Art Adventures

Posts from the ‘Thirty-Dollar Thursday’ category

Top O’ the Morning to ya!

By on July 31, 2014

While in Colorado this summer, my sister sent me some amazing photos of her chickens. She’s a chicken-girl, my sis(love you, sis). She LOVES her chickens, names them, breeds them, and probably spoils them rotten. Out of all these photos, this one sang to me…or, more like, cock-a-doodle-doo-ed to me? He puffed out his poof-poof chest and looked like he was crowing with all his might:  “See all these ladies here? These ladies are MINE!”

He’s a Silkie, a type of Banty chicken. A perfect name, since they have super-soft feathers that look like fine fur, and because they are from Siberia, they have black skin under their soft feathers…just like polar bears.

Top O' the Morning, 8x8 on gessoed 140# watercolor painting

Top O’ the Morning, 8×8 watercolor on gessoed 140# paper.

Isn’t he awesome? Super fun to paint, this guy, whose name is Heckle. I especially enjoy painting white critters, having fun with all the reflective lighting in the shadow side of their fur/feathers. White isn’t just white, you know! In the shadow side of a white object, there is warm and cool light that can add structure to your form. Have fun with it, I say!

Let me know if you want this little painting! He’s $30 today, on Thursday! Don’t forget to follow this blog (scroll to the bottom and click follow) and follow me on Facebook! Enjoy your day, everyone!! Top O’ the Morning to ya!

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Thirty-Dollar Thursday Flip Flops!

By on July 17, 2014

My niece, fabulous swimmer that she is, gets to travel around the state for swim meets. Frequently, she finds herself and her friends competing in Newport, Oregon, on the Pacific Coast. So when I saw her recently, she had been there, in Newport, and had spent some time on the beach, in the sandy-sand. All the girls had flip flops on, which they apparently flung off in the sand to run down to the water. Someone had an artistic eye and snapped a photo of the flip flops. And I’m the lucky person to get to paint these. It was so much fun that I had to share for Thirty-Dollar Thursday this week!

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Newport Beach Flip Flops 8×8 Original Watercolor on Gessoed Watercolor Paper

Make sure you get this one for $30 today. If we need to ship, it’s extra. First come, first serve. Remember to follow me on Facebook and follow this blog by scrolling down and clicking follow! Why? Because you can be “In the Know”, which will make all your friends jealous. 😉  Happy Thursday, everyone!

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Thirty-Dollar Thursday Bananas!

By on July 10, 2014

Bananas are the name of the game today! Cut them up, freeze them, then use them in a frozen smoothie with other berries and almond milk with a touch of cinnamon. My son LOVES these banana smoothies! So, to honor his favorite smoothie, I offer up an original painting of bananas for thirty dollars, today only. This painting is normally $50 retail, so grab it quickly!

Bananas, 8x8 original watercolor on gessoed watercolor paper

Chiquita Bananas, 8×8 original watercolor on gessoed watercolor paper

Let me know if you want this little banana cluster, Chiquita Bananas, an 8×8 image size, matted with foam core backing to slip into a 12×12 frame.

Follow me on Facebook! Follow this blog(scroll down and click follow)! Check out my store! And be on the lookout for new work from my Colorado Artistic Retreat, coming soon right here on this blog. I have GREAT paintings coming up both in my mind (ha!!) from all the nostalgic photos I took and in process. Have a great Thursday, everyone!

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Thirty-Dollar Thursday Limes!

By on June 26, 2014

We had just gone to Costco (love it/hate it) and bought one of those HUGE bags of limes for our weekend graduation party (No one can drink a Mexican beer without a slice of lime, right? It’s just not allowed), when I realized just what I really had in my hot little hands. That’s right. A painting opportunity! When we got home, the afternoon sun streamed through the juniper trees into my backyard and I realized that I just couldn’t pass up an chance to paint these beautiful orbs of green. My husband wondered what in the world I was doing as I carried out a wooden cutting board, my camera, a knife, Grandma’s bowl, and the bag of limes to the backyard. Though I think, by now, he pretty much gets that I have weird behavior. NEVER QUESTION AN ARTIST. Ok? We just have stuff going on and it may not make sense at the time, but maybe, eventually, it will become evident what we are doing. Well…I said MAYBE…

Anyway, I snapped off some photos of the limes:

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Photo reference for lime painting. Taken in my back yard.

