A Collage Tribute to My Muse - the Adventure in Painting 30 in 30

I love looking at these collectively.  

They are every ONE a work of 'the heart'.

Number 30 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"On Patrol"

5" x 6"

watercolor on Arches

Doin' the Happy Dance...cause I DID

30 Paintings in 30 Days for

the third year in a row

in the month of January!!!!

This is my sweet doxie boys at 

the front window...

Chaco the red and Hasty Herman

the black and tan (not with us

anymore).

I loved the perspective of this pose.

Not my best painting, but it will do.

I have a few absolute favorites in the

30 days.

I have learned alot.  I have learned

that I really am much more comfortable

with doing watercolors than I

thought.  And it's from

LOOKING at them., studying them,

reading what other's do when they

paint with watercolor, and watching 

a few videos in this past year.

I LOVE IT - and I think I will be focusing

alot on it throughout the year.

I also love to paint in oil and do a 

pastel once in awhile.

All in all - this 30 were better than any 30 in 30 before.

The next thing I will be focusing on is getting a 

few pastels done for a small painting

show with the MidAmerica Pastel Society

in Kansas City.

So NOT so many postings every day - but if

you have been visiting my blog

throughout the month of January,

I invite you to come back often.

I really enjoy your company!!

Number 29 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Xander II"

watercolor on Arches

6" x 6" (approx)

Here is a better painting of Xander..didn't like the one 

that I did the other day, but when you

are in a crunch to do ONE a day,

and you start kind of late in the day

and you are driven

that is what happens.

I like this one much better.

Ahhhh..only ONE more to go!!!!!!!

Number 28 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"The Other Bailey"

5" x 7"

watercolor on Strathmore

This dog is named Bailey, same as mine, but is older 

and belongs to my friend's the Joneses.

She is 14...and I remember her as a puppy.

She came to play with my Herman one day.

Herman gave her a run for her money

I will never forget it.

Update - just found out,

Bailey had to be put down

recently.

Number 27 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Xander"

6" x 8"

watercolor on Arches semi-rough

Xander is in the household with Venture and Venus, whom I 

painted earlier in my 30 in 30.

He is an American Foxhound, as well.

He is the newest member in the household

of my FB artist friend, Liz.

He is full of antics.  Never a dull moment.

He does something either interesting, amazing,

and almost assuredly downright hilarious every day.

I painted him quickly, as I

had my own dogs to attend to

since it was such a nice

calm day at 71°.  That will

make you people back East

envious..with all the snow and wintery weather.

Our dogs needed baths, nail clippings,

and ear cleaning.

Cold winter has not allowed

us to bathe much - in the

'dog world' here in a long while.

Number 26 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Bruno"

5 1/2" x 5 1/2"

watercolor on Arches semi-rough

Bruno belongs to a friend in Denver.

He is a Swiss Mountain Dog.

What a happy face!!

Today I was faced with a big question

DO I paint this in oil or watercolor??

My immediate choice was watercolor...maybe

it's a sign.

Number 25 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Aiden"

7" x 7"

pastel on Art Spectrum/aubergine

SOLD

Aiden is a Whippet who lives in the mountains above Denver.

He always wears a jacket.

I can understand that.

Number 24 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Amy and Pete"

6" x 6"

watermedia on Strathmore

SOLD

Amy was in my first and second grade classroom

 and I helped 

with her education beyond those

years, in my Title I classroom 

when I was a school teacher.

Her mom was one of my 

excellent educational assistants!

I have loved keeping in

touch with her over all these years.

She lives in Burlington, Co.

When I put the request out for photos to paint from

for this challenge, Amy's were the very first to arrive.

I painted her Hampshire piglet, Gumball, a few weeks ago, 

as #3 of the challenge.

Knowing her for the many years as a child ~ allowed me to 

make a perfect likeness of her.

