A Farm Country Landscape in Oil

"Sunrise Over Corn Residue"

48" x 24"

oil on wrapped canvas

Work in Progress - Day 4

Havin' fun in the snow today.

I need to take that 'line' between colors in the sky OUT - next visit.

How a Painting Looks Above the Fireplace

"Gibbon Falls River"

24" x 36"

oil on canvas

I have been so busy with framing, varnishing, finishing, packaging and

shipping lately, I have nothing new to post.

Changing Colors ~ and Not the 'Fall' Kind

"Color Screamer"

6" x 6"

oil on Raymar canvasboard

Chameleon's are an interesting lizard.  

Their 'ability to change color' is 

the most amazing adaptation.

I don't think I have ever painted a lizard before.

This one was full of interesting patterns and strokes.

Just like the chameleon, this painting was about

creating the illusion of scaly skin and light.

Being an insectivore, it would be more

than welcome at my house.

I don't know anyone who has one, do you?

A Still Life with Yellow Roses

"Valentine Roses"

16" x 20"

oil on wrapped canvas

Painted around the edges - no need to frame.

SO...

I decided to share the process on this one...
as I captured it at different intervals.

Scroll down and start at the bottom.

Fourth, I have realigned the placement of the objects

so that there is harmony in the space on the canvas, 

the pitcher is needing some help with it's shape

...the framed picture on the wall

has this great ornate detail that 

I wanted to just 'suggest'.

The roses were taller 'stemmed'

in the source photo I used (thanks T!)

but the way I set the placement and size of 

it all, I had to trim them down.

The source photo shows the great light coming from above.

I have been 'sitting' at the easel and realize I need to stand up

as this is a more involved - larger canvas

than I have been doing since the ravens.

Maybe my 'lines' would be more perpendicular.

I'm trying not to squash a nearby kitten

as I back up - that is what I am really doing..ha!

Third, I decided to get the roses in, as I was filling up the area pretty heavy with paint.

Second, I worked some on the shadows on the light colored surfaces...

I attempted to get some warmer color going.

First, I sketched with pencil, then I started with 

identifying the darkest dark areas with a mixture of ultramarine blue, 

cad yellow medium and a touch of alizarin crimson.

 These process photos are taken quickly with my iPhone.

Work in Progress - Third DAY

Working on middle raven today...

color in.

LOTS of work to do on background, foreground - 

mucho details to be done on biggest guy on the right.

You get the idea..

Time for Bigger Paintings ~ Life After 30 in 30

I thought that when the 30 in 30 was over, 

(loved every minute of the 30 in 30, but itching soooo much

to do some work that took extra time, planning and blood, sweat and tears)

I would get going on our taxes for 2013 - looks like something much bigger got in the way - 

Sitting in my 'pile' for some time now has been this idea - of RAVENS.

So I got out a BIGGER canvas, 15 x 30...

wrapped around the edges for more painting space,

(no need for a frame)

and began..by sketching (would show you that, but my iPhone won't cooperate 

with my email right now)

Then I dove right into and started that large guy on the right...

and the next day to the guy on the left...

Now I need to do some research to make sure 

the wrap around tail on this one is correct.

Crows and ravens are different in the tail and beak area.

I want to make sure these are RAVENS, not CROWS.

For today I work on the middle raven - I love the background color.

Don't know where it's going, or if it will change.

I am letting the muse direct me on this one.

Check back soon!

Day 27 out of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Heirloom"

10" x 10"

oil on Raymar panel

A special painting today.  Feeling like crap - still, but 

slept better last night.

This little rocking chair was MY rocking chair - as a little tyke, 

so well-made and sturdy was passed on to my daughter, 

who then passed it on to her daughter.  

It has a wide seat, so even older children can still use it.

It is the most treasured heirloom I know of.

DAY 25 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"You Had Me at Merlot"

12" x 16"

oil on wrapped canvas

(very thick, wet paint is shining)

Thanks to my sister-in-law - who kept me going today.

This is done from one of her photos.

At first I was muddling in the 'have to get those ellipses and edges

perfect!'  Then I thought, hey, this is a piece of art, not a 

reproduction. 

