"Sweet Rewards"

"Sweet Rewards"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I wasn't sure what I was going to paint for my 30th painting in this challenge. I sort of wanted it to be special, a final "hoo-rah" of sorts. Then it hit me... why not paint my absolute favorite treat? I don't indulge in sweets much (I'm more for the salty/crunchy type), but of all things sweet, this ranks pretty near the top of the list for me. I love this time of year because you can find them everywhere! So now I can finally say this 30-day challenge has been met, with "flying colors"! :-)

SOLD - "Rustic Charm"

"Rustic Charm"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

SOLD

I can't believe this is the first time I've painted this mini pitcher. I bought this pewter gem at a garage sale many, many years ago, and I think I paid 50 cents for it. I always intended on using it in a painting (someday!), but never managed to find the right setting. I love it here paired with this pinecone. I just adore the colors and mood in this painting...

"Ready to Mix"

"Ready to Mix"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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You might be surprised to know that I (almost) only use these three colors in all of my paintings. Plus white, of course. But it's amazing just how many colors a person can create with just red, blue, and yellow, and a little white (I love how Carol Marine emphasized this so much during her workshop, too). I think it gives an artists' work so much consistency by limiting the number of colors used in a painting.

"Light Me Up"

"Light Me Up"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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This painting proves that you can truly find inspiration anywhere - even in a lightbulb! I only have a few days left in this 30-day painting challenge, but I plan on continuing, as much as I can fit it into my schedule at least. It's really amazing how much I've learned in just a short amount of time!

"Red High Heels"

"Red High Heels"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I love these shoes! They're so red, so shiny, and sooooo.... uncomfortable! I'm a sucker for shiny things, and when I saw these shoes, I just had to have them. Except that they're so bad for my feet. I can only wear them when I know I'll be sitting most of the time. Why do us women torture ourselves so much? ;-)

"No Soup For You"

"No Soup For You"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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In case you don't get the meaning of the title: saltine crackers go great with tomato soup, right? Well, no luck here - all you're getting is the tomato. You probably still don't get it, unless you're a huge Seinfeld fan ;)

"Tomato Reflection"

"Tomato Reflection"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I haven't painted reflections too often. This one was a challenge, mostly because I had a tough time getting the colors right on that upside-down shiny, metal bowl. I hope it "reads" good, but I am happy with the reflection of the tomato in it.

"Egg Face"

"Egg Face"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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It's crazy how the spotlight I use on my subjects gets so hot that it can cook an egg! I had to crack open a new one for this painting since the one I used earlier lost its freshness. At least this one's yolk was normal size :)

"Be My Yolko Ono"

"Be My Yolko Ono"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I felt like painting an egg yolk again, so I used my cute little thrift store plate again. I really love the complementary colors in this one! That plate is actually a little saucer, and yes... the yolk was super tiny in that egg. I think I got gypped.

"Blue Plate Special"

"Blue Plate Special"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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More thrift store finds! I found this super cute white & blue plate at a thrift store this week, then right before I left, the blue mug caught my eye. On this insanely cold week (-45° F with the windchill! yikes!), I figured a blue theme was appropriate :)

"The Matchmaker"

"The Matchmaker"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I'm a few paintings behind for my challenge, but I'm hoping to make up for it before the end of the month. I was traveling last weekend, so it made it tough to get a painting a day done! I'm also running out of food to paint, but I thought this matchbox would make a cute subject :)

"The Lone Apple"

"The Lone Apple"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I honestly didn't know what to paint today... I didn't have a lot of free time left in my day, so I figured I'd go with a super simple subject. I always love painting apples anyway :) I really like this shade of green on the background, too. I should've kept a note of what colors I used to mix it!

"Shark Tank"

"Shark Tank"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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This is somewhat of a different composition, but I like how the three pears are surrounding that poor apple, hence the title :-) Those yellows were tough too, but I wanted the red apple to really stand out, so I purposefully chose to go monochromatic with the background.

"Three Amigos"

"Three Amigos"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I had a lot of fun painting these juicy tomatoes! Unfortunately, I ended up with a bad glare again on the right, but I'm happy with this painting. The muted background really makes the tomatoes pop!

"The Perfect Fit"

"The Perfect Fit"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I just had to paint this cup again! I wanted to try a tighter composition for this one, and I like how the pear makes this nice cast shadow on the background. I also like how that shadow is also cast on that apple in the back.

SOLD - "Turnip Trio"

"Turnip Trio"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

SOLD

After going back to my usual pears yesterday, I thought I'd try a totally different subject, one that I never painted before. I had to wipe this painting a few times and start over, but I'm really, really pleased with the end result. I love the green background against the purples of those yummy turnips. 

"Backlit Pears"

"Backlit Pears"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I'm baaaaacccckkk! Okay, after a few days of "iffy" paintings, I'm glad to say that I haven't completely lost my ability to paint. It can sometimes feel that way for us artists when things don't go quite right. When that happens, I usually revert to a subject I really love and am familiar with - pears! I think these are Bosc pears, which are taller and slender, and more yellow. I love how they contrast with the darker, grayer background.

"Any Way You Slice It"

"Any Way You Slice It"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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I've painted oranges a few times, but this time I wanted to try and make it looser and more painterly. I had to admit, this was a tough one... But I love the colors here - they kinda make me want to be on a beach in Florida right now!

"Egg for One"

"Egg for One"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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The empty shells were surprisingly easy for me to get right - but that ramekin! Woah, that was a tough one... it still doesn't look quite right to me, so I think I may need to try my hand at that again. I do love the color palette on this painting, though. Feels very soothing.

"Superbowl of Apples"

"Superbowl of Apples"

6" x 6" Oil on panel

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Some paintings are just harder to photograph than others, and this is certainly one of those! I'm a day late on this one because the lighting was just awful last night in my studio. But I am very pleased with the painting! This is my first attempt at painting fabric folds, which wasn't easy!