Poppy Fantasy

After completing the 30 day challenge for the month of January, I was ready to paint something bigger.  I decided on  a 48" x 48" gallery wrapped canvas.   Although I took a few days off, I have been working on this painting most of the first half of this month and I think it is near completion.  I've decided to give it a rest for awhile while I decide if there is anything I want to tweak before signing my name to it.

Working on a large painting is so different than small.  I really like to work on larger pieces, maybe not quite this big but larger.

I'm not very happy with the photograph I took because the painting looks a lot better in real life.  There are a few things I can see in this photograph that the camera interprets that is not in the painting.  Thus, the reason it is better to paint from real life instead of a photograph, but that is not always possible.

This painting is not from a photograph, although I did look at photographs of poppies as I drew the poppies in my sketch pad.  Once I decided what I wanted the flowers to look like I drew them on the canvas with my paintbrush where I wanted them to appear and built my leaf structure as I went along.

 Here are my progression photographs taken right off of my easel:

Nimbeaux's Restaurant Exhibit

My abstract art is currently on exhibit at a local establishment, Nimbeaux's Restaurant.  The exhibit requires large pieces which I have, so I was excited to do it.  I finally got it hung last week with the help of two great friends,  Denise Broussard and Laurie Legnon.

I belong to the Lafayette Art Association and Nimbeaux's  is one of our satellite galleries.  Nimbeaux's is a wonderful seafood restaurant located on Pinhook Rd. in Lafayette...and did I mention a very GOOD place to eat.

Some of these pieces have been previously entered in juried art competitions and a couple of them have received awards.  Sorry about the photo quality ...but that means you will have to stop by and check them out in person, right.  The exhibit will be up until April.

Looking Back at 30 Day Challenge

Here is a collage of all of the 30 Day Challenge paintings!  

All of these paintings are for sale and can be purchased on this blog, on my Daily Paintworks Gallery or by contacting me.

Thoughts on My Challenge Experience:

The restriction I gave myself in this challenge was to paint Still Life Paintings only from real life and all on size 6 x 6.

I often have problems choosing props and ideas for my still life setups. Painting from real life is really better because you can see up close what is really going on instead of what a camera thinks it is.  I know that we can not always paint from real life, but it is really so much better this way.

Having to produce a painting daily put pressure on me but as I went along my creativity flowed and I painted faster and with more confidence.  I tried to remind myself daily that I wanted to concentrate on some basics, value, brush strokes and color.

I chose the 6 x 6 size because I felt these would be easier to complete every day, but that wasn't always to case.  I don't particularly like painting this small, but the impact of all of them together is very beautiful.  They really do make a nice small gift and would look nice with a few grouped and hung together or alone in a small spot where you need a little something.  Another great option is a smaller piece can be placed on an easel and tucked in on a shelf or some other area.

Things I am grateful for:

• Leslie Saeta for initiating this challenge and getting everyone involved.  
• My Friends for the wonderful comments and encouragement.
• Other participating Artists for the support and experiences exchanged.
• My Husband for standing behind me and encouraging me.

As I return to my studio, my plans are to paint larger taking with me what I learned from this challenge.