'Tis the Season...

Having fun trying new things this holiday season, along with some old favorites!

Got out my old sewing machine and did some free form stitching on canvas and paper. A good feeling getting my 40+ year old Bernina out of the closet for some new tricks.

I added Watercolor Ground to 4 "x 4" canvas supports and then painted fall and winter scenes in watercolor.  

Block printing on dish towels is a new way to work for me.  Those old fashioned cotton towels that we all used growing up are the best for drying dishes.  Now they can be pretty too!

 I mounted prints on wood supports and turned them into tree ornaments.  I have painted the Sun Valley Barn in many ways and seasons, but it seems like winter is the most fitting.

More PicMonkey

Still fooling with PicMonkey.  And you can add titles to the collage!  I also see a possibility for creating cards.  Pretty cool options.  Watch the video if you try it out, it helps!

Here Are All 30 and Done!

I am happy happy to display this finished body of work!  Thirty paintings posted in 30 days; a great thing to do during this extra wintry January.  There will be another round of 30 in 30 in September and again next January, so will be looking at doing this again.

I am trying out a program called PicMonkey and created this collage to display the 30 paintings that I posted during January.  The program has a free one week trial so it was tempting to give a whirl.  I have been on vacation so did not get to post my finished collage to the 30 in 30 site, but oh well.  This challenge was all about meeting my goals and I did.  I posted all 30 days and that feels good!  And by the way, had a great time on vacation!  

Day 27! Late Post - Better Late than Not at All!

We have been to Montana and back, but I am determined to post to make my 30 in 30 Challenge goal even though it is late and I am tired!

This little 4x4 canvas piece is a look down our lane at one of the houses in our neighborhood.  It was fun to finally do a painting of it since I see it most days and have thought about painting it for a long time.

Day 25! Robins Clean Up

The flock of robins are gone and the tree branches have been stripped of their fruit.  Great!  So glad that we had a food source for them.  It brings the question, where are they now?

And it is Day 25 of the 30 in 30 Challenge.  Five days left!  Take a look at the site where you will see other post by Challenge participants.  I especially like the post by Kim Smith, #9.  She knows birds!  Check it out!

Tiny Apples - Winter Scene 24

Good thing I painted these tiny apples yesterday!  The apples grow on an ornamental apple tree outside my studio window and have provided me with color on otherwise grey days.  Yesterday we had snow again, and a flock of robins descended on our trees and this morning there is not an apple left.  The tree is bare!  We had great fun taking photos of the robins even though they were hard to catch sitting still for long.  I do have some reference photos and will attempt a watercolor using the birds as subjects.  A bright spot in a day of shoveling.

Day 24 in the 30 in 30 Challenge.  Check out the site for a look a some work by my fellow 30 in 30 painters.

Day 18! Still Winter

This is Day 18 of my posting to the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge.  I saw some really nice pieces on the site yesterday and recommend that you go to the site and check it out here.

I chose the theme Winter Scene for the Challenge, and it is definitely the winter for it!  More snow reportedly on the way today.  Must get out to get a few pictures before the shoveling eats up my time again. I need new material!  And I do have aspens in my yard and I see from my studio window that the light is good right now.  Gotta Go!

Day 16!

The Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge is pushing me to paint every day.  I am appreciating the discipline and frankly that January cold that keeps me in the studio.  This is another small piece I did at my 2nd Tuesday painting group the other day.  Painting ahead helps to take some of the pressure off since the painting I did yesterday still needs work or a do over!

Day 10! 30 in 30 Challenge

The record snowfall here and in the Sun Valley area has inspired me to stick with these aspen snow scenes for the present.  The 30 in 30 Challenge   is in full swing and I am happy to report that I am on track.  I recommend that you check out the website (here) to see the pieces displayed by the talented artists who have signed up for this thirty day run.  It has been fun to follow the links to blogs of artists I haven't run into before.  Some great work going on all over the country!

Monday Morning

Day 9 of the 30 in 30 Challenge and enjoying the discipline of posting each day.  I have been visiting the blogs of other artists in the Challenge, and am having a great time learning about new artists and the creative things they are doing in watercolor and other media.  Great way to start the new year.

Beginning of Week Two of the 30 in 30 Challenge

Learning a lot as I work my way through this 30 in 30 Challenge.  I do love aspens and I love painting snow from my studio view over the reality of shoveling it from our driveway!  

I am working to get the shadows to move along the dips and valleys of the snow banks and drifts.  It means direct study of the snow when those shadows appear.  Hello sun!  Where are you today, I need some help here.  Another storm on the way, and along with it, flat light!  No help!

Day 6 - Cold and Crisp

Got up to -9 degrees this morning!  Good day to stay in and paint! I am working on more pieces for the 30 in 30 Challenge and will be posting them this month.  This is Day 6 and painting!

This piece is one of the Creek Series that I am working on from places along the Big Wood River in and around Ketchum.  My husband is a fly fisherman and takes great reference photos for me while he is out.  Fortunate for me, since it is much too cold for me to set up along the stream.  I have read that vodka in the painting water helps with the cold.  Hmmm.

30 in 30 Days

I have joined the 30 in 30 Challenge offered online.  I will be posting paintings of winter scenes that I paint each day and will hopefully improve my skills along the way!

Winter Scenes

Small Watercolors on Canvas!  4" x 4" winter scenes.  I have done 17 so far and will have them for sale at the Art of the Gift sale on Saturday.  Cards, gift bags, and paintings! Should be fun!