I have to continue to push myself

for losing edges and not getting

hung up on every little detail when painting

from photos.

This one was perfect for today, as I had lots of these colors

left over from yesterday.

Have this head cold soo bad right now, I need a bucket under

my nose.  Had to get this one done, so I could lay down -

it's kicking my arse today!

DAY 22 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Can't Put it Down"

9" x 12"

oil on canvasboard

SOLD

Folds in cloth have always been a challenge.

What better time to give it a whirl 

in an environment of experimentation?

DAY 16 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Trio"

10" x 10"

oil on canvasboard

SOLD

Painted from that designer patio in N.M.  Love these plants and pots and stands.

They sit right underneath a plethora of hummingbird feeders.  There are always

hummingbirds zooming back and forth above them.

There were a few rooftops dotting the horizon line

in my photo, but I took them out. 

 No need for them.

This one was fun, even if it was gale force winds today and the electrical spikes 

kept the tunes and the heat going on and off.

Tunes always had to be reset.

Finally gave that one up but

find it hard to paint in silence.

DAY 14 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Wrap Around"

6" x 8"

oil on canvasboard

Ideally, my favorite kind of deck on a house.  

Someday...

The inspiration for this painting was

 from a source I found 

on a photo sharing site.

But I often flip the photo and take 

things out that bother me visually, change colors and 

surfaces and even sometimes - light, that is a real challenge.

I wanted this simple and uncluttered ~ and it is.

I would like to do this one larger some day..

and when it gets a little dryer, 

I AM going to work on those

Adirondack chairs a little more - 

this canvas was too

small to do them justice.

That's what I am finding, in the time I have to paint something, 

I am actually trying these subjects out 

for larger stuff one day.

ONWARD!

Gypsy Kings

Genesis

on the carousel today.

Day 11 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Picnic Spot Above the River"

8" x 8"

oil on canvasboard

Loved the sun starting to set - dinner time on this one.

Couldn't get those fall colors to pop - seems pretty muddy underneath.

That's why this is a challenge.

Some will turn out, some will be experiments.

Learning lots.

Same stuff on CD carousel as yesterday.

Added a new BEST of Def Leppard today.

Day 6 Painting 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Barranca Mesa Patio"

10" x 10"

oil on canvasboard

This one was fun - I had to put a lot of paint on the canvas 

to make it come up into the light.  

It is my N.M. sister-in-law's patio that she 'hired' done.  

I love the color palette the designer used.  

Their mesa drops off the back of the yard in the rear of the house - 

you can view the Sandia Mountains from here.  

NOW - if anyone knows what the black thing on the left is, 

I will leave it alone, but if no one comments 

about WHAT they think it is

and it's what it is, then I will take it out.

Check back in a few days, to see if I changed it or not.

Artists on 'the shuffle' today:

Julian Lennon

Paul McCartney

Joni Mitchell

R.E.M.

Little River Band (always a touch of the oldies)

30 Paintings in 30 Days - Leslie Saeta blog

Day 5 of Painting 30 in 30

"A Stoop in Brooklyn"

6" x 6"

oil on Raymar canvasboard

I about hit the wall today, so to speak.  Got out to the studio late - 

tried to get a 12" x 16" going 

(too big for one day, and I knew it)

and realized that I wouldn't get done by dark.  

I had it going, too - different subject altogether. 

It may be that one that I work on daily

and get done within the 30 days.

So I scrambled - and I mean scrambled.  

This one isn't exactly the way I wanted it.  

I seem to having difficulty bringing things UP into the light 

and it is my nemesis - mixing colors - lately. 

Plus, I really need to get into the habit of CLEANING off my palette each 

day and starting NEW. 

I seem to rely on YESTERDAY'S colors.

That would probably help.  

That's just plain lazy and trying to be thrifty, I guess.

In the end, this one works for me!

And BTW - I am working on NOT complaining.

My daughter and her family lived in Brooklyn for several years - 

she did a floral designer job there among other things.  

Their stoop was a bright spot in the concrete jungle 

with her lovingly cared for - plants ~ 

a definite INVITING SPACE!