Next, I drew it out on a piece of watercolor paper that I had gessoed. Blue painter’s tape held the paper securely to GatorBoard to keep it from moving around and keep the edges down while I painted. Once the paper has been gessoed, it does not shrink, bubble or curl up like regular watercolor paper, so there is no need to soak and stretch the paper as is traditionally done. Here’s the drawing:

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Drawing of Slice of Summer

As you might be able to see, I removed one of the limes from the background to keep visual confusion at a minimum. I also elevated the horizon line to the top third of the painting. This provided a contrast to the green of the lines and made the limes “pop”. Here is the finished painting:

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Finished. A Slice of Summer. 8×8 unframed on gessoed watercolor paper. $30 today only.

I love the background purples. By spraying water into semi-wet watercolor and dabbing it off, amazing texture can result, which is exactly what happened here. The limes are fresh and bursting with citrus-y color. Enjoy the Thirty-Dollar Thursday, everyone! Message me if you want the lime painting for $30 today. These sell for $50 in my online store. First come, first serve! They have been selling like Hot Cakes every Thursday, so if you want it, jump on it right away.

Visit and “Like” me on my FB page for more info and upcoming events. I’ll be having a studio sale this summer. Make sure you follow me and like me here (scroll down to the bottom of the page and “follow”, which means you get an email only when I post), and on FB to be “in the know”. LOTS of paintings will be on SUPER-SALE. I haven’t pinned the dates down yet, so stay connected and stay tuned! Thanks everyone for your support! Feed the Beast, people!

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Thirty-Dollar Thursday Hummingbird

By on June 19, 2014

Thirty-Dollar Thursday is here! Okay, so last week I had a request:  How about a hummingbird, Sarah? Sure thing, but trying to get those little critters to hold still while I snapped off a photo or two? Impossible. Especially with my somewhat-lacking-photo-taking-abilities. I mean, I pretend and all, but when you start talking F-stop and iso-whatever, my eyes glaze over and some sort of brain fog rushes in. Coming to my rescue? My photo guru brother (yo, bro, thanks for the amazing pics of hummingbirds!). So here’s the deal. Never, have I ever, had so much fun painting. Okay, just kidding. But really, this little bird? So cute! I will have to do more hummingbirds. And send me more ideas, everyone! Ya’ll think of fun things to paint, okay? Below, check out the first wash:

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Hummingbird in progress. First wash. You will notice how much more the hummingbird “pops” in the final painting, due to darkening the values behind the bird.

Final painting, after deepening the values behind the bird and tightening up details:

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Hummingbird, A Moment. Final. 8×8 watercolor on gessoed watercolor paper.

My cute little hummingbird. Even though I have them here in Oregon, they always remind me of Colorado. Mom and Dad’s place.  Anyhoo, she’s available today only for $30, usually $50. Original watercolor painting on 140# gessoed watercolor paper. See that cool texture in there? That’s the textured gesso underpainting. This painting is 8×8, matted to fit into a 12×12 frame. Shipping not included. Unframed.

Visit my store or stop by to see me and friend me on Facebook for upcoming events and special deals. Also, FOLLOW ME, will ya? You get an email only when I post, which is usually twice a week, and you won’t miss any of these fabulous paintings. Just scroll to the bottom of this post, click on FOLLOW, and add your email. Easy-peasy. Have a great Thursday, everyone!

Oh, and leave a comment…what should I paint next?

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Thirty-Dollar Thursday Sunny Daisies

By on June 12, 2014

Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday! Happy Thirty-Dollar Thursday, I mean to say. Here’s my thirty-dollar painting today. The painting is as bright and cheery as the daisies were when I walked past them at the Old Mill by the Colorado Bridge on my lunch hour this week. I just HAD to snap a photo of their sunny faces, tossing around in the breeze.

Thirty-Dollar Thursday, "Sunny Daisies". 8x8 watercolor on gessoed watercolor paper.

Thirty-Dollar Thursday, “Sunny Daisies”. 8×8 watercolor on gessoed watercolor paper. Unframed.

So first come, first serve. Message me to let me know you want it. This painting would be listed for $50 on my online store. It is an 8×8 original painting, with foam core back, matted to fit a 12×12 frame.

Follow me on Facebook for fabulous offerings and check out my store to order larger pieces other small works, or prints. Love to you all and have a glorious Thursday!

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