Her top was DARK blue and white, but I decided, 

I liked the first blue I put down - 

goes with her very beautiful blue eyes.

THANKS ~ Amy!!

Number 23 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Cockatiel"

watercolor

almost 4" x 6"

however..

once I painted this, I realized..the tail

seems pretty important

on this birdy.

So I matted it and extended the

unseen tail on the mat.

I have seem other artists use

their matboard for

extra decoration, or illustration.

Only 7 more!

Number 22 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Gracie"

6" x 8" ish

watercolor on Arches semi-rough

I have painted Gracie before, in oil...not knowing it was Gracie

long story for that.

Although this is not the photo the owner wished

I would paint, it is my favorite - for 

light and shadow.

I tried this one with a little more 'design' to it.

She was very pretty, one blue eye and one brown.

Her owner wrote to me:

"I was working at a veterinary office and she was brought in in a plastic bag with 3 of her siblings and we were told they were dead. She wasn't, she was barely alive, breathing only a couple times a minute. I took her and rubbed and rubbed her in a heating pad for an hour until she was breathing normally and had a strong heartbeat. That was in 2002. She turned 12 years old on the 14th of November. In July of this year she was diagnosed with cancer, and doesn't have long to live. My heart is breaking, but I am just trying to keep her as comfortable and happy as possible in what time I have left with her."

Gracie passed just before Thanksgiving 2014. 

I love this story.

It shows such compassion and hope for animals. 

Thanks to all who have allowed me to use their photos to paint

from this month!!

Number 21 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Archie"

7" x 7"

watercolor on semi-rough Arches

SOLD

Archie belongs to a artist friend, Marcy, who lives in

Salina.  She got him this past year.

I love the 'champagne color' challenge.

Had to get out the white gouache..as I needed

that ear fur to fling out into the space a little more.

Wow - only 9 more to go, this

21 has gone by so quickly..

such is life, I guess.

Number 20 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Nia"

7" x 7"

watercolor on Aquarelle/Arches

SOLD

This one is a FB friend's - daughter's dog, Nia.

I loved the photo of her and could see

the underneath blanket being

played up a little in chroma

for great sassy contrast.

Lovin' doing watercolors.

They seem to be working for me

right now.

They are opposite of oils and pastels, 

which are darkest to lightest

as you paint.

Watercolor is just the other way around.

Plus I have some open cuts in my pointer and thumb

on my painting hand, that keep getting

gamsol and oil paint in them..at this

rate they will never heal.

So right now, my brain and those fingers have to 

constantly slow down

and think.

Number 19 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Bailey"

5" x 7"

watercolor on Arches

This is our weimaraner 

(vy-mer-rah-ner) - 

we call him 'Bader Boyz'.

This afternoon will be spent on varnishing,

fixing our big pole yard nightlight...

it has been out and without it 

it is VERY dark here at night.

The RV needs some extra TLC in winter,

it's such a nice day, we will

attend to some of that, too!

Number 18 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Trumpeter I"

WATERCOLOR

on Arches

It's Day 18, and I needed to change up my

medium

I LOVE painting every day,

but there are tasks that

become mundane.

One of them is preparing to

paint in oil and 

then the clean-up after.

I wanted to take a break.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

watercolor..it's still

so mysterious some days.

Today it was right there for me.

These swans migrate through

the property of my aunt

and uncle's in the Ozarks

area of Missouri.

Thanks for the photo Emily!

Number 17 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Aspen"

9" x 12"

oil on Raymar canvasboard

I am calling this one Americana or Primitive style today.

I didn't paint with that intention, but that

is what seems to have played

out on the surface,

kind of flat.

And no matter what I did, the color mixing 

was often MUD..meaning I wasn't mixing just

2 colors and introducing a complimentary in the mix.  Oy!

It's reeeeeallly windy here today and that always

plays havoc with my painting muse and psyche.

It actually drives me a little crazy.