See the 30 in 30 craze at http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com

  ARTISTS in the CD Carousel today:

Coldplay

The Turtles (yes..)

Joe Walsh

Crosby, Stills and Nash

(and I removed Stevie Ray Vaughan for another day - smile)

Last night dreaming about happening upon a retirement for a 'Bezel Designer' 

while trying to find the location of an RV park.

Don't know where that bezel thing came from, I barely know the word 'bezel', 

in fact, in the dream, I asked them to clarify, "bevel or bezel"????

And she and I talked about how it was to design - by hand, manually 

and how it was to design by computer.

And I am sharing this with you, as when I paint like this, in a frenzy, 

I have very vivid, wild dreams.

Do you?

Day 3 Painting of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Algo Mas"

9" x 12"

oil on canvasboard

Sorry for the glare - finished tonight and had to take photo under studio lights.

Will take a better one tomorrow.

Crazy day - didn't think a semi-annual trip to the dentist 

would take up most of the afternoon.

I see a few things to fix in this one now that I have taken a photo.

Do that tomorrow also.

This is our local Mexican eatery.  Love the colorful furniture - 

it's very inviting (along with the fact, they make great Margaritas!)

Tunes in the CD carousel today by THESE artists:

Heart

Faith Hill

Just Head

David Gray

and

Gypsy Kings 

(which is the one which really got me finished)

I have an eclectic taste in music.

Tomorrow I will choose a smaller canvas I think.

http://lesliesaeta.blogspot.com (30 in 30 site)

Update - attempted a new photo, paint is just too wet, still shows the shine.

Later on that one.

Not so shiny now.

Figurative Portrait in Oil

"Ädvice from the Little Black Dress"

Painted in Oil

on Arches oil paint paper

8"x 8"

I had some leftover paint on my palette that was perfect for skin tones, so I grabbed this Arches that I had toned with red oxide and painted a quick one.  I liked the attitude that came forward and therefore the title.

Odds and Ends

It amazed me - when I recently dragged out a bunch of unframed art to show a client I saw a blatant need for some do-overs and correcting on some of my paintings - starting with this one - which I think was a little photoshopped to make it look better when I finished it the first time. Glad I took it off of 'selling sites'as it was really tweaked from what it actually looked like - that just happens sometimes. 

The background in this original painting was about the same value as the flowers and leaves, the reds didn't seem to pop as much as they do in the photo above and there seemed to be no contrast,

so I added some lighter background today.

"Hollyhocks"

I liked the first one, but when you looked at it, it all seemed like a dark jungle.

I like it better now, I don't know that this photo does it justice.

I also tackled the wrapped edges of three larger paintings, that I never had dealt with before - as the surfaces were so wet with oil paint when I finished them.  It's a little tricky matching the same color on the sky or a field surface, for instance, for a wrap around 

but I am liking how they turned out.  

Now for sale at my Etsy shop

Click HERE.

SOLD

An Oil Painting Commission

I have been painting and painting and painting on this one. 

It is small (9" x 12") - almost too small for the detail that was needed.  

I have never painted anyone in the dark before.  

This one will be a  part of a special occasion, 

from the sounds of it.  

It was interesting.  Having a 'drum set' myself, 

I very much understood what I was seeing

even in the dark of the photo that was supplied.

Headed to the client, as soon as that dark paint - which is thick, dries.

As this photo shows, it's still very wet and shiny in parts.

Next?  I have such a great collection of pastels and 

I like how they make portraiture pop.  

That's what my next focus is - 'human' portraits

and color.

Have gone back to using pastels - at least giving it a try again.  

I have really missed them - but cough, cough...wow.  

I am looking into ordering a Totobobo mask today.  

In the meantime, a painter's mask will do the trick.

A Painting of Zebras in Oil by Pattie Wall

"Yipes! Stripes!"

12" x 12"

oil on wrapped canvas

This is done from a photo off of Paint My Photo website.

It appealed to me because of the little one's mane,

reminds me of a mohawk.

Still have to paint around the deep canvas edge, 

a continuation of the scene.

Spent more than a day on this one and it feels right.