Day 4 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

"Barn Owl"

5" x 7" 

pastel on gatorboard/pumice with Azo Gold tint

Barn Owls and any owls for that matter, represent the NIGHT. I think of their stealth and their night vision and ability to swoop very quickly onto their prey.  They rule the after dark scene in the animal world.

I am more accustomed to Horned Owls and Hoot Owls.  They used to keep me up at night in Kansas.  Oddly enough - our first night at our new place here in Colorado, a GREAT swooped around the deck from the back of the house and landed on our archway over the drive.  It stayed there for quite awhile, as if to welcome us and reminded me that owls are never too far away.  (I have a photo of  it, just need to find it.)

When I would mow the acreage in KS, I would often stop by a familiar fence post or two where I knew the owls often sat while seeking out the next small critter.  There was usually some owl pellets on the ground.  

I thought I would paint this Barn Owl with a more traditional pastel palette - bright vivid colors from all spectrums of the color wheel.  After doing normal/ordinary colors of animals, it's nice to step outside the boundaries of being correct.

You can see more artist's work in little thumbnails and then click on their picture and will usually be taken to their site where they are showing THEIR 30 in 30 pieces.

Go HERE https://www.saetastudio.com/february-30-in-30-blog

You will notice that I mention my materials after the title and size of my piece each day with the word 'pumice'.  I am doing pastel work on gatorboard (a very smooth, but very sturdy/thick surface).  To get the pastel to set down on this surface, it needs a rough plane - a 'tooth' - to be able to not DUST off of the surface.  Pumice is a sanded liquid medium that comes in a jar - it is being mixed with acrylic color, most of the time, AZO GOLD.  I love what this surface does for pastel painting!

Day 3 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days with Leslie Saeta

"Bald Eagle"
SOLD
6" x 6"

on Art Spectrum Aubergine tinted and pumiced gatorboard

Many cultures and peoples have embraced the symbol of the bald eagle as one of the most true PURE SPIRIT animals of our world.  To me, they are the most elusive animals.  I am always on the lookout for one soaring about or a nest on high.  They represent strength, power, oneness and freedom.  The closest I got to one is in a couple of  Predatory Bird programs when I taught in elementary school.

(photo by P. Dump)

If I hear of one in the wild, I want to get a closer look and just stand and watch, but that doesn't happen much.  DH used to live in Alaska by virtue of a job.  He exclaims that when he was first driving through Alaska to get to their job post, it was so exciting to see bald eagles here and there, however, after awhile there were so many sightings of eagles it became passe.

What's your experience with viewing eagles? 

I had a harder time with this art/pastel surface today..it was dark - and the pastel build up just didn't do the WHITE justice - I needed it to be more intense as I progressed. Used spray fixative at midpoint which I totally stay away from on the final product, but needed some help. Hopefully it reads right - posted here.

Day 3 and I am ready for more - so pleasing to paint from my new digs - truth be told, I couldn't wait to begin this one, so it was started yesterday - even with taking time out to go to lunch at a new Pan Asian restaurant in town and then painting my large school library sized bookcase (one of those perks from working in a school system - you get a crack at freebie library throwaways) - for the umpteenth time!!  It's a whole 'nuther world in THIS studio - a good one - one that calls to me all parts of the day!   

Day 2 of Painting 30 Paintings in 30 Days with Leslie Saeta

"Lynx" (Lynx Rufus)
Purchase info here
https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/pattie-wall/lynx/651890

5" x 7"

pastel on sanded and underpainted gatorboard

I always thought a Bobcat and a Lynx were the same animal. Come to find out - they are not...same genus but there are similarities and differences.  They have been on earth since the early Pleistocene era.

In a nutshell...both can live in the desert or the jungle - they can adapt and survive in many habitats.  They operate with stealth and quiet.  Their survival relies almost completely on the availability of prey (small hares, moles, ground squirrels and the such). Interestingly coyotes often kill them.

Differences:  Bobcats - shorter black tufts on ears, smaller paws and shorter legs, their coat is short and spotted and their tail is striped with a black tip.

Lynx - longer tufts of black on tips of ears, larger paws and longer legs, longer fur mainly gray, tail has no bands but does have a black tip.