Aspen is a Chesapeake Bay retriever who

belongs to my friend and past coworker, Kim.

Number 16 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Major Sun"

6" x 6"

oil on pine veneer

This is Max and Major again.  I have painted them 5 times, I think.

They are right down the road, so every once in awhile

on a sunny day, I go take more photo updates of them.

They are Belgian draft horses.

The veneered wood has a heavy grain in it.

Not sure how it will do as it dries..

although it is sealed with gesso 

and a coat of red oxide acrylic.

Number 15 of 30 in 30

"Cat Bird"

11" x 14"

oil on canvasboard

This was one of those days, when I just wanted 

to walk out of the studio and

be done for the day

and that feeling hit - about half way through this

'time at the easel'.

It was a three time 'wipe off' and

I finally went with it.

You 'win' some and you 'learn' some.

Probably the biggest "aha"

IS
I am painting on too large of a canvas

for a 'daily painting'.

Number 14 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

'Best Friends'

6" x 6"

oil on wood veneer

When we are RV vacationing at our favorite spot, Cape Lookout, Oregon,

there is a daily migration from the campsites - up and over the sand dunes

 at sunset.   Camera in hand, it is the best time to

people watch, and shoot lots of great photos.

It's like the neatest 'human attended' event I know.

People bring their lawn chairs, their bottles of wine,

dogs and kids

and their beach toys.

There is cheering and clapping as the sun

makes it's grand departure

from view.

I was so touched by this girl, sharing this moment

 with her 'best' friend.

The dog seemed as 'in tune' with the

event as much as everyone else.

I like this scene so much, I will chalk 

this little one up to practice 

for maybe a larger version 

some day soon.

30 Paintings in 30 Days - NUMBER 13

"The Best Dog in the Whole World"

9" x 12"

oil on Raymar canvasboard

Hasty Herman - our little black and tan dachshund - 

left this world just over 4 years ago.

He was almost 10.

I have painted him many times,

but found this photo this

morning, and it's so 

typically HERMAN.

He would plop down

on just anything

that was creating a soft spot.

This shoe area in the laundry room 

suited him just fine -

using Dad's shoes as a chin rest.

A little paint shine - this time of day

it's unavoidable.

PAINTED WITH LOVE....

and remembrance

Day 12 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Studio Catz"

8" x 8"

oil on Raymar canvasboard

Today was back to normal, sort of.  

Had some 'chorin' to do before I started painting

this afternoon.  Instead of painting

someone else's critters, I decided

time to immortalize the cats

that live in my studio.

The black one ('ol 'poopy pants')

is Pyewacket and the

multicolored ball of fuzz

is Meeka (with a myriad

of hair mats herself).

They often LAY on each other or

intertwine to stay warm.

They are a little over a year old.

They bring us joy and fun. We play

lots and they are full

of purrsonality.

Number 11 - of 30 in 30

"Peepers - 2014"

8" x 10"

oil on canvasboard

This is Peepers, a robin, our second rehab baby bird.

WE  rescued it from sure

ill fate and were able 

to feed and help it learn to fly 

and BE a BIRD.

But that is beside the point today.

There was bound to be one

of those days -when

painting took a back seat.

.

This is the one painting I would rather not share.

It didn't photograph right, but

maybe that is because it

isn't very good, by my standards.

Short story, cat (who lives in studio and 

is an indoor cat) with lots of

feces (a fistload - sorry

for the gorey details) entangled in it's long

fur, running amok

in the studio,

leaving bits here and there, not 

to mention the smell.

Don't know how these

things happen, but it's

bound to be.

The clean-up took alot of time, it wasn't fun

and I am glad it is over.

Giving a fraidy cat a bath

on the fly - chasing a wet 

cat who isn't clean yet..OY!!

But...this is the outcome

of a painting that I

was NOT into.

It was a rather sh%# day ~

so to speak.

