I suggested having a painting prompt each day for the Chestnut Group members, and we followed through with it. We began on March 17th, and we will have a new prompt each day for 30 days. Today is day 13. For days 1-12, I participated nine times. That equals 9 paintings. They're all posted below. I really like some of them, don't like a couple, and feel rather "blah" about another couple.
One good thing about having a prompt is that it gives the artist a specific direction for thinking and planning a painting. I've missed 3 days out of the first 12 - which I'm really pleased about. So far, here are my offerings:
Day 1: "Forsythia"
The first of the painting prompts: I like the forsythia bush, but I'm not particularly pleased with the rock wall and grass. I love forsythia and look forward to seeing it bloom each year.
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| "Backyard Forsythias" oil on 11x14 linen panel |
Day 3: "Free Spirit"
This is probably my favorite of the ones I've done so far. I just like the look of it - and I love Queen Anne's Lace - always have. I put this one in the Tennessee Tornado Relief Art Auction that is currently in progress. I hope someone likes it well enough to bid on it.
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| "Free Spirit Wildflowers" oil on 9 x 12 linen panel |
Day 4: "Complete a painting in 30 minutes"
When we built our farm in 2006, and we named it "Dogwood Trace" because of all the naturally occurring dogwood trees growing throughout our acreage. One of my goals is to do a large painting of dogwood trees for our home. I based this painting on a photograph I took of some of our dogwoods a couple years ago. This is a small study that will help me in painting a large one someday.
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| "Dogwood Trace" oil on 10x10 linen panel |
Day 5: "Being Mindful"
I took a drive and paid close attention (i.e. I was being mindful) to all the beautiful scenery around me. This scene is from a photo I took from a small bridge on Carl Road looking down at the creek. I think the creek is actually the West Harpeth River - but not certain because there are several creeks/rivers in that area and they wind in and out so much. There are some changes I will make to this later.
Day 7: "Reminiscing"
This painting represents "reminiscing" because the sewing box is one we bought at either an estate sale or antique store at least 45 years ago. I have to admit our sewing box is much fancier, but I couldn't get it right so I changed it to a simple box. The pie dish that's holding the eggs belonged to Ron's mother, Lillian. And the eggs are from our own chickens. The cotton bolls in the vase remind me of growing up in rural Georgia and all the cotton fields. This is one of my "blah" paintings. It's okay - but it will end up in my "nice try, but no thanks" stash of unframed paintings.
Day 8: "Nesting"
I wanted to paint a bird's nest - which is a literal interpretation of the prompt. I'm pleased with this one, and my daughter requested it as soon as she saw it. They have a lake house that they've named "The Bird's Nest" because it is small. She has a lot of bird decor inside and said she has the perfect place for this painting. So once it has dried, I will varnish and frame it, and give it to my daughter.
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| Oil on 6x6 hardboard |
Day 9: "The Journey"
This scene is on our property - along the ridge beyond our house. If we continued walking down this road, our house would be a short ways beyond the far curve in the road. I painted this just four days ago, and already those bare trees have leaves beginning to bud. Amazing how quickly spring bursts forth this time of year. This painting is not finished yet.
Day 10: "Complete a painting with 40 or fewer brush strokes"
For this painting, I wanted to try out cold wax medium again. So I mixed my colors - 1/2 oil paint and 1/2 cold wax medium. Then I toned my canvas with a deep red paint. I started counting my strokes - using palette knives and a scraper - and then I got so wrapped up in painting that I totally forgot about counting strokes. I KNOW I used lots more than 40 brush strokes, but a great many fewer strokes than I typically use for a painting. This is another of my favorites - I really like the way this one looks.
Day 12: "Blessed"
I wanted to stay on the cold wax medium train. So I used that with oil paint for this one. Earlier in the day I had looked at Facebook and saw a photo that a friend had posted of an American Flag out in a field. I liked the look of a flag within a simple landscape. So I painted a landscape similar to the one I did on Day 10 and then put a flag within it. I like this one, although I don't think I did as well with the water as I did on the other one.
