Day 30: 30 Paintings 30 Days

Barn Near St. Irénée, Quebec, 7" x 9"

A summer scene painted in the midst of another cold spell.  Oh well, we can always dream!  This was painted from a photo I took on a trip many years ago to the Charlevoix.  Well, I did it!  I painted 30 paintings in 30 days.  It is pretty addictive, so though I might not post every day, I intend to be painting quite a bit and will post frequently.  Many thanks for the many wonderful comments and interest!  It really helped to spur me on. 

Day 29: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Carrot Cake, 6" x 8" oil on canvas board

With apologies to Wayne Thibaud, a most remarkable painter of pastries and cakes, amongst other things.  This was fun to paint but hard to look at for a couple of hours without sneaking a bite.  I think I subconsciously omitted a fork from the painting as a way of saying "hands off" to myself.  The glass plate posed a challenge too, to paint, that is! 

Day 28: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Eggs, Bowl and Plate, 8" x 8" oil on canvas board

There was a very dramatic ray of light coming in from the side of this still life composition, so I worked as fast as I could to try to capture what I was seeing before the light faded.  Tricky business!  I remember years ago in a drawing class having to draw 3 eggs on a white plate.  Sounds easy, right?  Not so much!

Day 27: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Cream Jug and Strawberries, 8" x 8" oil on canvas board

I think the composition could be improved by not having the creamer handle cropped the way it is.  It should be on or off.  It's a similar  to shooting a photo where the age old wisdom is not to cut people at their joints (elbows, knees, etc.) because there is something deeply unsettling about that to the human psyche.  Guess it's the same for jug handles?  Sometimes you need to break the rules to get something more dynamic, but I don't think that was the result here.  Well, part of the point in doing this is to learn....

Day 26: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Woods on Mount Royal, 6" x 8" oil on canvas board

Based on a photo I took on Mount Royal and inspired by my new Wolf Khan calendar.  He rocks colour - knows no fear!

Day 25: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Sand Ripples and Beach Grass, 7" x 9", oil on canvas board

This was based on a photo I took on First Encounter Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  Fun to think of the beach on a cold day in January.  The sand ripples were the fascination for me and how they seemed to speak to the beach grass.

Day 24: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Leek, Scallions and Turnip, 6" x 8" oil on canvas board

This leek had a serious bend in it, unlike your everyday leek that is quite straight. 

Day 23: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Pears, 8" x 8"

Well, the title says it all.  "Two Pairs on a Table" is an alternative, but that's even more obvious.  Really, I could have just called these paintings Study #1.....Study # 23, but I chose not to...there's still a few more days though, so you never know!  There is much to learn in the history of the titling paintings, a study in itself.    

Day 22: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Quebec Town, 8" x 6" oil on canvas board

I painted this today from a photo I took some years ago somewhere in Quebec, but I don't remember where, exactly.  Could it be Petite Riviere St. Francois?  Is it on the way to St. Emilie de L'Energie or somewhere else in the Laurentians?  One thing is for certain, there was bound to be a church as part of the landscape.  In not quite the words of Mark Twain, you can't throw a rock without breaking a church window in Montreal / Quebec!

Day 21: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Spools of Thread, 5" x 7" oil on canvas board

Humble subject but still a challenge, at least for me!

Day 20: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Remi St. Marie, 8" x 6" oil on canvas board

This is a portrait of the kitten that my daughter found in her recycle box where she was left to die on a 30 C day.  Andy took her to the vet and took care of her and then Remi was adopted by my eldest daughter and her husband.  The kitten was so small she took up a mere portion of the palm of your hand.  This was painted from a photo of her taken about a month ago;  she is much bigger and in great health...a little cutie in real life!
I think I was channeling the work of Margaret Keane of "Big Eyes" fame.  I call this my Kitschy Kitten....It gives me a whole new appreciation for people who can paint good paintings of cats!!!! Or dogs, or any animal for that matter! With apologies to Remi who really does have the most beautiful big eyes! 

Day 19: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Tulips,  9" x 7" oil on canvas board

These yellow tulips want to stand straight up like soldiers, instead of doing the typical tulip dance of sinuous stems.  Maybe the cold got to them!

Day 18: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Indoor Garden, 8" x 8" canvas on board

Needless to say, many of our garden plants and ornaments move in for the winter to take up abode on various window sills or tables.  Buddha is sharing the spot with some basil while below on the floor a hibiscus reaches up for the light.  Good company!