I have seen a few of these, although I forgot to ask them to slow it down, so I could get a good grip on what they looked like and then I think I could determine if they were a LYNX or a BOBCAT.  Until I read about them on a few sites, I didn't know the difference.

What good are they?  Alive, they are an important part of the food chain..or the ecosystem.  They keep a check and balance on smaller critters.  Remarkable animals!!  To see them in the wild is quite a treat - better than a coat on someone's back.  I remember when I was a teacher's aide, our mascot was the Bobcat.  What has your experience been with a Lynx/Bobcat?   If you live in Canada, it was most likely a Lynx - in the U.S. it was probably a Bobcat.  Just remember, they are NOT the same.

Day 1 of Painting 30 Paintings in 30 Days with Leslie Saeta

"Coyote (Canis Latrans)"

5" x 7" pastel - on sanded and tinted/underpainted gatorboard

As I planned, my theme for this 30 in 30 is "Wildlife Symbols That Define Us".  Coyotes are considered a pest in many parts of the U.S., however, they provide an important task to keep the agricultural pest number reduced.  They are an important part of the 'wild' food chain.  Besides, who doesn't love to hear one sing in the twilight of the evening.  That song reminds me of the natural state of the countryside and rural areas.  That call of the wild, reminds me of freedom.

For those of you following the studio progress - well - pinch me, but this first painting was created IN my studio space - the first ONE!  The studio is NOT quite finished.  BUT I have heat, and light, and we have begun to move the mass of stuff into it.  Moving from a large space to much smaller space (about 1/2 the size) isn't very much fun, but hopefully I can deal with it over the next month or so.  Thankfully when I packed, somehow I knew I was going to need certain items upon moving in..and have found everything I need to begin this painting challenge.

If you aren't a follower of this blog yet, maybe you would like to sign up in the sidebar
so you won't miss any paintings for this event.


Most all paintings for this challenge were/are done from photos shared on Pixabay - 
a royalty free spot where photographers share their photos for other's to use.

Studio Update

I now have a completed ceiling!  As DIYers we have ROCKED this new studio - almost ready for 'move-in'.  I predict I will be sitting IN this workspace, Feb. 1st, as I begin to paint 30 paintings in 30 days with Leslie Saeta!

Gallery/Museum Show Announcement - Red Cloud, Ne.

An art show "Unique Expressions" is ongoing at the
Willa Cather Museum/Red Cloud Opera House in Red Cloud NE.  

It runs Jan. 3, 2018 to Feb. 28, 2018 and is in the first floor gallery.  

If you have a chance and/or live close, you should go - 

our show promises to please the eye and spark the imagination.  

The museum itself is a wonderful venue - lots to see and learn.  

The artist's reception is Feb. 3rd at 6:30 PM with an acoustic/jazz concert 

upstairs at 8:00 by the Kellison Duo.  

Check it out by clicking on the following - 

https://www.willacather.org/events/unique-expressions-red-cloud-area-arts-club

(2 of my 5 pieces are in the Entrance Display - below)

Preparing for 30 in 30 with a Theme for 2018

After much brainstorming, dreaming and sleeping on it, thinking while traveling - 

the jury has made it's decision - (BTW, that's only a ''Jury of One").  

My theme for this year's Painting 30 Paintings in 30 Days will be 

"Wildlife Symbols That Define Us" .  

By us - I mean ALL of us.  

My paintings will be of familiar animals/creatures that are found in dreams, symbols, totems, and symbolism.  What brought this idea to my mind is the weekly, if not daily, concern I have for the future of our planet and most apparently how our leadership is allowing 'safety', 'preservation', 'conservation'  of our wild resources to fall away from any watchful group or agency and deteriorate or disappear for future generations.   

The medium and substrate I will use is still undecided as I have SOME materials available 

since moving, however, not all.  Many are still packed away in an enclosed trailer.

It sort of depends on how soon the studio gets near completion, whether or not I have

heat in that space. It's not super cold in my area of Colorado yet,

but I can only imagine that it will be soon.

So, stay tuned.  The '30 in 30' for 2018 hosted by Leslie Saeta will begin

Feb. 1st.  In the meantime, I am out in that studio space, helping DH get it

as close as we can to that deadline.  Either way, I will be painting.