase it, (or for me to sell it), but as far as my level of satisfaction -- I experimented a little more with this one, working on some things that I wanted to try on a small scale. While all of these little paintings are helping me improve (I hope), they're allowing me to focus on particular things that I want to try out -- different colors, mixtures, techniques. Some things work and others not so much. I learned a great deal from this one, but it's just not as involved as some of the others and so I wanted the price to reflect that difference . . . same with the painting from yesterday.

Anyway . . . that's just a little insight into my pricing process for those of you who may be interested. I don't know if it's right or wrong, but it feels right to me.

Happy painting!  And I'm excited about the new FP paintings I started for next week!  :)

30 Day Challenge - Painting #7

"Relaxing"
5" x 5
watercolor on paper

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Dad is all settled into his favorite armchair, ready to watch the ballgame.  I can't believe I've actually kept up for seven days straight!  I've also finished two other paintings that I will post once this is all over.  They're not big, but each one serves its purpose.  One is for a class I'm teaching at the Hardwick Winery tomorrow (Sunday) and the other is for the month of December on my 2014 calendar.  It will probably be a Christmas card this year for either myself or my dad.  

So that's all the news here.  Have a lovely day and keep painting, people!  :)

30 Day Challenge - Painting #6

"Like Farmer, Like Son"
5"x5"
watercolor on paper

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Oh boy . . . I'm struggling here folks!  It's been a very busy two days and I got "behind" -- even though I was ahead. I know that I'm technically not behind, but for me I am. You see, I have to have a few of these started, and just finish them on the days their "due."And because of my schedule, I'm not as well "overlapped" as I need to be. The end of my weeks are crazy and this is going to be a tough weekend to stay on track, as I'm working both days. Hopefully, I can keep up.

Anyway, enough belly-achin' right?  I hope you like Mr. Farmer an his son.  I took some more photos today for future paintings for this series -- I'm excited. but first, I think I'm going to go get something to eat and relax before bed.  Have a lovely evening and thank you for viewing my work.

30 Day Challenge - Painting #5

"The Lion Tamer"
5"x 5"
watercolor on paper

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Just got this one done -- a little later than the other four -- but I had a very busy day today.  I'm just happy I've been able to keep up this long!  Ha!

Thank you for viewing my work.

30 Day Challenge - Painting #4

"The Family Dog"
5" x 5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

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The family dog . . . begging in the kitchen of course!  And the poor thing . . . I think a "real" doggy chewed up his ears!  Ah, but it gives him character.  Actually, I have two real dogs, and my Teddy sometimes chews on my Delilah's ears.  It's so gross, because I'll go to pet her and her ears will be all wet and slimy.  Blech!  So I like to think that's what happened with the Fisher Price doggy -- he's just been slimed and not seriously maimed. 

I'm also working on other paintings and will try and post some progress shots tomorrow.  So much to do -- but oh so much fun!  

Thank you also for all your lovely comments . . . I'm sorry that I'm not responding to each one individually.  I'm trying really hard to keep up with all this painting.  But please know how much I appreciate them and know that I read each and every one.  

30 Day Challenge - Painting #3

Mom At Thanksgiving
5" x 5"
watercolor on paper
SOLD

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It looks like "Mom" is wearing a hairnet.  When I was painting, I wasn't sure if I should include the ridge that apparently her hair sits on, but I did.  I thought it made her more authentic . . . or like she's wearing a hairnet -- either way it's ok by me.  :)  

Thank you for viewing my work.