Day 17: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Snowy NDG Street, 6" x 8" canvas board

This was painted from a photo I took looking up Marcil Avenue.  The house in the foreground on the left was actually an old farmhouse way back, built before there was anything else around, or so the story goes.  NDG looks pretty in the winter with all the snow-laden trees, but the sidewalks and streets can be quite dangerous and at times almost impassible! 

Day 16: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Hyacinth, 9" x 7" oil on canvas board

Another house plant that was begging to be painted before its demise.  Harbinger of spring on a freezing January day!

Day 15: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Fancy Breakfast, 8" x 8" oil on canvas board

Yesterday it was toast, but a fancier breakfast would be a croissant with all the accompanying accoutrements!  The little pink jam jar belonged to my mother, so in a way, she is present in this painting.  That's just a bit of some of the strange stuff that goes through your mind when you are painting!

Day 14: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Toast and Jam, 8' x 8" canvas on board

Reds are tricky business for me.  I was aiming for more of a burgundy for the cloth, but ended with a purple / mauve.  Colour is challenging but oh so fun!

Day 13: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Three Doors Up,  7"x 5" oil on canvas board

Needless to say, this was NOT done en plein air, given the cold weather we're having here in Montreal.  I took a photo with my trusty iPhone and worked from the photo in the warmth of my home! 

Day 12: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Keen's and Jalepeno Peppers, 5" 7" oil on panel

Spicing things up a bit.  Jalepenos are the cutest peppers to paint and they do spice up life in the kitchen too!

Day 11: 30 Days 30 Paintings

White Jug and Clementine, 5"x7" oil on panel

I love the shape of this little jug.  It has great curves! 

Day 10: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Tube of Hand cream, 4" x 5" oil on panel

Hand cream, the saviour of January hands!  4" x 5" is a teeny canvas;  I think I like to paint larger, but it was an interesting challenge to paint this small. 

Day 9: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Oil and Vinegar, 6" x 8" oil on panel

Plus a red onion, all ready to make a salad!  Lesson learned:  painting is like poker...you've got to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.  Danger lurks in that one last touch of the brush to "fix" some little detail, then there's another, and another and before you know it....well if you paint, you know what that's all about.  Knowing when to stop is the hardest of all.

Day 8: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Apple, Plate and Knife, 6"x 8" oil on panel

Those green apples looked very appetizing, but I threw them away after I had finished the painting because of the food recall on Granny Smiths.  Well, they posed very well!

Day 7: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Cyclamen, 8" x 8" oil on panel

Thought I'd paint another of my flowering plants before it gave up the ghost.  The background colour makes me feel warm, much needed on this freezing cold day!

Day 6: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Amaryllis, 8" x 8", oil on panel

Thought I would paint some of the flowering plants I have around the house while they are still blooming well.

Day 5: 30 Days 30 paintings

Tooth brushes, 8"x 6" oil on panel

Time for some new toothbrushes...these look a little baffed out!  They were fun to paint, though. 

Day 4: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Bowl, Cup and Cherries, 6" x 8", oil on panel

I think I chose a good month in which to paint every day.  It is just far too cold and miserable, not to mention dangerous, to go out and do anything else!  I am enjoying keeping company with ordinary things.

Day 3: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Jug and Paintbrush, 8" x 10" oil on panel

I like the shape of this jug;  truth is, I like most jugs and realized in looking around for things to paint that I have amassed a small collection!  I also like to use colourful napkins and dishtowels or tablecloths in still life.  I found it a bit easier to paint bigger than 6" x 6".   

Day 2: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Fun House Paint Tube 6" x 6", oil on stretched canvas
This was a challenge because of the glass jug and the weird distortion of the paint tube.  I have heard that you should paint what you see, but sometimes what you see doesn't make a lot of sense!   Still, it was a fun challenge, if not the most successful painting.  Onwards and upwards!

Day 1: 30 Days 30 Paintings

Jug, 6"x 6", oil on stretched canvas.
This is my first painting of the New Year.  I am going to try to do a daily painting in the month of January, hence the small size.  I spent a bit of time tidying up my studio space and making sure everything was organized yesterday and then went for it.  I am curious to see how a new rhythm will sort itself out and excited to see what I can come up with.  I didn't realize just how small 6x6" really is...how do some painters fit in whole scenes?