Number 10 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Gunny"

9" x 12"

oil on canvasbooard

I know Weimaraners - I have one...but 

EVERY ONE is different,

sometimes by just an ever so

slight way.

Gunny is very different from the 'O Gray One

that I have.  He belongs to my cousins

Chase, Taryn and Cade. 

This one took me awhile.

I loved every minute of it!

One third of the way done.

Life is good.

I have ordered a frame for it, and it rocks.

Number 9 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Mandy and Elle"

10" x 10"

oil on canvasboard

I almost always start out with a 

red oxide underpainting.

On this one I left some of it showing through

as I liked it - 

it gives a reddish edge.

These two were kittens when I took this photo -

they were sharing a chairback by the 

long windows.

They belong to my brother and sister-in-law.

They have beautiful LOOOONG tails.

Very sweet and fun!

After I photographed the painting,

I finished that space

just in the distance 

where the oxide red was

really showing along the

deck rail, on the left.

Whenever I photograph my work,

I see gobs of stuff to fix.

But I am letting that go

during this challenge.

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Number 8

"Tempo"

6" x 6"

oil on pine veneer

SOLD

I love it when little kittens are rescued - and this

one was - in August - by my

artist friend Leann, who lives in Michigan.

She and her husband found this

then, 4 week old kitty, without a mom,

without litter mates,

just abandoned near their

rental house they were working on.

And - the short version of the story -

Leann now has a little gray kitty

to go with her other two kitties.

I wanted to paint from a photo she had

posted because it reminds me of a 'heart'.

And I DO 'heart' that this kitty has found a 

good home!!

Day 7 of Painting 30 in 30

"Venture"

6" x 6"

oil on pine veneer

This is Venus' sister.  She is an American Foxhound.

  See Day 5.  There wasn't an outdoor

shot that gave the same sort of sunny pose

that Venus' painting had

but I liked this indoor shot.

Although my version kind of reminds me of a 

'doggie mugshot'.

I see one or two areas that need 

addressing with this one

 in the morning.

Along with painting today, I sewed a complete

mitered corners baby quilt out of flannel.

Busy day.

If you would like to see more paintings from about 1200

other artists go to Leslie Saeta's blog

on the sidebar.

There are so many, and each year, I try to visit 

and give say hi and give support,

but this year is overwhelming.

I am pleased that the world seems to be filled with artists.

Day 6 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Cloey Again"

6" x 6"

oil on wrapped canvas

Sometimes when painting a likeness, I get very picky - 

not perfectionistic, but picky.

Day 2's painting did NOT

have that 'soul and spirit' that I like

to put in my animal portraits.

Therefore - round 2.

I like this one better.

I started with the eyes, as I often do.

and moved on.

If I don't have a good photo of eyes,

or the eyes don't have that glimmer

the finished painting 

often lacks that LIFE ~ 

because I need to see it

not just feel it.

Painted the nose in three different spots, before

I was satisfied today.

White fur has always been a challenge

and that's just 

what these 30 days are - 

a PAINTING CHALLENGE,

right?

Day 5 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Venus"

6" x 6" oil on

pine veneer

To know someone, you have never met, on Facebook since 2009

makes my head spin, but I have known Liz that long.

We painted in parallel on Karin Jurick's "Different Strokes from Different Folks" - 

no longer alive in the blogosphere.

Those were the days - I garnered many FB friends during those

painting challenges - I cherish the ones I still have.

This is one of her dogs, an American Foxhound, Venus.

This one was 'right there' for me, because - the PHOTO was so good!

Bright sun, filtered by shadows from the form and from the yard,

as they sat on the steps I believe.

Great contrast and close-up with all the details I needed!

Some photos do NOT lend themselves well to

being painted and I have tackled a few this past year,

it's very frustrating.

I think someday soon, I will write a blog 'tab' to help

those wanting their photos painted.

An aside, if you get a sunshine glimmer in the eye(s)

you probably have a good one!

