Glazers Doughnuts January 18 - 30 painitngs in 30 days

Glazers Doughnuts 8x8" oil on canvas - $99

Alright more sugar. And it's a good time for it because I'm giving it up on Wednesday. Two years ago, I gave up sugar for three months, and I felt great. But it isn't going to stop there. Just like two years ago, I'm giving up gluten, eggs, peanuts, dairy, artificial sweeteners, soy, and corn. Those foods are hidden in a lot of what we eat and we end up eating so much of these foods them that we end up with varying degrees of food intolerance to them. By cutting out these seven foods, your body is given a break from them. The best part is that I have a great recipe book full of the foods that I love to eat, that also happen to be free of the 7 foods that are eliminated. It takes more effort to follow the diet than just grab food and go, but I'm looking forward to more energy for painting.

Oh, and the coffee that's in the painting, I will NOT be giving that up. It's alright to drink coffee on the elimination diet.

Lemon Water - January 17 - 30 painitngs in 30 days

Lemon Water 12x12" oil on canvas - $199

 

We have great water on the farm. We have a unique well, meaning that we don't get a water bill, it comes straight out of the ground. There are several artesian wells (Maci calls them Indonesian wells) in the Rock Springs area, and there is even tankers a few miles down the road that supply a national bottled water company (I'm not sure which one). I start my day with a half lemon in a large mason jar with our water and ice, and this still life is a tribute to that. By the way, Cory drinks her morning lemon water warm, it's supposed to be more healthy :)

Christmas Cookie Leftovers - January 16 - 30 paintings in 30 days



Christmas Cookie Leftovers - 12x12" oil on canvas - $199

My sister made the Christmas Tree Sugar Cookie and my Aunt made the little lemon cookies with the white frosting. The doughnut was made at a bakery here in town. I'm glad I got this one done now, because I'm ready to give up sugar!



Barn Door January 15 - 30 paintings in 30 Days

Barn Door 6x8" oil on carton attached to stretched canvas - $75

This is a painting that I did last week. I only had a half hour to paint this morning, before running to Chicago to pick up my girlfriends daughter, so I'm glad to have one for reserve. This is our barn door out here on the farm, in late afternoon. The chicken coop studio is seen in the upper left of the painting as well. This painting was made on carton, from Gurella Painter. It is a modern, and formaldehyde free version of the support used by Toulouse Lautrec and Edouard Vuillard. I didn't leave much open areas of tone, as they did, but it was a fun surface to try out. Tomorrow, I'm taking a couple sheets of it to Madison, to do some heightened drawings at the Union, after we visit the Geology Museum, the Chazan Art Museum, Lao Laan Xang, and Gallery Dillon. This 30 in 30 challenge has shed some light into a otherwise grey month!

I'm also sending out a package to a repeat collector from Washington DC. I thought I'd share a photo of the contents of her package. The cow is a three color reduction print that I threw in as a surprise for her.

Just the Facts - January 14 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Just the Facts 8x10" acrylic on panel

Last evening, I noticed the light on the buildings by the Baraboo River. The buildings were built by the Ringling Brothers for their Circus. I knew that I wanted to paint there.

Today, there was sun for most of the day, but when I got my things set up, the clouds rolled in. I painted for a couple of hours under overcast skys, hoping for the sun to come back over the river and buildings.
Then at 4, the sun came out! It was the effect that I was looking for, the one that I remembered from last evening. I changed canvases, and painted this little one in a few minutes, and then the sun left again.
Painting outdoors is like that. When the light changes, there is a choice to make. Sometimes, it's possible to change the canvas that you have going, but sometimes it's better to start a fresh one. The rule is to not chase the light, unless it would strengthen the painting. This painting is just the abstract shapes and colors of the scene. I'm not trying to celebrate this sketch by posting it, it's just a record of the moment that we had today and nothing more. Often, that's what we get when we go out. I can say that to me, it's special, because the feeling of chasing those 15 minutes felt way better than recording the facts of the overcast day. Painting fleeting light will always be my favorite thing to do.

Candy Hearts January 13 - 30 paintings in 30 days

Candy Hearts 8x8" oil on panel - $75 free shipping

I had a great day today. After I finished painting this still life of sweethearts, I went thrift shopping with my sweetheart! My best find of the day was a 3 pack of Fredrix Red Label canvas for $2, and also a simple frame for a painting that we are hanging in the kitchen. I got such a good deal, that I'm offering this small still life for a small price. Candy Hearts.

Gredes Foundries

 

 
 
 

Foundry at Noon 8x8" - $99

 

 

 

 

 

Foundry at Two 8x8"  - $99

 

The light was good today, so I wanted to get outside and paint. My painting didn't work out yesterday, so I'm putting up two today.

 

I painted these from the passenger seat in my car. It was 6 degrees when I started, and 8 when I drove home. The "feels like" temperature was much colder, and the windows that were not facing the sun were covered with thick frost. When driving home, someone ahead of me had a frost covered back window, and a cop was trying to pull them over. They couldn't see the officer, and were just driving around like nothing was wrong.

Bathroom Window Interior

Bathroom Window Interior 9x12" oil on canvas - $99

 

Today I had an hour to squeeze in my painting for the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge. After I painted, I drove up to Stephens Point, to drop off two paintings for a group show of Wisconsin Landscapes at the Scarabocchio Art Museum. The show opens on January 22, and I'm really excited because I'm showing with some great painters! It is my first museum show, so this is a big honor.

The following paintings are the two pieces that were selected for the show. Both are 24x36"

 

 

 

 

January Interior - January 9 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

January Interior 12x12" oil on canvas

I had some good news from my friend and great painter Pat Dillon that I had a nice sale in her gallery today, Gallery Dillon on Williamson St. In Madison! It looks like some of my still life will be in her gallery for a still life show as well, so this 30 in 30 challenge is shaping up to be a success.

I had a great time painting inside my kitchen today. This painting is simple, but it took me quite a while to get into it today. I wiped the composition off the canvas 5 times before I got the layout that I wanted. It was a fun painting session, with the cats and dogs keeping me company. Now to take care of those dishes!

Apples on Pattern - January 8 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Apples on Pattern oil on canvas

Today, I met with the neighbor, who is making me some frames. I've been painting 8x8's for the 30 in 30, so I asked if he'd make me some frames in that size. He has his own saw mill, and he cuts some good looking boards from trees that he cuts down himself. I'll be showing my 30 paintings in 30 days on Saturday the 30th, on the Cool Boo Studio Tour. My stop on the tour will be at the Baraboo Arts Building, which is an old shed for the Ringling Brothers Circus. For more info on that, you can check out the facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Cool-Boo-Open-Studios-1605497123003366/

Apples - January 7 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Apples and Pattern oil on canvas 8x8" - sold
 

Lemon Still Life - January 6 - 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Lemon Still Life 8x8" oil on canvas - sold

 

 

For today's challenge I'm posting a painting that I did 3 days ago. I did 3 sketches in the studio today, but none of them worked out. Knowing what not to do next time is over half the battle.

I am picking up my skateboard halfpipe from storage tomorrow, so I'm hoping to have time to paint in the morning beforehand. I have to cut the halfpipe down, to fit a space in one of the sheds here at the farm. It's a big project. The ramp is 30 feet long, 16 feet wide, and 4 feet tall, but we are cutting it down to 12 feet wide and 3 feet tall. I built the halfpipe in January 2005, I guess that makes ten years ago. Now, I'll have a studio, and a skateboard ramp right out my front door. Painting and skateboarding work together in a way for me. When I can't look at a painting anymore, I try to go out and skate. When I'm too beat up from skating, I try to paint.