But for now....(smile).

Please help me out and follow my FB page and LIKE it,

if you haven't.  I would appreciate it -

my goal is to get to 200 'likes'

in the month of January.

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Number 4

"Hattie"

12" x 12"

oil on wrapped canvas

Have been working on little 6" x 6"  canvases, but the eyes on

 Miss Hattie Dior

were soooo small and sort of squinty, I didn't think 

I could pull it off as small as I had been working,

thus 'double the size' canvas.

This cute tuxedo cat ~ Hattie ~  belongs to 

my friend Kelli in Evergreen, Co,

Kelli is a teacher, a vet tech, a world traveler and 

owner of many dogs and kitties.

She has an endearing relationship with each of her furbabies.

Hattie was a rescue. She and her brother were thrown out a car window

and there was a car behind the car that threw them out.

They stopped and helped the cats.

I love hearing and reading stories about her pets, meeting them 

(although I have never met Hattie) 

and painting them.

This photo particularly beckoned me ~ to paint it, 

because of that intense sunlight bathing her

as she sits on the stairway landing.

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Number 3

"Gumball"

6" x 6"

oil on pine veneer

Gumball belongs to a past student and friend, Amy, 

who lives in 

eastern Colorado.  

He is a Hampshire hog..the kind that are black with the 

white band around their middle.  

Her son, Mick, named 

this little guy, who I imagine isn't so little anymore.

Last night, as I was pacing back and forth, 

wondering if UPS would

ever show up, 

I knew that if my Jerry's Artarama package arrived,

I would have a 'new lease on life' in the studio

tomorrow. Well, way past 7 PM he showed up! YAY!!

My hope came true...I was feeling pretty good with my

new 'radiant opaques' from Gamblin.

They are quite awesome!

ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS I SELL MY WORK

IS TO REPLENISH EXPENSIVE PAINTS, 

BRUSHES, AND CANVASES ~

so I can continue to paint!!

Leslie Saeta is hosting this challenge of 30 in 30, see sidebar for 

a place to leave here and go there.

Thanks for stopping by!

30 Paintings in 30 Days - DAY 2

"Cloey"
6" x 6"
oil on pine veneer

Cloey belongs to my nephew and his wife.  She is a muted calico.  Quite tricky
to paint her...my value scale was all in the same range for awhile.
Heavy paint.  About noon, I thought I was finished, but went to lunch
and thought about how it needed to be changed,
came home and changed it.
Now I like it better.
Number 2 - all through!

I would like to take this time
to invite you to 'like' my Pattie Wall - Fine ART Studio page 

where I share my art and art thoughts -
which is building slowly - 

on Facebook HERE.
I would like to increase my 'fans'
(although I would like a better word for 'fans')
 to 200 'likes' this month.
THANKS!!

If you would like to see more art from the 1100 or so artists
participating in this challenge, go to
http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com
If you are a participant and are stopping by,
thanks for visiting - there are so many to pick from.

Numero Uno - 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge

"Miss Priss"

6" x 6"

oil on pine veneer

NUMBER ONE!!!  Woohoo - Happy New Year!  I hit the ground runnin' today

and got this first one done in no time!  I had DH cut me down some great 

cabinet remnants I picked up a few years ago, (thanks Linda).  They are cut into

small 6" x 6" squares for this challenge.  I sanded them all, primed them with gesso,

then covered them with a colored coat of acrylic - this one is an eggplant purple underneath.

Miss Priss belongs to my cousin in Texas, Debbie.  She has LOTS of doggies, and rescues 

and advertises LOST dogs alot.  She (and her daughter and niece) are dog lovers extraordanaire.

Because of her dedication, I chose Priss to be my first painting of the new year.

Priss is sooo tiny  and a real heart stealer - she is a chihuahua.  

P.S., my focus will be 'pets' - but what I am really working on is 

big strokes of paint,

with minimal 'detail' strokes.